Regular verb
The verb to cook
cook → cooked → cooked
A2Meaning: to make food ready to eat, using heat · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
cook / cooks - Past Simple:
cooked - Past participle:
cooked - -ing form:
cooking
Conjugation of the verb to cook
Present Simple
| I | cook |
| You | cook |
| He / She / It | cooks |
| We | cook |
| You (pl.) | cook |
| They | cook |
Past Simple
| I | cooked |
| You | cooked |
| He / She / It | cooked |
| We | cooked |
| You (pl.) | cooked |
| They | cooked |
All the forms of the verb to cook
Present Simple
Full pagecook / cooks
“I cook dinner.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are cooking
“I am cooking dinner right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagecooked
“I cooked pasta.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were cooking
“I was cooking dinner when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has cooked
“I have already cooked dinner.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad cooked
“She had already cooked dinner when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill cook
“I will cook dinner tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to cook
“I'm going to cook dinner this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould cook
“I would cook dinner if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to cook
1. Cooking
- I cook dinner every night.
2. Cookbook
A cookbook is a book of recipes.
- A new cookbook.
A common mistake
1. He is a good cooker ❌
A cooker is the machine in the kitchen that you cook on, with an oven (British English). The person who cooks is a cook: He is a good cook.
Going further
Conjugating to cook is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of cook?+
Cooked. Cook is a regular verb: just add -ed. Cook → cooked → cooked.
What is the difference between a cook and a chef?+
A cook is any person who cooks, at home or at work. A chef is a trained professional who cooks in a restaurant. My mum is a great cook. He is the chef in a famous restaurant.
What is a cookbook?+
A cookbook is a book of recipes. You can also say a recipe book. I got a new cookbook for my birthday.
What is a cookout?+
A cookout (informal American English) is a meal that you cook and eat outside, like a barbecue. Let's have a cookout this weekend!
What does what's cooking mean?+
What's cooking? is an informal idiom that means what's happening? It is not about food. Friends sometimes say it to say hello.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/cook
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.