50 of the most common irregular verbs in English

Irregular verbs in English can be tricky to master because they don’t follow any rules, but they are an essential part of effective communication. Learning these verbs will help you express yourself more clearly and stand out as a proficient English speaker. The English language has at least 200 irregular verbs and in this article, we’ll explore 50 of the most common irregular verbs in English.

Please note, you will not be able to memorize all 200+ irregular verbs all at once. That’s why we recommend memorizing 10 a day. Try spending 10 to 15 minutes each day memorizing the verbs and in time, you’ll have a grasp of them all. Our favorite time to do this is during your commute while you’re in traffic.

Let’s get into today’s 50 common irregular verbs in English.

1. Be

This verb is used to indicate identity or existence. It has several forms, including “am,” “is,” “are,” “was,” and “were.”

Past tense: was/were

Example sentences

• I am 30 years old.
• He is my husband.
• You are an English learner.
• She was a teacher.
• They were in Paris for their honeymoon.

2. Have

This verb is used to indicate possession or ownership and has several forms, including “has,” “had,” and “having.”

Past tense: has/had

Example sentences

• We have a project to complete.
• He has a red car in his garage.
• We had a class on Monday.
• They are having a meeting in the board room.

3. Do

This verb is used to indicate an action or activity and has several forms, including “does,” “did,” and “doing.”

Past tense: did

Example sentences

• She does nails for a living.
• Did you call me today?
• Do you know what time it is?
• What are you doing this Saturday?

4. Say

This verb is used to express words or thoughts and has several forms, including “says,” “said,” and “saying.”

Past tense: said

Example sentences

• Did you say you speak English?
• He says he wants to get married.
• She said she wanted to move to another country.
• I can’t hear what the speaker is saying.

5. Go

This verb is used to indicate movement or direction and has several forms, including “goes,” “went,” and “going.”

Past tense: went

Example sentences

• Do you want to go to the movies with me?
• Tracy goes to the supermarket on Thursdays.
• For their first date, they went to the theater.
• I think she’s going home now.

6. Get

This verb is used to indicate obtaining or acquiring something and has several forms, including “gets,” “got,” and “getting.”

Past tense: got

Example sentences

• Did you get my message yesterday?
• It gets really cold in December.
• Lisa got a car for her birthday.
• We will be getting a raise next month.

7. Make

This verb is used to indicate creating or producing and has several forms, including “makes,” “made,” and “making.”

Past tense: made

Example sentences

• I make breakfast at 8:00 a.m. every day.
• The cat makes funny noises when she is petted.
• Jose made his wife’s wedding dress all by himself.
• She has been making money online for 2 years now.

8. Know

This verb is used to indicate knowledge or awareness and has several forms, including “knows,” “knew,” and “knowing.”

Past tense: knew

Example sentences

• Do you know what time it is?
• She knows more than she’s saying.
• We all knew they would get married eventually.
• Knowing the grammar rules will help you speak better English.

9. Think

This verb is used to indicate thoughts or opinions and has several forms, including “thinks,” “thought,” and “thinking.”

Past tense: though

Example sentences

• What do you think we should do about the leak?
• She thinks she’s better than everyone on the team.
• I thought you were going to the party this tonight.
• I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday.

10. Take

This verb is used to indicate the act of receiving or accepting and has several forms, including “takes,” “took,” and “taking.”

Past tense: took

Example sentences

• Please remember to take your lunch to work tomorrow.
• Layla takes the bus to work every day.
• I took your advice and started reading more books in English.
• George is taking Tracey to the park.

11. See

This verb is used to indicate vision or perception and has several forms, including “sees,” “saw,” “seen”, and “seeing.”

Past tense: saw

Example sentences

• What do you see in the room?
• The curious cat sees a butterfly in the garden.
• They saw the shooting star streak across the sky.
• I’ve seen this movie before.
• Could you please tell us what you’re seeing in the room?

12. Come

This verb is used to indicate movement or arrival and has several forms, including “comes,” “came,” and “coming.”

Past tense: came

Example sentences

• I will come to your party if I’m available that day.
• the train comes to this station every morning at 8:00 A.M.
• she came home late after a long day at work.
• the much-anticipated festival is coming soon and everyone is excited about it.

13. Bet

This verb is used to indicate taking a chance. It usually involves risking money for the chance to win a prize but can be used in other contexts. The different forms are “bets”, “bet”, “betting”

Past tense: bet

Example sentences

• I bet he will win the race he’s been training for.
• She often bets on horse races because she enjoys the thrill of gambling.
• He bet his friend $20 that he could finish the puzzle first.
• The group of friends was betting on who would score the first goal in the soccer match.

14. Win

This verb is used to indicate being victorious or successful in a competition or conflict. It has different forms: “wins”, “won”, “won”, “winning”.

Past tense: won

Example sentences

• She managed to win first place in the singing competition.
• He usually wins every match he plays because of his impressive skills.
• after they won the championship, they celebrated with a big party.
• She’s been winning over everyone in the office with her charming personality.

15. Find

This verb is used to indicate discovering or locating and has several forms, including “finds,” “found,” and “finding.”

Past tense: found

Example sentences

• During their hike, they managed to find a hidden waterfall in the dense forest.
• He often finds interesting articles to read in the morning newspaper.
• Yesterday she found her missing keys under the couch.
• He is always finding new ways to improve the company.

16. Give

This verb is used to indicate providing or donating and has several forms, including “gives,” “gave,” and “giving.”

Past tense: gave

Example sentences

• He gives his sister a gift on her birthday every year.
• The company gave its employees a bonus for their hard work.
• Giving back to the community is important for social responsibility.
• Are you asking me to give you some advice?

17. Tell

This verb is used to indicate conveying information or instructions and has several forms, including “tells,” “told,” and “telling.”

