Practice
Regular verbs: rules and examples
I work from home most days, but I worked at the office yesterday. The verb keeps its meaning and follows a familiar ending pattern.
Recognize regular English verbs and form common present simple and past simple endings in short sentences.
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
worked, played, wanted /wɜːkt/, /pleɪd/, /ˈwɒn.tɪd/
The short answer
A regular verb follows the usual spelling patterns when it changes form. In the past simple, most regular verbs add -ed, as in work to worked.
Nora calls her brother every Sunday and called him yesterday.
Why it works: Call adds -s with she in the present simple and -ed for the completed past action.
3 more examples
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My cousin washes the car on Saturday.
Wash ends in -sh, so the present simple form with my cousin adds -es.
Not this:My cousin
washthe car on Saturday. What changes: Use washes after a singular third-person subject such as my cousin. -
We played chess after dinner.
Play is regular. Add -ed to make the past simple.
Not this:We
playchess after dinner yesterday. What changes: Yesterday shows a completed past time, so use played. -
Lena carried the boxes upstairs.
Carry ends in a consonant plus y. Change y to i, then add -ed.
Not this:Lena
carryedthe boxes upstairs. What changes: Do not keep the y in this pattern. Write carried.
Read the full guide
Check two things before you choose an ending: who does the action and when it happens. Then look at the last letter of the verb for any spelling change.
Start with the base verb
The base verb is the form you find in a dictionary, such as work, clean, or carry. Regular verbs keep that base and add a usual ending when the grammar needs one.
I clean the kitchen on Fridays.
Clean stays in the base form after I in the present simple.
Add -s or -es in the present simple
With he, she, or it, most regular verbs add -s. Add -es after endings such as -s, -sh, -ch, -x, and -o.
The train stops near my house.
Complete the sentence: My teacher ___ English every day. Use teach.
My teacher teaches English every day. Teach ends in -ch, so add -es.
Make most past forms with -ed
For a completed action in the past, most regular verbs add -ed. This form is the same with every subject.
They visited their aunt last weekend.
I visited, she visited, and they visited all use the same past form.
Visited shows that the family trip is complete and happened last weekend.
Check the last letter
If a regular verb ends in e, add only d: live becomes lived. If it ends in a consonant plus y, change y to i and add -ed: study becomes studied. Some short stressed verbs double the final consonant before -ed: stop becomes stopped.
Sam studied for the exam and stopped at ten.
Choose the correct past form: We ___ in a small hotel. stay, stayed, or staied?
We stayed in a small hotel. Stay ends in a vowel plus y, so keep the y and add -ed.
Use the form that matches the sentence
A time word can help you choose the form. Every day often points to the present simple. Yesterday, last night, and ago often point to the past simple.
He checks his email every morning.
He checked his email before breakfast yesterday.
Checks matches he and a usual routine. Checked matches the completed action yesterday.
Before you go
Remember this
Use regular verb endings as a spelling pattern. Add -s or -es for he, she, or it in the present simple. For a finished past action, use the correct -ed form and check for e, y, or doubled-consonant changes.
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 "Regular verbs: rules and examples"
What is a regular verb?
A regular verb follows the usual spelling patterns when it changes form. For example, work becomes works with he, she, or it, and worked in the past simple.
My cousin washes the car on Saturday.
When do regular verbs add s or es?
In the present simple, add -s with he, she, or it. Add -es when the verb ends in -s, -sh, -ch, -x, or -o, as in watches and teaches.
My cousin wash the car on Saturday.
Why does study become studied?
Study ends in a consonant plus y. In the regular past form, change the y to i and add -ed, so study becomes studied.
We played chess after dinner.
Why does live become lived?
Live already ends in e. Add only d for the regular past form, giving lived. The same pattern applies to other regular verbs that end in e.
We play chess after dinner yesterday.
Do I use a past form after did?
No. Did already shows past time in a question or negative sentence, so use the base verb after it. For example, write Did you call? rather than Did you called?
Lena carried the boxes upstairs.