Irregular Verbs

Infinitive

Past

Participle

Meaning

Example

be

was/were

been

exist; identity

We were late, but it has been a great day.

bear

bore

borne/born

carry; give birth

The bridge has borne heavy traffic for years.

beat

beat

beaten

hit; defeat

Our team has beaten the record again.

become

became

become

start to be

She became a nurse after college.

begin

began

begun

start

The class has begun—please sit down.

bend

bent

bent

curve

He bent the wire into a hook.

bet

bet/betted

bet/betted

risk money on result

I bet he’ll call tonight.

bite

bit

bitten

use teeth

I’ve never bitten my nails.

bleed

bled

bled

lose blood

His nose bled after the fall.

blow

blew

blown

move air

The wind has blown the papers away.

break

broke

broken

separate; damage

She has broken her glasses again.

bring

brought

brought

carry to a place

They brought snacks for everyone.

build

built

built

construct

A new library was built downtown.

burn

burned/burnt

burned/burnt

destroy by fire

The toast is burnt.

buy

bought

bought

purchase

We bought fresh fruit at the market.

catch

caught

caught

capture; get

I caught the last bus home.

choose

chose

chosen

select

She has chosen a different major.

come

came

come

move toward

Please come early tomorrow.

cost

cost

cost

have a price

The jacket cost less than I expected.

cut

cut

cut

use something sharp

He cut the paper into strips.

deal

dealt

dealt

handle; give cards

They dealt with the problem quickly.

dig

dug

dug

make a hole

We dug a small garden bed.

do

did

done

perform

Have you done your homework yet?

draw

drew

drawn

make a picture; pull

She drew a map for us.

drink

drank

drunk

consume liquid

I’ve drunk enough water today.

drive

drove

driven

operate a vehicle

He drove all night to reach the coast.

eat

ate

eaten

consume food

We’ve eaten already, thanks.

fall

fell

fallen

drop down

The leaves have fallen early this year.

feed

fed

fed

give food

She fed the cat before leaving.

feel

felt

felt

experience (emotion)

I felt nervous before the exam.

fight

fought

fought

battle; argue

They have fought for equal rights.

find

found

found

discover

I found my keys under the sofa.

fly

flew

flown

move in air

He has flown to Tokyo twice this month.

forget

forgot

forgotten/forgot

fail to remember

I’ve forgotten the door code.

forgive

forgave

forgiven

stop blaming

She has forgiven him at last.

freeze

froze

frozen

turn to ice

The lake froze overnight.

get

got

got/gotten*

receive; become

She got promoted last week. (US: gotten as participle)

give

gave

given

provide

He has given us helpful feedback.

go

went

gone

move; travel

We’ve gone too far—turn back.

grow

grew

grown

increase; cultivate

They’ve grown tomatoes on the balcony.

have

had

had

possess; experience

We had a meeting at noon.

hear

heard

heard

perceive sound

I heard a loud knock at the door.

hide

hid

hidden

put out of sight

The ring was hidden in a drawer.

hit

hit

hit

strike

She hit the target twice.

hold

held

held

keep in hand

They held hands while crossing.

hurt

hurt

hurt

cause pain

My ankle hurt after the run.

keep

kept

kept

continue; store

He’s kept every ticket from his trips.

know

knew

known

be aware of

I’ve known her since primary school.

lead

led

led

guide; be in charge

She led the workshop last Friday.

learn

learned/learnt

learned/learnt

gain knowledge

They’ve learnt a new skill.

leave

left

left

go away; abandon

We left early to avoid traffic.

lend

lent

lent

give to use temporarily

He lent me his charger.

let

let

let

allow

They let us enter for free.

lie (recline)

lay

lain

rest flat

He has lain on the sofa all day.

lay (put)

laid

laid

put/place

She laid the baby in the crib.

lose

lost

lost

misplace; be defeated

We lost the final by one point.

make

made

made

create

She made a cake for the party.

mean

meant

meant

intend; signify

I meant to email you yesterday.

meet

met

met

come together

We met at a language exchange.

pay

paid

paid

give money

I’ve already paid the bill.

put

put

put

place/position

Put your phone on silent, please.

read

read /rɛd/

read /rɛd/

look at and understand text

I read the instructions twice.

ride

rode

ridden

travel (bike/horse)

She’s ridden a camel once.

ring

rang

rung

make a bell sound; call

The bell rang at midday.

rise

rose

risen

go up

Prices have risen again this year.

run

ran

run

move fast; operate

They’ve run five kilometers today.

say

said

said

speak

He said the meeting starts at two.

see

saw

seen

perceive with eyes

We’ve seen this movie before.

sell

sold

sold

exchange for money

They sold their old car last month.

send

sent

sent

cause to go; transmit

I sent the report at 9 a.m.

set

set

set

put; fix in position

Set the timer for 20 minutes.

shake

shook

shaken

move back and forth

She’s shaken the bottle—careful!

shine

shone/shined

shone/shined

give light; polish

The sun shone all afternoon.

shoot

shot

shot

fire (gun); film

They shot the scene at night.

show

showed

shown/showed

present; display

I’ve shown them the new plan.

shut

shut

shut

close

Please shut the window.

sing

sang

sung

produce musical sounds

He has sung in a choir for years.

sink

sank

sunk

go below surface

The boat sank near the shore.

sit

sat

sat

be seated

We sat near the stage.

sleep

slept

slept

rest

I slept better last night.

speak

spoke

spoken

talk

She has spoken to the manager.

spend

spent

spent

use (time/money)

We spent the weekend outdoors.

stand

stood

stood

be on your feet

He stood in line for an hour.

steal

stole

stolen

take illegally

Someone has stolen my bike.

swim

swam

swum

move in water

They’ve swum across the bay.

take

took

taken

carry; accept

Take an umbrella—it’s raining.

teach

taught

taught

give instruction

She has taught English online.

tear

tore

torn

rip

He tore the page by accident.

tell

told

told

inform; narrate

I told you the truth.

think

thought

thought

believe; consider

We thought the shop was open.

throw

threw

thrown

send through air

She’s thrown the ball to me.

understand

understood

understood

comprehend

I understood the instructions clearly.

wake

woke/waked

woken/waked

stop sleeping

I woke at six without an alarm.

wear

wore

worn

have on (clothes)

He has worn that jacket all winter.

win

won

won

be successful; get a prize

They won the quiz last night.

write

wrote

written

create text

She has written three emails today.