Regular Verbs

English regular verbs change their form very little (unlike irregular verbs). The past tense and past participle of regular verbs end in -ed, for example: work, worked, worked But you should note the following points: 1. Some verbs can be both regular and irregular, for example: learn, learned, learned learn, learnt, learnt 2. Some verbs change their meaning depending on whether they are regular or irregular, for example "to hang": hang, hanged, hanged hang, hung, hung

regular irregular

to kill or die, by dropping with a rope around the neck to fix something (for example, a picture) at the top so that the lower part is free

3. The present tense of some regular verbs is the same as the past tense of some irregular verbs: regular irregular found, founded, founded find, found, found

Regular Verbs List Irregular verbs list

Regular Verbs List

There are thousands of regular verbs in English. This is a list of 600 of the more common regular verbs. Note that there are some spelling variations in American English (for example, "practise" becomes "practice" in American English).

accept add admire admit advise afford agree alert

allow amuse analyse announce annoy answer apologise appear

applaud appreciate approve argue arrange arrest arrive ask

attach attack attempt attend attract avoid

back bake balance ban bang bare bat bathe battle beam

beg behave belong bleach bless blind blink blot blush boast

boil bolt bomb book bore borrow bounce bow box brake

branch breathe bruise brush bubble bump burn bury buzz

calculate call camp care carry carve cause challenge change charge chase cheat check cheer chew

choke chop claim clap clean clear clip close coach coil collect colour comb command communicate

compare compete complain complete concentrate concern confess confuse connect consider consist contain continue copy correct

cough count cover crack crash crawl cross crush cry cure curl curve cycle

dam damage dance dare decay deceive decide decorate delay delight

deliver depend describe desert deserve destroy detect develop disagree disappear

disapprove disarm discover dislike divide double doubt drag drain dream

dress drip drop drown drum dry dust

earn educate embarrass employ empty encourage

end enjoy enter entertain escape examine

excite excuse exercise exist expand expect

explain explode extend

face fade fail fancy fasten fax fear fence

fetch file fill film fire fit fix flap

flash float flood flow flower fold follow fool

force form found frame frighten fry

gather gaze glow glue

grab grate grease greet

grin grip groan guarantee

guard guess guide

hammer hand handle hang

harm hate haunt head

heat help hook hop

hug hum hunt

happen harass

heal heap

hope hover

hurry

identify ignore imagine impress improve include

increase influence inform inject injure instruct

intend interest interfere interrupt introduce invent

invite irritate itch

jail jam

jog join

joke judge

juggle jump

kick kill

kiss kneel

knit knock

knot

label land last laugh launch

learn level license lick lie

lighten like list listen live

load lock long look love

man manage march mark marry match mate

matter measure meddle melt memorise mend mess up

milk mine miss mix moan moor mourn

move muddle mug multiply murder

nail name

need nest

nod note

notice number

obey object observe

obtain occur offend

offer open order

overflow owe own

pack paddle paint park part pass paste pat pause peck pedal peel peep perform

permit phone pick pinch pine place plan plant play please plug point poke polish

pop possess post pour practise pray preach precede prefer prepare present preserve press pretend

prevent prick print produce program promise protect provide pull pump punch puncture punish push

question

queue

race radiate rain raise reach realise receive recognise record reduce reflect

refuse regret reign reject rejoice relax release rely remain remember remind

remove repair repeat replace reply report reproduce request rescue retire return

rhyme rinse risk rob rock roll rot rub ruin rule rush

sack sail satisfy save saw

shiver shock shop shrug sigh

soothe sound spare spark sparkle

stop store strap strengthen stretch

scare scatter scold scorch scrape scratch scream screw scribble scrub seal search separate serve settle shade share shave shelter

sign signal sin sip ski skip slap slip slow smash smell smile smoke snatch sneeze sniff snore snow soak

spell spill spoil spot spray sprout squash squeak squeal squeeze stain stamp stare start stay steer step stir stitch

strip stroke stuff subtract succeed suck suffer suggest suit supply support suppose surprise surround suspect suspend switch

