Keep vs. Kept

In English, keep and kept come from the same verb but serve different time functions: keep is present (or habitual), while kept is the past form. This short guide shows when to use each and gives quick examples.

Keep

Use keep when you talk about continuing to have something, habitual actions, or instructions that apply now. It appears in the base form or as keeps/keeping for present tense and ongoing actions.

Examples

Kept

Use kept when referring to something someone continued to have or saved in the past. It functions as the simple past and past participle, so it fits past sentences and perfect tenses.

Examples

English Example	English Translation
🧴 She kept a bottle of sanitizer on the shelf.	She stored a bottle of sanitizer on the shelf.
📝 He kept notes from the meeting.	He saved the meeting notes.
🕯️ They kept a candle lit during the power outage.	They maintained a lit candle when the power went out.
🎒 I kept an extra charger in my backpack.	I carried a spare charger in my backpack.

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Summary

Keep shows present or habitual retention, while kept reports past retention. Think time: use keep for now or general rules, and kept for completed actions behind you.