Text or Texted ?

[Angel41]

This is only a trivial question but may help settle a debate betwen me and my boyfriend. I was talking about having sent a text to someone and said "I'd texted them", he insists theres no such word  and you should just say "I text them".   I'm just wondering what other answerbankers opinions are, thanking you all in advance.

[Quizmonster]

'Texted' does seem to be the usual way of expressing the idea in the past tense.

You could always, of course, decide it was meant to be an irregular verb and create a whole new past format such as "I taxt her yesterday" or "I toxt them this morning."

[Quizmonster]

I should have added above that the word 'text' basically existed only in noun form in normal usage. However, with the advent of the mobile phone and the facility of sending messages in text, the need for a verb - to text - form became apparent. Having arrived, it obviously had to take on the various verb-forms that other verbs have, including a past tense. Your boyfriend may be technically 'correct' in that you may not yet find the word as a verb in any dictionary, but you will...oh, you will!

[greenday]

Everyone uses texted, so it will be an official word before long, if indeed it is not already. You can use this argument and prove your bouncebackability.

[Tiesto]

I work for a mobile phone company and seems like almost everyone when referring to multiple texts call them 'texes' - now that it is annoying.

[trilobite]

If 'to text' is not yet in the Dictionary, then your boyfriend is wrong aswell, Angel41, since 'text' does not have a verbal sense, and therefore, by his own definition, is not a word.

I haven't seen the latest OED (Oxford English Dictionary) to see if 'text' (as a verb) is listed, but;

- If it's not listed, it will only be a matter of time, as the OED reflects our changing language.

- When it is listed, (or if it already is), it will tell you the past-participle of the verb and settle your argument for you.

Until then, use whatever you feel comfortable with, and aslong as everyone understands what you mean, what's the problem?

I think I tend to use 'texted' as well, come to think of it.

[Dusky]

Oh, frabjous day!  I wish I'd thought of this one; it's been annoying me for ages.

I'm very much with Tiesto.  I have no problem with the language evolving but, for goodness' sake, be consistent.  If you insist on the development of this verb "to text", then stick with it.  It has to be "texted" and not "he text me", "he texed me".

I particularly like Quizmonster's "taxt" & "toxt".  Does this also extend to "I have tuxt"?

[BetsyLou]

It's not possible to say 'there's no such word as texted' just because it isn't in the OED; if the lexical item is in common use, what else is it other than a word?! Spoken language moves much, much more quickly than dictionaries can keep up with. Dictionaries aren't responsible for making new words, they report usage, so whatever is the commonly-used past tense form of 'to text' will be in the dictionary; as cute as 'taxt' and 'toxt' are, I think the prevailing usage is certainly 'texted' (inventing novel irregular verbs is not that easy!), so that's what'll end up in the dictionary.

[Quizmonster]

Of course it is, Betsy! My irregular forms were intended as a joke and my original opening sentence made it clear that 'texted' was the norm.

[BetsyLou]

Yeah, Quizmonster, I know. I was just making sure...

Since yesterday, I've actually heard a great many people saying 'text' as a past tense form of 'to text'. So it may be a new irregular verb after all! (Albeit only amongst the too-lazy-for-an-extra-syllable generation; perhaps we should forget the debate and just call the past tense 'txt'?)

[SimonMorton]

Excuse me, what is texting, texing or whatever you wish to call it? I am a publisher and I do not recognise this term. Is it connected with page layout definitions?