What is the Past Tense of Forbid? Understanding Forbade and Forbidden

Forbid, Forbade, Forbidden — See the Pattern

Read these sentences. Look at how the verb changes:

• The school forbids phones in class. (now — every day)
• The school forbade phones in class last year. (past — it is finished)
• The school has forbidden phones for many years. (past with “has”)

Did you see the pattern? There are three forms:

When to Use Forbade and When to Use Forbidden

This is the part that confuses many learners. Here is the simple rule:

Use “forbade” when you talk about the past — something that is finished:

• She forbade her children from eating sweets before dinner.
• The teacher forbade us from talking during the test.

Use “forbidden” when there is a helping word before it — have, has, or had:

• They have forbidden smoking in the building.
• She has forbidden her dog from sleeping on the bed.
• The government had forbidden the old road before they built the new one.

Easy way to remember: If you see have, has, or had before it, use forbidden. If not, use forbade.

How to Use Forbid in Everyday English

Here are examples you might use every day:

• My parents forbade me from going out on school nights. (past — it is finished)
• The doctor forbade him from eating sugar. (past — it is finished)
• They have forbidden dogs in this park. (with “have” — use forbidden)
• The company has forbidden workers from using phones at their desks. (with “has” — use forbidden)
• The sign says swimming is forbidden here. (used like a describing word — “not allowed”)

You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.

Two Mistakes to Avoid With Forbid

Even advanced learners mix up “forbade” and “forbidden” sometimes — so if you get confused, you are not alone.

How to remember: Think of give, gave, given. It follows a similar pattern: forbid, forbade, forbidden. The ending changes to -ade in the past, and -idden with have/has/had.

Other verbs like this: give → gave → given, ride → rode → ridden, hide → hid → hidden.

Test Yourself: Forbid, Forbade, or Forbidden?

Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned forbid, forbade, forbidden. That is one more irregular verb you will never get wrong again.

But did you know that forget follows a very similar pattern? Forget, forgot, forgotten — it changes in the same way. Do you know when to use forgot and when to use forgotten?

Next lesson: Forget, Forgot, Forgotten — What is the Difference?

Source

Etymology of forbid — Online Etymology Dictionary