English irregular verbs
Regular verbs in English have four forms:
- the base, which is equivalent to the infinitive without 'to' and most forms of the present tense (for example, wâit, to wâit, Î wâit) (The accents, which are not part of the language, are included to show stress and pronunciation: see English spellings for a table and English phonemes for the IPA. There is also a key at the foot of this page. Words in italics suggest meaning, and an equals sign is placed between homophones)
- the -s form, which is used for the third person singular of the present tense (hê wâits, shê wâits)
- the -íng form, used for the present participle and gerund (Î'm wâiting, wâiting ís bŏring; in most cases the base sheds any final e: compare sínging sing with síngeing singe, pronounced *sínjing)
- the past form, which is used for both the past tense and the past participle, and which consists of adding -ed to the base (from wâit, I wâited, shê has wâited, *wâitid; from loòk, loòked *lùkt; from sêem, sêemed *sêemd), or, in the case of verbs ending in -e, -d only (from fâde, fâded *fâidid)
Irregular verbs also have these forms, and form the -s and -ing forms regularly: béar, béars, béaring. But the past tense and/or past participle are not formed regularly: to béar, has the principal parts béar, bŏre, bŏrn/bŏrne, which means that there is no form *beared; instead, an example of the past tense is shê bŏre hím and of the past passive hê was bŏrn.
A number of verbs that are irregular in British English are regular in American English, such as spéll: both past forms are spélt in BrE, but the regular form spélled is usual in AmE; both variants are listed here. Contrariwise, dîve usually has past tense dôve in AmE, but this form is not used in BrE.
A number of irregular verbs also have associated passive adjectives, as for example súnken, from sínk, sánk, súnk (súnken chêeks) and as in såwn-óff shótgun and neŵ-môwn låwns. These are included here in cases where their form is different from that of the past participle (regular verbs with this feature are also included, and these forms are sometimes used in place of the regular past participle). Not all the forms listed are in common use: for example, people are still described as being behôlden to others, but the verb itself, behôld, meaning 'look at', is nowadays only used poetically or in jest.
Table of irregular verbs
Too irregular to fit completely into the table is the verb bê:
- Present tense indicative: Î ám, hê/shê/ít ís (*íz), wè/yoû/thèy àre
- Present tense subjunctive bê (mainly AmE)
- Present participle (formed regularly): bêíng
- Past tense: singular indicative ẁas (*wóz), plural and subjunctive wëre
- Past participle bêen (= bêan eat, or = bín rubbish)
| base | past tense | past participle | adjective |
|---|---|---|---|
| bê (see above) | ẁas, wëre | bêen | |
| béar birth (= bãre naked[1]) | bŏre | bŏrn | bïrth[2] |
| béar suffer, carry | bŏre[3] | bŏrne | |
| bêat | bêat | bêaten | |
| becòme | becâme | becòme | |
| begín | begán | begún | |
| behôld | behéld | behéld | behôlden |
| bénd | bént | bént | |
| berêave | berêaved | berêaved | beréft |
| besêech | besŏught | besŏught | |
| bíd for | bíd | bíd | |
| bíd question, farewell | báde (= bád wrong) | bídden | |
| bînd | bòund | bòund | |
| bîte | bít | bítten | |
| blêed | bléd | bléd | |
| bléss | bléssed | bléssed = blést | bléssed, pronounced *bléssíd |
| blôw | bleŵ (= blûe colour) | blôwn | |
| breâk | brôke | brôken | |
| brêed | bréd | bréd | |
| bríng | brŏught | brŏught | |
| brŏadcast | brŏadcast | brŏadcast | |
| buíld | buílt | buílt | |
| bürn | bürnt, bürned | bürnt, bürned | |
| bürst | bürst | bürst | |
| buŷ | bŏught | bŏught | |
| cāst | cāst[4] | cāst | |
| cátch (-s form cátches) | cåught | cåught | |
