Irregular verbs are one of the trickiest parts of English. Unlike regular verbs that simply add “-ed” in the past tense (work → worked), irregular verbs change completely (go → went, eat → ate, see → saw). There’s no single rule to remember them — you must learn them by practice and repetition.
These verbs are important because they are used constantly in daily conversation and writing. Common irregular verbs include:
Be → was/were → been
Go → went → gone
Do → did → done
Have → had → had
Get → got → gotten/got
Take → took → taken
See → saw → seen
Because irregular verbs don’t follow a fixed pattern, it helps to group them by similarity. For example:
Find / found / found
Bind / bound / bound
Wind / wound / wound
You’ll notice patterns once you group them — this makes memorization much easier.
To really master them, practice using them in sentences rather than lists. For example:
“I went to the market yesterday.”
“She has taken her medicine.”
“They did their homework last night.”
✅ Practical Steps to Master Irregular Verbs
Make flashcards — one side with the base verb, the other with past and past participle forms.
Group similar verbs — study them in small sets (e.g., sing–sang–sung, ring–rang–rung).
Use them in writing — write short stories using at least five irregular verbs.
Listen to English songs and podcasts — hear how verbs are used naturally.
Quiz yourself weekly — repetition locks them into memory.