Table of tenses of irregular verbs in English. What is the past tense for?

No matter how sad it may sound, they are not limited to only one option. If you want to be good at grammar, you need to learn how to analyze the situation you are talking about. It is important to understand whether the action is completed or whether it continues. Is there any connection to the present moment, or is the speaker simply mentioning facts from his past? The answers to these questions are key in determining the time at which a particular sentence should sound.

Rules of the past tense in English. 6 English tenses in one Russian sentence

To understand past tense rules in english I propose to take Russian sentence(“I spoke to John”) and see if it can be translated into one of the 6 past tenses. Pay special attention to the "explanations" column.

In theory past tense rules in english should not include phrases such as present perfect And present perfect continuous. But this article focuses on the fact that these tenses can be used in certain cases when you need to translate a Russian sentence into English in the past tense. After all, the concept of "past tense" in English cannot be attributed to any one rule and adhere to it in all cases when the past is expressed in the native language.

How to master all forms of the past tense in English?

To master everything past tense forms in english It's important to spend as much time as possible practicing. Pay attention to the table above. Auxiliary verbs and the necessary form of the main verb for the formation of the corresponding tense are specially highlighted in red. Start your grammar work by making a similar table, but based on a different sentence. It can be something like “she read 2 stories”, “Masha was in the store” and so on. Pay attention to how past tense formation in English, and on the meaning that you want to focus on in a particular sentence.

If you want to learn English grammar faster and start putting this knowledge into practice, contact our friendly team of experienced teachers. We know how to sort through past tense rules in english and we are happy to share our experience.

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If you got to the study of verbs, then you have already gone through a lot. But there's more to come long road to perfection. The temporary system is based on such a distinction between this part of speech, as correct and incorrect. It is about the latter that we will talk and explain how to quickly learn irregular verbs.

So, we already know that with the passage of time, foreign conquests or other interactions of people, the English language also did not stand aside. This is especially true for verbs. If we study tenses, then we have to delimit according to this category. Irregular Verbs are found in almost every one of them.

Forms of irregular verbs in English

Where to begin? From acquaintance. What types are, when and how they are used. Indeed, when reading a rule, you often stumble upon the expression 2nd form, 3rd. And what is it, we will now consider. Once again, it is worth recalling that there are 3 forms of irregular verbs (some linguists distinguish four).

First form is it an infinitive or first column of the table. It is in this form that the verb is used in the dictionary: run, swim, give. It is used in Present Simple, Future Simple, in interrogative and negative sentences Past Simple.

The second form is this is the simple past tense (Past Simple): ran, swam, gave (second column). In this form, irregular English verbs are used in Past Simple (with the exception of interrogative and negative sentences).

Third form- this is the past participle (Past Participle or Participle II): run, swun, given. This form is the most commonly used verb. In perfect times, in all times Passive Voice. You will find it in third column of the table.

fourth form is the present participle (Present Participle or Participle I): running, swimming, giving. It is used by the times of the Continuous and Perfect Continuous groups. Not all tables contain a fourth column, only some.

When considering sentences with irregular verbs, pay attention to the tense.

How are the main irregular verbs of the English language formed?

It is impossible to clearly determine that these words change in this way, and others - the second or third. But it is still possible to trace a certain trend, and then it will not be a set of words and incomprehensible forms.

1. By changing the vowel at the root of the word: meet - met - met; begin - began - begun.
2. Changing the root and adding a suffix: speak - spoke - spoken; give - gave - given.
3. The ending changes: send - sent - sent; build-built-built.
4. And some verbs are the same in all forms: cut - cut - cut; put - put - put.

How to learn irregular verbs?

Everyone has their own methodology, their own way, which has its pros and cons. But I would like to start by saying a few generally accepted facts. First, learn all three forms at once and with translation. Irregular verbs with translation can be found in almost any grammar book, dictionary, online resources and on our website. The entire table can be downloaded. Don't learn 10 at once, take 5, spread over 3-4 days, do the exercises. Many teach in a row, alphabetically, some in groups (depending on the method of education). I find the second one to be more efficient and easier. Therefore, we will break all the irregular English verbs into groups.

