Common mistakes
Bought or brought: which past form do you need?
You paid for lunch, then carried it to work. Which action needs bought, and which needs brought?
Bought tells us about a purchase; brought tells us that someone or something came along. Compare the two actions, then listen for the extra r sound.
Can you use "bought and brought" yourself?
Listen to a recording, type what you hear, and check your answer.
Speaking Beta. Sign in to record your voice.
bought and brought BAWT-and-BRAWT
The short answer
Bought is the past of buy: you paid for an item. Brought keeps the r from bring and describes arriving with someone or something.
I bought some coffee on my way to work.
Why it works: Use bought because you gave money to the cafe.
3 more examples
-
You paid for a jacket yesterday.
I bought a new winter jacket yesterday.
Use bought because money was paid for the jacket.
Not this:I
buyeda new winter jacket yesterday. What changes: Buyed is not the standard past form of buy. -
At the office kitchen
She brought some homemade cake to the office party.
Use brought because she carried the cake from home.
Not this:She
boughtsome homemade cake to the office party. What changes: Bought does not fit this phrase about carrying cake to a place. -
A colleague arrives with his laptop.
He has brought his laptop to the meeting.
After has, use brought. He arrived with the laptop.
Not this:He has
bringhis laptop to the meeting. What changes: The base form bring does not fit after has here.
Quick check
You paid the seller for some apples yesterday. Which word describes that purchase? "I _____ some fresh apples."
Describing a purchase at a fruit shop.
Answer: bought
Show the answer
Answer: bought
The seller received money for the apples, so use bought.
Read the full guide
Try the listening exerciseYou arrive at work with lunch. Did you pay for it, or bring it from home? Start with the action you want to describe.
Money spent or things carried
The problem: I want to say I carried my lunch to the office, but I say bought instead of brought.
You can buy something and then bring it somewhere. The verb tells us which action you mean. Bought describes the purchase; brought describes bringing it along.
You paid the seller for the sandwich.
I bought a sandwich at the cafe.
You arrived at work with the sandwich.
I brought a sandwich from home.
-
Not this:
I bought my lunch from home today.Say: I brought my lunch from home today.
You mean that you carried lunch from home. Use brought for that action. Bought would describe paying for it.
Your turn
Your coworker made tea in the kitchen and carried two cups to your desk. Which sentence describes carrying the tea to you?
Answer: She brought tea for us.
Show the answer
Answer: She brought tea for us.
She carried the tea from the kitchen, so use brought.
Hear the r in brought
The problem: When native speakers talk quickly, bought and brought sound like the exact same word to me.
Listen to the start of each word. Brought begins with br; bought begins with b. Say bread, then brought, to practice joining the two sounds.
-
He bought a pen.
Why it works: Starts with a simple b sound like ball.
-
He brought a pen.
Why it works: Starts with a combined br sound like bread.
Your turn
Which word starts with the same two sounds as bread?
Answer: brought
Show the answer
Answer: brought
Both bread and brought begin with the combined br sound.
Past forms without regular endings
The problem: I wrote buyed because I forgot that buy is an irregular verb.
Buy and bring do not form their past tense by adding -ed. Learn bought and brought as complete forms. They also follow have and has, as the table shows.
| Base verb | Past action | With have or has |
|---|---|---|
| buy | bought | has bought |
| bring | brought | has brought |
-
Not this:
He buyed a train ticket this morning.Say: He bought a train ticket this morning.
The verb buy is irregular, so it changes to bought.
-
Not this:
She brang her sister to our house.Say: She brought her sister to our house.
Use brought as the past form of bring in standard written English.
Your turn
Type the correct past form of bring into the gap.
Answer: I've brought my umbrella because it looks like rain.
Show the answer
Answer: brought
The past participle of bring is brought.
Keep the action clear
The problem: I need to describe buying something and bringing it to a friend.
An item can be bought and brought on the same day. These words describe different actions. Your friend may buy flowers at a shop and bring them to your home.
He paid the shop for the flowers.
He bought the flowers at the shop.
He arrived at my home with the flowers.
He brought the flowers to my home.
Your turn
Your friend arrives at your home carrying flowers. Which sentence thanks him for bringing them to you?
Answer: Thanks! You brought lovely flowers.
Show the answer
Answer: Thanks! You brought lovely flowers.
