Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs are an important feature of English. We use irregular verbs a lot when speaking, less when writing. Of course, the most famous English verb of all, the verb "to be", is irregular.

What is the difference between regular verbs and irregular verbs?

Base Form With regular verbs, the rule is simple... The past simple and past participle always end in -ed: finish stop work But with irregular verbs, there is no rule... Sometimes the verb changes completely: Sometimes there is "half" a change: Sometimes there is no change: sing buy cut sang bought cut sung bought cut finished stopped worked finished stopped worked Past Simple Past Participle

One good way to learn irregular verbs is to try sorting them into groups, as above.

Irregular Verbs List

This is a list of some irregular verbs in English. Of course, there are many others, but these are the more common irregular verbs. V1 V2 Base Form Past Simple awake be beat become begin bend bet awoke was, were beat became began bent bet V3 Past Participle awoken been beaten become begun bent bet

bid bite blow break bring broadcast build burn buy catch choose come cost cut dig do draw dream drive drink eat fall feel fight find fly forget forgive freeze

bid bit blew broke brought broadcast built burned/burnt bought caught chose came cost cut dug did drew dreamed/dreamt drove drank ate fell felt fought found flew forgot forgave froze

bid bitten blown broken brought broadcast built burned/burnt bought caught chosen come cost cut dug done drawn dreamed/dreamt driven drunk eaten fallen felt fought found flown forgotten forgiven frozen

get give go grow hang have hear hide hit hold hurt keep know lay lead learn leave lend let lie lose make mean meet pay put read ride ring

got gave went grew hung had heard hid hit held hurt kept knew laid led learned/learnt left lent let lay lost made meant met paid put read rode rang

got (sometimes gotten) given gone grown hung had heard hidden hit held hurt kept known laid led learned/learnt left lent let lain lost made meant met paid put read ridden rung

rise run say see sell send show shut sing sit sleep speak spend stand swim take teach tear tell think throw understand wake wear win write

rose ran said saw sold sent showed shut sang sat slept spoke spent stood swam took taught tore told thought threw understood woke wore won wrote

risen run said seen sold sent showed/shown shut sung sat slept spoken spent stood swum taken taught torn told thought thrown understood woken worn won written