Sign in
The past simple, part 2 of 4
Irregular Verbs in English: The Most Common Past Forms
Irregular verbs don't add -ed: they change form and you learn them by heart, like go, went and have, had.
The idea
What an irregular verb is
It is a verb that does not form the past with -ed: it has its own word for the past. There are not many, but they are the ones people use most to tell what happened.
- They follow no rule. You learn the past of each one by heart: go, went; eat, ate; see, saw.
- They are the ones you hear most, because they are everyday verbs: I had lunch, we got home.
- Many look alike: if you know buy, bought, you almost know think, thought.
When to use it
To tell what happened with everyday verbs: where you went, what you ate, what you saw, or what people said. These expressions go with it:
With go
- went home
- went to bed
- went shopping
With have
- had breakfast
- had a good time
- had a cold
With get
- got home
- got a message
- got married
With make and do
- made a mistake
- made dinner
- did my homework
- did the dishes
Examples
- A trip
We went to the beach in July.
- A meal
I had pizza for lunch.
- Something you saw
She saw a whale from the boat.
- Something you bought
He bought new shoes.
- What someone said
Mom said yes!
- How you felt
I felt tired after the game.
How to build it
3 steps
- Find the past in the tableAn irregular verb doesn't take -ed: it has its own form.buy, bought
- Put it after whoThe rest of the sentence works like with regular verbs:She bought a dress.
- Use it the same way with everyone, except beBe has two forms: was and were.I went, she went; I was, you were
Affirmative
- SubjectHe
- irregular past formtook
- complementthe bus.
Groups that look alike
If you know one, you know the rest
- thinkthought
- bringbrought
- teachtaught
- drinkdrank
- beginbegan
- swimswam
- leaveleft
- sendsent
- telltold
- cutcut
- hithit
- readread (suena red)
- bewas / were
- eatate
- seesaw
The rule
The irregular verbs you will use most
| Verb | Past | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go | went | move to a place |
| have | had | own, eat, or experience |
| do | did | perform an action |
| make | made | create, prepare |
| get | got | receive, obtain |
| see | saw | notice with your eyes |
| come | came | move toward here |
| take | took | carry, use (a bus) |
| eat | ate | have food |
| give | gave | hand to someone |
| say | said | speak words |
| buy | bought | pay for |
How to pronounce it
went
/wɛnt/The w is a short, rounded sound at the start: /w/, not /g/.
said
/sɛd/It is spelled with ai, but it sounds like /sɛd/, not like say + d.
thought
/θɔt/The gh is silent. Bought and brought rhyme with thought.
Check
Last night I (blank) a strange noise. Which word goes in the blank?
Don't confuse them with regular verbs
play, played
Regular: add -ed
take, took
Irregular: changes
Regular verbs follow a rule (they add -ed); irregular verbs do not: each one has its own form.
Part 1: regular verbsIn real life
Went, had, got, said, and made are some of the verbs you will hear most when people talk about their weekend. If you recognize them by ear, you understand half the story.
Frequently asked questions
How many irregular verbs are there in English?
About 200, but you don't need to learn them all at once. With the 40 or 50 most common ones (go, have, get, make, see, take), you can talk about almost anything in your day.
What is the best way to memorize irregular verbs in English?
In groups that sound alike, out loud, and inside a sentence of your own ("I bought coffee"). Reviewing them with cards for a few minutes a day works better than one long list once.
Why is the past of read spelled the same as the present?
It is one of the irregular verbs that don't change in writing, like put and cut. But read does change in speech: the present sounds like "reed" and the past like "red". The context tells you which one it is.
Are was and were irregular verbs?
Yes: they are the past of be, the most irregular verb of all, and they have their own lesson. In negatives and questions they work differently: wasn't and Were you...?, with no did.
In short
- An irregular verb takes no -ed: it has its own past (go, went).
- Learn them in groups: bought, thought, brought.
- The same form for everyone: I went, she went.
- The exception is be: I was, you were.