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ENGLISH VERB

preach

to preach (to the choir; to speak to those who already agree)

  • Regular verb
  • Gerund: preaching
  • Past participle: preached

Conjugation

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

Present

Simple present · now, habits and facts

  1. I I preach (preach to the choir)
  2. you you preach (preach to the choir)
  3. he, she, it he preaches (preach to the choir)
  4. we we preach (preach to the choir)
  5. they they preach (preach to the choir)

Past

Simple past · finished actions

  1. I I preached (preach to the choir)
  2. you you preached (preach to the choir)
  3. he, she, it he preached (preach to the choir)
  4. we we preach (preach to the choir)
  5. they they preached (preach to the choir)

Future

Future · “will”

  1. I I'm going to preach (preach to the choir)
  2. you you are going to preach (preach to the choir)
  3. he, she, it he is going to preach (preach to the choir)
  4. we we are going to preach (preach to the choir)
  5. they they are going to preach (preach to the choir)

Present continuous

Present continuous · happening right now

  1. I I am preaching (preach to the choir)
  2. you you are preaching (preach to the choir)
  3. he, she, it he is preaching (preach to the choir)
  4. we we are preaching (preach to the choir)
  5. they they are preaching (preach to the choir)

Present perfect

Present perfect · “have done”

  1. I I have already preached (preach to the choir)
  2. you you have already preached (preach to the choir)
  3. he, she, it he has already preached (preach to the choir)
  4. we we have already preached (preach to the choir)
  5. they they have already preached (preach to the choir)

Conditional

Conditional · “would”

  1. I I would preach (preach to the choir)
  2. you you would preach (preach to the choir)
  3. he, she, it he would preach (preach to the choir)
  4. we we would preach (preach to the choir)
  5. they they would preach (preach to the choir)

Imperative

Imperative · requests and orders

  1. preach! (preach to the choir!)

How to use preach

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

  1. Present

    My aunt preaches about healthy food at every dinner.

    My aunt preaches about healthy eating at every dinner.

  2. Past

    You preached to the choir, we all agreed already.

    You preached to converts; everyone already agreed.

  3. Future

    He will preach about saving money, just wait.

    He's going to preach about saving money — you can expect that.

  4. Present continuous

    You are preaching to the choir, I ride my bike every day.

    You're preaching to converts — I ride my bike every day.

  5. Present perfect

    Dad has preached patience to us since we were kids.

    Dad has been preaching patience to us since we were kids.

  6. Conditional

    I would preach less and listen more, honestly.

    I'd preach less and listen more, honestly.

  7. Imperative

    Don't preach, just ask her what she needs.

    Don't lecture her; just ask what she needs.

Good to know

  • "Preach to the choir" is to speak to those who already agree; "don't preach" is "não venha dar sermão".
  • In slang, "Preach!" is "isso aí!", used to strongly agree.

Where you hear preach

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

English for Brazilians · Advanced Level 2

  • You're preaching to the choir. You're preaching to the choir.
  • He preached for an hour about parking. He preached for an hour about parking.
  • Don't preach, ask. Don't preach, ask.
4
The sample doesn't represent everyone

Advanced Level 2 · You're preaching to the choir.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular verb.