Irregular verb
The verb to ride
ride → rode → ridden
B1Meaning: to travel on a bike or horse; to travel as a passenger · Type: irregular · Frequency: Top 100 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they ride·he/she/it rides - Past Simple:
rode - Past participle:
ridden(different from the Past Simple) - -ing form:
riding
Conjugation of the verb to ride
Present Simple
| I | ride |
| You | ride |
| He / She / It | rides |
| We | ride |
| You (pl.) | ride |
| They | ride |
Past Simple
| I | rode |
| You | rode |
| He / She / It | rode |
| We | rode |
| You (pl.) | rode |
| They | rode |
All the forms of the verb to ride
Present Simple
Full pageride / rides
“I ride my bike to school.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are riding
“I am riding a bike right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagerode
“I rode my bike to school yesterday.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were riding
“I was riding a bike when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has ridden
“I have already ridden a bike.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad ridden
“She had already ridden a bike when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill ride
“I will ride a bike tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to ride
“I'm going to ride a bike this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould ride
“I would ride a bike if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to ride
1. Riding a bike, a horse or a motorbike
- I ride my bike to school.
- She rides horses on weekends.
2. Travelling as a passenger
As a passenger: ride a bus, ride a train. (Ride the subway is American English; British English says take the Underground or take the tube.)
- I ride the bus every morning.
- They rode the train to Paris.
Common mistakes to avoid
1. I drive a bike ❌
An easy rule: if there is a steering wheel, use drive. If not (a bike, a motorbike, a horse), or if you are a passenger, use ride. I ride my bike.
2. Ride a bike every day
For a bike as transport, say ride a bike: I ride my bike to school. For the sport or the hobby, you can also say go cycling.
What's next?
You can conjugate to ride. 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 ride on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersReady-made activities to practise to ride 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.
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English contestConjugating to ride is a key skill in the English contest
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Related pages: ride
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of ride?+
The Past Simple of ride is rode. The past participle is ridden. Ride → rode → ridden.
What is the difference between ride and drive?+
Ride = to sit on a bike, a motorbike or a horse and control it, or to travel as a passenger (a bus, a train). Drive = to control a car or a lorry, with a steering wheel. I ride a bike. I drive a car.
Is it ride a bike or drive a bike?+
Say ride a bike: I ride my bike to school. For cycling as a sport or a hobby, you can also say go cycling. Drive a bike is wrong.
Is it ride a horse or go horse riding?+
Both are correct. Ride a horse is the action: Can you ride a horse? Go horse riding is for the activity: She goes horse riding at weekends.
Is it rode or rided?+
Always rode. Ride is irregular: its Past Simple is rode and its past participle is ridden. Rided does not exist.
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/ride
© 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.