What is an Irregular Verb?
English regular verbs add -ed (or -d if the end with the letter ‘e’) to form the past tense and past participle.
English has a lot of irregular verbs, which don’t follow this pattern. Some don’t change at all, others change completely, or change letters in the middle.
Unfortunately for English students, there are a lot and they include many of the commonest verbs. Please see below, 50 of the most popular English Irregular verbs:
| Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle | Third Person (Singular) | Present Participle |
| be | was / were | been | is | being |
| become | became | become | becomes | becoming |
| begin | began | begun | begins | beginning |
| bring | brought | brought | brings | bringing |
| buy | bought | bought | buys | buying |
| choose | chose | chosen | chooses | choosing |
| come | came | come | comes | coming |
| do | did | done | does | doing |
| drink | drank | drunk | drinks | drinking |
| drive | drove | driven | drives | driving |
| eat | ate | eaten | eats | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen | falls | falling |
| feel | felt | felt | feels | feeling |
| find | found | found | finds | finding |
| fly | flew | flown | flies | flying |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | forgets | forgetting |
| get | got | got | gets | getting |
| give | gave | given | gives | giving |
| go | went | gone | goes | going |
| have | had | had | has | having |
| hear | heard | heard | hears | hearing |
| keep | kept | kept | keeps | keeping |
| know | knew | known | knows | knowing |
| leave | left | left | leaves | leaving |
| lend | lent | lent | lends | lending |
| let | let | let | lets | letting |
| lose | lost | lost | loses | losing |
| make | made | made | makes | making |
| meet | met | met | meets | meeting |
| pay | paid | paid | pays | paying |
| put | put | put | puts | putting |
| read | read (pronounced /red/) | Read (pronounced /red/) | reads | reading |
| run | ran | run | runs | running |
| say | said | said | says | saying |
| see | saw | seen | sees | seeing |
| sell | sold | sold | sells | selling |
| send | sent | sent | sends | sending |
| sing | sang | sung | sings | singing |
| sit | sat | sat | sits | sitting |
| sleep | slept | slept | sleeps | sleeping |
| speak | spoke | spoken | speaks | speaking |
| stand | stood | stood | stands | standing |
| swim | swam | swum | swims | swimming |
| take | took | taken | takes | taking |
| teach | taught | taught | teaches | teaching |
| tell | told | told | tells | telling |
| think | thought | thought | thinks | thinking |
| understand | understood | understood | understands | understanding |
| wear | wore | worn | wears | wearing |
| write | wrote | written | writes | writing |
