×

Thought, taught, caught

thought, caught, bought, taught
Gramatika

Thought, taught, caught

Thought, Taught, Caught or Bought?

Four commonly confused irregular verbs. They look and sound similar, but have completely different meanings.

Remember:
THINK → THOUGHT
TEACH → TAUGHT
CATCH → CAUGHT
BUY → BOUGHT

All four words have the same form in the Past Simple and Past Participle.

THINK – THOUGHT – THOUGHT

Thought

Misliti, pomisliti, smatrati.
Used when expressing an idea, opinion or belief in the past.

✅ Correct I thought the meeting started at nine.
❌ Incorrect I taught the meeting started at nine.

Thought expresses an opinion or belief. It does not mean teaching.

TEACH – TAUGHT – TAUGHT

Taught

Podučavati, predavati, naučiti nekoga.
Used when someone gives knowledge, instructions or skills to others.

✅ Correct My father taught me how to drive.
❌ Incorrect My father thought me how to drive.

Taught is the past form of teach. You teach someone something.

CATCH – CAUGHT – CAUGHT

Caught

Uhvatiti, stići prevoz, zaraziti se.
Used for catching objects, transport, people or illnesses.

✅ Correct She caught the last train home.
❌ Incorrect She taught the last train home.

Common expressions: catch a bus, catch a cold, catch a ball, get caught.

BUY – BOUGHT – BOUGHT

Bought

Kupiti.
Used when someone purchases something or pays money for it.

✅ Correct I bought a new laptop last week.
❌ Incorrect I caught a new laptop online last week.

Bought is the past form of buy. It means purchased, not caught.

A2 – B2 | 15 QUESTIONS

Test Your Knowledge

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. Check your answers and read the explanations.

1. I ______ you were at home, but you weren’t.

2. Our teacher ______ us how to use the Present Perfect.

3. She ______ the bus at eight yesterday morning.

4. We ______ a new laptop last weekend.

5. I ______ he was joking, but he was actually serious.

6. My grandmother ______ me how to knit when I was a child.

7. He ______ a bad cold during his holiday.

8. They ______ two tickets online for the concert.

9. Have you ever ______ a fish with your bare hands?

10. She has ______ English for more than twenty years.

11. I had ______ the meeting was cancelled, so I didn’t go.

12. The company has ______ new equipment to improve production.

13. The suspect was ______ on camera entering the building.

14. At first, the investors ______ the project was too risky.

15. After the lesson, I realised I had ______ the students the wrong pronunciation.

Related Posts

You May Have Missed