When To Use "Ate" And "Eaten"?

ForumsVocabulary & Idioms
  •  1
  •  123,926
+0
My girlfriend gets confused with the use of the words "ate" and "eaten". Can someone explain in simple terms how these terms work? Specifically she uses the word "ate" in sentences like this, "She hasn't ate yet" or "The kids haven't ate yet". Is this proper or should she be using the word "eaten" in this context?
+1
Hi,

'Ate' is Simple Past tense. eg I ate dinner yesterday.

'Eaten' is the past participle. eg I'm not hungry. I have eaten dinner.

But people who speak this way do not usually understand grammatical explanations.

You could tell her that's why we say 'I have gone' and not 'I have went', but I wouldn't be surprised if she says 'I have went' as well as 'I have ate'.

If you love her, maybe you just have to love the way she speaks as well.[L]

Clive
1 2 3 4
Comments  
Teachers: We supply a list of EFL job vacancies
Oh well. At least she knows when to use the present perfect, and the 3rd person singular! Emotion: nodding
Actually, to really tell would be looking out for Verb Phrases. eg. has, have, had;

EXAMPLE : i HAVE eaten. Now when you use Past Participle,Keep that hint in mind.

When you say "I ate already." No has,have, had , right? & now add have after "i" and change the past in to a past participle which is "eaten"

-English Teacher Emotion: smile
AnonymousActually, to really tell would be looking out for Verb Phrases. eg. has, have, had;
EXAMPLE : i HAVE eaten. Now when you use Past Participle,Keep that hint in mind.
When you say "I ate already." No has,have, had , right? & now add have after "i" and change the past in to a past participle which is "eaten"
-English Teacher Emotion: smile
With respect, if you're an English teacher, perhaps you could use proper capitalization.
Site Hint: Check out our list of pronunciation videos.
How to use of have &has with ask ,about meals drink more other please tell well?
How to use of have &;has with ask ,about meals drink more other please tell well?
Mother asked, "Son, have you eaten your lunch? Did you drink all your milk?"
Students: Are you brave enough to let our tutors analyse your pronunciation?
I am an English instructor and I was thinking the exact same thing. Sentence structure would be nice, too. Emotion: smile
Show more

Answer this Question

Guides