Introduction
Although many verbs in English form their past tense with -ED, some do not. These are called irregular verbs, and they include some of the most basic verbs in English. This page will explain some of the most important patterns in forming the past tense. However, the only way to know how an irregular verb will change in the past tense is to learn all of the important verbs.
1. The three most important irregular verbs
The three most important irregular verbs are BE, HAVE, and DO. The simple past forms for BE are different depending on the subject.
| Pronoun | BE | HAVE | DO |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | was |
had |
did |
| You | were |
had |
did |
| He / she / it | was |
had |
did |
| We | were |
had |
did |
| They | were |
had |
did |
2. Other irregular verbs
Other irregular verbs fall into three main categories:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Verbs which don't change | cut - cut hit - hit fit - fit |
| Verbs which change their vowel | get - got sit - sat drink - drank |
| Verbs which change completely | catch - caught bring - brought teach - taught |
When you are sure that you understand the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.