There are many English verbs and they are used in different forms in the 12 different tenses in English. This post contains a comprehensive list of the regular and irregular verbs in the English language.
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The present tense of irregular verbs in English is the same as the infinitive form.
For the past tense of these verbs, you have to look at the second column of the below tables.
Here is an example to help you understand what I mean.
If you look at the below picture you can see that the past tense for teach is taught:
Similarly, you can find the past tense for choose, eat, lead, lay, play or any of the other regular and irregular English verbs.
Irregular Verbs in English
Irregular verbs are verbs that don’t change by adding an -ed to the end of the word. They also do not follow a pattern and you simply have to learn them.
| Infinitive Form | Past Tense of Irregular Verbs in English | Past Participle of Irregular Verbs in English |
|---|---|---|
| awake | awoke | awoken |
| be | was/were | been |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bid | bid | bid |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast | broadcast |
| build | built | built |
| burn | burned | burnt |
| buy | bought | bought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| cut | cut | cut |
| dig | dug | dug |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drive | drove | driven |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| show | showed | showed/shown |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| stand | stood | stood |
| swim | swam | swum |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| understand | understood | understood |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| win | won | won |
| write | wrote | written |
English Regular Verbs
Regular verbs in English change by adding an “-ed” to the end of the verb in the past tense form as well as the past participle.
The spelling of Verbs Ending on -ed
- If the verb ends on a consonant + -e you just add a -d: smile – smiled
- For a verb ending on one vowel + -a consonant (not x) you double the consonant and add -ed: rub – rubbed
- With a verb ending on one vowel + -x you just add -ed: fix – fixed
- If a verb ends on two vowels + one consonant you just add -ed: beam – beamed
- With verbs ending on two consonants just add a -d: afford – afforded
- For verbs ending on a consonant + -y, the -y changes to -i and you add -ed: cry – cries
- If a verb ends on a vowel + -y, just add -ed. Don’t change the -y to -i: enjoy – enjoys
A-E
| Infinitive Form | Past Participle and Past Tense of Regular Verbs in English |
|---|---|
| accept | accepted |
| add | added |
| admire | admired |
| admit | admitted |
| advise | advised |
| afford | afforded |
| agree | agreed |
| alert | alerted |
| allow | allowed |
| amuse | amused |
| announce | announced |
| annoy | annoyed |
| answer | answered |
| applaud | applauded |
| appreciate | appreciated |
| approve | approved |
| arrive | arrived |
| ask | asked |
| attempt | attempted |
| attend | attended |
| avoid | avoided |
| bake | baked |
| bang | banged |
| bat | batted |
| bathe | bathed |
| battle | battled |
| beam | beamed |
| beg | begged |
| behave | behaved |
| belong | belonged |
| bleach | bleached |
| blind | blinded |
| blink | blinked |
| blot | blotted |
| blush | blushed |
| boast | boasted |
| boil | boiled |
| bolt | bolted |
| bomb | bombed |
| book | booked |
| bore | bored |
| bounce | bounced |
| brake | braked |
| branch | branched |
| burn | burned |
| buzz | buzzed |
| calculate | calculated |
| call | called |
| camp | camped |
| carry | carried |
| carve | carved |
| choke | choked |
| collect | collected |
| command | commanded |
| communicate | communicated |
| compare | compared |
| compete | competed |
| complain | complained |
| concentrate | concentrated |
| confess | confessed |
| confuse | confused |
| connect | connected |
| consider | considered |
| consist | consisted |
| contain | contained |
| continue | continued |
| cough | coughed |
| count | counted |
| cover | covered |
| crash | crashed |
| crawl | crawled |
| cross | crossed |
| curl | curled |
| curve | curved |
| damage | damaged |
| delay | delayed |
| delight | delighted |
| deliver | delivered |
| depend | depended |
| describe | described |
| desert | deserted |
| deserve | deserved |
| destroy | destroyed |
| develop | developed |
| disagree | disagreed |
| disappear | disappeared |
| discover | discovered |
| dislike | disliked |
| divide | divided |
| double | doubled |
| doubt | doubted |
| drag | dragged |
| drain | drained |
| dream | dreamed |
| dress | dressed |
| drip | dripped |
| drop | dropped |
| earn | earned |
| educate | educated |
| employ | employed |
| end | ended |
| enjoy | enjoyed |
| entertain | entertained |
| escape | escaped |
| examine | examined |
| excuse | excused |
| explain | explained |
| explode | exploded |
| extend | extended |
F-R
| Infinitive Form | Past Participle and Past Tense of Regular Verbs in English |
