Irregular Verbs – ESLnote Grammar

Irregular verbs do not make the past simple (V2) and past participle (V3) with -ed. You must learn their special forms. Use V2 for the past simple and V3 after have/has/had (present/past perfect) and in the passive voice.

I went home at 7. (past simple of go)
She has gone home. (present perfect, V3)
The door was broken by the wind. (passive, V3)

Quick Overview

Type	Past Simple (V2)	Past Participle (V3)	Example
Regular	worked	worked	They worked late. / They have worked hard.
Irregular	went	gone	He went home. / He has gone home.

Common Irregular Verbs (Classroom List)

Pronunciation tip: read is written the same in V1/V2/V3 but V2/V3 are pronounced /red/.

Base (V1)	Past (V2)	Past Participle (V3)	Example
be	was/were	been	She was tired; she has been busy.
have	had	had	We had lunch; we have had enough.
do	did	done	They did it; they have done it.
go	went	gone	I went out; I have gone out.
get	got	got/gotten	She got a job; she has gotten better. (gotten US)
come	came	come	He came early; he has come early.
make	made	made	We made soup; we have made plans.
take	took	taken	She took notes; she has taken notes.
say	said	said	He said no; he has said no.
see	saw	seen	I saw it; I have seen it.
give	gave	given	They gave help; they have given help.
find	found	found	We found it; we have found it.
think	thought	thought	She thought so; she has thought about it.
know	knew	known	I knew him; I have known him.
tell	told	told	He told me; he has told me.
leave	left	left	She left; she has left.
feel	felt	felt	They felt happy; they have felt happy.
become	became	become	He became a chef; he has become a chef.
bring	brought	brought	She brought snacks; she has brought snacks.
begin	began	begun	It began to rain; it has begun to rain.
keep	kept	kept	We kept quiet; we have kept quiet.
hold	held	held	She held it; she has held it.
write	wrote	written	He wrote a letter; he has written it.
stand	stood	stood	They stood up; they have stood up.
hear	heard	heard	I heard you; I have heard you.
meet	met	met	We met once; we have met before.
set	set	set	She set the table; she has set the table.
speak	spoke	spoken	He spoke quickly; he has spoken quickly.
pay	paid	paid	We paid cash; we have paid.
sit	sat	sat	She sat down; she has sat down.
grow	grew	grown	The tree grew; it has grown.
lose	lost	lost	I lost keys; I have lost keys.
send	sent	sent	He sent it; he has sent it.
build	built	built	They built it; they have built it.
break	broke	broken	She broke it; it is broken.
buy	bought	bought	We bought a car; we have bought one.
choose	chose	chosen	I chose this; I have chosen this.
drive	drove	driven	He drove home; he has driven home.
eat	ate	eaten	She ate; she has eaten.
fall	fell	fallen	He fell; he has fallen.
fly	flew	flown	We flew; we have flown.
forget	forgot	forgotten	I forgot; I have forgotten.
freeze	froze	frozen	It froze; it has frozen.
hide	hid	hidden	She hid; she has hidden.
hit	hit	hit	He hit it; he has hit it.
hurt	hurt	hurt	I hurt my leg; I have hurt it.
lead	led	led	She led the team; she has led the team.
learn	learned/learnt	learned/learnt	We learned a lot; we have learned.
let	let	let	They let him in; they have let him in.
lie (recline)	lay	lain	She lay down; she has lain down.
lay (put)	laid	laid	He laid the book; he has laid it.
mean	meant	meant	I meant it; I have meant it.
read	read	read	I read it; I have read it. (pronounced /red/)
run	ran	run	She ran; she has run.
sell	sold	sold	We sold it; we have sold it.
shake	shook	shaken	He shook hands; he has shaken hands.
show	showed	shown	They showed me; they have shown me.
sing	sang	sung	She sang; she has sung.
sleep	slept	slept	He slept; he has slept.
spend	spent	spent	We spent money; we have spent money.
swim	swam	swum	They swam; they have swum.
teach	taught	taught	She taught; she has taught.
throw	threw	thrown	He threw it; he has thrown it.
understand	understood	understood	I understood; I have understood.
wear	wore	worn	She wore it; she has worn it.
win	won	won	They won; they have won.
catch	caught	caught	She caught it; she has caught it.
cost	cost	cost	It cost a lot; it has cost a lot.
cut	cut	cut	He cut it; he has cut it.
deal	dealt	dealt	We dealt cards; we have dealt cards.
dig	dug	dug	They dug a hole; they have dug a hole.
drink	drank	drunk	I drank tea; I have drunk tea.
feed	fed	fed	She fed the cat; she has fed it.
fight	fought	fought	They fought; they have fought.
stand	stood	stood	—

Patterns You Can Learn

Pattern	Examples	Model Sentences
No change (V1=V2=V3)	set, cut, put, let, cost, hit, hurt	I set the alarm; I have set the alarm.
Vowel change (V1→V2→V3)	sing–sang–sung; swim–swam–swum; begin–began–begun	She sang yesterday; she has sung on stage.
–t ending in V2/V3	keep–kept–kept; feel–felt–felt; build–built–built	We built it; we have built it.
–aught/–ought	teach–taught–taught; buy–bought–bought; think–thought–thought	He taught us; he has taught us.
–ew / –own	grow–grew–grown; fly–flew–flown; throw–threw–thrown	The tree grew; it has grown.

Common Mistakes

❌ I have went → ✅ I have gone.
❌ He didn't ate → ✅ He didn't eat. (use base form after didn't)
❌ She has wrote → ✅ She has written.
❌ He laid on the bed (recline) → ✅ He lay on the bed. (lie → lay → lain)