Irregular verb
The verb to grind
grind → ground → ground
B2Meaning: to crush into small pieces or powder · Type: irregular
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they grind·he/she/it grinds - Past Simple:
ground(i → ou, said /ɡraʊnd/) - Past participle:
ground(the same as the Past Simple) - -ing form:
grinding
Conjugation of the verb to grind
Present Simple
| I | grind |
| You | grind |
| He / She / It | grinds |
| We | grind |
| You (pl.) | grind |
| They | grind |
Past Simple
| I | ground |
| You | ground |
| He / She / It | ground |
| We | ground |
| You (pl.) | ground |
| They | ground |
All the forms of the verb to grind
Present Simple
Full pagegrind / grinds
“I grind coffee every morning.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are grinding
“I am grinding the coffee right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pageground
“She ground the coffee beans.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were grinding
“I was grinding the coffee when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has ground
“I have already ground the coffee.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad ground
“She had already ground the coffee when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill grind
“I will grind the coffee tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to grind
“I'm going to grind the coffee this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould grind
“I would grind the coffee if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to grind
1. Crushing coffee or spices
- I grind coffee every morning.
- Grind the pepper, please.
2. Mincing meat (US)
Ground beef is beef cut into very small pieces. In British English, it is mince.
- I bought ground beef for the burgers.
3. Idioms
The daily grind is the boring daily routine. Have an axe to grind means to have a strong personal reason to complain.
- The daily grind.
- I have an axe to grind.
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Grind is also a noun
A grind is a long, hard and boring task: Revising for exams is a real grind. The daily grind is the boring routine of every day.
2. Rise and grind
Rise and grind means get up and work hard. It is a modern slogan for motivation. It plays with rise and shine, which means wake up and get out of bed.
What's next?
You can conjugate to grind. Now say it out loud.
This page explained everything. On PLAY, you practise this verb out loud in 3 minutes, until it comes naturally.
Practise to grind on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersReady-made activities to practise to grind in class
The Academy offers self-marking exercises and progress tracking for each student: your class practises, and you see who has got it and who needs more help.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestConjugating to grind 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.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of grind?+
The Past Simple of grind is ground, said /ɡraʊnd/. The past participle is also ground. Grind → ground → ground. Other verbs in -ind change in the same way: find → found, bind → bound, wind → wound.
Does ground mean the floor or crushed?+
Both. The noun ground is the earth under your feet. Ground is also the past participle of grind: crushed into small pieces or powder. The context tells you which one it is. Ground coffee is coffee in powder. The ground was wet. The two words look and sound the same.
What is the difference between ground beef and minced meat?+
They are the same thing: meat cut into very small pieces. Ground beef is American English. In British English, people say minced meat or mince. The machine is a grinder in the US and a mincer in the UK.
What does the daily grind mean?+
The daily grind is the boring routine of every day, especially at work. The idea is a machine that goes round and round, always the same. I'm tired of the daily grind.
Is it ground or grinded?+
Say ground. Grind is irregular, so grinded is not standard English. It follows the same pattern as find → found, bind → bound and wind → wound.
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/grind
© 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.