Regular verb
The verb to play
play → played → played
A2Meaning: to take part in a game or sport; to make music with an instrument · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they play·he/she/it plays - Past Simple:
played - Past participle:
played - -ing form:
playing
Conjugation of the verb to play
Present Simple
| I | play |
| You | play |
| He / She / It | plays |
| We | play |
| You (pl.) | play |
| They | play |
Past Simple
| I | played |
| You | played |
| He / She / It | played |
| We | played |
| You (pl.) | played |
| They | played |
All the forms of the verb to play
Present Simple
Full pageplay / plays
“I play tennis.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are playing
“I am playing football right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pageplayed
“I played football yesterday.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were playing
“I was playing football when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has played
“I have already played football.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad played
“She had already played football when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill play
“I will play football tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to play
“I'm going to play football this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould play
“I would play football if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to play
1. Playing (a sport, a game)
- I play tennis.
2. Playing (an instrument)
- She plays the piano.
3. Playing (a role)
Play + a character means to act that character in a play or a film.
- He plays Hamlet.
A common mistake
1. Play the football ❌
With a sport, use no article and no preposition: play football, play tennis. The article goes before an instrument: play the piano.
Going further
Conjugating to play 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 play. Now say it out loud.
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Related pages: play
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of play?+
Played: play is regular, so you add -ed. The past participle is also played. Play → played → played. The y stays because there is a vowel before it.
When do you say play the?+
Play + a sport, with no article: play tennis, play football. Play + the + an instrument: play the piano, play the guitar. The article makes the difference.
What does player mean in slang?+
In modern slang, a player is a person who has many romantic relationships and does not take other people's feelings seriously. Don't trust him, he's a player. It is negative.
What does play it cool mean?+
Play it cool is an idiom: to stay calm, or to pretend to be relaxed. Just play it cool, don't panic. You hear it a lot in films.
What is the difference between playground and PlayStation?+
A playground is an outdoor area where children play, for example at school or in a park. PlayStation is a brand of video game console (Sony, PS5). They are two different compound words with play.
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/play
© 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.