Go, Went, Gone: The One-of-a-Kind Irregular Verbs
Quick Answer
A few English verbs follow no pattern whatsoever: go → went → gone; do → did → done. They must be memorised one by one — but there are only about a dozen, and you use them every day.
See the Pattern First
Look for a pattern here. There is not one — and that is the point.
- I go to work. I went yesterday. I have gone twice.
- I do my homework. I did it. I have done it.
- He makes bread. He made some. He has made plenty.
- She wins races. She won today. She has won before.
“Went” does not even come from “go” — it was borrowed from an old verb wend. Two different verbs merged into one, which is why nothing about it looks familiar.
The Full List
These are among the most-used verbs in the language, so you will meet them constantly.
| Verb | Past | With have/has/had |
|---|---|---|
| come | came | come |
| do | did | done |
| go | went | gone |
| lie | lay | lain |
| make | made | made |
| run | ran | run |
| sit | sat | sat |
| spit | spat | spat |
| tell | told | told |
| win | won | won |
The Two That Cause Real Trouble
Come and run return to their original form with have: “I have come”, “I have run” — not “comen” or “runned”. The past forms are came and ran, but the participle goes back to the start.
Lie is the hardest verb in English. Lie (to rest) becomes lay then lain. But lay (to put something down) becomes laid. And lie (to not tell the truth) is completely regular: lied. Three verbs, overlapping spellings.
No pattern. Learn them one by one.
Sorting Out Lie and Lay
Use this test — it works every time:
- If you can put an object after it, use lay: “I lay the book down.” Past: laid.
- If there is no object, use lie: “I lie down.” Past: lay.
- If it means telling an untruth: lie → lied. Always regular.
Yes — the past of “lie” is “lay”, which is also the present of a different verb. Even careful writers check this one.
Mistakes Learners Make (You Are Not Alone)
These are the errors to watch for:
- ✗ I have went there → ✓ I have gone there (went is the past, gone follows have)
- ✗ she has ran fast → ✓ she has run fast (run returns to its base form)
- ✗ I have did it → ✓ I have done it
“I have went” is the most common of all. Remember: went never follows have.
Your Turn — Quick Quiz
Five questions. Take your time — the table above is still there if you need it.
1. 1. I have ____ to Spain three times.
2. 2. She has ____ five kilometres today.
3. 3. Have you ____ your homework?
4. 4. Which sentence needs “lay” (with an object)?
5. 5. He ____ the race last weekend.
Keep Going
You have now been through every irregular verb family in English: the ones that never change, the ones with two forms, the vowel patterns, the -en group, the -ought group, the -t group, and these one-of-a-kind verbs.
Knowing the forms is one thing. Using them naturally in a real story is another — and that is where reading does the work that memorising cannot.
Next lesson: Read a graded story and see these verbs in action
Sources
I’m Khamis Maiouf. English is not my first language – I learned it as an adult in the UK, passed Functional Skills Level 2 in English, qualified in Hairdressing at Level 3, and I’m now studying Business at university. For over five years I’ve taught ESOL classes in my community and tutored students through GCSE English. I write every lesson on this site myself, for the learner I used to be.
