The verb form of the word “born” is “bear.” When we talk about when someone was born, we would say “she was born in 1995.” The past participle form “born” refers to the passive state of having come into existence through birth. However, the active verb form meaning “to give birth” is “bear.” For example, we would say “she bore a son in 1995.”
The verb “bear” refers to giving birth
The verb “bear” means to carry, give birth to, or bring forth offspring. When referring to giving birth, “bear” is used in sentences like:
- The mother bear bore two cubs last spring.
- Jane bore a daughter yesterday.
- The sow bore a litter of piglets.
So when referring to the actual act of giving birth, the correct verb form to use is “bear.” “Born” should not be used as a verb in this context. Here is a table summarizing the distinction:
| Correct Verb Form | Incorrect Verb Form |
|---|---|
| The woman bore a son. | The woman borned a son. (incorrect) |
| The mare bore a foal last night. | The mare borned a foal last night. (incorrect) |
As the table shows, “bore” is the correct verb form to use when referring to the act of giving birth, while “borned” would be incorrect.
When to use “born” as a passive participle
While “bear” is the active verb form, “born” is used as a passive participle to indicate when someone or something was brought into existence through birth. For example:
- She was born in France.
- The puppy was born last Tuesday.
- He was born in the Year of the Dragon.
“Born” conveys the passive state of having come into life through birth, rather than the active action of giving birth. Here is another table showing when to use “born”:
| Correct Participle Form | Incorrect Verb Form |
|---|---|
| The baby was born at 6:32 am. | The baby borned at 6:32 am. (incorrect) |
| The kittens were born in a barn. | The kittens borned in a barn. (incorrect) |
As these examples show, “was/were born” is the correct way to indicate when someone/something came into existence through birth in the passive voice, while using “borned” as an active verb would be grammatically incorrect.
Past tense forms of “bear”
When using “bear” as the active verb form meaning “to give birth,” it is inflected into the following past tense forms:
- Present tense: She bears a child.
- Past tense: She bore a child.
- Past participle: She has borne three children.
- Present participle: She is bearing another child.
So in the past tense, “bore” is used. For example:
- The woman bore triplets last month.
- The gray wolf bore two cubs.
- The queen bore an heir to the throne.
When using “bear” to mean giving birth, always use the past tense form “bore” for actions completed in the past:
| Correct Past Tense | Incorrect Past Tense |
|---|---|
| The mare bore a foal. | The mare beared a foal. (incorrect) |
| She bore twins. | She beared twins. (incorrect) |
Using “beared” as the past tense would not be grammatically accurate when the meaning relates to giving birth.
Past participle forms of “bear”
The past participle form of the verb “bear” follows the same rules as other irregular English verbs. The past participle form is “borne” and is used in the present perfect and past perfect tenses:
- She has borne four children so far.
- The cat had borne a litter of kittens before we adopted her.
Here are some more examples of “borne” being used as the past participle:
- The sow had borne twenty piglets by that point.
- The woman has borne three sons and two daughters.
- California’s state animal, the grizzly bear, is a subspecies that has borne its name since 1924.
Using the past participle helps indicate an action in the past that has been completed. Again, it would be incorrect to try to use “borned” as the past participle form:
| Correct Past Participle | Incorrect Past Participle |
|---|---|
| The ewe has borne many lambs. | The ewe has borned many lambs. (incorrect) |
| The dog had borne pups once before. | The dog had borned pups once before. (incorrect) |
Present participle forms of “bear”
The present participle form of the verb “bear” follows a regular pattern: “bearing.” Some examples:
- The woman is bearing her first child at age 35.
- The lemur is bearing twins this spring.
- After already bearing four boys, the mother is bearing another child.
The present participle “bearing” conveys ongoing action in the present. It would be incorrect to use “borning” instead:
| Correct Present Participle | Incorrect Present Participle |
|---|---|
| The cat is bearing a litter right now. | The cat is borning a litter right now. (incorrect) |
| The sow is bearing piglets today. | The sow is borning piglets today. (incorrect) |
Summary of “bear” as a verb
To summarize the correct verb forms of “bear” when referring to giving birth:
- Present tense: bears
- Past tense: bore
- Past participle: borne
- Present participle: bearing
While “born” is sometimes used as an adjective meaning “brought into life by birth,” it is not used as a verb form.
Etymology of “born” and “bear”
Examining the etymology and origins of the words “born” and “bear” provides further insight into their usage:
- “Born” traces back to the Middle English word “born” meaning “brought forth.” It comes from the Old English “beran” meaning “carry, bring forth.”
- “Bear” meaning “to bring forth” also traces back to Old English “beran” and its Indo-European root “bher-” meaning “carry” or “give birth.”
- So originally “born” and “bear” stemmed from the same root word indicating birth and bearing offspring.
- Over time, “born” evolved into a passive participle focusing on the state of being brought into existence through birth.
- “Bear” retained the original active meaning of producing and bringing forth offspring.
So while their root word is the same, their modern usage has diverged into “born” indicating the passive state and “bear” conveying the active production. Their etymology reinforces why “born” should not be used as an active verb for giving birth.
Examples in sentences and phrases
To reinforce the proper usage, here are some example sentences and phrases using “bear” and “born” correctly:
- The mother cat bore a litter of four kittens just this morning.
- The puppies were born in a doghouse in the backyard.
- It’s a miracle that the premature baby was born healthy despite complications.
- The woman is close to her due date and will bear a child soon.
- The gray wolf typically bears between four to six pups in a litter.
- The domestic pig can bear a litter of 10 or more piglets.
- The goose bore over two dozen goslings this spring.
- The zookeeper assists with the birth as the animal bears its offspring.
- The census data shows an increase in births from babies born this year.
These examples demonstrate proper usage of “bear” to mean giving birth in the active voice, while “born” conveys the passive state of coming into life through birth.
Common mistakes
Some common mistakes involving “born” and “bear” include:
- Using “born” as an active verb: “The woman borned a child last night.” (incorrect)
- Conjugating “bear” incorrectly: “The cow beared a calf this morning.” (incorrect)
- Using the incorrect past participle of “bear”: “The dog has borned puppies twice now.” (incorrect)
- Replacing “borne” with “born” in the passive voice: “Two foals have already been born this spring.” (incorrect)
Avoiding these errors and using “bear” only as an active verb and “born” strictly as a passive participle will help ensure grammatically accurate usage of these two words.
Conclusion
In summary, the verb form of “born” is “bear,” meaning to carry, bring forth, and give birth to offspring. “Born” is not used as a verb, but as a passive participle indicating the state of having entered life through birth. The active verb “bear” is inflected into past tense “bore,” past participle “borne,” and present participle “bearing.” Meanwhile, “born” does not take any inflected verb forms. Ensuring proper usage of “born” only as a passive participle and “bear” only as an active verb form will lead to grammatically correct writing and speaking. With an understanding of the etymology and examples of use in context, the distinction between these two words related to childbirth and coming into life should be clear.