Having trouble remembering English verbs? do you want to become an expert in the language? It’s no secret to anyone that, nowadays, knowing English is a fundamental skill. According to the human resources consulting firm Randstad, language skills increase your chances of finding a job by 37% .
One of the first steps to improve your English is to expand your vocabulary, and part of that is learning how to use English verbs. For Diego Salazar, teacher of the Basic English Pronunciation online course, “mastering most English verbs will help you to express yourself fluently in both oral and written conversations”.
In this article, we will not only explain how to conjugate the most used verbs in English; this guide will help you master the universal language with a list of more than 50 English verbs with their respective examples and a series of free resources to enhance your learning.
Regular and irregular verbs in English
Before listing the most commonly used English verbs, let’s start by exploring the types of English verbs: regular and irregular. In this way, you will be able to better understand the following sections in which you will learn the conjugations of English verbs.
So, what are regular verbs in English? These are the ones that follow the same pattern for past simple and past participle verb conjugations: for which the -ed ending is added.
Some examples of regular verbs in English are the following: arrive, call and wait.
On the other hand, what are irregular verbs in English? Basically, they are the verbs that mean the opposite of regular verbs, because each time they are conjugated they have different endings.
Some examples of irregular verbs in English are the following: cost, cut and hurt.
By definition, regular verbs in English are easier to conjugate, since you only have to memorize one ending to be able to conjugate the verbs in all tenses in English .
While irregular verbs in English are more complicated, one suggestion we can give you so that you can use them without problems is to memorize their variations in each of the verb tenses.
Now that we have mentioned it, you will probably find it a tedious task. However, with practice and frequent use of these English verbs, you will be able to remember them easily.
Looking back over what you have seen in this section, you already know what are the regular and irregular verbs in English. But what are the verb forms or tenses in which these verbs are conjugated?
In English, the conjugation of verbs occurs in the following forms: past simple, past participle and gerund. Of course, they all start from the base form, which is known as the simple present.
Image: Pexels
how to learn irregular verbs in English?
As we mentioned in the previous point, one of the main problems for English learners is the complexity of irregular verbs in English. Although their mastery is related to having a good memory and practice, it can be a complicated task for some, but not impossible.
In the Spanish language, for example, we use irregular verbs constantly, we just don’t differentiate them because we have internalized them in our vocabulary. As the saying goes “practice makes perfect”, so the best way to learn English verbs is by speaking, listening and practicing.
If you are still having trouble remembering some irregular verbs in English, you can group them in a table. This strategy will help you condense your ideas to create mental shortcuts and remember all the conjugations of irregular verbs in English with ease .
Let’s look at some classifications that you may find useful:
Types of irregular verbs in English
1. English verbs that are the same
Something very common in some irregular English verbs is that their conjugations are the same in the infinitive, past simple and past participle. These are the easiest English verbs to memorize .
Here are some examples of this type of English verbs:
Hit/Hit/Hit/Hit.
Cut/Cut/Cut
Put/Put/Put/Put
Let/Let/Let/Let
Bet/Bet/Bet/Bet
Set/Set/Set/Set
2. Irregular English verbs that end in “D
There are some English verbs that end in “D” and, in general, their past simple and past participle are written exactly the same, only exchanging the letter “D ” for the letter “T” .
If you can identify them and make a list of them, you will be able to memorize these English verbs quickly.
Check out these examples:
Send/Sent/Sent
Build/Built/Built
Lend/Lent/Lent
Bend/Bent/Bent
3. English verbs with the I-A-U rule
There are some irregular verbs in English that comply with the I-A-U rule. This is based on the fact that when changing the verb in its different conjugations, it will contain I-A-U as its main vowel (in that specific order).
For a better understanding, here are some examples:
Ring/Rang/Rung (Ringing)
Sing/Sang/Sung (Singing)
Drink/Drank/Drunk (Drink)
As you can see, these English verbs are easy to remember, as all the conjugations sound with a characteristic rhythm. However, be careful with the pronunciation, because it is usually different from the way it is read.Let’s continue discovering more tricks to master irregular verbs in English.
4. English verbs with the simple past tense containing the letter “O”
There are some irregular verbs that can be grouped by their similarity when conjugating them. many verbs that in the simple past tense have the vowel “O”, usually have a verb in participle which ends in “-en”.
It may sound a bit confusing, but with these examples you will be able to understand what this kind of English verbs consist of:
Speak/Spoke/Spoke/Spoken
Write/Wrote/Written (Writting)
Take/Took/Taken (To take)
These English verbs in the past simple tense have a letter “O” in all 3 cases. Similarly, all the verbs have a verb participle ending in “en”. It is certainly a good way to organize this type of irregular verbs in English.