1. Match completely

2. The second and third forms coincide - p-t

3. Matches the second and third forms - d-t

4. The root vowel changes - ew - own

5. A group of verbs with different root vowels

6. Endings aught/ought

7. Vowel alternation

8. Vowel alternation + en ending

9. Alternation, ending en, doubling the consonant

10. The second and third forms coincide

11. Have two options

12. Completely different shapes

Memorizing irregular verbs in English at first seems difficult, tedious. But believe me, if you do not reset yourself, learn from the groups that we have provided, you will easily master them. And this is very important! All irregular verbs very often used in speech. Learn grammar and expand vocabulary.

Verbs in the past tense in English have 4 forms. They are used in relation to actions that are different in dynamics and moment of commission.

Description of past tense forms

Native English speakers distinguish past actions by duration, completion, and other characteristics. To talk about what has happened or has happened up to now, they use:

• Past Simple (Simple Past) - reports regular or one-time actions. The keywords are: yesterday (yesterday), last week (last week), a year ago (a year ago). The Past Simple formation rule involves adding the ending -ed to the stem of the verb, that is, the second form: play-played (play), watch-watched (watch, observe), stop-stopped (stop). in negative and interrogative sentences the auxiliary verb did is required. In this case, the semantic is put back into the initial form.

I didn't watch this match. - I didn't watch this match.

Did you watch this match? - Did you watch this match?

In all tenses of the Past group, verbs are divided into regular and irregular. The second form 2 form, changing different ways. They are considered exceptions that must be remembered: see-saw (see), put-put (put), find-found (find).

• Past Continuous (Past Continuous) Describes a process that took place at a specific time in the past. The formation of this form requires the 2nd form of the verb to be - was / were and the semantic verb with the ending -ing.

I was doing exercises at 7 a.m. - I did exercises at 7 in the morning.

A moment in the past can be denoted not only exact time, but also by another single action.

She was listening to the radio when she saw a cat in the street. She was listening to the radio when she saw the cat on the street. (was listeting is a process, saw is a one-time action)

• Past Perfect (Past Completed) - expresses an action that has ended by the time of speaking, when the result is important. Given time is formed from 2 components: the 2nd form of the verb to have - had and the past participle of the semantic verb.

I had passed my exams by the 1st of June. I passed my exams by June 1st.

• Past Perfect Continuous (Simple Complete Continuous) - a description of a long action that began before another event in the past and was still happening at the time of speaking. To form this form, 3 components are required: had + been + semantic verb with the ending -ing.

Jane had been knitting for an hour when I called her. Jane had been knitting for an hour when I called her.

Table Verbs of the past tense in English

In order to better understand the mechanism for the formation of sentences different in purpose of uttering sentences in the past tense, you can look at the diagram with examples.

Everyone who has ever sat down at an English textbook knows about such a phenomenon as a list of irregular English verbs. What is this list? It contains verbs that deviate from the standard rules for the formation of past tense and participle forms. It is believed that about seventy percent of irregular verbs (the English name of the term) is used in daily speech.

From this we can conclude that knowing the list of irregular verbs in English is simply necessary if you want to speak and understand the interlocutor fluently.

The total number of irregular verbs is about 470 words. Is it possible to learn such a volume? Of course, this is quite real. However, in order for you to feel confident when speaking in English, you only need to know 180 verbs.

Before turning directly to the list itself, we will give some tips on how to achieve the desired knowledge as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Mechanical learning

The technique of mechanical memorization of information is one of the most common techniques. But how effective is it?

When learning, we often notice that a large number of words are quickly forgotten, and some even flatly refuse to settle in our long-term memory. In order for this technique to show itself only from the best side, it is necessary to use the learned verbs in practice as often as possible. By the way, listening to them in a movie, program or just a song helps a lot.

Be sure to have a list of irregular English verbs with translation

To begin with, you will have to become familiar with the meaning of each new word. Usually all irregular verbs tables include a translation column, so you don't have to worry about many hours of self-study with a dictionary. After the correct associations with the native language fit in the head, you can safely move on to the formed forms.

Irregular Verbs in Poems

Don't worry - you're not the only student trying to master full list English irregular verbs, and there is someone to share your hardships. And some craftsmen even try to somehow help.

On the Internet, you can easily find all kinds of poems created specifically for such purposes. They contain a number of the most common verbs, skillfully built into the overall rhyme and tone of the work. And there are also many funny associations, so remembering the necessary information will be even easier.

using irregular verbs

Games can be played not only by children, but also by adults. And if it comes to teaching a foreign language, then games are one of the most effective ways memorization. You can also find ready-made options on the Internet. Usually these are flash cards, various animations or mini-games, accompanied by sound examples. If you don’t really want to play on a computer, then you can easily do something with your own hands, for example, the same cards. If you have an English learning partner, then an analogue of a word game or the creation of dialogues consisting of irregular verbs would be appropriate.

