Mastering irregular verbs is essential for anyone learning English. Unlike regular verbs, which follow a predictable pattern (such as adding -ed to form the past tense), irregular verbs do not adhere to such patterns, making them a bit trickier to learn. However, understanding irregular verbs is crucial because they are commonly used in both spoken and written English.
In this article, we’ll explore a comprehensive irregular verbs list, breaking down the different forms of these verbs and providing examples. By understanding these verbs and practicing their forms, you’ll be able to improve both your speaking and writing skills.
What Are Irregular Verbs?
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the typical pattern of adding -ed to form the past tense and past participle. Instead, these verbs change in unique ways. There are thousands of irregular verbs in English, but learning the most common ones will help you communicate more effectively.
Regular verbs follow this simple rule:
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Base form: walk → Past simple: walked → Past participle: walked
Irregular verbs, however, do not follow this rule. For example:
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Base form: go → Past simple: went → Past participle: gone
Why Are Irregular Verbs Important?
Irregular verbs are crucial because they are often used in everyday conversations, storytelling, and formal writing. Unlike regular verbs, which follow predictable patterns, irregular verbs require memorization and practice. Being familiar with these verbs will help you sound more natural in your speech and writing.
Irregular Verbs List—Complete List
Below is a list of some of the most common irregular verbs in English, including their base form, past simple form (V2), and past participle form (V3).
| Base Form (V1) | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke | awakened |
| be | was/were | been |
| bear | bore | borne/born |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| breed | bred | bred |
| bring | brought | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast | broadcast |
| build | built | built |
| burn | burnt/burned | burnt/burned |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| can | could | been able |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| creep | crept | crept |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| dig | dug | dug |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | gotten/got |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| 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 |
| kneel | knelt | knelt |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| lean | leaned/leaned | leaned/leaned |
| learn | learned/learnt | learned/learnt |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| lie (in bed) | lay | lain |
| lie (to not tell truth) | lied | lied |
| light | lit/lighted | lit/lighted |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| may | might | … |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mow | mowed | mown/mowed |
| must | had to | … |
| overtake | overtook | overtaken |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| saw | sawed | sawn/sawed |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| sew | sewed | sewn/sewed |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shall | should | … |
| shed | shed | shed |
| shine | shone | shone |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slid |
| smell | smelt/smelled | smelt/smelled |
| sow | showed | sown/sowed |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spell | spelt/spelled | spelt/spelled |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spill | spilled/spilt | spilled/spilt |
| spin | spun | spun |
| spit | spat | spat |
| spread | spread | spread |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stank | stunk |
| strike | struck | struck |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swell | swelled | swollen/swelled |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| 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 |
| weep | wept | wept |
| will | would | … |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| write | wrote | written |
How to Practice Irregular Verbs
Memorizing irregular verbs can be challenging, but there are several effective ways to practice and retain these forms:
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Use flashcards: Create flashcards with the base form on one side and the past simple and past participle on the other. Test yourself regularly.
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Write Sentences: For each verb, write sentences in different tenses to reinforce their usage.
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Practice in Context: Try speaking with a partner or language exchange group and use irregular verbs in conversations. This real-time practice will help reinforce your learning.
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Create Verb Tables: Organize the verbs you learn into tables to track your progress. This will also help you identify patterns in their changes.
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Listen and Read: Pay attention to irregular verbs in books, movies, and other media. Seeing and hearing them used in context will help solidify their forms.
Common Mistakes with Irregular Verbs
While irregular verbs may seem tricky, avoiding common mistakes can greatly improve your fluency. Here are a few errors to watch out for:
1. Confusing the Simple Past and Past Participle
Sometimes, learners confuse the past simple form with the past participle form, especially when the two forms are similar. For example:
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Incorrect: She has eaten lunch already.
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Correct: She has eaten lunch already.
Always remember that the past participle (often used with have/has for perfect tenses) is different from the simple past.
2. Using the Wrong Form for Negative Sentences
When using negative sentences with irregular verbs, the auxiliary verb did is always used with the base form, not the past form:
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Incorrect: I didn’t see him yesterday.
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Correct: I didn’t see him yesterday.
In negative sentences, always use the base form after did.
3. Overgeneralizing Regular Forms
A common mistake is trying to treat irregular verbs as if they were regular. For example:
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Incorrect: I came to the party late. (Instead of came)
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Correct: I came to the party late.
Irregular verbs do not follow regular patterns, so it’s important to learn their unique forms.
Using Irregular Verbs in Different Tenses
Understanding how irregular verbs work in different tenses is crucial for speaking and writing effectively in English. Here’s how they fit into different tenses:
1. Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into the present or actions that have a connection to the present.
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Example: I have gone to the store (past action with present relevance).
2. Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to show that an action was completed before another past action.
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Example: I had eaten before she arrived.
3. Future Tense
The future tense of irregular verbs uses the base form of the verb with will or shall to indicate actions that will happen in the future.
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Example: I will go to the meeting tomorrow.
4. Progressive Tenses
Irregular verbs can also appear in progressive tenses (present progressive, past progressive, etc.), which indicate ongoing actions.
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Example: She is doing her homework (present progressive).
5. Conditional Sentences
In conditional sentences, irregular verbs are often used to discuss hypothetical situations.
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Example: If I had known about the event, I would have gone.
Conclusion
Mastering the irregular verb list is an essential part of becoming fluent in English. While these verbs don’t follow regular patterns, with consistent practice and attention to detail, they can become second nature. By memorizing common irregular verbs, using them in context, and actively engaging with English content, you’ll soon feel more comfortable with these essential building blocks of the language. Keep practicing, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes—learning from them is part of the process!
