What Are Regular and Irregular Verbs: Understanding the Basics

Walk, Walked vs Go, Went — See the Difference

Look at these sentences. Watch what happens to the verb when we talk about the past:

I walk to work every day. → Yesterday, I walked to work.

She plays the guitar. → Last night, she played the guitar.

Did you see the pattern? Both verbs just added -ed at the end. These are regular verbs. Easy!

Now look at these:

I go to the gym. → Yesterday, I went to the gym.

She eats breakfast at 8am. → This morning, she ate breakfast early.

These verbs did NOT add -ed. They changed completely. These are irregular verbs.

Here is a quick comparison:

How to Tell if a Verb is Regular or Irregular

The rule is simple:

Regular verbs follow one rule. You just add -ed (or -d if the verb already ends in “e”):

• cook → cooked
• want → wanted
• love → loved (already ends in “e”, so just add -d)
• open → opened

Irregular verbs do NOT follow this rule. Each one changes in its own way. There is no shortcut — you need to learn them. But do not worry! There are patterns that help.

Some irregular verbs change their vowel (the middle sound):

• drink → drank
• sing → sang
• swim → swam

Some irregular verbs stay the same in all forms:

• cut → cut (no change!)
• put → put (no change!)
• hurt → hurt (no change!)

And some change completely:

• go → went
• buy → bought
• think → thought

Easy way to remember: If you can add -ed and it sounds right, it is probably regular. If adding -ed sounds strange (like “goed” or “eated”), it is irregular.

Real-Life Examples With Regular and Irregular Verbs

I cooked dinner last night. (regular — cook + ed)

She went to the shops this morning. (irregular — go → went)

We watched a film after dinner. (regular — watch + ed)

He took the bus to work yesterday. (irregular — take → took)

They cleaned the house before the guests came. (cleaned = regular, came = irregular)

You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.

Three Mistakes to Avoid With Irregular Verbs

Almost every English learner makes these mistakes at some point — even advanced students. So if you have made them too, you are not alone. This is a normal part of learning.

Mistake 1: Adding -ed to irregular verbs

How to remember: If adding -ed sounds strange when you say it out loud, the verb is probably irregular. “Goed” and “eated” sound wrong — trust your ears.

Mistake 2: Using the wrong irregular form

How to remember: “Seen” needs a helping word (have/has/had). Say “I have seen” or “I saw” — never “I seen” alone.

Mistake 3: Thinking ALL verbs are irregular

Good news — most English verbs are actually regular! There are only about 200 common irregular verbs. The rest all follow the simple -ed rule. So you already know how most verbs work.

Here are some of the most common irregular verbs to learn first:

Test Yourself: Regular or Irregular?

Choose the correct past tense for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned the difference between regular and irregular verbs. That is one of the most important grammar ideas in English — and now you understand it.

But here is something interesting — did you know that some verbs do not show actions at all? Words like can, must, and should are called auxiliary verbs (or “helping verbs”). They change the meaning of other verbs. But how exactly do they work? And why does “I can swim” mean something different from “I must swim”?

Next lesson: What Are Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)?