5. English verbs with equal conjugations
There are some English verbs that, besides being irregular, have the same conjugated verbs. This means that the verb in past simple and in participle will be the same. In addition, these verbs modify their stressed vowel.
Take a look at the following examples:
Feed/Fed/Fed (feeding)
Bleed/Bled/Bled (Bleed)
Speed/Sped/Sped (Accelerate)
6. English verbs with equal conjugations ending with “T”.
As with the verbs we saw in the previous point, these English verbs also have the same verb in the past simple and past participle, but with the difference that they always end with the letter “T”.
Check these examples of this type of verbs in English:
Bring/Brought/Brought
Feel/Felt/Felt (Feeling)
Spend/Spent/Spent (Spend)
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English verbs in the present simple tense
In this section, you will find the famous list of the most used verbs in English with all the irregular and regular verbs that we mentioned at the beginning.
Before we start, please note that the present simple is used for the following:
Communicating permanent states or actions.
To express situations that have periodicity.
To talk about routines in established times.
To give indications, signals or instructions.
So, are you ready to know the main verbs in English? Let’s start with the list of English and Spanish verbs.
By the way, these English verb conjugations are applied as follows:
i, we, you, they / he, she, it.
Answer / answers (answering)
Be / am / is / are (to be, to be)
Call / calls (to call)
Can (to be able to)
Come / comes (to come)
Do / does (to do)
Feel / feels (to feel)
Get / gets (to get)
Give / gives (to give)
Go / goes (to go)
Happen / happens (to happen)
Have / has (to have)
Hear / hears (to hear)
Help / helps (to help)
Know / knows (to know)
Laugh / laughs (to laugh)
Leave / leaves (to go, leave, abandon)
Let / lets (leave, let)
Like / likes (to like)
Live / lives (to live)
Look / looks / looks (to see, to look)
Love / loves (to love)
Make / makes (to make, produce, manufacture)
Mean / means (to mean)
Mind / minds (to worry)
Move / moves (to move)
Need / needs (to need)
Nod / nods (to nod)
Open / opens
Pull / pulls
Reply / replies
Say / says (to say, tell)
See / sees
Seem / seems (to seem)
Sit / sits (to sit / sits)
Smile / smiles (to smile)
Stare / stares (to stare)
Start / starts (to begin)
Stop / stops (to stop)
Take / takes (to take)
Talk / talks (to talk)
Tell / tells (to tell)
Think / thinks (think)
Try / tries (to try)
Use / uses (to use)
Wait / waits (wait)
Walk / walks (to walk)
Want / wants (wanthing)
Watch / watches (to watch)
Work / works (to work)
By internalizing this list of Spanish and English verbs, you will be able to have more freedom to communicate with others without falling into awkward silence because you don’t know how to say a word. In addition, you will learn how to write a formal email in English without spelling mistakes.
English Verb Sentences with verbs in English
To give you an idea of how to use these English verbs, here are some examples of English verbs in sentences that can be applied in your everyday life.
They live in Spain at the moment (Ellos viven en Spain actualmente).
She laughs a lot with her cousin
I have many friends in China
He is tall and thin
I like this carrot cake.
Simple past tense verbs in English
Okay, you’ve just learned the present simple verbs in English, but what if you wanted to talk about something that happened recently or yesterday during your routine? To do this, you must use the simple past, which is one of the most commonly used verb tenses.
In fact, you can use English verbs in the past simple for the following :
Actions that took place in the past and have already ended.
To describe a series of actions in the past.
To talk about generalities in the past.
To talk about repeated or habitual actions in the past.
Here are the regular and irregular past simple verbs in English:
Answered
Was / were
Called
Could
Came
Did
Felt
Got
Gave
Went
Happened
Had
Heard
Helped
Knew
Laughed
Left
Let
Liked
Lived
Looked
Loved
Made
Meant
Minded
Moved
Needed
Nodded
Opened
Pulled
Replied
Said
Saw
Seemed
Sat
Smiled
Stared
Started
Stopped
Took
Talked
Told
Thought
Tried
Used
Waited
Walked
Wanted
Watched
Worked
In order to remember the 50 past simple verbs in English you have just reviewed, we recommend that you identify both regular and irregular verbs so that you know what the ending of each one looks like.
Another good idea to internalize the conjugations of English verbs is to listen to English content, for example: you can search for songs or podcasts in English to get an idea of how to include them when communicating with your boss or when you have to make a presentation in English.
Sentences with English verbs
It’s time for examples of past simple verbs in English.
