light
Base form
light
/laɪt/
Past simple
lit / lighted
/lɪt/ /ˈlaɪtɪd/
Past participle
lit / lighted
/lɪt/ /ˈlaɪtɪd/
MeaningA2
to make something start to burn
to light the candles on a birthday cake
In use
- After a modal verb · Form 1Can you light the candles on the cake?
- Negative · Form 1Don’t light a fire in the forest when it’s this dry.
- Past simple · Form 2Last night we lit a fire on the beach and cooked sausages.
- Past simple · Form 2Yesterday Grandma lit a candle for my grandfather in church.
- Passive · Form 3The streets were lit by old gas lamps until 1950.
- Past perfect · Form 3Somebody had lit the barbecue before we arrived.
Watch out
Lit is the usual form: she lit a candle. Lighted is also right, mostly before a noun: a lighted match. Never lited or litten.
Same pattern
A — B — BForms two and three are the same
Irregular VerbsLearn all three forms for good
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