Meet Irregular Verbs

Having told a little about the methods of memorization, we move on to the most important thing. So, we present you a list of irregular English verbs with translation.

Alphabetical verbs (a, b, c, d)

Verbs starting with a:

abide - abode - abided - stay, hold on;

arise - arose - arisen - rise, arise;

awake-awoke-awaked; awoke - wake up, wake up.

For the letter b:

backbite - backbitten - backbitten - slander;

backslide - backslid - backslid - fall off;

be - was (were) - been - to be, to be;

bear - bore - born - carry, be born;

beat - beat - beaten - beat;

become - became - become - become, become;

befall - befell - befallen - happen;

beget - begot (begat) - begotten - generate;

begin - began - begun - begin;

begird - begirt - begirt - encircle;

behold - beheld - beheld - to mature;

bend - bent - bent - bend (sya);

bereave - bereft (bereaved) - bereft (bereaved) - deprive;

beseech - besought (beseeched) - b-esought (beseeched) - beg, beg;

beset - beset - beset - besiege;

bespeak - bespoke - bespoken - order;

bespit - bespat - bespat - spit;

bestride - bestrode - bestridden - sit down, sit on horseback;

bet - bet (betted) - bet (betted) - bet;

betake - betook - betaken - to be accepted, sent;

bid - bad (bade) - bid (bidden) - command, ask;

bind - bound - bound - bind;

bite - bit - bit (bitten) - bite;

bleed - bled - bled - bleed;

bless - blessed - blessed (blest) - bless;

blow - blew - blown (blowed) - blow;

break - broke - broken - (c) break;

breed - bred - bred - grow;

bring - brought - brought - bring;

broadcast - broadcast - broadcast - distribute, scatter;

browbeat - browbeat - browbeaten - scare;

build - built - built - build;

burn - burnt (burned) - burnt (burned) - burn, burn;

burst - burst - burst - burst, explode;

bust - bust (busted) - bust (busted) - split (someone);

buy - bought - bought - buy.

Verbs starting with:

can - could - could - be able, be able;

catch - caught - caught - catch, catch;

choose - chose - chosen - choose;

cleave - clove (cleft, cleaved) - cloven (cleft, cleaved) - dissect;

cling - clung - clung - cling to, cling to;

come - came - come - come;

cost - cost - cost - cost;

creep - crept - crept - crawl;

cut - cut - cut - cut.

Verbs starting with d:

dare - durst (dared) - dared - dare;

deal - dealt - dealt - deal;

dig - dug - dug - dig;

dive - dived (dove) - dived - dive, dive;

do - did - done - do;

draw - drew - drawn - draw, drag;

dream - dream (dreamed) - dream (dreamed) - sleep, dream;

drink - drank - drunk - drink,

drive - drove - driven - drive, drive;

dwell - dwelt - dwelt - dwell, linger.

Alphabet continuation (e, g, f, h)

Verbs starting with e:

eat - ate - eaten - eat, eat.

Verbs starting with f:

fall - fell - fallen - fall;

feed - fed - fed - feed;

feel - felt - felt - feel;

fight - fought - fought - fight;

find - found - found - find;

flee - fled - fled - run away, escape;

floodlight - floodlighted (floodlit) - floodlighted (floodlit) - shine with a spotlight;

fly - flew - flown - fly;

forbear - forbore - forborne - refrain;

forbid - forbad (forbade) - forbidden - to forbid;

forecast - forecast (forecasted) - forecast (forecasted) - predict;

foresee - foresaw - foreseen - to foresee;

forget - forgot - forgotten - forget;

forgive - forgave - forgiven - forgive;

forsake - forsook - forsaken - leave;

forswear - forswore - forsworn - renounce;

freeze - froze - frozen - freeze, freeze.

Verbs starting with g:

gainsay - gainsaid - gainsaid - deny, contradict;

get - got - got - get;

gird - girded (girt) - girded (girt) - encircle;

give - gave - given - give;

go - went - gone - go, leave;

grave - graved - graved (graven) - engrave;

grind - ground - ground - sharpen, grind;

grow - grew - grown - grow.