Past tense: told

Example sentences

• She tells funny stories to her friends during lunch breaks.
• Last night, she told me about her exciting trip to the mountains.
• Stop interrupting; I’m telling a story!
• I don’t know what to tell you about Trisha.

18. Wake

This verb is used to indicate coming out of sleep into a state of consciousness and has several forms, including “wakes,” “woke,” “woken,” and “waking.”

Past tense: woke

Example sentences

• Unless I go to bed now, I won’t wake up early tomorrow.
• She wakes up early every morning to go for a jog.
• Yesterday, he woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window.
• The noise from the construction site has woken the entire neighborhood.
• I love waking up to the smell of coffee in the morning.

19. Understand

This verb means to know the meaning of something and has different forms, including “understands,” and “understood.”

Past tense: understood.

Example sentences

• I don’t understand what you mean.
• Sarah understands the importance of regular exercise for maintaining good health.
• He finally understood the instructions after reading them multiple times.
• The team showed a great understanding of each other’s strengths during the match.

20. Tear

This verb means to pull or rip something apart by force and has several forms, including “tears,” “tore,” “torn,” and “tearing.”

Past tense: tore

Example sentences

• Be careful not to tear the paper while wrapping the gift.
• She tears up whenever she watches heartwarming videos.
• The map was torn and difficult to read.
• The puppy was busy tearing up an old magazine.

21. Throw

This verb means to propel something through the air and has several forms, including “throws,” “threw,” “thrown,” and “throwing.”

Past tense: thrown

22. Teach

This verb is used to indicate passing on knowledge or instructing someone on how to do something. It has several forms, including “teaches,” “taught,” and “teaching.”

Past tense: taught

23. Feel

This verb is used to indicate emotions or sensations and has several forms, including “feels,” “felt,” and “feeling.”

Past tense: felt

24. Become

This verb is used to indicate a transformation or change and has several forms, including “becomes,” “became,” and “becoming.”

Past tense: became

25. Leave

This verb is used to indicate departure or abandonment and has several forms, including “leaves,” “left,” and “leaving.”

Past tense: left

26. Put

This verb is used to indicate placing or positioning and has several forms, including “puts,” “put,” and “putting.”

Past tense: put

27. Mean

This verb is used to indicate significance or intention and has several forms, including “means,” “meant,” and “meaning.”

Past tense: meant

28. Keep

This verb is used to indicate retention or possession and has several forms, including “keeps,” “kept,” and “keeping.”

Past tense: kept

29. Let

This verb is used to indicate permission or allowing and has several forms, including “lets,” “let,” and “letting.”

Past tense: let

30. Begin

This verb is used to indicate the start of something and has several forms, including “begins,” “began,” and “beginning.”

Past tense: began

31. Cut

This verb means to use a sharp tool to create an opening or incision in something. It has several forms, including “cuts,” and “cutting.”

Past tense: cut

32. Swim

This verb means to move one’s body through water by using one’s limbs or other bodily movements and has several forms, including “swims,” “swam,” and “swimming.”

Past tense: swam

33. Stick

Usually “stick to”. This verb means to adhere to something or to become fixed in one position. It has other forms too, including “sticks,” “stuck,” and “sticking”.

Past tense: stuck

34. Spin

This verb means to turn or cause to revolve quickly and has several forms, including “spins,” “spun,” and “spinning.”

Past tense: spun

35. Sweat

This verb is used to indicate moisture produced by the skin to cool the body and has several forms, including “sweats,” and “sweating.”

Past tense: sweat

36. Sell

This verb means to give or hand over something in exchange for money. It has several forms, including “sells,” “sold,” and “selling.”

Past tense: sold

37. Hear

This verb is used to indicate perception or awareness of sound and has several forms, including “hears,” “heard,” and “hearing.”

Past tense: heard

38. Send

This verb means to cause to go from one place to another. It has several forms, including “sends,” “sent,” and “sending.”

Past tense: sent

39. Run

This verb is used to indicate movement or exercise and has several forms, including “runs,” “ran,” and “running.”

Past tense: ran

40. Choose

This verb means to make a selection from available options and has several forms, including “chooses,” “chose,” and “chosen,” “choosing.”

Past tense: chose

41. Buy

This verb is used to indicate obtaining something in exchange for payment and has several forms, including “buys,” “bought,” and “buying.”

42. Can

This verb is used to indicate the ability to and has several forms, including “can,” “could,” and “could.”

Past tense: could

43. Bring

This verb is used to indicate the act of carrying or transporting and has several forms, including “brings,” “brought,” and “bringing.”

Past tense: brought

44. Break

This verb means to separate into pieces and has several forms, including “breaks,” “broke,” and “broken.”

Past tense: broke

45. Write

This verb is used to indicate the act of composing or recording and has several forms, including “writes,” “wrote,” and “writing.”

Past tense: wrote

46. Blow

This verb means to create currents of air and has several forms, including “blows,” “blew,” and “blown.”

Past tense: blew

47. Sit

This verb is used to indicate positioning oneself in a seated position and has several forms, including “sits,” “sat,” and “sitting.”

Past tense: sat

48. Stand

This verb is used to indicate positioning oneself in an upright position and has several forms, including “stands,” “stood,” and “standing.”

Past tense: stood

49. Lose

This verb is used to indicate the act of misplacing or failing to win and has several forms, including “loses,” “lost,” and “losing.”

Past tense: lost

50. Pay

This verb is used to indicate the act of providing compensation or remuneration and has several forms, including “pays,” “paid,” and “paying.”

Past tense: paid

In conclusion, mastering irregular verbs is essential for effective communication in English. By learning these verbs and their many forms, you can express yourself more clearly and eloquently. So, take the time to study these verbs and unleash your creative potential as an English speaker.