Some English verbs are more straightforward than they seem, and “hurt” is one of them. Unlike many verbs that change form in the past tense, “hurt” stays the same. That simplicity is helpful, but it can also cause confusion, especially for learners who expect every verb to follow a pattern. In this post, you’ll learn how to use “hurt” correctly in all its forms, especially in the past tense.
What is the Past Tense of “Hurt”?
The verb hurt is an irregular verb. Its form does not change in the past tense or the past participle.
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
That means you use the same word whether you’re talking about the present, the past, or using it in a perfect tense.
What Does “Hurt” Mean?
“Hurt” can be used in several ways:
To feel pain
-
- My head hurts.
- She hurt her ankle.
To cause someone pain
-
- He hurt me with his words.
- They hurt the animal by mistake.
To damage something emotionally or physically
-
- That movie hurt my feelings.
- The storm hurt the roof badly.
Using “Hurt” in Past Tense
Even though “hurt” looks the same in present and past, the tense is shown by the sentence’s context and other words (like time markers).
Examples:
- I hurt my leg yesterday.
- She hurt his feelings during the argument.
- They hurt themselves while hiking.
- He hurt his back last week.
In all of these, the action is clearly in the past, even though the verb hasn’t changed.
Using “Hurt” in Perfect Tenses
“Hurt” is also used in present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses as the past participle.
Present Perfect
- I have hurt myself many times.
- She has hurt her shoulder again.
Past Perfect
- He had hurt his hand before the game started.
- They had hurt their chances by being late.
Future Perfect
- By next week, I will have hurt my performance if I keep skipping practice.
Again, notice how “hurt” doesn’t change form, no matter what tense it’s in.
Common Mistakes
Even though “hurt” is simple, learners still make a few mistakes. Let’s fix them.
Mistake 1: Adding -ed to make “hurted”
❌ He hurted his knee.
✅ He hurt his knee.
“Hurted” is not a correct form. “Hurt” is irregular and does not add -ed in the past.
Mistake 2: Using “hurt” as an adjective in place of a verb
❌ I am hurt my arm.
✅ I hurt my arm.
✅ I am hurt. (This is correct if “hurt” is used as an adjective)
If you use “am/is/are” + hurt, it becomes an adjective, meaning you are in pain.
- I am hurt. (You feel pain)
- My feelings are hurt. (Emotionally affected)
Mistake 3: Confusing present with past
Because “hurt” looks the same in present and past, many learners mix them up. Always check the time indicators in your sentence.
Examples:
- Now I hurt my leg. ❌
→ I am hurting my leg. (Present continuous)
→ I hurt my leg. (Past simple)
Hindi to English Translations
Here are some examples for Hindi-speaking learners:
- मैंने अपना पैर चोटिल कर लिया।
→ I hurt my leg. - उसने मेरे जज़्बातों को ठेस पहुंचाई।
→ He hurt my feelings. - क्या तुमने कभी खुद को चोट पहुंचाई है?
→ Have you ever hurt yourself?
These translations can help reinforce how “hurt” works in English grammar.
Practice Exercise
Fill in the blanks using the correct form of “hurt” (hurt, is hurt, has hurt, had hurt):
- I _____ my finger while cooking.
- She _____ her chances by lying.
- They _____ their cat by accident.
- He _____ his shoulder before the tournament.
- My head _____ every morning.
Answers:
- hurt
- has hurt
- hurt
- had hurt
- hurts (present tense)
Quick Recap
- “Hurt” is the same in base, past, and past participle form.
- Do not use hurted.
- Use time clues to understand the tense.
- “Hurt” can be both a verb and an adjective.
- Perfect tenses: has hurt, had hurt, will have hurt.
The verb “hurt” is one of the simpler irregular verbs because you don’t need to remember different forms for past and participle—it’s always hurt. But the real challenge is knowing how to use it correctly in context. As with any verb, reading and practicing in real sentences is the best way to build confidence.
So the next time you get a paper cut or feel emotional pain, you’ll know exactly how to say it: “I hurt myself.”