What’s the Past Tense of Meet: Understanding Verb Conjugation
Quick Answer
The past tense of meet is met. With “have” or “has,” it is also met.
Every day: I meet my friends after work.
Yesterday: I met my friends after work.
Many times: I have met her many times.
Meet and Met — See the Pattern
Read these sentences. Look at how the verb changes:
- We meet every Friday. (now — every week)
- We met at the coffee shop yesterday. (past — it is finished)
- We have met three times this month. (past with “have”)
Did you see the pattern? The past form is always met — for the past and with have/has/had.
| When? | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Now / every day | meet | I meet new people at work. |
| In the past | met | I met a new friend yesterday. |
| With have / has / had | met | I have met her before. |
Why “Met” and Not “Meeted”?
Meet is an irregular verb. That means it does not follow the normal rule of adding -ed to make the past tense.
Most verbs in English are simple. You just add -ed:
- walk → walked
- talk → talked
But meet does not work like that. It drops one “e” and changes in a special way:
- meet → met (NOT “meeted”)
Easy way to remember: Meet has two “e”s. Met has one. In the past, one “e” goes away — just like the meeting is over.
The Rule in One Line: Meet becomes met — every time, no exceptions.
How to Use Met in Everyday English
- I met my best friend at school. (that is how our friendship started)
- We met for lunch on Tuesday. (we came together to eat)
- She has met the boss twice. (from past to now — two times in total)
- Have you met my sister? (a question about a past experience)
- Nice to have met you! (we say this when we say goodbye to a new person)
You are doing great. Now let us look at the mistakes many learners make.
The Most Common Mistake With Meet
Even native speakers’ children say “meeted” when they are little. If you have done this too, do not worry — it is one of the most natural mistakes in English.
✗ We meeted at the park last week.
✓ We met at the park last week.
✗ I have meeted him before.
✓ I have met him before.
How to remember: “Meeted” is not a real word. The word is always met. Think: drop one “e,” and you have the past — meet → met.
Other verbs that work in a similar way: feed → fed, feel → felt, keep → kept, sleep → slept. They all keep it short in the past.
Test Yourself: Meet or Met?
Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.
1. I _______ my new neighbour last Sunday.
2. We have _______ many times this year.
3. She _______ her husband at university ten years ago.
4. Have you ever _______ a famous person?
5. Nice to have _______ you!
Keep Going — You Are Building Something
You just learned meet → met. That is one more irregular verb you will never get wrong again.
Meet and met drop one letter to make the past. But some verbs change their vowel instead. Take sit. When you sit down now, we say “sit.” But what do you think we say for yesterday? Do you know if it is sitted, sitten, or something else?
Next lesson: Sit or Sat: The Past Tense of Sit
Source
meet (v.) — Online Etymology Dictionary
My name is Khamis Maiouf. I am the creator of the English Teacher Site, dedicated to providing valuable resources and insights for students around the world. With a passion for education and a commitment to helping students enhance their skills, I aim to make English teaching more effective and enjoyable for both educators and students.