Verbs starting with h:

hang - hung (hanged) - hung (hanged) - hang;

have - had - had - to have;

hear - heard - heard - hear;

hew - hewed - hewed; hewn - chop, hew;

hide - hid - hidden - hide (sya);

hit - hit - hit - hit, hit;

hold - held - held - hold;

hurt - hurt - hurt - deliver pain, offend.

Second part of the alphabet

Verbs starting with i:

inlay - inlaid - inlaid - invest, line;

input - input (inputted) - input (inputted) - enter;

inset - inset - inset - insert, invest;

interweave - interwove - interwoven - weave, cover with a pattern.

Verbs starting with k:

keep - kept - kept - store;

ken - kenned (kent) - kenned - know, recognize by sight;

kneel - knelt (kneeled) - knelt (kneeled) - kneel;

knit - knit (knitted) - knit (knitted) - knit;

know - knew - known - to know.

Verbs starting with l:

lade - laded - laded (laden) - load;

lay - laid - laid - put, put;

lead - led - led - lead;

lean - lean (leaned) - leant (leaned) - lean, lean;

leap - leapt (leaped) - leapt (leaped) - jump;

learn - learned (learned) - learned (learned) - to teach;

leave - left - left - throw;

lend - lent - lent - lend;

let - let - let - let go, give;

lie - lay - lain - lie;

light - lit (lighted) - lit (lighted) - illuminate;

lose - lost - lost - lose.

m verbs:

make - made - made - create;

may - might - might - be able, be able;

mean - meant - meant - have a meaning;

meet - met - met - meet;

miscast - miscast - miscast - it is wrong to distribute roles;

mishear - misheard - misheard - misheard;

mishit - mishit - mishit - to miss;

mislay - mislaid - mislaid - put in another place;

mislead - misled - misled - confuse;

misread - misread - misread - misinterpret;

misspell - misspelt (misspeled) - misspelt (misspeled) - write with errors;

misspend - misspent - misspent - save;

misunderstand - misunderstood - misunderstood - misunderstand;

mow - mowed - mown (mowed) - cut (lawn).

Verbs starting with r:

rid - rid (ridded) - rid (ridded) - get rid of;

ride - rode - ridden - ride;

ring - rang - rung - call;

rise - rose - risen - rise;

run - ran - run - run, flow.

Verbs starting with s:

saw - sawed - sawn (sawed) - to saw;

say - said - said - to speak, to say;

see - saw - seen - see;

seek - sought - sought - to search;

sell - sold - sold - trade;

send - sent - sent - send;

set - set - set - install;

shake - shook - shaken - shake;

shave - shaved - shaved (shaven) - shave (Xia);

shed - shed - shed - shed;

shine - shone (shined) - shone (shined) - shine, shine;

shoot - shot - shot - shoot, shoot;

show - showed - shown (showed) - show;

shut - shut - shut - slam;

sing - sang - sung - sing;

sink - sank - sunk - sink, sink, sink;

sit - sat - sat - sit;

sleep - slept - slept - sleep;

slide - slide - slide - slide;

slit - slit - slit - tear, cut;

smell - smelt (smelled) - smelt (smelled) - smell, smell;

speak - spoken - spoken - conduct a conversation;

speed - sped (speeded) - sped (speeded) - accelerate, hurry;

spell - spelt (spelled) - spell (spelled) - write or read, pronouncing each letter;

spend - spent - spent - spend;

spill - spilt (spilled) - spilt (spilled) - spill;

spin - spun (span) - spun - spin;

spit - spat (spit) - spat (spit) - spit;

split - split - split - split (Xia);

spoil - spoilt (spoiled) - spoilt (spoiled) - spoil;

spotlight - spotlit (spotlighted) - spotlit (spotlighted) - illuminate;

spread - spread - spread - spread;

stand - stood - stood - stand;

steal - stole - stolen - steal;

stick - stuck - stuck - prick, glue;

sting - stung - stung - sting;

stink-stank; stunk - stunk - smell unpleasant;

strike - struck - struck - to beat, beat, strike;

swear - swore - sworn - swear, take an oath;

swell - swelled - swollen (swelled) - swell;

swim - swam - swum - swim;

swing - swung - swung - swing.

Verbs starting with t:

take - took - taken - take, take;

teach - taught - taught - learn;

tear - tore - torn - break;

tell - told - told - tell, say;

think - thought - thought - think;

throw - threw - thrown - throw.

