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ENGLISH VERB

look back

to look back

  • Regular verb
  • Gerund: looking back
  • Past participle: looked back

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Simple present · now, habits and facts

  1. I I look back
  2. you you look back
  3. he, she, it he looks back
  4. we we look back
  5. they they look back

Past

Simple past · finished actions

  1. I I looked back
  2. you you looked back
  3. he, she, it he looked back
  4. we we look back
  5. they they looked back

Future

Future · “will”

  1. I I will look back
  2. you you will look back
  3. he, she, it he will look back
  4. we we will look back
  5. they they will look back

Present continuous

Present continuous · happening right now

  1. I I am looking back
  2. you you are looking back
  3. he, she, it he is looking back
  4. we we are looking back
  5. they they are looking back

Present perfect

Present perfect · “have done”

  1. I I have already looked back
  2. you you have already looked back
  3. he, she, it he has already looked back
  4. we we have already looked back
  5. they they have already looked back

Conditional

Conditional · “would”

  1. I I would look back
  2. you you would look back
  3. he, she, it he would look back
  4. we we would look back
  5. they they would look back

Imperative

Imperative · requests and orders

  1. look back!

How to use look back

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    When I look back, I only remember the good parts.

    When I look back, I only remember the good parts.

  2. Past

    She looked back once and waved goodbye.

    She looked back once and waved goodbye.

  3. Future

    One day we will look back at this and laugh.

    One day we'll look back and laugh about it.

  4. Present continuous

    I'm looking back on my twenties with new eyes.

    I'm remembering my early twenties with fresh eyes.

  5. Present perfect

    I have looked back at those photos many times.

    I've already looked at those photos many times.

  6. Conditional

    I would look back on that trip with no regrets.

    I would remember that trip with no regrets.

  7. Imperative

    Don't look back, just keep walking.

    Don't look back, just keep walking.

Good to know

  • "Look back on" is to recall: "I look back on those years with a smile".
  • "Never look back" is to move forward without regret.

Where you hear look back

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

English for Brazilians · Intermediate Level 2

  • When I look back, I see a lot of good Sundays. When I look back, I see a lot of good Sundays.
  • I looked back and saw my mistake. I looked back and saw my mistake.
  • One day, we'll look back and laugh. One day, we'll look back and laugh.

English for Brazilians · Advanced Level 1

  • When I look back, I see a girl who said nothing. When I look back, I see a girl who didn't say anything.
  • On the steps, we looked back at those summers. On the stairs, we looked back at those summers.
  • In a year, we'll look back at this episode and smile. In a year, we'll look back at this episode and smile.
26
I Would Do Things Differently Today

Intermediate Level 2 · looking back

Needs a subscription 11
If I had spoken

Advanced Level 1 · looking back

Needs a subscription 29
After the Screening

Advanced Level 1 · looking back

Needs a subscription

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular verb.