You may already know that a regular verb is a verb that follows a particular pattern when it changes from the present to the past tense, usually by just adding -ed. For example, “walk” becomes “walked”, and “play” turns into “played”.
However, not all verbs follow this simple pattern. Some verbs change in a completely different way – we call these “irregular verbs”. The past tense of “go” is not “goed” but “went”. The past tense of “see” is not “seed” but “saw”.
What’s tricky about irregular verbs is that they don’t follow one specific rule, so they must be learned individually. In other words, we need to memorize them. Don’t worry, though! With practice, you’ll start to remember these verbs naturally.
Here’s what you need to know about each irregular verb:
- Base Form: This is the verb in its simplest form. It’s what you see in the dictionary and what you use in the present tense. For example, “go”, “see”, “eat”.
- Past Tense: This form is used to talk about something that happened in the past. For example, “went”, “saw”, “ate”.
- Past Participle: This form is used in several different situations, including in perfect tenses and passive voice. For example, “gone”, “seen”, “eaten”.
Remember, learning these verbs takes practice. The more you read, write, speak, and listen to English, the more familiar you’ll become with these irregular verbs. Let’s start learning together!
| Base Form | Past Tense | Past Participle | Spanish Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been | ser/estar |
| become | became | become | convertirse |
| begin | began | begun | comenzar |
| break | broke | broken | romper |
| bring | brought | brought | traer |
| build | built | built | construir |
| buy | bought | bought | comprar |
| catch | caught | caught | atrapar |
| choose | chose | chosen | elegir |
| come | came | come | venir |
| Base Form | Past Tense | Past Participle | Spanish Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| do | did | done | hacer |
| draw | drew | drawn | dibujar |
| drink | drank | drunk | beber |
| drive | drove | driven | conducir |
| eat | ate | eaten | comer |
| fall | fell | fallen | caer |
| feel | felt | felt | sentir |
| find | found | found | encontrar |
| fly | flew | flown | volar |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | olvidar |
| Base Form | Past Tense | Past Participle | Spanish Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| get | got | gotten | obtener |
| give | gave | given | dar |
| go | went | gone | ir |
| have | had | had | haber |
| hear | heard | heard | oír |
| hide | hid | hidden | esconder |
| hit | hit | hit | golpear |
| hold | held | held | sostener |
| keep | kept | kept | mantener |
| know | knew | known | saber/conocer |
| Base Form | Past Tense | Past Participle | Spanish Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| learn | learned/learnt | learned/learnt | aprender |
| leave | left | left | dejar |
| lend | lent | lent | prestar |
| let | let | let | dejar/permitir |
| lose | lost | lost | perder |
| make | made | made | hacer |
| mean | meant | meant | significar |
| meet | met | met | conocer/reunirse |
| pay | paid | paid | pagar |
| put | put | put | poner |
| Base Form | Past Tense | Past Participle | Spanish Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| read | read | read | leer |
| run | ran | run | correr |
| say | said | said | decir |
| see | saw | seen | ver |
| sell | sold | sold | vender |
| send | sent | sent | enviar |
| show | showed | shown/showed | mostrar |
| shut | shut | shut | cerrar |
| sing | sang | sung | cantar |
| sink | sank | sunk | hundir |
Congratulations, you’ve made it through the chart of the 50 most common irregular verbs! Remember, learning these verbs is a key step towards mastering English, especially when it comes to expressing past events or actions. It might seem challenging at first, but don’t worry, with consistent practice and reference to this chart, you’ll gradually become familiar with these verbs and how they’re used. Remember, the goal is progress, not perfection. So keep practicing and never hesitate to refer back to this chart whenever you need. Happy learning!