Practice
Make or made: which verb form fits?
I make coffee before work. Yesterday, I made coffee for everyone in the office. The meaning stays close, but the time changes the verb form.
Choose make for a base or present form, and choose made for the simple past or past participle of make.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
make and made /meɪk/ and /meɪd/
The short answer
Use make for the base form and for present-time subjects such as I, you, we, and they. Use made for a finished past action and after have, has, or had. After does or did, return to the base form make.
They made a decision yesterday, but they make decisions together every week.
Why it works: Made shows one finished action in the past. Make describes a usual present action.
5 more examples
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I make a short list before I shop.
The speaker describes a regular present habit, so the base-present form make fits.
Not this:I
madea short list before I shopped yesterday. What changes: Made marks the finished action in the past. -
Please make a copy of this receipt.
Make follows please as an instruction. The sentence uses the base form.
Not this:She
madea copy of the receipt this morning. What changes: This morning identifies a completed past action. -
The new schedule makes the morning easier.
With a singular subject in the present simple, make takes -s: makes.
Not this:The new schedule
madethe morning easier yesterday. What changes: Made is the past form for the same subject. -
We have made enough progress for today.
Have needs the past participle made, not the base form make.
Not this:We
makeprogress when we practice regularly. What changes: Make is present simple here. -
Did you make the reservation?
Did already shows past time, so the main verb returns to the base form make.
Not this:You
madethe reservation yesterday. What changes: Without did, the finished past action uses made.
Read the full guide
Check the verb's time before you choose the spelling. If the action happens now, happens regularly, or follows to, use make. If it finished in the past, use made. A form of have also needs made because made is the past participle.
Start with the base form
Make is the form you see in a dictionary. Use it after to and after modal verbs such as can, will, and should. It is also the present simple form with I, you, we, and they.
We need to make a plan before the meeting.
The word after to stays in the base form, so use make.
Complete the sentence: You can ___ changes before you save the file.
Use make: You can make changes before you save the file.
Use made for a finished past action
Made is the simple past of make. It tells the reader that the action finished before now. A past-time word can make this choice easy to see.
Our team made the final choice last Friday.
Last Friday is a finished time in the past, so the verb is made.
Choose the past form: The chef ___ soup for the event yesterday.
Use made: The chef made soup for the event yesterday.
Use made after have, has, and had
Made is also the past participle. That is why it follows have, has, and had in perfect forms. The helper verb carries information about the time; made stays the same.
He has made three calls about the delivery.
Has made connects the completed calls to the present situation.
Complete the sentence: I have ___ an appointment for Monday.
Use made: I have made an appointment for Monday.
Do and did need make
Questions and negatives with do, does, or did use the base form after the helper. Did is already the past form, so the main verb does not need another past ending.
Did they make a reservation before they arrived?
Did carries the past meaning. Make stays in its base form.
Choose the correct form: She did not ___ any notes during the call.
Use make: She did not make any notes during the call.
Check the verb before you edit
When both forms seem possible, find the word immediately before the verb and then look for a time expression. To, can, will, do, does, and did point to make. A completed past action or a form of have points to made.
They will make the update after lunch.
Will takes the base form. The phrase after lunch tells us when the future action will happen, not that it is already finished.
Which word helps you choose in They had ___ a mistake?
Had is the helper verb, so use made: They had made a mistake.
Before you go
Remember this
Use make for the base form, present forms such as I make, and forms after helpers such as did or can. Use made for a completed past action and after have, has, or had. Find the time word or helper verb before you choose.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Make or made: which verb form fits?"
What is the difference between make and made?
Make is the base form of the verb. Use it for present forms such as I make, after to, and after helpers such as can or did. Made is the simple past and past participle. Use it for a finished past action or after have, has, or had.
I make a short list before I shop.
Why do we say did you make, not did you made?
Did already marks the question as past. After do, does, or did, English uses the base form of the main verb. Say Did you make the reservation? The statement without did is You made the reservation.
I made a short list before I shopped yesterday.
Can I use made after have or has?
Yes. Made is the past participle of make, so it follows have, has, and had. For example, I have made a list and she has made a decision use the perfect form.
Please make a copy of this receipt.
When does make become makes?
In the present simple, use makes with a singular third-person subject such as he, she, it, or a singular noun. Say The manager makes a decision. Use make with I, you, we, and they.
She made a copy of the receipt this morning.
Is make a regular or irregular verb?
Make is an irregular verb because its past form is made, not maked. The past participle is also made. Learning the three forms make, made, made helps you choose the right one in a sentence.
The new schedule makes the morning easier.