Example Sentences in All Tenses of the Verb Catch

This page provides example sentences of the verb catch in all tenses including active and passive forms, as well as conditional and modal forms.

The verb catch is often used with ball sports.

See if you can catch this ball.
I'll throw you the ball and you catch it. 

It is also used to express a transfer from one person to another:

I caught the bug at school
She caught a cold from Tim. 

As well as transportation:

I caught the subway on 34th Street.
I'll catch a plane for Denver tonight.

Catch can also be used for discovering people doing something wrong:

I've caught my boy stealing cookies a number of times.
Let's catch the thief. 

Common phrasal verbs with catch include: catch up, catch on

Base Form catch - used in simple forms / Past Simple caught - used in the past / Past Participle caught / Gerund catching

Present Simple

He catches the train at nine o'clock.
I often catch students' colds. 

Present Simple Passive

The ball is caught by the player at first base.
The flu is caught by many during the winter. 

Present Continuous

They are catching on fast!
He's catching up with me. Run faster!

Present Continuous Passive

The train is being caught by a number of fans.
The fish are being caught in the thousands this month.

Present Perfect

He has caught a cold.
I've caught up with my work. 

Present Perfect Passive

That train has been caught by more than one million travelers.
That fish as already been caught!

Present Perfect Continuous

He has been catching on slowly.
We have been catching up this week.

Past Simple

Peter caught the ball.
Did you catch the train to New York last week?

Past Simple Passive

The ball was caught by Peter.
His meaning was caught be all. 

Past Continuous

He was catching the train when he bumped into her.
We were catching up when she walked in the door. 

Past Continuous Passive

The train was being caught by hundreds of travelers when the announcement rang out.
The ball was being caught as the runner started for home. 

Past Perfect

I had caught twenty butterflies by the time she arrived.
They had caught the bus before I called them to cancel the meeting. 

Past Perfect Passive

Twenty butterflies had been caught by the time she arrived.
Thirty fly balls had been caught by the outfielder before he won the award. 

Past Perfect Continuous

She had been catching butterflies when they arrived.
We'd been catching up on our lives for three hours when we left.

Future (will)

Anna will catch the next train to Boston.
Throw the ball. I'll catch it!

Future (will) passive

That fish will be caught soon.
This ball will be caught by the outfielder. 

Future (going to)

Michael is going to catch the ball!
He's going to catch a flight this afternoon. 

Future (going to) passive

The ball is going to be caught by Michael!
The flu is going to be caught be everybody if we don't do something. 

Future Continuous

This time next week I will be catching the train to Boston.
He will be catching up with Peter this time tomorrow. 

Future Perfect

By the end, he will have caught more than 50 butterflies.
He will have caught more than 300 pitches by the end of the game. 

Future Possibility

She may catch a cold.
He might catch the ball. 

Real Conditional

If she catches a cold, she should see a doctor.
Unless he catches the ball, we'll lose the game.

Unreal Conditional

If she caught on faster, she would do better in school.
If he caught more balls, they'd win more games. 

Past Unreal Conditional

If they had caught the early train, they would have arrived on time.
If he had caught the ball, they would have won the game. 

Present Modal

I can catch the next train.
You should catch a show on Broadway.

Past Modal

He can't have caught the wrong train!
He shouldn't have caught a cold.