Understanding regular and irregular verbs is one of the most important steps in learning English grammar, especially when forming the past simple and the past participle. This guide gives you clear explanations, helpful examples, and a complete verb list so you can use both verb types with confidence.
Whether you are studying for a test, improving your writing, or learning English from the beginning, this page explains exactly how regular and irregular verbs work, how to form them correctly, and how to recognize the patterns that make learning easier.
What Are Regular and Irregular Verbs?
Regular and irregular verbs are two different ways English forms the past simple and the past participle. The difference is simple. Regular verbs follow one predictable pattern, while irregular verbs do not.
Regular verbs
A regular verb forms its past simple and past participle by adding ed or d to the base verb. (If you want to understand how this tense works in full sentences, see our guide on the simple past tense.)
Examples:
- talk → talked
- play → played
- love → loved
Irregular verbs
An irregular verb does not follow the ed rule. Its forms change in different ways, or sometimes do not change at all. Understanding these forms is especially important when using tenses that require the past participle, such as the present perfect tense.
Examples:
- go → went → gone
- buy → bought → bought
- cut → cut → cut
Comparison Table
Verb Type | How the Past Form Is Made | Examples | Key Point |
| Regular | Add ed or d | work → worked, enjoy → enjoyed | Easy to learn because the pattern is consistent |
| Irregular | Form changes or stays the same | eat → ate → eaten, run → ran → run | Must be memorized because there is no single rule |
Regular Verbs in the Past Simple
Regular verbs are the easiest verbs to work with in English because they follow one clear pattern in the past tense. You form both the past simple and the past participle (explained in more detail in our past participle guide) by adding ed or d to the base verb.
How to form the past simple of regular verbs
Most regular verbs simply take ed.
Examples:
- walk → walked
- start → started
- clean → cleaned
If the verb already ends in e, add only d.
Examples:
- live → lived
- smile → smiled
Spelling rules you need to know
These rules help you avoid the most common mistakes:
- If a verb ends in consonant + y, change y to i and add ed
Example: carry → carried - If a verb ends in vowel + y, keep the y and add ed
Example: play → played - If a one syllable verb ends in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant and add ed
Example: stop → stopped - If the final consonant is w, x, or y, do not double it
Example: fix → fixed
Pronunciation of ed endings
The ending ed is pronounced in three different ways. Knowing the correct sound helps with speaking and listening.
- t sound
Example: worked - d sound
Example: opened - id sound
Example: wanted
A simple way to remember this is that verbs ending in t or d use the id sound. Most others use t or d depending on the final consonant sound.
Using regular verbs in the past simple
Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern in sentences. Here is the basic structure:
- Affirmative: subject + verb ed
Example: She visited her parents. - Negative: subject + did not + base verb
Example: She did not visit her parents. - Question: did + subject + base verb
Example: Did she visit her parents?
Irregular Verbs in the Past Simple
Irregular verbs do not follow the standard ed pattern. Their past forms change in different ways, and many of the most common English verbs belong to this group. Because there is no single rule, the best way to learn irregular verbs is to understand the patterns they follow and practice them in real sentences.
What makes a verb irregular
A verb is irregular when its past simple and past participle forms do not follow a predictable spelling pattern.
Examples:
- go → went → gone
- take → took → taken
- see → saw → seen
Some irregular verbs change only one form, and some do not change at all.
Common irregular verb patterns
Recognizing patterns helps you remember irregular verbs faster. Here are the most frequent ones:
- No change in any form
Example: cut → cut → cut, put → put → put - Same vowel sound in past forms
Example: keep → kept → kept, sleep → slept → slept - Vowel change pattern
Example: sing → sang → sung, begin → began → begun - Ending shifts from d to t
Example: build → built → built, send → sent → sent - Unique changes you must memorize
Example: go → went → gone, bring → brought → brought
These groups help reduce the need to memorize each verb in isolation.
Using irregular verbs in the past simple
Irregular verbs use the same sentence structure as regular verbs. The only difference is the verb form.
- Affirmative: subject + irregular past form
Example: He ate breakfast early. - Negative: subject + did not + base verb
Example: He did not eat breakfast early. - Question: did + subject + base verb
Example: Did he eat breakfast early?
Remember that in negative and question forms, the verb returns to the base form.
How to form the past simple of regular verbs
Most regular verbs simply take ed.
Examples:
- walk → walked
- start → started
- clean → cleaned
If the verb already ends in e, add only d.