Check them carefully:
He went to her house last Friday
She smiled at him during the party
I tried Chinese food last summer
I watched all the episodes with my mom
She worked so hard for that diploma
Image: Pexels
English verbs in past participle
Although many consider these English verb conjugations to be more complicated than the previous ones, in this section, we will explain how to use them easily.
To conjugate English verbs in past participle, you must resort to the following structure:
Subject + had (have in past tense) + verb in past participle
Before reviewing the list of English verbs in past participle, it is necessary to emphasize that the use of the verb “had” as an auxiliary verb to complete the action is essential .
Well, let’s continue with the examples of English verbs in this verb tense:
Answered
Been
Called
Been able
Come
Done
Felt
Got
Given
Gone
Happened
Had
Heard
Helped
Known
Laughed
Left
Let
Liked
Lived
Looked
Loved
Made
Meant
Minded
Moved
Needed
Nodded
Opened
Pulled
Replied
Said
Seen
Seemed
Sat
Smiled
Stared
Started
Stopped
Taken
Talked
Told
Thought
Tried
Used
Waited
Walked
Wanted
Watched
Worked
As you can see in the list, most English verbs remain the same as in the past simple conjugation. However, you should keep in mind which verbs change so that you can conjugate them correctly when you need to.
Sentences with English verbs
do you remember what is the structure for using past participle verbs correctly in English? Never forget to add the auxiliary before the main verb, otherwise, it will be considered a simple past tense sentence.
Important: past participle verbs are used to express an action that happened in the past when another action had already happened.
Now, let’s go straight to the examples:
I had answered correctly but we lost anyway
She had worked out to fit in that dress.
Juana had moved out several times before coming here
Pedro had tried to call her many times but she never answered.
I had thought she didn’t know about the bad news!
Image: Unsplash
English gerund verbs
Finally, it’s time for you to get to know English gerund verbs, which are also known as verbs with -ing in English.
This verb form is always used after prepositions and phrasal verbs (took up, come back, get on, etc). In addition, you should always use these verbs in English when the verb is the subject of the sentence .
Later on, we will give you some examples, but for now, let’s continue with the list of English gerund verbs:
Answering
Being
Calling
Being able
Coming
Doing
Feeling
Getting
Giving
Going
Happening
Having
Hearing
Helping
Knowing
Laughing
Leaving
Letting
Liking
Living
Looking
Loving
Making
Meaning
Minding
Moving
Needing
Nodding
Opening
Pulling
Replying
Saying
Seeing
Seeming
Sitting
Smiling
Staring
Starting
Stopping
Taking
Talking
Telling
Thinking
Trying
Using
Waiting
Walking
Wanting
Watching
Working
Nothing complicated, don’t you think? Except for the verb “can”, the others simply change to the -ing ending. Without a doubt, this is one of the easiest English verb forms to learn.
Sentences with English verbs
We end this section with a list of examples so that you know how to include gerund verbs in English, taking into account the conditions mentioned above.
Waiting for you was so boring
I enjoy walking alone at night.
Camila said that talking to him was difficult.
Wait! I am looking for my keys!
Seeing my friend after a long time was amazing!
Image: Unsplash
English auxiliary verbs
We have already seen English verbs in different conjugations such as present simple or past participle. However, there are some verbs that fulfill an auxiliary role, as they help to speak in both past, present and future tense .
In this case, the most used auxiliary verbs in English are “be”, “do” and “have”. Next, we will see each of them and you will learn how to use them correctly:
1. Auxiliary verb “be
The verb “be” is one of the most important English verbs. It is responsible for supporting the various English continuous tenses .
For example, to talk about situations that have occurred or are occurring at the moment and will last in progress for a certain time.
Some examples are the following:
He is a good pilot
She is studying gastronomy
In the first case, the verb “be” acts as the main verb of the sentence, since there is no other verb accompanying it at the same time. However, in the second example we can see how the verb “be” plays an auxiliary role with respect to the verb “studying”.
2. Auxiliary verb “do
The case of the verb “do” is a bit special, since it is usually used in an auxiliary way to create a question, to elaborate negative answers and to give emphasis. Some examples of how to use the verb “do” in English sentences are the following:
Do you speak French?
He does not speak French (He does not speak French)
You do run fast!
It is important to mention that in both questions and answers, the verb “do” changes to “does” if the subject of the sentence is “she”, “he” and “it”.
3. Auxiliary verb “have
The case of the English verb “have” is very similar to that of the verb “be”, since it can be used as a main verb and as an auxiliary verb.
