English verb conjugation

English irregular verbs, all in one table.

172 irregular verbs to learn by heart. Base form, Past Simple, past participle and meaning: everything is here, with filters by letter and by frequency. You can also print the table in one click, for class or for revision.

How to use this table

Every irregular verb follows the same pattern: base form (the infinitive, e.g. go) → Past Simple (the past form, e.g. went) → past participle (used in the Present Perfect, e.g. gone).

Three tips to learn them:

Start with the Top 10 (be, have, do, go…): you use them all the time when you speak.
Group the verbs that change in the same way (sing/sang/sung, ring/rang/rung, swim/swam/swum): they are easier to remember.
Print the table and tick each verb when you know it.

Click View next to each verb to open its full page, with examples, a quiz and common mistakes.

172 irregular verbs in total

Base form	Past Simple	Past participle	Meaning	Page
arise	arose	arisen	to start to exist; to happen (formal)	View
awake	awoke	awoken	to wake up (a literary word); not sleeping	View
be	was/were	been	to exist; to have a certain quality or state	View
bear	bore	borne	to accept something difficult; to carry something	View
beat	beat	beaten	to win against someone; to hit again and again	View
become	became	become	to start to be something	View
begin	began	begun	to start doing something; to start happening	View
behold	beheld	beheld	to look at or see something (literary)	View
bend	bent	bent	to make something curved; to move your body forward or down	View
bet	bet	bet	to risk money on a result; to be sure	View
bind	bound	bound	to tie something tightly; to make someone keep a promise	View
bite	bit	bitten	to cut into something with your teeth	View
bleed	bled	bled	to lose blood	View
blow	blew	blown	to push air out of your mouth; (of wind) to move	View
break	broke	broken	to make something go into pieces; to stop working	View
breed	bred	bred	to keep animals to produce young ones; to have babies (animals)	View
bring	brought	brought	to come with something or someone	View
broadcast	broadcast	broadcast	to send out a TV or radio programme	View
build	built	built	to make something by putting parts together	View
burn	burned/burnt	burned/burnt	to be on fire; to hurt with fire or heat	View
burst	burst	burst	to break open suddenly; to come in suddenly	View
buy	bought	bought	to get something by paying money for it	View
cast	cast	cast	to throw; to choose an actor for a role	View
catch	caught	caught	to stop and hold something moving; to get a bus or train in time; to get an illness	View
choose	chose	chosen	to decide which one you want	View
cling	clung	clung	to hold something or someone tightly; to stick to something	View
come	came	come	to move towards the speaker; to arrive somewhere	View
cost	cost	cost	to have a price; to make someone lose something	View
creep	crept	crept	to move slowly and quietly; to grow along something	View
cut	cut	cut	to divide with a knife or scissors; to reduce something	View
deal	dealt	dealt	to take care of a problem; to give out cards	View
dig	dug	dug	to make a hole in the ground	View
dive	dived	dived	to jump into water head first; to go down quickly	View
do	did	done	to carry out an action or task; to help make questions and negatives	View
draw	drew	drawn	to make a picture with a pencil or pen; to pull something, like curtains; to end a game with equal scores	View
dream	dreamed/dreamt	dreamed/dreamt	to see pictures while you sleep; to wish for something	View
drink	drank	drunk	to take liquid into your mouth and swallow it	View
drive	drove	driven	to control a car, bus or lorry	View
dwell	dwelt	dwelt	to live in a place (formal); to keep thinking about something bad	View
eat	ate	eaten	to chew and swallow food; to have a meal	View
fall	fell	fallen	to go down to the ground suddenly	View
feed	fed	fed	to give food to a person or animal	View
feel	felt	felt	to have an emotion; to touch to notice something	View
fight	fought	fought	to use force against someone; to try hard to stop something	View
find	found	found	to discover something, often after looking; to think something is (easy, fun…)	View
fit	fit/fitted	fit/fitted	to be the right size; to be right for something	View
flee	fled	fled	to run away from danger; to leave quickly	View
fling	flung	flung	to throw something hard and fast	View
fly	flew	flown	to move through the air; to travel by plane	View
