What Are Irregular Verbs?
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the normal rules for changing their form. Most English verbs are regular—you add -ed to make the past tense (walk → walked). But irregular verbs change in different ways. For example, go becomes went in the past tense, not goed. These verbs are very common in English, so it is important to learn them.
Regular vs. Irregular Verbs
Regular verbs follow a pattern: you add -ed to the base form to make the past tense. Examples: play → played, work → worked. Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern. They change the vowels inside the word, or they change completely. Some irregular verbs look the same in present and past (cut → cut), while others change completely (be → was/were). Because there are no rules to follow, you must memorize irregular verbs.
Why Are Irregular Verbs Important?
The most common verbs in English are irregular. Verbs like be, have, do, go, see, and make are irregular and appear in almost every conversation. This means you will use them every day, so learning them is essential for speaking and writing English well.
List of Common Irregular Verbs
| Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was / were | been | Two past tense forms (I was / they were) |
| become | became | become | Base and participle are identical |
| begin | began | begun | Vowel changes in each form |
| break | broke | broken | Participle adds -en suffix |
| bring | brought | brought | Past and participle are identical |
| build | built | built | Past and participle are identical |
| buy | bought | bought | Past and participle are identical |
| catch | caught | caught | Past and participle are identical |
| choose | chose | chosen | Participle adds -en suffix |
| come | came | come | Base and participle are identical |
| cost | cost | cost | All three forms are identical |
| cut | cut | cut | All three forms are identical |
| do | did | done | Also an auxiliary verb |
| draw | drew | drawn | Participle adds -n suffix |
| drink | drank | drunk | Vowel changes in each form |
| drive | drove | driven | Participle adds -n suffix |
| eat | ate | eaten | Participle adds -en suffix |
| fall | fell | fallen | Participle adds -en suffix |
| feel | felt | felt | Past and participle are identical |
| find | found | found | Past and participle are identical |
| fly | flew | flown | Participle adds -n suffix |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | Participle adds -en suffix |
| get | got | gotten | Participle adds -en suffix |
| give | gave | given | Vowel changes in each form |
| go | went | gone | All three forms are completely different |
| grow | grew | grown | Participle adds -n suffix |
| have | had | had | Also an auxiliary verb |
| hear | heard | heard | Past and participle are identical |
| hide | hid | hidden | Participle adds -en suffix |
| hit | hit | hit | All three forms are identical |
| hold | held | held | Past and participle are identical |
| keep | kept | kept | Past and participle are identical |
| know | knew | known | All three forms are different |
| lead | led | led | Past and participle are identical |
| leave | left | left | Past and participle are identical |
| lend | lent | lent | Past and participle are identical |
| let | let | let | All three forms are identical |
| lie | lay | lain | Often confused with lay |
| lose | lost | lost | Past and participle are identical |
| make | made | made | Past and participle are identical |
| meet | met | met | Past and participle are identical |
| pay | paid | paid | Past and participle are identical |
| put | put | put | All three forms are identical |
| read | read | read | Pronunciation changes (present rhymes with "need"; past rhymes with "bed") |
| ride | rode | ridden | Participle adds -en suffix |
| ring | rang | rung | Vowel changes in each form |
| rise | rose | risen | Vowel changes; do not confuse with raise |
| run | ran | run | Base and participle are identical |
| say | said | said | Past and participle are identical |
| see | saw | seen | Vowel changes in each form |
| seek | sought | sought | Past and participle are identical |
| sell | sold | sold | Past and participle are identical |
| send | sent | sent | Past and participle are identical |
| set | set | set | All three forms are identical |
| shake | shook | shaken | Participle adds -en suffix |
| shine | shone | shone | Past and participle are identical |
| shoot | shot | shot | Past and participle are identical |
| show | showed | shown | Participle adds -n suffix |
| shut | shut | shut | All three forms are identical |
| sing | sang | sung | Vowel changes in each form |
| sink | sank | sunk | Vowel changes in each form |
| sit | sat | sat | Past and participle are identical |
| sleep | slept | slept | Past and participle are identical |
| speak | spoke | spoken | Participle adds -en suffix |
| spend | spent | spent | Past and participle are identical |
| spin | spun | spun | Past and participle are identical |
| split | split | split | All three forms are identical |
| spread | spread | spread | All three forms are identical |
| stand | stood | stood | Past and participle are identical |
| steal | stole | stolen |
Formula
✔ Positive
Subject
+
irregular past verb
+
object/complement
She went to the cinema last night.
✖ Negative
Subject
+
did not
+
base verb
+
object/complement
He did not go to school yesterday.
? Question
Did
+
subject
+
base verb
+
object?
Did you see the film?
Examples
I went to the supermarket yesterday.
Irregular verb · Past tense of 'go'
She ate breakfast at 7 o'clock this morning.
Irregular verb · Past tense of 'eat'
They were very happy about the news.
Irregular verb · Past tense of 'be'
She saw the movie last night with her friends.
Irregular verb · Past tense of 'see'
My sister has finished her homework.
Irregular verb · Present perfect with 'have'
I took my umbrella because it was raining.
Irregular verb · Past tense of 'take'
When to use it
Daily Conversation
You use irregular verbs constantly when talking about the past. Almost every conversation includes them.
"What did you do last weekend?" "I went to the beach and saw my friends."
Telling Stories
When you tell a story about something that happened, irregular verbs are essential for describing events.
"She came home late. She had eaten dinner with friends. They went to a nice restaurant."
Writing
In emails, messages, and written English, irregular verbs appear frequently in past tense.
"I wrote the email yesterday. I sent it this morning. You received it, right?"
Signal words
yesterday
last week
ago
in the past
before
already
just
ever
never
Common Mistakes
✕
Wrong
She goed to the party.
✓
Correct
She went to the party.
Go is irregular. The past tense is 'went', not 'goed'.
✕
Wrong
I eated lunch at noon.
✓
Correct
I ate lunch at noon.
Eat is irregular. The past tense is 'ate', not 'eated'.
✕
Wrong
They was at home yesterday.
✓
Correct
They were at home yesterday.
Be is irregular. With 'they', use 'were' in past tense, not 'was'.
✕
Wrong
He taked his book to school.
✓
Correct
He took his book to school.
Take is irregular. The past tense is 'took', not 'taked'.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What to Remember
- Most English verbs are regular—add -ed to the base form for past tense.
- Irregular verbs do not follow the -ed pattern and must be memorized individually.
- Common irregular verbs include go (went), eat (ate), and see (saw).
- Irregular verbs are very common in English, so learning them is essential.
- Do not add -ed to irregular verbs; they change in unpredictable ways.