| chîde | chîded, chíd | chîded | chídden |
| choôse | chôse | chôsen | |
| clêave | clôve | clôven | clôven hoof, cléft palate |
| clíng | clúng | clúng | |
| clôthe | clôthed | clôthed | clád |
| còme | câme | còme | |
| cóst intransitive[5] | cóst | cóst | |
| crêep | crépt | crépt | |
| cút | cút | cút | |
| dêal | déalt | déalt | |
| dîe (-ing form dŷing) | dîed | dîed | déad |
| díg | dúg | dúg | |
| dîve | dîved (AmE also has dôve, cf. dòve bird) | dîved | |
| do (*doô; -s form dòes *dúzz) | díd | dòne (= dún colour) | |
| dråw | dreŵ | dråwn | |
| drêam | dréamt, drêamed | dréamt, drêamed | |
| drínk | dránk | drúnk | drúnken |
| drîve | drôve | dríven | |
| dwéll | dwélt | dwélt | |
| êat | âte AmE, BrE *ét | êaten | |
| fåll | féll | fållen | |
| fêed | féd | féd | |
| fêel | félt | félt | |
| fîght | fŏught | fŏught | |
| fînd discover | fòund[6] | fòund | |
| fít | fítted, fít | fítted, fít | fítted |
| flêe | fléd | fléd | |
| flíng | flúng | flúng | |
| flŷ (-s form flîes) | fleŵ | flôwn | |
| forbéar | forbŏre | forbŏrne | |
| forbíd | forbáde, forbâde, forbád | forbídden | |
| forsâke | forsoòk | forsâken | |
| frêeze | frôze | frôzen | |
| frîghten (*frîtən) | frîghtened (*frîtənd) | frîghtened | frîght (*frîte) noun frít adjective |
| gét | gót | BrE gót, AmE gótten | |
| gíld | gílded | gílded | gílt |
| gíve | gâve | gíven | gíft noun |
| gô (-s form gôes) | wént | góne | |
| grînd | gròund | gròund | |
| grôw | greŵ | grôwn | |
| háng | húng | húng (except for hánged dead) | |
| háve (-s form hás) | hád | hád | |
| hêar | hëard | hëard | |
| hêat | hêated | hêated | hét[7] |
| hêave | hêaved, hôve | hêaved, hôve | |
| heŵ | heŵed | heŵed | heŵn |
| hîde | híd | hídden | |
| hít | hít | hít | |
| hôld | héld | héld | |
| hürt | hürt | hürt | |
| kêep | képt | képt | |
| knêel down (= Nêil person) | knélt (*nélt) | knélt | |
| knôw knowledge (= nô not) | kneŵ ( = neŵ fresh) | knôwn | |
| lây put cf. lîe | lâid | lâid | |
| lêad | léd | léd[8] | |
| lêan | léant, lêaned | léant, lêaned | |
| lêap | léapt, lêaped | léapt, lêaped | |
| lëarn | lëarnt, lëarned | lëarnt, lëarned | |
| lêave | léft | léft | |
| lénd | lént | lént | |
| lét | lét | lét | |
| lîe down[9] | lây | lâin | |
| lîght | lít, lîghted | lít, lîghted | |
| lôad | lôaded | lôaded | lâden |
| lose (= loôs toilets, cf. loôse insecure *lûce) | lóst | lóst | lóss[10] |
| mâke | mâde | mâde | |
| mêan | méant | méant | |
| mêet | mét | mét | |
| môw | môwed | môwed | môwn |
| pāss | pāssed | pāssed = | pāst |
| pây | pâid | pâid | |
| pén | pénned | pénned | pént[11] |
| plêad | BrE plêaded, AmE pléd | BrE plêaded, AmE pléd | |
| prècìs (*prâycêe) | prècis’d (*prâycêed) | prècis’d | |
| prove (oô) | proved (oô) | proved (oô), prôven (or oô) | prôven (or oô) |
| pùt | pùt | pùt | |
| quít | quít, quítted | quít, quítted | |
| rêad | réad (= réd colour) | réad | |
| rénd | rént | rént | |
| rîde | rôde (= rôad street) | rídden | |
| ríng | ráng | rúng | |
| rîse[12] | rôse | rísen | |
| rîve | rôve | ríven | |
| rót | rótted | rótted | rótten |
| rún | rán | rún | |
| såw | såwed | såwed, såwn | såwn |
| sây | said (é) | said (é) | |
| sêe | såw | sêen | |
| sêek | sŏught (= BrE sŏrt) | sŏught | |
| séll | sôld | sôld | |
| sénd | sént | sént | |
| sét | sét | sét | |
| sew (ô) needle | sewed (ô) | sewed, sewn (ô) | |
| shâke | shoòk | shâken | |
| shâve | shâved | shâved | shâven |
| shêar | shêared | shêared | shŏrn |
| shéd | shéd | shéd | |
| shîne | BrE shóne, AmE shône (= shôwn) | shóne | |
| shoe (= shoô away) | shód | shód | |
| shoôt | shót | shót | |
| shôw | shôwed | shôwn | |
| shrínk | shránk | shrúnk | |
| shrîve | shrôve | shríven | shríft[13] |
| shút | shút | shút | |
| síng | sáng | súng | sóng[14] |
| sínk | sánk | súnk | súnken |