forbid	forbade	forbidden	to say someone must not do something	View
foresee	foresaw	foreseen	to know that something will happen	View
foretell	foretold	foretold	to say what will happen in the future	View
forget	forgot	forgotten	to not remember something	View
forgive	forgave	forgiven	to stop being angry with someone	View
freeze	froze	frozen	to become ice; to make food very cold	View
get	got	got / gotten	to receive something; to become; to arrive somewhere	View
give	gave	given	to hand something to someone; to let someone have something	View
go	went	gone	to move or travel somewhere; to leave a place	View
grind	ground	ground	to crush into small pieces or powder	View
grow	grew	grown	to become bigger or taller; to produce plants or vegetables	View
hang	hung	hung	to put something on a hook or a wall	View
have	had	had	to own something; to eat or drink something	View
hear	heard	heard	to notice sounds with your ears; to get news about something	View
hide	hid	hidden	to put something where nobody can find it; to go where nobody can find you	View
hit	hit	hit	to touch something hard and fast; to crash into	View
hold	held	held	to have something in your hands; to organise an event	View
hurt	hurt	hurt	to cause pain or injury; to feel pain	View
keep	kept	kept	to have and not give back; to continue	View
kneel	knelt	knelt	to go down on your knees	View
knit	knitted	knitted	to make clothes from wool with long needles	View
know	knew	known	to have information in your mind; to be familiar with someone	View
lay	laid	laid	to put something down flat; to produce an egg	View
lead	led	led	to show the way; to be in charge of a group	View
lean	leaned/leant	leaned/leant	to bend your body forward or sideways; to rest against something; to depend on someone	View
leap	leapt/leaped	leapt/leaped	to jump high or a long way	View
learn	learned/learnt	learned/learnt	to get new knowledge or a new skill	View
leave	left	left	to go away from a place; to let something stay	View
lend	lent	lent	to let someone use something for a time	View
let	let	let	to allow someone to do something; to allow something to happen	View
lie	lay/lied	lain/lied	to be in a flat, resting position; to say something that is not true	View
light	lit	lit	to start a fire or a flame; to give light	View
lose	lost	lost	to stop having something; to not win	View
make	made	made	to create or produce something; to cause something to happen	View
mean	meant	meant	to have a meaning; to want or plan to do	View
meet	met	met	to see someone for the first time; to come together with someone	View
mistake	mistook	mistaken	to think one person or thing is another; to understand something wrongly	View
mow	mowed	mown	to cut grass with a machine	View
overcome	overcame	overcome	to succeed in dealing with a problem or fear	View
overtake	overtook	overtaken	to go past a slower car; to become bigger than	View
pay	paid	paid	to give money for something	View
plead	pleaded	pleaded	to answer a charge in court; to ask strongly	View
prove	proved	proven	to show that something is true	View
put	put	put	to move something into a place or position	View
quit	quit	quit	to stop doing something; to leave a job	View
read	read	read	to look at words and understand them	View
redo	redid	redone	to do something again	View
retell	retold	retold	to tell a story again, often in a new way	View
rid	rid	rid	to remove something that you don't want	View
ride	rode	ridden	to travel on a bike or horse; to travel as a passenger	View
ring	rang	rung	to make the sound of a bell; to phone someone	View
rise	rose	risen	to go up; to get up or stand up	View
run	ran	run	to move quickly on your feet; to manage a business	View
saw	sawed	sawn	to cut with a saw (a tool with teeth)	View
say	said	said	to speak words; to tell someone something	View
see	saw	seen	to notice with your eyes; to understand; to meet someone	View
seek	sought	sought	to try to find something; to ask for something (formal)	View
sell	sold	sold	to give something for money	View
send	sent	sent	to make something go to someone far away	View
set	set	set	to put something somewhere; to fix a date; to adjust an alarm	View
sew	sewed	sewn	to join cloth with a needle and thread	View
shake	shook	shaken	to move quickly up and down or from side to side	View
shed	shed	shed	to lose naturally (hair, leaves, skin); to let fall (tears, blood)	View
shine	shone	shone	to give out bright light; to be very good at something	View
shoot	shot	shot	to fire a gun; to make a film or photo	View
