This English explains Irregular Verbs in the simple past or past simple. Below you will see the infinitive, the simple past or past simple and the past participle (which we will use to create other tenses. – They can also be used as adjectives).These are Irregular Verbs in the past.
Example:
to go (infinitive)
went (past simple)
gone (past participle)
Dialogue
1/English Sentence Practice
Peter is taking the dog for a walk and he leaves the ladies to continue their conversation.
Did you like the food, Jeanne? I liked it very much.
Before I came to England I thought English food was not good. I knew that English people ate to live and others lived to eat.
English food is not so bad. Wherever you go you see fast food restaurants and they are the same everywhere.
I ate fish and chips and I must say that I enjoyed it very much. With who did you eat fish and chips?
I went with two colleagues from school on Friday. We learned that it is a tradition to eat fish on Friday’s.
Which is your favourite English meal, Jeanne; “roast dinner” or “fish and chips”. Neither actually, I love English Breakfast.
I told Peter about the breakfast I had this morning. It consisted of: fried eggs, grilled bacon, baked beans, and boiled mushrooms.
There was an English writer named Somerset Maughan. He said that:
“To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day.”
To be fair he wrote that at the beginning of the last century. Things have improved, haven’t they?
By the way, there is a really comprehensive list of irregular verbs and how to pronounce them correctly. Click Here.
English Vocabulary
2/Vocabulary Practice
- to take for a walk
- to live to eat
- to eat to live
- fast food restaurants
- fish and chips
- a colleague
- fish
- a meal
- a roast dinner
- actually
- an English Breakfast
- to consist of
- fried eggs
- grilled bacon
- baked beans
- boiled mushrooms
- a writer
- you should have
- three times a day
- to be fair
- he wrote
- at the beginning of the last century
- Things have improved.
- by the way
- irregular
English Grammar
Irregular Verbs in the simple past or past simple
Below you will see the infinitive, the simple past or past simple and the past participle (which we will use to create other tenses. – They can also be used as adjectives).These are Irregular Verbs in the simple past.
Example:
to go (infinitive)
went (past simple)
gone (past participle)
I want to go to the park.
Yesterday he went to the cinema.
It is gone. / It has gone.
This list may be long but good news is that the past forms don’t change!
to go > I went, you went, he went, she went, it went, we went, you went, they went
And in the negative and question forms they use the auxiliary “did” just like regular verbs:
I did not go
I didn’t go
Did you go?
Did you not go?
Didn’t you go?
Let’s learn the list, with examples. I recommend you check their meaning in the dictionary too!
Let’s learn some common irregular verbs!
to begin
began
begun
I want to begin the driving course.
He began driving last year.
The film has begun.
to break
broke
broken
That thing can’t break.
I broke the window.
The window is broken.
to buy
bought
bought
I will buy more fruit.
He bought more fruit.
That was bought at the supermarket.
to catch
caught
caught
I want to catch a fish.
He caught many fish.
The fugitive was caught.
to choose
chose
chosen
I want to choose a dress for the wedding.
She chose a red dress.
They were chosen by Janet.
to come
came
come
They will come to visit us tomorrow.
She came to visit me yesterday.
Spring has come early.
to drink
drank
drunk
They will drink that later.
He drank the whole 2 litres.
The water got drunk.
to drive
drove
driven
They want to drive in the countryside.
They drove to Stonehenge.
I was driven there.
to eat
ate
eaten
I love to eat carbs.
We ate pasta.
The pasta got eaten.
to feel
felt
felt
He will feel better after eating.
He felt better after lunch.
Her absence was felt.
to find
found
found
I want to find a flat in this neighbourhood.
He found a new flat.
This is the lost and found department.
to forget
forgot
forgotten
Don’t forget to close the door.
He forgot to close the front door.
It was forgotten here.
to get
got
got
I want to get there early.
He got there early.
He has got to be joking!
to give
gave
given
I want to give him a hug!
He gave me two invitations.
They were given to me.
to grow
grew
grown
It will grow in the sun.
It grew by a metre.
Our homegrown tomatoes are delicious!
to keep
kept
kept
Can you keep a secret?
He kept it in his pocket.
It is a well kept secret.
to know
knew
known
Do you know how to cook?
He knew the truth.
It is a well known fact.
to leave
left
left
We will leave after the movie.
He left in the middle of the film.
These leftovers are delicious.
to lose
lost
lost
I don’t want to lose my temper.
He lost his keys again.
They are in the lost and found department.
to make
made
made
We will make cupcakes.
He made these all by himself!
This is home-made pasta.
to mean
meant
meant
What do you mean by that?
I meant what I said.
It was not meant to be funny.
to meet
met
met
We will meet them all at the conference.
We met last year.
The protests were met with considerable police force.
to pay
paid
paid
I will pay the bill.
We paid double what you paid.
He was well paid.
to read
read
read
I love to read.
He read that book twice.
The rules were read out to us.
to say
said
said
What is there to say?
She said to delete the recording.
It was said to me repeatedly.
to see
saw
seen
Who wants to see my new car?
I saw the most beautiful rainbow.
They were seen leaving the restaurant.
to sell
sold
sold
Do you want to sell your house?
He sold his last year.
It has a “sold” sign on the lawn.
to sit
sat
sat
I could sit here for hours.
I sat by the fireplace.
The cat was sat beside me.
to speak
spoke
spoken
Do you want me to speak slowly?
He spoke fondly of you.
These are unspoken rules.
to spend
spent
spent
How much do you want to spend on it?
I spent two years training for this race.
All my money has been spent.
to swim
swam
swum
Do you like to swim in the river?
He swam across the English Channel.
She has swum professionally for years.
to take
took
taken
How long will it take?
It took him two days to sail across.
The photo was taken here.
to teach
taught
taught
Do you want to teach me?
He taught me this rule last week.
English is taught in primary schools.
to tell
told
told
Will you tell them?
He told them all already.
I was told not to repeat this to anyone.
to think
thought
thought
What do you think?
I thought it was a great movie!
It is thought that 80% of these businesses will shut in the next year.
to understand
understood
understood
Do you understand my accent?
I understood every word.
It is understood that the information provided is confidential.
to win
won
won
Are you here to win?
He won the race.
The battle is won.
to write
wrote
written
Do you like to write essays?
I wrote several cover letters when applying for jobs.
It is written in Spanish.
English Speaking Practise
Questions and Answers
When did the film begin?
The film began one hour ago.
Did you buy a new coat?
Yes, I bought a new coat yesterday.
Did you bring your swimming costume?
Yes, I brought my swimming costume.
Did you catch a fish?
No, but I caught a cold.
Is the door broken?
Yes, I broke it by accident.
Did you drink last night?
Yes, but I didn’t get drunk.
What did you drink?
I drank shandies.
Do you feel cold?
No, but I felt cold earlier.
Can you keep a secret?
I have always kept secrets.
Do you know Peter?
Yes, I knew him at school.
Lesson 32 recap with Julia.
Exercises Irregular Verbs in the simple past Lesson 32
Comprehension Practice
Vocabulary Practice
Grammar Practice
California Polytechnic State University