Examples:
- live → lived
- smile → smiled
Spelling rules you need to know
These rules help you avoid the most common mistakes:
- If a verb ends in consonant + y, change y to i and add ed
Example: carry → carried - If a verb ends in vowel + y, keep the y and add ed
Example: play → played - If a one syllable verb ends in consonant-vowel-consonant, double the final consonant and add ed
Example: stop → stopped - If the final consonant is w, x, or y, do not double it
Example: fix → fixed
Pronunciation of ed endings
The ending ed is pronounced in three different ways. Knowing the correct sound helps with speaking and listening.
- t sound
Example: worked - d sound
Example: opened - id sound
Example: wanted
A simple way to remember this is that verbs ending in t or d use the id sound. Most others use t or d depending on the final consonant sound.
Using regular verbs in the past simple
Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern in sentences. Here is the basic structure:
- Affirmative: subject + verb ed
Example: She visited her parents. - Negative: subject + did not + base verb
Example: She did not visit her parents. - Question: did + subject + base verb
Example: Did she visit her parents?
Irregular Verbs in the Past Simple
Irregular verbs do not follow the standard ed pattern. Their past forms change in different ways, and many of the most common English verbs belong to this group. Because there is no single rule, the best way to learn irregular verbs is to understand the patterns they follow and practice them in real sentences.
What makes a verb irregular
A verb is irregular when its past simple and past participle forms do not follow a predictable spelling pattern.
Examples:
- go → went → gone
- take → took → taken
- see → saw → seen
Some irregular verbs change only one form, and some do not change at all.
Common irregular verb patterns
Recognizing patterns helps you remember irregular verbs faster. Here are the most frequent ones:
- No change in any form
Example: cut → cut → cut, put → put → put - Same vowel sound in past forms
Example: keep → kept → kept, sleep → slept → slept - Vowel change pattern
Example: sing → sang → sung, begin → began → begun - Ending shifts from d to t
Example: build → built → built, send → sent → sent - Unique changes you must memorize
Example: go → went → gone, bring → brought → brought
These groups help reduce the need to memorize each verb in isolation.
Using irregular verbs in the past simple
Irregular verbs use the same sentence structure as regular verbs. The only difference is the verb form.
- Affirmative: subject + irregular past form
Example: He ate breakfast early. - Negative: subject + did not + base verb
Example: He did not eat breakfast early. - Question: did + subject + base verb
Example: Did he eat breakfast early?
Remember that in negative and question forms, the verb returns to the base form.
Full Verb List: Regular and Irregular Verbs
Learners often search for a clear list of regular and irregular verbs so they can review the past forms quickly. Below is a practical starter list that includes some of the most common verbs in English. These verbs appear frequently in everyday speaking, writing, and testing, so mastering them builds a strong foundation.
Common regular verbs
These verbs follow the simple ed pattern.
Base Verb | Past Simple | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
| work | worked | worked | She worked late. |
| start | started | started | They started early. |
| clean | cleaned | cleaned | He cleaned the room. |
| play | played | played | We played outside. |
| love | loved | loved | She loved the movie. |
| open | opened | opened | He opened the door. |
Common irregular verbs
These verbs break the ed pattern, so their forms must be memorized.
Base Verb | Past Simple | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
| go | went | gone | She has gone home. |
| eat | ate | eaten | He ate lunch already. |
| take | took | taken | They have taken a break. |
| see | saw | seen | I have seen that film. |
| come | came | come | She came early today. |
| make | made | made | He made dinner. |
Why this list matters
Most English sentences use a small set of high frequency verbs. Learning the forms above will help you understand conversations, write more accurately, and build confidence with past tense structures.
Practice: Check Your Understanding
A few quick exercises can help you confirm that you understand how regular and irregular verbs work in the past simple. Try the questions first, then check your answers below.
Exercise 1. Regular verbs
Complete each sentence with the correct past simple form of the verb in parentheses.
- She ______ the windows yesterday. (clean)
- They ______ for two hours. (play)
- He ______ the letter last night. (open)
- I ______ the whole story. (explain)
- We ______ to finish early. (start)
Exercise 2. Irregular verbs
Choose the correct past simple form of each verb.
- go →
a. goed
b. went
c. gone - eat →
a. eated
b. ate
c. eaten - see →
a. saw
b. seed
c. seen - make →
a. maked
b. made
c. make - come →
a. came
b. comed
c. come
Exercise 3. Identify regular or irregular
Tell whether each verb is regular or irregular in the past simple.
- walk
- take
- clean
- see
- love
Answer key
- cleaned
- played
- opened
- explained
- started
- b
- b
- a
- b
- a
- regular
- irregular
- regular
- irregular
- regular
Conclusion
Now that you’ve mastered the basics of regular and irregular verbs, it’s time to put your knowledge into practice.
Challenge yourself to spot them in books, songs, or your daily chats in English!
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