talk tame tap taste tease telephone tempt terrify test thank

thaw tick tickle tie time tip tire touch tour tow

trace trade train transport trap travel treat tremble trick trip

trot trouble trust try tug tumble turn twist type

undress unfasten

unite unlock

unpack untidy

use

vanish

visit

wail wait

waste watch

whirl whisper

work worry

walk wander want warm warn wash

water wave weigh welcome whine whip

whistle wink wipe wish wobble wonder

wrap wreck wrestle wriggle

x-ray

yawn

yell

zip

zoom

Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are an important feature of English. We use irregular verbs a lot when speaking, less when writing. Of course, the most famous English verb of all, the verb "to be", is irregular. What is the difference between regular verbs and irregular verbs?
Base Form With regular verbs, the rule is simple... finish The past simple and past participle always end in -ed: stop work But with irregular verbs, there is no rule... Sometimes the verb changes completely: Sometimes there is "half" a change: Sometimes there is no change: sing buy cut sang bought cut sung bought cut finished stopped worked finished stopped worked Past Simple Past Participle

One good way to learn irregular verbs is to try sorting them into groups, as above.

Irregular Verbs List

This is a list of some irregular verbs in English. Of course, there are many others, but these are the more common irregular verbs.
V1 Base Form awake be beat become begin bend bet bid bite blow break bring V2 Past Simple awoke was, were beat became began bent bet bid bit blew broke brought V3 Past Participle awoken been beaten become begun bent bet bid bitten blown broken brought

broadcast build burn buy catch choose come cost cut dig do draw dream drive drink eat fall

broadcast built burned/burnt bought caught chose came cost cut dug did drew dreamed/dreamt drove drank ate fell

broadcast built burned/burnt bought caught chosen come cost cut dug done drawn dreamed/dreamt driven drunk eaten fallen

feel fight find fly forget forgive freeze get give go grow hang have hear hide hit hold

felt fought found flew forgot forgave froze got gave went grew hung had heard hid hit held

felt fought found flown forgotten forgiven frozen got (sometimes gotten) given gone grown hung had heard hidden hit held

hurt keep know lay lead learn leave lend let lie lose make mean meet pay put read

hurt kept knew laid led learned/learnt left lent let lay lost made meant met paid put read

hurt kept known laid led learned/learnt left lent let lain lost made meant met paid put read

ride ring rise run say see sell send show shut sing sit sleep speak spend stand swim

rode rang rose ran said saw sold sent showed shut sang sat slept spoke spent stood swam

ridden rung risen run said seen sold sent showed/shown shut sung sat slept spoken spent stood swum

take teach tear tell think throw understand wake wear win write

took taught tore told thought threw understood woke wore won wrote

taken taught torn told thought thrown understood woken worn won written

You may also like to see this list of common regular verbs in English.

Tense and Time

It is important not to confuse the name of a verb tense with the way we use it to talk about time. For example, a present tense does not always refer to present time:

I hope it rains tomorrow. "rains" is present simple, but it refers here to future time (tomorrow)

Or a past tense does not always refer to past time:

If I had some money now, I could buy it. "had" is past simple but it refers here to present time (now)

The following examples show how different tenses can be used to talk about different times. TIME TENSE past Present Simple She likes I am having dinner. Present Continuous They Present Perfect Simple Present Perfect Continuous I have seen ET. I have been playing tennis. We have been working for four hours. Past Simple I finished one hour ago. I was working at 2am this morning. I had not eaten for 24 hours. We had been working for 3 hours. If I had been working now, I would have missed you. Hold on. I'll do it now. If I had been working tomorrow, I could not have agreed. I'll see you tomorrow. I will be working at 9pm tonight. If she loved you now, she would marry you. If you came tomorrow, you would see her. are living I have finished. coffee. I am taking my exam next month. in London. present I want a coffee. future I leave tomorrow.

Past Continuous Past Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Continuous

Future Simple Future Continuous

Future Perfect Simple

I will have finished by 9pm tonight. We will have been married for ten years next month. They may be tired when you arrive because they will have been working. In 30 minutes, we will have been working for four hours.

