Irregular verbs can be a tricky aspect of language learning, as they do not follow the typical pattern of conjugation found in regular verbs. These verbs often have unique forms for different tenses and can pose challenges when trying to master their usage. However, understanding and memorizing irregular verb examples is crucial for achieving fluency in any language.
What Is an Irregular Verb?
Irregular Verbs: Irregular verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard “-ed” pattern when conjugated in different tenses. Their past tense and past participle forms have unique, irregular changes that must be memorized since there is no consistent rule to apply. Each irregular verb has its own unique form for the past tense and past participle.
Examples of irregular verbs:
- Go (present) / Went (past) / Gone (past participle)
- Eat / Ate / Eaten
- Drive / Drove / Driven
- Take / Took / Taken
- Sing / Sang / Sung
Regular Verbs: Regular verbs are verbs that follow a predictable pattern when conjugated in different tenses. They typically form their past tense and past participle by adding “-ed” to the base form (infinitive) of the verb. For example, the regular verb “walk” forms its past tense and past participle as “walked.”
Examples of regular verbs:
- Walk (present) / Walked (past) / Walked (past participle)
- Talk / Talked / Talked
- Play / Played / Played
- Jump / Jumped / Jumped
- Call / Called / Called
Here are 10 Examples of Irregular Verbs:
Base form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
Drive | Drove | Driven |
Think | Thought | Thought |
Break | Broke | Broken |
Take | Took | Taken |
Sleep | Slept | Slept |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
Do | Did | Done |
Have | Had | Had |
Become | Became | Become |
Irregular Verbs Examples
Base Form | Past simple | Past Participle |
Be | Was/were | Been |
Eat | Ate | Eaten |
Drive | Drove | Driven |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
Take | Took | Taken |
Break | Broke | Broken |
Swim | Swam | Swum |
Run | Ran | Run |
Write | Wrote | Written |
Give | Gave | Given |
Sing | Sang | Sung |
Think | Thought | Thought |
Sleep | Slept | Slept |
Do | Did | Done |
Have | Had | Had |
Become | Became | Become |
Begin | Began | Begun |
Choose | Chose | Chosen |
Drive | Drove | Driven |
Find | Found | Found |
Fall | Fell | Fallen |
Know | Knew | Known |
Ring | Rang | Rung |
Rise | Rose | Risen |
Shake | Shook | Shaken |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
Steal | Stole | Stolen |
Forget | Forgot | Forgotten |
Drive | Drove | Driven |
Win | Won | Won |
Write | Wrote | Written |
Break | Broke | Broken |
Bring | Brought | Brought |
Drink | Drank | Drunk |
Think | Thought | Thought |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
Ride | Rode | Ridden |
Throw | Threw | Thrown |
Wear | Wore | Worn |
Draw | Drew | Drawn |
Fly | Flew | Flown |
Rise | Rose | Risen |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
See | Saw | Seen |
Blow | Blew | Blown |
Grow | Grew | Grown |
Show | Showed | Shown |
Choose | Chose | Chosen |
Must Learn: Past Simple Irregular Verbs
Irregular Verbs Sentences
- Go: I go to the gym every morning.
- Eat: She ate a delicious meal at the restaurant.
- Drive: He drove his father’s car for the first time yesterday.
- Speak: The professor spoke passionately about the subject.
- Take: Please take this parcel to the post office.
- Break: The children broke the window while playing soccer.
- Swim: We swam in the ocean and saw colorful fish.
- Run: He ran a marathon and won the first prize.
- Write: She wrote an inspiring story that touched many hearts.
- Give: They gave me a wonderful present on my graduation day.
- Sing: The talented singer sang a beautiful ballad.
- Think: I think it’s time to make a decision.
- Sleep: Last night, I slept like a baby.
- Do: He did his best to complete the challenging task.
- Have: She has a collection of antique coins.
- Become: With dedication, he became a successful entrepreneur.
- Begin: The movie began with an action-packed scene.
- Choose: You should choose the red dress; it suits you well.
- Find: They found a hidden treasure in the old house.
- Fly: The birds fly gracefully in the sky.
- Ride: He rode his bicycle to school every day.
- Ring: The phone rang just as I was leaving the house.
- Know: She knew the answer to the difficult question.
- Hide: The cat hides under the bed whenever there is a storm.
- Climb: They climbed to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the view.
- Freeze: The water in the pond froze during the cold winter.
- Draw: He drew a beautiful picture of the sunset.
- Win: Our team won the championship trophy.
- Swing: The children swung on the playground swings.
- Shake: She shook my hand firmly when we met.
- Throw: He threw the ball to his friend.
- Become: The caterpillar became a butterfly after weeks of transformation.
- Shine: The stars shone brightly in the night sky.
- Fall: The leaves fell from the tree in autumn.
- Blow: The wind blew strongly, making the trees sway.
- Hold: He held the door open for the elderly lady.
- Choose: I will choose the blueberry muffin; it’s my favorite.
- Speak: The teacher spoke softly to the shy student.
- Feel: She felt sad after hearing the bad news.
- Lead: The captain led his team to victory.
- Know: I knew the truth all along.
- Build: They built a magnificent castle with sand on the beach.
- Run: The little girl ran to catch the ice cream truck.
- Lend: Can you lend me a pen for the exam?
- Cut: He cut the paper into intricate shapes.
- Throw: She threw the ball high up into the air.
- Deal: The negotiator dealt with the difficult situation diplomatically.
- Feed: They fed the hungry stray cats in the neighborhood.
- Swear: He swore to tell the truth in the court.
- Wake: I woke up early to catch the sunrise.