show	showed	shown	to let someone see something; to make something clear	View
shrink	shrank	shrunk	to become smaller; to make something smaller	View
shut	shut	shut	to close something	View
sing	sang	sung	to make music with your voice	View
sink	sank	sunk	to go down under water; to make something go down	View
sit	sat	sat	to be on a chair or seat; to move down onto a seat	View
slay	slew	slain	to kill, often in a heroic way; (slang) to do brilliantly	View
sleep	slept	slept	to rest with your eyes closed	View
slide	slid	slid	to move smoothly over a surface	View
smell	smelled/smelt	smelled/smelt	to notice something with your nose; to have a particular smell	View
sow	sowed	sown	to put seeds in the ground; to cause doubt or fear	View
speak	spoke	spoken	to say words; to use a language	View
speed	sped	sped	to move very fast; to drive too fast	View
spell	spelled/spelt	spelled/spelt	to name the letters of a word; to write a word correctly	View
spend	spent	spent	to use money to buy things; to use time	View
spill	spilled/spilt	spilled/spilt	to let a liquid fall by accident	View
spin	spun	spun	to turn round and round quickly; to make thread from wool	View
split	split	split	to divide into parts; to share; to break apart	View
spoil	spoiled/spoilt	spoiled/spoilt	to ruin something; to give a child everything they want	View
spread	spread	spread	to cover a surface; to move to more places	View
spring	sprang	sprung	to jump suddenly; to appear suddenly	View
stand	stood	stood	to be on your feet; to accept something you don't like	View
steal	stole	stolen	to take something that is not yours	View
stick	stuck	stuck	to fix something with glue; to push something sharp into	View
sting	stung	stung	to hurt the skin with a sharp point; to cause a sharp burning pain	View
stink	stank	stunk	to smell very bad; to be very bad (informal)	View
stride	strode	stridden	to walk with long, confident steps	View
strike	struck	struck	to hit someone or something; to stop working as a protest	View
string	strung	strung	to put things on a thread; to hang things in a line	View
strive	strove	striven	to try very hard to do something	View
swear	swore	sworn	to make a serious promise; to say rude words	View
sweep	swept	swept	to clean the floor with a broom	View
swell	swelled	swollen	to become bigger and rounder; to grow in number	View
swim	swam	swum	to move through water using your arms and legs	View
swing	swung	swung	to move back and forward; to move in a curve	View
take	took	taken	to get hold of something; to carry something somewhere; to need an amount of time	View
teach	taught	taught	to help someone learn something; to give lessons	View
tear	tore	torn	to pull paper or cloth into pieces	View
tell	told	told	to say something to someone; to share a story	View
think	thought	thought	to have an opinion; to use your mind	View
throw	threw	thrown	to send something through the air	View
tread	trod	trodden	to step on something; to walk somewhere	View
understand	understood	understood	to know what something means; to know how someone feels	View
undertake	undertook	undertaken	to start a big task; to promise formally	View
undo	undid	undone	to open something tied or fastened; to cancel an action	View
uphold	upheld	upheld	to support and protect a law or value; to confirm a decision (in court)	View
wake	woke	woken	to stop sleeping; to make someone stop sleeping	View
wear	wore	worn	to have clothes or jewellery on your body	View
weave	wove	woven	to make cloth by crossing threads; to move in and out between things	View
weep	wept	wept	to cry, often with strong feeling	View
wet	wet	wet	to put water on something	View
win	won	won	to be the best in a game or competition; to get a prize	View
wind	wound	wound	to wrap something around something; to make a clock work by turning it	View
withdraw	withdrew	withdrawn	to take money out of a bank; to stop taking part	View
withhold	withheld	withheld	to refuse to give something; to keep information secret	View
withstand	withstood	withstood	to stay strong against a force; to deal with something hard	View
wring	wrung	wrung	to twist something hard; to twist out water	View
write	wrote	written	to put words on paper or a screen	View

Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →

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Each verb has its own page with the Present Simple, the Past Simple, the Present Perfect, examples, a quiz and common mistakes.

All English verbs Understand the Past Simple