| sít | sát | sát | |
| slây | sleŵ | slâin | |
| slêep | slépt | slépt | |
| slîde | slíd | slíd | |
| slíng | slúng | slúng | |
| slínk | slúnk | slúnk | |
| slít | slít | slít | |
| sméll | smélt, smélled | smélt, smélled | |
| smîte | smôte | smítten | |
| snêak | snêaked (AmE also has snúck) | snêaked | |
| sôw seed | sôwed | sôwn, sôwed | |
| spêak | spôke | spôken | spêech[15] |
| spêed | spêd, spêeded | spéd, spêeded | |
| spéll | spélt, spélled | spélt, spélled | |
| spénd | spént | spént | |
| spíll | spílt, spílled | spílt, spílled | |
| spín | spún, spán | spún | |
| spít | spát | spát | |
| splít | splít | splít | |
| spŏil | spŏilt, spŏiled | spŏilt, spŏiled | |
| spréad | spréad | spréad | |
| spríng | spráng | sprúng | |
| stánd | stoòd | stoòd | |
| stêal | stôle | stôlen | |
| stíck | stúck | stúck | |
| stíng | stúng | stúng | |
| stínk | stánk | stúnk | |
| streŵ | streŵed | streŵn | |
| strîke | strúck | strúck, strícken | |
| stríng | strúng | strúng | |
| strîve | strôve | stríven | |
| swéar | swŏre | swŏrn | |
| swêep | swépt | swépt | |
| swéll | swélled | swélled, swôllen | |
| swím | swám | swúm | |
| swíng | swúng | swúng | |
| tâke | toòk | tâken | |
| têach | tåught | tåught | |
| téar | tŏre | tŏrn | |
| téll | tôld | tôld | |
| thínk | thŏught | thŏught | |
| thrôw | threŵ | thrôwn | |
| thrúst | thrúst | thrúst | |
| tréad | tród | tródden, tród | |
| wâke | wôke | wôken | |
| wéar | wŏre | wŏrn | |
| wêave transitive | wôve | wôven | |
| wêep | wépt | wépt | |
| wín | wòn | wòn | |
| wînd round (cf. wínd blow) | wòund (cf. woûnd injury) | wòund | |
| wrêak make (= rêek smell) | wrêak | wrêaked, wrŏught | wrŏught |
| wríng | wrúng | wrúng | |
| wrîte | wrôte | wrítten |
History
Originally, in Proto-Indo-European, the strong verb, now the main irregular type, was the regular one. Proto-Germanic created many denominative verbs from nouns and adjectives, but did not create strong past tenses for them. Instead it used a periphrastic construction, following the verb with an auxiliary verb equivalent to "did", which gradually became elided to "-ed". Over time, more and more strong verbs adopted weak forms by analogy. Thus "holp" became "helped". This process is still to some extent going on, so that recently, for example, one not infrequently finds "slayed" instead of the "correct" "slew". This process is not entirely in one direction, however. The old form "digged" has now been entirely replaced by the 18th century "dug", and the late 19th century "snuck" is now generally accepted in America, except by the elderly, who still tend to regard it as facetious.
Notes
- ↑ Regular, past tense bãred.
- ↑ A noun, usable as an adjective: bïrth pángs.
- ↑ There is another, regular, verb bŏre boring, past bŏred.
- ↑ Past tense and participle forms cāsted may be used in an acting context.
- ↑ Regular when transitive.
- ↑ There is another, regular, verb fòund establish, past fòunded.
- ↑ In hét up
- ↑ The forms of this verb, to lêad, are easily confused with the metal léad, which has the same pronunciation as the past tense léd, but the same spelling as the base form.
- ↑ There is another, regular, verb lîe untruth, past lîed.
- ↑ A noun, usable as an adjective: lóss leâder.
- ↑ As in pént úp.
- ↑ There is also râise, a regular verb, and American equivalent of the British noun rîse money.
- ↑ A noun, used in the expression shǒrt shríft.
- ↑ A noun, usable as an adjective: sóng thrúsh.
- ↑ A noun, usable as an adjective: spêech therapy.
- The accents show stress and pronunciation (see English spellings): A: sát, mâde, pàrk, cāst (cást/càst), åll, ãir; E: ére, êar, vèin, fërn; I: sít, mîne, skì, bïrd; O: sóng, môde, lòve, wörd, ŏr; OO: moôn, foòt; U: sún, mûse, fùll, pürr; W: neŵ, ẁant; Y: gým, mŷ, keỳ, mÿrrh.