The past tense of drink, which is drank, is an essential concept for students, language learners, writers, and grammar enthusiasts.
Understanding how to use drank correctly enhances your ability to communicate clearly about past actions related to consuming liquids.
If you’re describing a refreshing sip of water or a cozy coffee moment, mastering the past tense of drink is key to clear storytelling.
This article breaks down the definition, formation, and usage of drank, with beginner-friendly explanations and real-life verb tense examples.
We’ll cover sentence structures, conjugation, common mistakes, and practice tips to make learning engaging and straightforward.
By the end, you’ll confidently use drank in various contexts and avoid pitfalls. Let’s dive into the world of past tense verbs and explore how drank fits into everyday English!
What Is the “Drank” Tense?
The word drank is the simple past tense of the verb drink, an irregular verb used to describe the act of consuming a liquid in the past. Unlike regular verbs that add “-ed” (e.g., walked), drank changes its form to indicate past action. It’s used to talk about completed actions, like “I drank a glass of juice yesterday.” This tense doesn’t require helping verbs in simple sentences, making it straightforward for beginners. Understanding drank helps you narrate past events clearly, whether in writing or conversation.
How to Recognize the “Drank” Tense?
To identify drank in a sentence, look for:
- The verb drank describing a completed action of consuming a liquid.
- No helping verbs like “had” or “was” in simple past tense.
- Time indicators like “yesterday,” “last night,” or “in 2020.”
For example, “She drank coffee this morning” signals the simple past tense because it describes a finished action with drank as the main verb.
Structure of a Sentence
In the simple past tense, sentences with drank follow this structure:
- Subject + drank + object (optional) + time expression (optional).
- Example: “I drank water after the workout.”
- Negative: Subject + did not + drink + object.
- Example: “I did not drink soda.”
- Interrogative: Did + subject + drink + object?
- Example: “Did you drink tea?”
Formation
The past tense of drink is formed by using drank for all subjects (I, you, he, she, it, we, they). Unlike regular verbs, drink doesn’t follow the “-ed” rule because it’s an irregular verb. No helping verbs are needed in simple past tense sentences, but in negative and interrogative forms, did is used with the base verb drink.
Verbs
The verb drink is irregular, meaning its past forms don’t follow standard patterns. Its forms are:
- Base: drink
- Past simple: drank
- Past participle: drunk (used with have/has/had, e.g., “I have drunk water.”)
Helping Verbs
In the simple past tense, drank doesn’t require helping verbs for affirmative sentences. However:
- Did is used in negative sentences (e.g., “I did not drink milk.”).
- Did is also used in questions (e.g., “Did she drink juice?”).
For past perfect tense (e.g., “I had drunk”), had is the helping verb, but this article focuses on drank.
Explanation of Some Verbs with Reference to “Drank”
Like drink, other irregular verbs change their form in the past tense without adding “-ed.” For example:
- Sing → sang (She sang a song / She drank tea).
- Swim → swam (He swam in the pool / He drank water).
These verbs, like drank, require memorization because they don’t follow regular patterns.
Table of Some Regular or Irregular Verbs in “Drank” Tense
| Base Verb | Past Tense | Regular/Irregular |
| Drink | Drank | Irregular |
| Sing | Sang | Irregular |
| Swim | Swam | Irregular |
| Walk | Walked | Regular |
| Talk | Talked | Regular |
| Write | Wrote | Irregular |
| Run | Ran | Irregular |
| Eat | Ate | Irregular |
| Play | Played | Regular |
| See | Saw | Irregular |
Simple Sentence Examples
- I drank a smoothie yesterday.
- She drank coffee at the café.
- He drank water after the run.
- We drank juice at the party.
- They drank tea in the evening.
- You drank milk with breakfast.
- It (the cat) drank milk from the bowl.
- John drank lemonade on the porch.
- The kids drank soda at the picnic.
- My friend drank herbal tea last night.
Negative Sentence Examples
- I did not drink coffee today.
- She did not drink the spoiled milk.
- He did not drink enough water.
- We did not drink soda at dinner.
- They did not drink tea yesterday.
- You did not drink juice this morning.
- It (the dog) did not drink from the puddle.
- Sarah did not drink the smoothie.
