How to use this table
| Column | Use |
|---|---|
| Base form | Present simple, infinitive, future |
| Past simple | Simple past tense (I went yesterday) |
| Past participle | Perfect tenses & passives (I have gone / It was broken) |
The 100 Most Common Irregular Verbs
| Base form | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| arise | arose | arisen |
| be | was / were | been |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| build | built | built |
| buy | bought | bought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| cut | cut | cut |
| dig | dug | dug |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| know | knew | known |
| lay (to place) | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| learn | learnt / learned | learnt / learned |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie (to be horizontal) | lay | lain |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mistake | mistook | mistaken |
| overcome | overcame | overcome |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| split | split | split |
| spread | spread | spread |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| understand | understood | understood |
| undo | undid | undone |
| wake | woke | woken |
| want | wanted* | wanted* |
| wear | wore | worn |
| win | won | won |
| withdraw | withdrew | withdrawn |
| write | wrote | written |
*want is regular — included as a reminder that not all common verbs are irregular.
Group the verbs by pattern to help memory:
- No change: cut–cut–cut, put–put–put, hit–hit–hit, hurt–hurt–hurt, cost–cost–cost
- Same past & participle: make–made–made, buy–bought–bought, find–found–found
- All three different: go–went–gone, write–wrote–written, be–was/were–been
Real world: news story using irregular verbs
"Rescue teams found the missing hikers after they had been missing for two days. The group had set off on Saturday but lost their way in fog. Paramedics gave them water and took them to hospital."
Real world: sports report
"England beat France 3–1 last night. The striker ran 40 metres and shot into the top corner. The crowd rose to its feet and sang the national anthem."
Practice Problems
What is the past simple and past participle of 'break'?
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What is the past simple and past participle of 'teach'?
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What is the past simple and past participle of 'fly'?
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Name three verbs where all three forms are identical.