Past Simple (Irregular verbs)
Some verbs do not add -ed in the past. These are called irregular verbs. You need to learn their past forms individually.
1. What are irregular verbs?
Irregular verbs change form in the past.
- go → went
- eat → ate
There is no single rule for their past forms.
2. Common irregular verbs
Here are some common irregular verbs:
Very common:
- be → was / were
- ⚠️ be is special: I/he/she/it → was; you/we/they → were.
- have → had
- do → did
- go → went
- get → got
- make → made
- see → saw
- come → came
⚠️ 'be' is different in negatives and questions — do NOT use 'did'.
| Positive | Negative | Question | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I / he / she / it | was | was not (wasn't) | Was I/he/she/it…? |
| you / we / they | were | were not (weren't) | Were you/we/they…? |
She was tired. → She was not tired. → Was she tired?
Common daily verbs:
- eat → ate
- drink → drank
- take → took
- give → gave
- say → said
- sit → sat
There are many more irregular verbs. You will learn them gradually.
💡 Tip: Try to learn 3–4 new irregular verbs each day. Practise them in short sentences: I went, I ate, I saw.
3. Positive sentences (irregular verbs)
Structure:
Subject + past verb (irregular form)
- I went home.
- He/She/It went home.
- You/We/They went home.
- I ate lunch.
- He/She/It ate lunch.
- You/We/They ate lunch.
For most verbs, the irregular past form is the same for all subjects (I went, she went, they went).
4. Negative sentences (irregular verbs)
Exception: for be, use was not / were not (not did not). See Section 2.
For all verbs except be, we use did not (didn’t) + base verb.
Irregular verbs (and regular verbs too):
Subject + did not (didn't) + base verb
This rule is the same for all verbs except be. See the note in Section 2.
Important rule:
❗ Even with irregular verbs, the verb goes back to the base form.
Correct: I did not go.
Incorrect: I did not went.
- I did not go out.
- He/She/It did not go out.
- You/We/They did not go out.
5. Yes/No questions (irregular verbs)
Exception: for be, use Was…? / Were…? (not Did…?). See Section 2.
For most regular and irregular verbs: Did + subject + base verb? (Did you go?)
- Did you go to school?
- Did she eat breakfast?
- Did they see the teacher?
Short answers:
- Yes, I did.
- Yes, she did.
- No, they didn’t.
6. Wh- questions (irregular verbs)
Wh-word + did + subject + base verb?
- Where did you go yesterday?
- What did she eat?
- When did they come home?
7. Time words for the past simple
These words often tell us that something happened in the past.
- yesterday
- last night
- last weekend
- two days ago
- in 2022
- I went out last night.
- She saw him yesterday.
8. Quick reminder
Step 1: Did this happen in the past (yesterday / last week / ago)? Is it finished?
→ Yes → Use past simple.
Step 2: Is the verb regular or irregular?
→ Positive sentence: use the past form (go → went)
→ Negative or question: use did / didn't + base verb (didn't go / Did you go?)
→ Exception — 'be': use was/were, wasn't/weren't, Was…? / Were…?
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Past Simple – irregular verbs
A1Past Simple (Irregular verbs)
30 wordsLast updated July 15, 2026