Regular verb
The verb to plan
plan → planned → planned
A2Meaning: to decide what you will do and how · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
plan / plans - Past Simple:
planned(double n) - Past participle:
planned - -ing form:
planning
Conjugation of the verb to plan
Present Simple
| I | plan |
| You | plan |
| He / She / It | plans |
| We | plan |
| You (pl.) | plan |
| They | plan |
Past Simple
| I | planned |
| You | planned |
| He / She / It | planned |
| We | planned |
| You (pl.) | planned |
| They | planned |
All the forms of the verb to plan
Present Simple
Full pageplan / plans
“I plan a trip to Paris.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are planning
“I am planning a trip right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pageplanned
“We planned the wedding for June.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were planning
“I was planning a trip when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has planned
“I have already planned a trip.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad planned
“She had already planned a trip when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill plan
“I will plan a trip tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to plan
“I'm going to plan a trip this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould plan
“I would plan a trip if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to plan
1. Planning
- I plan to travel.
2. A plan (noun)
- Make a plan.
A common mistake
1. Planner: two meanings
A planner can be a book for your daily plans, or a person who organises things (an event planner). The context tells you which one.
Going further
Conjugating to plan 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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Practise on PLAYYou can conjugate to plan. Now say it out loud.
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For teachersReady-made activities to practise to plan in class
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Related pages: plan
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of plan?+
Planned, with a double n. The rule: a verb of one syllable that ends in one short vowel + one consonant doubles the consonant before -ed and -ing. The same happens with stop → stopped and sit → sitting.
Is it plan to do or plan doing?+
Use plan to + verb to talk about what you want to do: I plan to travel next year. Plan + -ing is wrong in this meaning. (With on, the -ing form is possible: I plan on travelling next year.)
What is the difference between a plan and the plan?+
A plan is a new plan, one that you have not talked about yet. The plan is a plan that everyone already knows. Stick to the plan means do what you decided to do.
What does planner mean?+
A planner has two meanings. (1) A book where you write your plans for each day: a daily planner. (2) A person whose job is to organise things: an event planner organises parties and big events.
What does plan B mean?+
Plan B is a second plan, for when the first one does not work. If plan A fails, we have plan B. It is a very common expression.
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/plan
© 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.