Below, you will find a list of the most common irregular verbs in English. An irregular verb is a verb in which the past tense is not formed by adding the normal -ed
ending. Irregular verbs have different past and past participle forms that you need to learn and memorize.
Study the list of irregular verbs, following these guidelines:
The base form is used with the simple present tense.
I often forget my umbrella.
The simple past form is used with the simple past tense.
I forgot my umbrella yesterday.
The past participle is used with the perfect tenses, such as present and past perfect.
Oh no! It’s raining and I’ve forgotten my umbrella.
Here are the most common irregular verbs in English, grouped by ending pattern. To see these verbs listed alphabetically, go to: Common Irregular Verbs. You should know these by heart.
All forms of the verb are the same | ||
---|---|---|
Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
bet | bet | bet |
cost | cost | cost |
cut | cut | cut |
hit | hit | hit |
hurt | hurt | hurt |
let | let | let |
put | put | put |
shut | shut | shut |
2ND AND 3RD FORMS OF THE VERB ARE THE SAME | ||
---|---|---|
Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
lose | lost | lost |
shoot | shot | shot |
get | got | got |
light | lit | lit |
sit | sat | sat |
keep | kept | kept |
sleep | slept | slept |
feel | felt | felt |
leave | left | left |
meet | met | met |
bring | brought | brought |
buy | bought | bought |
fight | fought | fought |
think | thought | thought |
catch | caught | caught |
teach | taught | taught |
sell | sold | sold |
tell | told | told |
pay | paid | paid |
make | made | made |
stand | stood | stood |
understand | understood | understood |
lend | lent | lent |
send | sent | sent |
spend | spent | spent |
build | built | built |
find | found | found |
have | had | had |
hear | heard | heard |
hold | held | held |
read | read (pronounced red) | read (pronounced red) |
say | said | said |
ALL FORMS OF THE VERB ARE DIFFERENT | ||
---|---|---|
Base Form | Simple Past | Past Participle |
drive | drove | driven |
ride | rode | ridden |
rise | rose | risen |
write | wrote | written |
bite | bit | bitten |
hide | hid | hidden |
break | broke | broken |
choose | chose | chosen |
speak | spoke | spoken |
wake | woke | woken |
blow | blew | blown |
grow | grew | grown |
know | knew | known |
fly | flew | flown |
draw | drew | drawn |
show | showed | shown |
wear | wore | worn |
tear | tore | torn |
begin | began | begun |
drink | drank | drunk |
swim | swam | swum |
ring | rang | rung |
sing | sang | sung |
eat | ate | eaten |
fall | fell | fallen |
forget | forgot | forgotten |
give | gave | given |
see | saw | seen |
take | took | taken |