The past tense of the verb 'to text'

[Ruffello]

The past tense is surely 'texted', pronounced as written. Why do people say for example: 'So I text her yesterday'?

[deleted203]

I would agree with 'texted', certainly. Are these the same people who say, 'I axed you something'?

[Crikeyblimey]

I agree it should be texted but as "text" isn't a real verb the. Who knows. Surely the verb is "to send". Text is a noun.

[coffeeinbed]

It's been bothering me greatly as well.

[aPseudonymToFoolHim]

According to my brother, to text is now a verb! But, as a pedant, I would ALWAYS say 'I sent a text'

[Yika]

Oh yes. Do not understand why people don't write texted. Very annoying!

[flipchart]

I would have said texted in verbal conversation but would say textd if I was texting someone about a text that I had texted.

[Bowlersarm]

I would say texted, but it does sound clumsy.

[badtime]

I know someone who says this ('I text him'), and has somehow worked backward from this to the point where the message is a 'tex', as in 'I sent him three texes'. I generally have to go and have a sit down and a nice cup of hot, sweet tea when I hear that.

[prism]

Personally I'm quite excited about the idea of an irregular verb that's the same in the past tense as in the present. Let's face it, a pedant could easily insist that "text" is a mass noun, and there's not really any such thing as "a text" any more than there is "an air" or "a water" (OK I know there are weird exceptions to that). But no-one's fighting that battle, as far as I know.

So if you've swallowed the idea that "text" is a common noun, and then that it's also a verb, I don't think you can suddenly insist that there's a rule about how you can put it in the past tense. When you throw out the bathwater, you're crying over spilt milk if you start complaining about the absence of the baby.

IMHO

[YokoUhOh]

We could do away with both 'text' and 'texted' and use SMS, like the French: 'J'ai envoyé un SMS'. 'Text' as a past participle is always, ALWAYS wrong :)

[TobyLerone]

Also, the plural of 'text' is 'texts'. Not 'textes'

[NicholasTeakozy]

Quite right Toby, textes is a mis-spelling.

[miffybun73]

I would say texted.

[Numberlock]

I vote for the European/international SMS. No-one else knows what a text is, well not as an electronic message anyway.

[Mintyy]

I avoid it or say "I sent a text" as I cannot stand either 'text' in the past tense or 'texted'. I am an horrendous pedant though.

[SanityClause]

See, prism, I'm with you. I love watching language evolve. When I was younger, random meant "without a pattern", but now it can also mean "bizarre" or also, "an unknown or non-specified person or thing". (So, you are all randoms, on the Internet, to me.)

I believe that grammar is descriptive, rather than proscriptive, for the most part. (Although, there are obviously times when standard grammar should be used.

So hurray for "text", the past participle of the verb "to text"!

[soaccidentprone]

I agree with mminty