Practice
Irregular verbs: forms and examples
Yesterday, Nia drove to the station. This morning, she has driven there again. Drive changes to drove in the simple past and to driven after has or have. That change is what makes the verb irregular.
Recognize common irregular verbs and choose the correct base, past, or past participle form for the sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
write, wrote, written /raɪt, roʊt, ˈrɪtən/
The short answer
Use the simple past form for a finished past action: I went home. Use the past participle after have, has, or had: I have gone home. Irregular verbs do not follow one -ed rule, so check the verb's three main forms.
Sam took the early bus to work yesterday.
Why it works: Took is the simple past form of take, used with the finished time word yesterday.
5 more examples
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I wrote the address on the package last night.
Wrote is the simple past of write because last night is a completed time.
Not this:I have
writtenthe address on the package. What changes: Have needs the past participle written, not the simple past wrote. -
The children ate lunch at noon.
Ate is the simple past form of eat.
Not this:The children have
eatenlunch already. What changes: Have eaten connects the completed meal to the present situation. -
Maya found her glasses under the sofa.
Found is both the simple past and the past participle of find.
Not this:Maya has
foundher glasses under the sofa. What changes: The form stays found after has, but the helping verb changes the tense. -
We went to the market after class.
Went is the simple past form of go.
Not this:We have
goneto the market already. What changes: Have takes gone, the past participle of go. -
The wind blew the papers across the floor.
Blew is the simple past form of blow.
Not this:The wind has
blownthe papers across the floor. What changes: Has takes the past participle blown.
Read the full guide
Start with the time and the helping verb. If the action happened at a finished time, you usually need the simple past: saw, wrote, or took. If have, has, or had comes before the main verb, you need a past participle: seen, written, or taken. A verb list can help, but the sentence tells you which column to choose.
Learn the three forms together
Record a common irregular verb in three forms: base, simple past, and past participle. For example, see, saw, seen. The forms have different jobs, so memorizing only one past form can lead to mistakes.
I see the library from my window.
See is the base form used in a present-tense sentence with I.
Name the three forms of take.
Take, took, taken.
Use simple past for a finished time
Use the simple past when the sentence gives a completed past time or clearly tells a past story. There is no have, has, or had before the main verb in this pattern.
Luis chose a quieter table yesterday.
Yesterday is finished, so chose is the simple past of choose.
Complete the sentence: Last weekend, I ___ my cousin.
Use met: Last weekend, I met my cousin.
Use a past participle after have, has, or had
Have, has, and had need a past participle after them. The participle may differ from the simple past. Compare I broke the cup with I have broken the cup.
Our manager has spoken to the supplier.
Has spoken uses the past participle spoken, not the simple past spoke.
Complete the sentence: They have ___ the instructions.
Use read: They have read the instructions.
Notice verbs with matching forms
Some irregular verbs repeat a form. Buy, bought, bought has the same simple past and participle. Put, put, put uses one form for all three positions. The sentence still decides the grammar.
The teacher put the folders on the shelf.
Put works here as a simple past form, even though it looks like the base form.
Complete the sentence: She has ___ a new coat.
Use bought: She has bought a new coat.
Check the form after did and to
After did, use the base form, not the simple past. The same is true after to and modal verbs such as can or will. Did already carries the past meaning in a question or negative sentence.
Did you bring your identification card?
Bring follows did in its base form. Did you brought is not standard English.
Choose the correct form: We decided to ___ early.
Use leave: We decided to leave early.
Before you go
Remember this
Check whether the sentence needs a base form, simple past, or past participle. Learn common irregular verbs as three forms, such as write, wrote, written. The helping verb and the time expression show you which form belongs in the sentence.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Irregular verbs: forms and examples"
What is an irregular verb?
An irregular verb does not make its past forms by simply adding -ed. For example, go becomes went in the simple past and gone as a past participle. Learn the forms together so you can choose the right one in a sentence.
I wrote the address on the package last night.
What is the difference between simple past and past participle?
Simple past can stand alone for a finished past action, as in She wrote yesterday. A past participle usually follows have, has, had, or a form of be, as in She has written or The letter was written.
I have written the address on the package.
Why do some irregular verbs have the same form?
Some irregular verbs use the same form for more than one job. Found can be both simple past and past participle, while put stays the same in all three main forms. Look at the helping verb and time words to identify the grammar.
The children ate lunch at noon.
Do I use the past form after did?
No. After did, use the base form because did already marks the sentence as past. Say Did you go? or I did not see it. Do not use went or saw directly after did in standard English.
The children have eaten lunch already.
How can I remember irregular verbs?
Study small groups of three forms and use each group in short sentences. For example, say write, wrote, written, then make one simple-past sentence and one sentence with have. Review the verbs you meet often in reading and conversation.
Maya found her glasses under the sofa.