Future Perfect Continuous

Basic Tenses

Basic Tenses
For past and present, there are 2 simple tenses + 6 complex tenses (using auxiliary verbs). To these, we can add 4 "modal tenses" for the future (using modal auxiliary verbs will/shall). This makes a total of 12 tenses in the active voice. Another 12 tenses are available in the passive voice. So now we have 24 tenses.
24 Tenses simple tenses past past past perfect ACTIVE past continuous past perfect continuous past past perfect past continuous past perfect continuous present present present perfect present continuous present perfect continuous present present perfect present continuous present perfect continuous future* future future perfect future continuous future perfect continuous future future perfect future continuous future perfect continuous

complex tenses formed with auxiliary verbs PASSIVE

Some grammar books use the word progressive instead of continuous. They are exactly the same.

The use of tenses in English may be quite complicated, but the structure of English tenses is actually very simple. The basic structure for a positive sentence is: subject + auxiliary verb + main verb An auxiliary verb is used in all tenses. (In the simple present and simple past tenses, the auxiliary verb is usually suppressed for the affirmative, but it does exist for intensification.) The following table shows the 12 tenses for the verb to work in the active voice.
structure past auxiliary normal simple intensive perfect do have base past participle present participle -ing present participle -ing I did work I had worked I do work I have worked I will have worked I will be working I will have been working main verb I worked I work I will work present future*

continuous continuous perfect

be have been

I was working I had been working

I am working I have been working

* Technically, there are no future tenses in English. The word will is a modal auxiliary verb and future tenses are sometimes called "modal tenses". The examples are included here for convenience and comparison. Regular Verbs

Basic Tenses: Regular Verb

Regular verbs list This page shows the basic tenses with the regular verb work. It includes the affirmative or positive form (+), the negative form (-) and the interrogative or question form (?). The basic structure is:
positive:

+ subject + auxiliary verb + main verb

negative: question:

- subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb ? auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

These are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the tenses:
base verb work past worked past participle worked present participle -ing working

past

present I do work I work I do not work Do I work? I have worked I have not worked Have I worked? I am working I am not working Am I working? I have been working I have not been working Have I been working?

future I will work I will not work Will I work? I will have worked I will not have worked Will I have worked? I will be working I will not be working Will I be working? I will have been working I will not have been working Will I have been working?

SIMPLE do + base verb (except future: will + base verb)

+ ? +

I did work I worked I did not work Did I work? I had worked I had not worked Had I worked? I was working I was not working Was I working? I had been working I had not been working Had I been working?

SIMPLE PERFECT have + past participle

? +

CONTINUOUS be + ing

? +

CONTINUOUS PERFECT have been + ing

Basic Tenses: Irregular Verb

Irregular verbs list This page shows the basic tenses with the irregular verb sing. It includes the affirmative or positive form (+), the negative form (-) and the interrogative or question form (?). The basic structure is:
positive: negative: question:

+ subject + auxiliary verb + main verb - subject + auxiliary verb + not + main verb ? auxiliary verb + subject + main verb

These are the forms of the main verb that we use to construct the tenses:
base verb sing past sang past participle sung present participle -ing singing

past

present I do sing I sing I do not sing Do I sing? I have sung I have not sung Have I sung? I am singing I am not singing

future I will sing I will not sing Will I sing? I will have sung I will not have sung Will I have sung? I will be singing I will not be singing

SIMPLE do + base verb (except future: will + base verb)

+ ? +

I did sing I sang I did not sing Did I sing? I had sung I had not sung Had I sung? I was singing I was not singing

SIMPLE PERFECT have + past participle

CONTINUOUS be + -ing

+ -

? +
CONTINUOUS PERFECT have been + -ing

Was I singing? I had been singing I had not been singing Had I been singing?

Am I singing? I have been singing I have not been singing Have I been singing?

Will I be singing? I will have been singing I will not have been singing Will I have been singing?

The basic structure of tenses for regular verbs and irregular verbs is exactly the same (except to be). The only difference is that with regular verbs the past and past participle are always the same (worked, worked), while with irregular verbs the past and past participle are not always the same (sang, sung). But the structure is the same! It will help you a great deal to really understand that.

Be Irregular verbs list