- The guests did not drink wine.
- My brother did not drink the energy drink.
Interrogative Sentence Examples
- Did I drink all the juice?
- Did she drink coffee this morning?
- Did he drink water after the game?
- Did we drink tea at the meeting?
- Did they drink soda at the party?
- Did you drink milk with dinner?
- Did it (the cat) drink the milk?
- Did John drink lemonade yesterday?
- Did the kids drink juice at lunch?
- Did your friend drink tea?
Negative and Interrogative Sentence Examples
- Didn’t I drink enough water?
- Didn’t she drink the coffee?
- Didn’t he drink the smoothie?
- Didn’t we drink juice at the party?
- Didn’t they drink tea yesterday?
- Didn’t you drink milk this morning?
- Didn’t it (the dog) drink from the bowl?
- Didn’t Sarah drink the lemonade?
- Didn’t the guests drink wine?
- Didn’t my brother drink soda?
How to Conjugate “Drank” Tense
The past tense of drink is drank for all subjects. Here’s how it works:
- Use drank for singular subjects (I, he, she, it).
- Use drank for plural subjects (we, you, they).
- No helping verbs in affirmative sentences.
- Use did not + drink for negatives.
- Use did + subject + drink for questions.
- Memorize drank as the past form.
- Avoid using drunk (past participle) in simple past.
- Combine with time expressions for clarity.
- Practice with different subjects to master usage.
- Check context to ensure past tense is appropriate.
Conjugation Table for “Drank” Tense
| Subject | Affirmative | Negative | Interrogative |
| I | I drank | I did not drink | Did I drink? |
| You | You drank | You did not drink | Did you drink? |
| He | He drank | He did not drink | Did he drink? |
| She | She drank | She did not drink | Did she drink? |
| It | It drank | It did not drink | Did it drink? |
| We | We drank | We did not drink | Did we drink? |
| They | They drank | They did not drink | Did they drink? |
Spelling Changes or Irregularities
- Drink is an irregular verb, so it changes to drank in the past tense instead of adding “-ed.”
- The past participle is drunk, not drank, which causes confusion (e.g., “I have drunk” vs. “I drank”).
- No spelling changes occur within drank itself across subjects.
- Be cautious not to mix drank with drunk in simple past sentences.
Sentence Examples with Different Subjects
- I drank a glass of orange juice.
- You drank tea with honey.
- He drank water after jogging.
- She drank coffee at the shop.
- It (the puppy) drank milk.
- We drank lemonade at the picnic.
- They drank soda during the movie.
- John drank herbal tea last night.
- The team drank energy drinks.
- My sister drank a smoothie.
- You all drank iced tea.
- The cat drank from the bowl.
- I drank coconut water yesterday.
- He drank a milkshake.
- We drank hot chocolate.
Common Mistakes with “Drank” Tense
- Using drunk instead of drank (e.g., “I drunk water” is incorrect).
- Forgetting did in negatives (e.g., “I not drank” is wrong).
- Omitting did in questions (e.g., “Drank you water?” is incorrect).
- Mixing tenses (e.g., “I drank water tomorrow” is wrong).
- Using drank with have/has (e.g., “I have drank” is incorrect).
- Incorrect subject-verb agreement (not applicable, as drank fits all subjects).
- Overusing time expressions (e.g., “I drank yesterday last night”).
- Confusing drank with similar verbs like sink/sank.
- Misspelling drank as “drunk” or “drink.”
- Not recognizing drank as past tense in reading.
How to Avoid Common Mistakes
- Memorize drank as the simple past, drunk as past participle.
- Always use did not + drink for negatives.
- Start questions with did followed by the base verb drink.
- Match time expressions to past tense (e.g., “yesterday,” not “tomorrow”).
- Use have/has/had + drunk for perfect tenses, not drank.
- Practice with varied subjects to reinforce correct usage.
- Read sentences aloud to catch errors.
- Double-check spelling of drank vs. drunk.
- Compare with other irregular verbs like sing/sang.
- Use grammar checkers to spot mistakes.
Related Verbs and Synonyms for “Drank”
- Synonyms: Sip, gulp, swallow, chug, imbibe.
- Related verbs: Sip → sipped, gulp → gulped (regular verbs).
