Learning irregular verbs in the past tense is one of the most important steps for English learners. Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs don’t follow the typical “-ed” pattern. This can make them a little tricky to master, but don’t worry! In this guide, we’ll cover the essential past irregular verbs that every beginner should know and provide a fun game at the end to practice what you’ve learned.
Understanding Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not take the regular “-ed” ending in the past tense. For example:
- Go becomes went, not “goed.”
- Have becomes had, not “haved.”
Because they don’t follow a pattern, irregular verbs need to be memorized. The good news is that you can start with the most common ones and practice using them in sentences.
What Makes Irregular Verbs Essential?
Knowing how to use irregular verbs is essential for:
- Talking about past events.
- Understanding and telling stories.
- Building confidence in speaking and writing English.
Mastering the basic ones will make conversations flow more naturally and help you move to the next level of English fluency.
Basic Past Irregular Verbs for ESL Beginners
Here’s a list of 40 common irregular verbs every beginner should know:
| Base Form | Past Tense |
| Eat | Ate |
| Buy | Bought |
| Bring | Brought |
| Come | Came |
| Catch | Caught |
| Cry | Cried |
| Do | Did |
| Drink | Drank |
| Drive | Drove |
| Find | Found |
| Give | Gave |
| Get | Got |
| Have | Had |
| Hear | Heard |
| Know | Knew |
| Leave | Left |
| Lose | Lost |
| Make | Made |
| Meet | Met |
| Pay | Paid |
| Put | Put |
| Run | Ran |
| Read | Read (pronounced “red”) |
| Say | Said |
| Sit | Sat |
| See | Saw |
| Send | Sent |
| Sleep | Slept |
| Sell | Sold |
| Speak | Spoke |
| Stand | Stood |
| Teach | Taught |
| Think | Thought |
| Tell | Told |
| Take | Took |
| Be | Was/Were |
| Go | Went |
| Win | Won |
| Wear | Wore |
| Write | Wrote |
Tips for Learning Irregular Verbs
- Group Them by Similar Patterns: Some verbs have similar changes. For example:
- Buy → Bought, Bring → Brought
- Practice Sentences: Use each verb in a simple sentence. For example:
- Yesterday, I went to the park.
- She made a cake for the party.
- Repeat, Repeat, Repeat: The more you see and use these verbs, the easier they will stick in your memory.
- Play Games: Make learning fun with interactive activities, like the one included at the end of this post!
Fun Browser Game: Practice Makes Perfect!
To help you practice, we’ve created a free web-based game where you can:
- Complete sentences using the correct verb.
- Test your skills with more than 180 sentences to choose from!
Example sentence challenges include:
- Yesterday, she ___ (drink) a cup of tea.
- They ___ (run) in the park last weekend.
Are you ready to master your irregular verbs and have fun? Start playing now!
Final Thoughts
Learning irregular verbs may seem difficult at first, but with practice and engaging tools like our game, you’ll quickly gain confidence. Start with these 40 essential verbs already in the game, practice them daily, and challenge yourself with our game leveling up until you become a past-tense pro!
Happy learning and good luck with your English journey!
