KS1 (Age 5-7)KS2 (Age 7-11)11 Plus (Age 7-11)KS3 (Age 11-14)GCSE (Age 14-17)PSHE A.I.ESL Spanish Specialist Games

Need help with Past Tense - Bought or Brought? Ask our AI Tutor!

AI Tutor - Lucy

Connecting with Tutor...

Please wait while we establish connection

Hi! I'm Lucy, your AI tutor. How can I help you with Past Tense - Bought or Brought today?

now

Have you brought that delicious cake you bought yesterday?

Past Tense - Bought or Brought

Don’t mix up bought and brought! This KS1 English quiz helps you choose the right past tense so your sentences are clear, sensible, and super accurate.

Explore the Topic →

(quiz starts below)

Fascinating Fact:

Use “brought” in moving sentences, like “Mum brought milk to the table,” never “bought” if no money is happening.

In KS1 English, children learn that bought and brought are different past tense verbs. One is about paying for something, the other is about carrying or taking something somewhere.

Key Terms

Past Tense: A verb form that shows something has already happened, like bought or brought.
Bought: The past tense of buy, used when money is paid for something.
Brought: The past tense of bring, used when something is taken or carried from one place to another.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is the difference between bought and brought?

Bought means you paid money for something. Brought means you carried or took something somewhere. They sound similar but describe two different actions.

How can I help my child remember bought or brought?

Link bought to “buy” and money, and brought to “bring” and movement. Ask: “Is someone paying, or is someone carrying?”

Is it correct to say I bought my book to school?

No. Say, “I brought my book to school” because you carried it. Use “bought” only if you paid money for the book.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

Which sentence is perfect?

she brought a pair of shoes.

She bought a pair of shoes

He bought her a pair of shoes.

He brought her a pair of shoes

Here we could say they brought or bought the shoes, it depends on what is happening. We need to know if she purchased them from a shop, so bought them. Or, if she or he brought them round to her house and owned them already.

2 .

Bought is the past tense of which word?

bring

buy

ball

boing

If you buy something now, then yesterday you bought it. Buy is the present tense and bought changes it to past tense.

3 .

Which sentence shows the correct use of the word 'brought'?

She brought ten pounds worth of food.

She brought a carrier bag for ten pence.

She brought the bread for one pound.

She brought the food round to her friend's house.

If you get confused, it's worth changing the word 'brought' to bring and see if it makes sense then. Don't forget that every sentence we write must have a capital letter, full stop and have the correct words.

4 .

'I will buy you a new football shirt.' Change this sentence to the past tense.

I buyed you a new football shirt.

I bought you a new football shirt.

I buy you a new football shirt.

I brought you a new football shirt.

We are looking to change the tense of buy, which is bought. Again, he could bring a new shirt with him but that doesn't mean he just bought it.

5 .

Brought is the past tense of which word?

bring

buy

ball

boing

If you bring it today, then you brought it yesterday. Bring is present tense and brought changes it to past tense.

6 .

Which sentence is correct?

She bought a coffee.

she bought a coffee.

She brought a coffee from the shop.

She brought a coffee from the shop

Here we have a capital letter, full stop and the word bought means she purchased a coffee from the shop. She could have brought a coffee to the shops but that would change the meaning.

7 .

Which sentence is perfect?

She brought her toothbrush round to mine

She bought her toothbrush round to mine.

She bought her toothbrush round to mine

She brought her toothbrush round to mine.

To help you remember, the words brought and bring both have 'br' whereas 'buy' and 'bought' don't.

8 .

Which sentence is correct?

She bought her friend shopping.

She brought her friend shopping.

She brought a new top.

She bought a new top

This means she took her friend shopping with her, she brought him along for the trip. She definitely didn't buy him!

9 .

Which sentence shows the correct use of the word 'bought'?

She bought the loaf of bread to the till.

She bought her bag with her.

She bought a loaf of bread.

She bought her money with her.

If you use the word 'bought' then you are saying 'buy' in the past tense. The word 'bought' will only be used when someone is buying or paying for something.

10 .

'I will bring flowers.' Change this sentence to the past tense.

I brang flowers.

I bringed flowers.

I brought flowers.

I bought flowers.

Here we are looking for the past tense of bring, which is brought. He may have bought the flowers from the shop but we were looking to change the tense from bring to brought.

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - What are past, present and future tense?

Author: Finola Waller (MEd, Primary School Teacher & KS1 English Quiz Writer)