|---|---|
| face | faced |
| fade | faded |
| fail | failed |
| fear | feared |
| fetch | fetched |
| fix | fixed |
| flash | flashed |
| flap | flapped |
| flood | flooded |
| fold | folded |
| flower | flowered |
| fool | fooled |
| force | forced |
| form | formed |
| found | founded |
| frame | framed |
| frighten | frightened |
| gather | gathered |
| gaze | gazed |
| glue | glued |
| grab | grabbed |
| grate | grated |
| grease | greased |
| grin | grinned |
| grip | gripped |
| groan | groaned |
| guard | guarded |
| guess | guessed |
| guide | guided |
| hammer | hammered |
| hand | handed |
| handle | handled |
| happen | happened |
| harm | harmed |
| heat | heated |
| help | helped |
| hug | hugged |
| hum | hummed |
| hunt | hunted |
| ignore | ignored |
| imagine | imagined |
| impress | impressed |
| improve | improved |
| include | included |
| increase | increased |
| influence | influenced |
| inform | informed |
| instruct | instructed |
| intend | intended |
| interest | interested |
| invent | invented |
| irritate | irritated |
| jog | jogged |
| join | joined |
| joke | joked |
| judge | judged |
| juggle | juggled |
| jump | jumped |
| kick | kicked |
| kiss | kissed |
| love | loved |
| manage | managed |
| march | marched |
| mark | marked |
| match | matched |
| measure | measured |
| meddle | meddled |
| melt | melted |
| mend | mended |
| mine | mined |
| miss | missed |
| mix | mixed |
| move | moved |
| muddle | muddled |
| nail | nailed |
| name | named |
| need | needed |
| nest | nested |
| nod | nodded |
| notice | noticed |
| number | numbered |
| object | objected |
| observe | observed |
| obtain | obtained |
| occur | occurred |
| offend | offended |
| offer | offered |
| open | opened |
| owe | owed |
| own | owned |
| pack | packed |
| pass | passed |
| peep | peeped |
| perform | performed |
| permit | permitted |
| phone | phoned |
| pine | pined |
| place | placed |
| plan | planned |
| plant | planted |
| play | played |
| please | pleased |
| plug | plugged |
| point | pointed |
| poke | poked |
| polish | polished |
| pop | popped |
| pray | prayed |
| preach | preached |
| precede | preceded |
| press | pressed |
| pretend | pretended |
| prevent | prevented |
| prick | pricked |
| printed |
S-Z
| Infinitive Form | Past Participle and Past Tense of Regular Verbs in English |
|---|---|
| smoke | smoked |
| snatch | snatched |
| sneeze | sneezed |
| sniff | sniffed |
| snore | snored |
| snow | snowed |
| soothe | soothed |
| sound | sounded |
| spell | spelled |
| spill | spilled |
| spoil | spoiled |
| spray | sprayed |
| sprout | sprouted |
| squeeze | squeezed |
| stain | stained |
| stamp | stamped |
| stare | stared |
| start | started |
| stay | stayed |
| steer | steered |
| step | stepped |
| stir | stirred |
| snitch | snitched |
| squeeze | squeezed |
| stop | stopped |
| store | stored |
| strap | strapped |
| stroke | stroked |
| stuff | stuffed |
| subtract | subtracted |
| suck | sucked |
| suffer | suffered |
| suit | suited |
| support | supported |
| surprise | surprised |
| surround | surrounded |
| suspect | suspected |
| suspend | suspended |
| switch | switched |
| talk | talked |
| tame | tamed |
| tap | tapped |
| telephone | telephoned |
| tempt | tempted |
| test | tested |
| thank | thanked |
| thaw | thawed |
| tick | ticked |
| tickle | tickled |
| tie | tied |
| time | timed |
| tip | tipped |
| touch | touched |
| tour | toured |
| tow | towed |
| trace | traced |
| trade | traded |
| train | trained |
| transport | transported |
| trap | trapped |
| travel | traveled |
| treat | treated |
| tremble | tremble |
| trick | tricked |
| trip | tripped |
| p trot | trotted |
| trouble | troubled |
| trust | trusted |
| tug | tugged |
| tumble | tumbled |
| turn | turned |
| twist | twisted |
| type | typed |
| undress | undressed |
| unfasten | unfastened |
| unite | united |
| unpack | unpacked |
| use | used |
| vanish | vanished |
| visit | visited |
| wail | wailed |
| wait | waited |
| walk | walked |
| wander | wandered |
| waste | wasted |
| watch | watched |
| water | watered |
| whine | whined |
| wave | waved |
| whip | whipped |
| whirl | whirled |
| wipe | wiped |
| wish | wished |
| wobble | wobbled |
| wonder | wondered |
| work | worked |
| worry | worried |
| wrap | wrapped |
| wreck | wrecked |
| wrestle | wrestled |
| yawn | yawned |
| yell | yelled |
| zip | zipped |
| zoom | zoomed |
Modal Verbs in English
In English modal verbs work a bit different than the above regular and irregular verbs. However, that is beyond the scope of this post. Refer to this post on modal verbs in English.
Conclusion
Don’t be discouraged by the long list. Most of the verbs in English just change by adding -ed in the past tense form and the past participle. Learn the irregular verbs and remember that all the others just get an -ed at the ed. With time you will start to use the correct forms without even trying.
xoxo,
Charlé
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