Irregular verbs in English may seem like oddball friends at a party—unpredictable, with their own rules, and sometimes catching you off guard. But once you get comfortable with them, you’ll handle them confidently and start sounding more natural. This guide will help you understand what irregular verbs are, why English has them, how to use them correctly, and how to practice them effectively.
What Are Irregular Verbs?
Most English verbs follow a simple pattern when forming the past tense and past participle: you add -ed (for example, “walk → walked → walked”). But irregular verbs don’t follow that pattern. They change in different ways (or not at all) for their past forms. According to resources like the British Council list, many of the most frequently used verbs are irregular. LearnEnglish – British Council+2gingersoftware.com+2
Here’s an example list of common irregular verbs:
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| be | was / were | been |
| go | went | gone |
| have | had | had |
| do | did | done |
| make | made | made |
| get | got | got (gotten) |
| LearnEnglish – British Council+1 |
Why English Has Irregular Verbs
Why do we have these odd patterns? A few reasons:
- Historical roots: Many irregular verbs come from Old English or earlier Germanic languages, where they had different patterns (called strong verbs). Wikipedia+1
- Frequency: Verbs we use a lot tend to keep their irregular forms because speakers memorize them and they don’t regularize as quickly.
- Usage & evolution: Some verbs become regular over time, but many common ones stay irregular because they’re entrenched in everyday speech.
Patterns In Irregular Verbs (And How To Spot Them)
Although each irregular verb can be unique, you’ll see recurring patterns. Knowing these helps you guess or remember new verbs more easily.
1. Vowel change pattern (strong verbs)
The vowel in the verb changes. Example:
- break → broke → broken
- write → wrote → written
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2. Same form for all three (non-change)
Some verbs use the same form for base, past simple and past participle:
- cut → cut → cut
- set → set → set
English Club
3. Irregular spellings or double forms
Some verbs have more than one “correct” past participle (common in American vs British English):
- get → got → got/gotten (US)
Perfect English Grammar+1
4. Mixed patterns +-ed alternative
Some verbs have both a regular and irregular form:
- burned / burnt
- learned / learnt
Wikipedia
Why Learning Irregular Verbs Matters
- Communication: These verbs appear in everyday speech and writing (have, be, go, do, get) — using them correctly improves your credibility.
- Fluency: If you hesitate trying to figure whether to add “-ed” or use an irregular form, your speech feels less smooth.
- Accuracy in writing: Many errors in Learner English come from using regular forms where irregular are required.
- Confidence: When you recognise patterns, you feel more in control rather than lost.
How To Practice Irregular Verbs (The Yak Way)
Here are practical methods you can use while walking around the city, riding the bus, or grabbing a coffee.
A. Flashcard method
- One side: Base form
- Other side: Past simple + past participle
- Shuffle, test yourself, flip quickly.
B. Sentence creation
Pick 5 irregular verbs per session and write or say a sentence using all three forms. For example for take → took → taken:
- “I take my coffee black.”
- “Yesterday I took the bus home.”
- “I have taken the dog for a long walk.”
C. Real-life spotting
While reading or listening to English: note every irregular verb you see or hear. Ask yourself: what is its past? past participle? Did I notice the change?
D. Grouping by pattern
Create small groups of verbs that share a similar change:
- “go, went, gone” + “be, was/were, been” (unique forms)
- “make, made, made” + “have, had, had” (-d but irregular)
- “break, broke, broken” + “choose, chose, chosen” (vowel change +-en)
When you learn one in the group, you remember others more easily.
Top 50 Common Irregular Verbs You Should Know
Here’s a handy list of the most frequent irregular verbs (that learners meet again and again). Perfect English Grammar
Base / Past Simple / Past Participle
- be / was/were / been
- become / became / become
- begin / began / begun
- bring / brought / brought
- buy / bought / bought
- choose / chose / chosen
- come / came / come
- do / did / done
- drink / drank / drunk
- drive / drove / driven
- eat / ate / eaten
- fall / fell / fallen
- feel / felt / felt
- find / found / found
- fly / flew / flown
- forget / forgot / forgotten
- get / got / got/gotten
- give / gave / given
- go / went / gone
- have / had / had
- hear / heard / heard
- keep / kept / kept
- know / knew / known
- leave / left / left
- lose / lost / lost
- make / made / made
- mean / meant / meant
- meet / met / met
- pay / paid / paid
- put / put / put
- read / read / read
- run / ran / run
- say / said / said
- see / saw / seen
- sell / sold / sold
- send / sent / sent
- set / set / set
- sit / sat / sat
- speak / spoke / spoken
- stand / stood / stood
- take / took / taken
- teach / taught / taught
- tell / told / told
- think / thought / thought
- understand / understood / understood
- wear / wore / worn
- win / won / won
- write / wrote / written
- build / built / built
- bring / brought / brought (repeat to emphasise)
(You can add more as you go — there are many more than these fifty.)
Common Mistakes Learners Make
- Using regular –ed forms when the verb is irregular. e.g., “I goed to the store.” → wrong. Should be “I went to the store.”
- Forgetting the past participle when needed. e.g., “I have went.” → wrong. Should be “I have gone.”
- Mixing up British vs American forms. e.g., “gotten” is American past participle of “get” though British speakers tend to say “got”.
- Over-correcting: making a verb sound “too irregular” when the correct form is more regular than expected.
- Not practising three forms (base, past simple, past participle) — then you hesitate when speaking or writing.
How To Use Irregular Verbs In Context
A. Simple past tense (for finished actions)
- “Yesterday I drove to the city centre.”
- “Last week she wrote a long letter.”
B. Present perfect (when past action links to now)
- “I have eaten already.”
- “We’ve taken too many breaks today.”
C. Passive voice or perfect constructions
- “The book was written in 1999.”
- “He had done his homework by the time I arrived.”
D. Speaking casually
When you speak naturally, you’ll automatically use the correct irregular forms — practising them helps you sound fluid rather than choppy.
Next Steps: Building Mastery
- Choose 10 new irregular verbs every week. Add to your flashcards.
- Write short stories or “day in the life” paragraphs using 5–6 irregular verbs each.
- Record yourself speaking aloud with these verbs: hear the past forms and recognise them automatically.
- Do mini quizzes: cover the past forms and guess them; check yourself.
- When you make mistakes, note them (in a learner’s notebook) and revisit those verbs specifically.
Yak’s Final Chewables
Irregular verbs might look tricky, but they’re just part of the English-language landscape — like hills or bumps on a walking trail. Once you learn the patterns, practise the most common ones, and keep using them, they become second nature. Your writing and speaking will feel smoother, more confident, more “native-ish”. And you’ll have given that rebellious little group of verbs a proper place in your English toolkit.
Keep at it — even a Yak has to learn new moves. With time, you’ll tell yourself: “Yes, I built that… I knew that… I have written …” and it will roll right off your tongue.