Verbs starting with w:

wake - woke (waked) - woken (waked) - wake up, wake up;

wear - wore - worn - wear (clothes);

weave - wove (weaved) - woven (weaved) - weave;

wed - wed (wedded) - wed (wedded) - to marry;

weep - wept - wept - cry;

wet - wet (wetted) - wet (wetted) - wet, moisturize;

win - won - won - win;

wind - wound - wound - start (mechanism);

write - wrote - written - write.

We hope that after reading the article, English has become a little clearer for you.

English learners come across this grammatical topic fairly quickly. You need to tell, for example, what you did yesterday. How to do it? Obviously, to use a special form of the verb, different from the one used in the present tense. To do this correctly, you need to know the general principle by which the past tense is formed in English. This article is dedicated to this.

When is the best time to start studying?

First of all, it is necessary to clarify that you need to approach the study of the past form of the verb only after you have fully mastered how to form the present tense. Especially in sentences where the subject is a pronoun he, she, it(or their corresponding nouns). If you still do not feel confident with the present tense, then it is better to postpone a detailed acquaintance with the past for now. Otherwise, you risk getting confused. Especially in the light of the fact that not only affirmative, but also interrogative and negative sentences are to be studied.

To begin with, we will understand the two main principles by which English verbs in the past time. This is the basis of this topic in grammar.

Regular and irregular verbs

The first group is the most numerous, but the method of education here is the simplest. In the second group, everything is somewhat more complicated, because of which the verb forms have to be memorized. But the good news is that there aren't too many of them. And there are even fewer of those that are constantly used in speech. But first things first.

Let's start with regular verbs. They are named so because they form the past tense according to a single scheme (rule). In English, this is done by adding the suffix -ed. For example:

• look - looked - looked;
• answer - answered - answered.

In these chains, you see the initial form of the verb, then the simple past tense (in English Past Simple) and the past participle (Past Participle).

If the stem of the verb ends in a consonant and a vowel - y, then in the past form it changes to - i like in these examples:

• cry-cry-cry;
• study - study - study.

If before -y there is another vowel, then no change occurs:

• destroy - destroyed - destroyed.

With the second group of verbs (irregular) the situation is somewhat more complicated. They have no fixed ways of forming past forms. In addition, often irregular verbs have different forms of the past tense and the corresponding participle, for example:

• write - wrote - written.

In some cases, two forms or even all three may coincide:

• send - sent - sent;
• put - put - put.

Since such verbs do not follow a single rule for the formation of past forms, they are simply remembered like a poem.

Past forms for be, have, can

These verbs are used not only as semantic, but also as auxiliary and modal (that is, they convey a certain grammatical meaning), so you need to highlight them separately.

Past tense in English: a brief description

You probably already know that there are 12 tenses in total in this language. It turns out that 4 of them have passed. Let's figure out why each is needed.

Past Simple is used when:

1. The action took place at a certain, known moment in the past (or took place constant feature subject):

   We lived there in 1998.
   He was a doctor.

2. The action was repeated regularly in the past:

   I went fishing every summer.

3. Several actions were performed in the past one after another:

   She came home, had lunch, washed the dishes and went shopping.

Past Continuous is used when:

1. The action took place at the specified time in the past:

   Last night I was watching TV at home.

2. The action lasted for a specified period of time in the past:

   They were playing football from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Past Perfect is used when:

1. The action took place before a certain moment in the past (or before another past action):

   She had cooked dinner before I came back.

The Past Perfect Continuous is used when:

1. The action lasted and ended in the past; often the result is:

   He was tired because he had been working all night.

Declarative, interrogative and negative sentences

Let's analyze the basic principles in the form of a diagram. Can form Various types sentences, which will be united by one similarity - the past tense. The English language offers fairly similar basics, which are easy to remember.

In the diagrams below, V - means verb (verb), and the numbers 2 or 3 in the lower corner are the second or third form according to the table of irregular verbs.

Easier than it seems - that's what can be said about such a phenomenon as the past tense in English. The more practice (doing exercises, listening to texts, reading, answering questions, participating in dialogues), the better you will get. Not all of the past tenses are used in everyday speech. But you need to know all of them in order to understand the books you read, newspapers, etc., complex sources of information. Indeed, in a sentence in English, the type of tense used helps to better understand the idea expressed by the author.