IRREGULAR VERBS - PAST SIMPLE

 

 

Past Simple: Irregular Verbs

What is the Past Simple?

The past simple tense is used to describe actions or situations that happened and finished in the past.
Example:

·       I went to the park yesterday.

·       She ate pizza last night.

 

Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

Regular verbs form the past simple by adding -ed to the base form.
Example:

·       walk → walked

·       play → played

Irregular verbs do not follow this rule. Their past forms change in different ways, and they must be memorized.
Example:

·       go → went

·       eat → ate

·       buy → bought

 

How to Use Irregular Verbs in Past Simple

Affirmative Form

Structure: Subject + irregular verb (past form) + complement

·       He saw a movie.

·       We had dinner at 7 p.m.

Negative Form

Structure: Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form of the verb

·       He did not see a movie.

·       We didn’t have dinner at 7 p.m.

Interrogative Form

Structure: Did + subject + base form of the verb

·       Did he see a movie?

·       Did you have dinner?

 

Examples of Common Irregular Verbs

Base Form	Past Simple
be	was / were
go	went
have	had
see	saw
come	came
make	made
take	took
get	got
give	gave
find	found

 

Tips for Learning Irregular Verbs

·       Study them in groups (verbs that change the same way).

·       Use flashcards or charts.

·       Practice with short sentences.

·       Read stories in past tense to see them in context.