Understanding English verb forms can be tricky, especially with irregular verbs that don’t follow the simple “add -ed” rule. Whether you’re brushing up on grammar, writing with precision, or learning English, knowing the present tense, past tense, and past participle of common verbs is essential. Below is a concise list of frequently used irregular verbs, followed by a quick explanation of how past participles work.
List of Common Irregular Verbs
| Present | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been |
| begin | began | begun |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| buy | bought | bought |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| do | did | done |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| find | found | found |
| get | got | gotten/got |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| have | had | had |
| know | knew | known |
| make | made | made |
| run | ran | run |
| see | saw | seen |
| sing | sang | sung |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| take | took | taken |
| think | thought | thought |
| write | wrote | written |
What’s a Past Participle?
The past participle is a verb form used in several ways:
- Perfect tenses: With “have,” “has,” or “had” to show completed actions (e.g., “I have eaten lunch”).
- Passive voice: To describe actions done to the subject (e.g., “The window was broken”).
- As adjectives: To describe a state (e.g., “A written letter”).
Unlike the past tense, which simply tells us an action happened in the past (e.g., “I ate lunch”), the past participle often emphasizes the result or state of an action. For regular verbs, the past tense and past participle are the same (e.g., play → played → played), but irregular verbs like the ones above have unique forms.
Tips for Using This List
- Memorize the patterns: Irregular verbs don’t follow rules, so practice is key!
- Context matters: Use past participles with the right structure (e.g., “have + past participle” for perfect tenses).
- Regional note: Some verbs, like “get,” may vary (e.g., “gotten” in American English vs. “got” in British English).
Feel free to bookmark this list or share it with anyone learning English grammar! If you want more examples or tips on specific verbs, drop a comment below.