Brought describes arriving with the flowers. Bought would describe a purchase.
Before you go
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence shows that someone spent money at a supermarket?
Answer: Tom bought fresh milk and cereal.
Show the answer
Answer: Tom bought fresh milk and cereal.
Paying money for goods at a supermarket requires bought.
Question 2 of 2 · One new sentence
You printed the project plans at home and carried them to the meeting. Which sentence tells the team that you brought the plans along?
Answer: I brought the project plans for our meeting.
Show the answer
Answer: I brought the project plans for our meeting.
You carried the plans with you into the room, so brought is correct.
Remember this
Buy becomes bought; bring becomes brought. Use bought to describe the purchase and brought to describe bringing someone or something along. Listen for br at the start of brought.
Listen first
Listen and write
Listen, type what you hear, then choose Check my answer. Use a hint when you get stuck.
0 of 4 done
Listening 1 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
I bought a warm coat for the winter.
Use bought because money was paid for the coat.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
She brought her new puppy to the park.
Use brought because she took the puppy along with her.
Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
We bought two tickets for the concert last night.
Use bought because they paid money for the concert tickets.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
Read the transcript
We bought a kitchen table yesterday, but it came in pieces. My brother brought his tools this morning, and we're putting the table together now.
Bought means paying money while brought means carrying the tools along.
Practice complete
You listened closely.
Your result is saved in this browser.
Create a free account to keep your learning progress across devices.
Save my progressTest
Test yourself
Listen to a new clip and write what you hear. You can replay it, but hints stay off and the transcript opens after you check your answer.
0 of 3 done
Listening 1 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
A grandson visiting his grandmother at her home.
0:00
Read the transcript
He brought fresh flowers for his grandmother this morning.
Use brought because he carried the flowers with him.
Listening 2 of 3
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
A person describing dinner preparations with a sister.
0:00
Read the transcript
I bought fresh vegetables at the market on my way home. My sister brought some herbs from her garden, so we're cooking dinner together now.
Bought describes paying for the vegetables. Brought describes arriving with herbs.
Listening 3 of 3
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
A brother and sister waiting for their train.
0:00
Read the transcript
Sam and his sister are at the station for their morning train. Sam bought their tickets online last week, so they don't need to visit the ticket office. His sister brought a travel guide from home. She also brought some drinks and sandwiches to share. Sam bought a newspaper to read on the journey.
Bought refers to purchases while brought refers to carrying items along.
Practice complete
That is the whole lesson.
Your result is saved in this browser. Pick the next lesson below.
Create a free account to keep your learning progress across devices.
Save my progressQuestions about "Bought or brought: which past form do you need?"
What is the difference between bought and brought?
Bought comes from buy: use it when someone paid for something. Brought comes from bring: use it when someone came with a person or thing, or moved something to a place. Choose the word by the action you mean. Buying a camera and bringing a camera describe different actions.
I bought a small camera for my trip.
Maya brought her camera to our picnic.
Can I use bought and brought for the same thing?
Yes, if both actions happened. You can pay for an item and then bring it somewhere. Bought describes the purchase; brought describes its movement. A sentence with brought alone does not tell us whether you paid for the item, borrowed it or already owned it.
I bought a blue mug yesterday and brought it to the office today.
Are have bought and have brought both correct?
Yes. Bought and brought are also the forms used after have, has or had to make perfect tenses. These forms are called past participles. The meaning still decides which word to use: bought for a purchase, brought for bringing someone or something. Use has with he, she or it in the present perfect.
We have bought the paint for the kitchen.
Leila has brought a ladder to help us.
Should I use bought or brought after did?
After did or didn't, use the base form buy or bring. Did already marks the past, so the main verb does not change to bought or brought. This applies to questions and negative sentences. Choose buy when asking about a purchase and bring when asking what someone came with.
Did you buy a new charger?
Did you bring your umbrella?
I didn't buy any batteries.
How do bought and brought sound different?
Brought has an r sound after the b; bought does not. Collins gives the British pronunciations as /bɔːt/ for bought and /brɔːt/ for brought. Both words have one syllable. Say the b and r together in brought without adding a vowel between them. The spelling can help too: bring and brought both keep the r.
Nina bought a red scarf.
Nina brought a red scarf.