- Confused verbs: Sink → sank, ring → rang (similar irregular patterns).
Sentence comparisons: - Drank vs. Sipped: “I drank the juice quickly” vs. “I sipped the juice slowly.”
- Drank vs. Gulped: “She drank water” vs. “She gulped water after running.”
These distinctions help choose the right verb for the context.
Tips to Practice Using “Drank” Tense
- Write 5 daily sentences using drank with different subjects.
- Read books and highlight drank in past tense contexts.
- Practice negative sentences with did not drink.
- Create interrogative sentences starting with did.
- Use flashcards to memorize drink/drank/drunk.
- Narrate past events involving drinks (e.g., “Yesterday, I drank…”).
- Join language forums to discuss past tense verbs.
- Try writing a short story using drank multiple times.
- Quiz yourself with the exercises below.
- Use apps like Duolingo to reinforce verb conjugation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the past tense of drink?
It’s drank for simple past, drunk for past participle. - Can I say “I drunk water”?
No, use “I drank water” for simple past. - Why is drank irregular?
It doesn’t follow the “-ed” rule for past tense. - How do I form a negative sentence?
Use did not + drink (e.g., “I did not drink tea”). - What’s the difference between drank and drunk?
Drank is simple past; drunk is used with have/has/had. - Can drank be used with all subjects?
Yes, it’s the same for I, you, he, she, it, we, they. - How do I ask a question with drank?
Use did + subject + drink (e.g., “Did you drink?”). - Is drank used in formal writing?
Yes, it’s standard English for past tense. - What are synonyms for drink?
Sip, gulp, chug, swallow, imbibe. - How can I avoid confusing drank and drunk?
Practice with examples and check with a grammar tool.
Exercises
- Write 3 sentences using drank with different subjects.
- Convert: “I drank water” to negative.
- Convert: “She drank tea” to interrogative.
- Identify the error: “I drunk juice yesterday.”
- Fill in: “They ___ coffee last night.” (Use drank).
- Write a negative sentence with you and drink.
- Create a question with he and drink.
- Combine: Write a negative interrogative sentence with we.
- Rewrite: “He drank soda” using a synonym like gulp.
- List 2 irregular verbs similar to drink.
Quizzes
- What is the past tense of drink?
a) Drunk b) Drank c) Drink
Answer: b) Drank - Is this correct: “I drank water tomorrow”?
a) Yes b) No
Answer: b) No - What’s the negative form of “She drank tea”?
a) She not drank b) She did not drink
Answer: b) She did not drink - Which is correct?
a) Did you drank? b) Did you drink?
Answer: b) Did you drink? - What’s the past participle of drink?
a) Drank b) Drunk
Answer: b) Drunk - Which verb is irregular like drink?
a) Walk b) Sing
Answer: b) Sing - Correct the error: “I have drank juice.”
a) I have drunk b) I drank
Answer: a) I have drunk - What’s a synonym for drink?
a) Run b) Sip
Answer: b) Sip - Is drank used with had?
a) Yes b) No
Answer: b) No - Which sentence is correct?
a) They drank milk b) They drunk milk
Answer: a) They drank milk
True or False
- Drank is the past tense of drink.
True - “I drunk water” is correct for simple past.
False - Drank requires a helping verb in affirmative sentences.
False - Did not drink is used for negatives.
True - Drank changes based on the subject.
False - Drink is a regular verb.
False - “Did you drink?” is a correct question.
True - Drunk is used in simple past tense.
False - Synonyms for drink include sip and gulp.
True - “I drank yesterday” needs a time correction.
True
Conclusion
Mastering the past tense of drink, drank, is a small but powerful step toward clear and confident
English communication.
By understanding its formation, recognizing its use in sentences, and avoiding common mistakes like confusing drank with drunk, you can elevate your writing and speaking skills.
This article provided verb tense examples, conjugation tips, and practice exercises to make learning fun and accessible for students, language learners, and grammar enthusiasts.
Keep practicing with real-life sentences, and don’t hesitate to revisit the quizzes or exercises to reinforce your skills.
Try writing a short paragraph using drank or use a grammar checker to polish your work.
Share your sentences in the comments or explore more grammar resources to keep improving!