The meaning as a main verb is “to have”, while as an auxiliary verb it receives the meaning “to have”. Its use is mostly seen to form sentences in perfect tenses, which speak of actions ending in the present, past or future .
For a better understanding, check out these examples:
I have been to your house (Ya he estado en tu casa.)
Have you ever visited Peru?
Little known English verbs
While throughout this article, we have seen all kinds of English verbs that will surely help you in your learning, there are some verbs that are often overlooked if you are just starting to learn English.
However, if your goal is to expand your vocabulary to improve your writing skills and take your knowledge to the next level, here are some little-known but very useful English verbs according to the TOEFL:
Abandon
Adjust
Assert
Argue
Bethink
Condemn
Conduct
Contaminate
Dangle (Balance)
Deprecate (Criticize)
Disrobe (Disvestirse)
Diversify
Efface
Enchant
Endorse
Feign
Garnish
Haunt
Impose
Invoke
Jeopardize
Marshal
Permeate
Plunge
Prevail
Remonstrate
Scrutinize
Succumb
Testify
Undertake
Weave
Uncommon English verbs will give your vocabulary a more professional tone. If you find yourself in a position where you must, for example, talk to foreign clients, we recommend you use them to make a good impression.
Image: Unsplash
Apps to learn English verbs
how to learn English fast? To use English verbs naturally in your daily life, it is important that you can practice them whenever you can. One of the most effective ways to do this is through some virtual tools .
Below, we will show you some applications to keep learning about English verbs from anywhere. Let’s take a look at each one of them.
1. English Phrasal Verbs
For some people, phrasal verbs are complicated to learn due to their compound structure. if you also have a hard time memorizing these verbs in English, here are some of the functions that this application offers you:
Offline usage
Dictionary with examples of all phrasal verbs
Favorites list
Phrasal verbs search engine
In addition, “English Phrasal Verbs” tests your knowledge with multiple choice tests. Take advantage of this opportunity to become an expert in English verbs.
download English Phrasal Verbs for Android
2. English Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs in English are a fundamental part of this language. If you do not know how to use them correctly, you will not be able to express your ideas efficiently. Therefore, we recommend this application.
In a practical and friendly interface, “English Irregular Verbs” has divided the irregular verbs in English into levels so that you can learn them gradually. Also, they have complemented their list of English verbs with their respective meanings and some examples. best of all, you can take quizzes to monitor your progress.
download English Irregular Verbs for Android
3. English Verbs
Finally, this application is useful for learning all about English verbs, whether they are regular or irregular. According to its creators, you will find a list of more than 1000 English verbs, although they keep adding more .
Of course, “English Verbs” includes a list of the most used English verbs in all tenses: present, past, future, conditional, etc. It also has a favorites section to save the English verbs you use the most, a quick search function, a section of examples, definitions, and much more.
download English Phrasal Verbs for Android
download English Phrasal Verbs for iOS
Free resources to complement the English verbs
To be an expert in the language, you need to take your knowledge beyond English verbs. That’s why, in this section, we want to complement everything you have learned above with a series of practical and easy-to-use tools .
A great advantage of downloading them is that each of them will be useful in different scenarios. Let’s take a look at them.
1. List of the most commonly used verbs in English
This tool is an excellent summary of today’s article, as it is a list of the most used verbs in English with their respective conjugations
Find the 50 most used verbs in English in past simple, past participle and gerund, their present tense form and also their Spanish equivalent.
download our list of the most used verbs in English.
2. English Alphabet Poster
One of the most common difficulties when learning a language is pronunciation. If you relate to this statement, this English alphabet poster will help you greatly improve the way you say English verbs .
Using this tool you will be able to learn how to talk to your boss and colleagues leaving aside the confusions due to mispronunciation of English verbs.
download our English Alphabet Poster
3. English connectors exercises
In addition to knowing English verbs, it is also important that you can focus on connectors to write a text that demonstrates professionalism .
At the same time, English connectors will also be useful when interacting with anyone who does not speak Spanish. You can’t miss this resource to improve your communication skills.
download our English connectors exercises
4. List of examples of First conditional + exercises
Of course, we couldn’t leave out the First Conditional examples after having studied English verbs. Learning how to use this structure is useful for making predictions in the past, present and future .
In short, with this resource you will be on your way to speaking like a native speaker.
download our list of First Conditional examples
5. English job interview example
Once you know how to use English verbs and have put your English skills into practice, you will have the opportunity to apply for international positions to enhance your career.
When the time comes, this sample job interview will help you secure the position of your dreams .
download our sample job interview in English
We hope that this information about English verbs in their different forms has been helpful for you. Don’t forget that English is a tool that opens many doors and that can only be perfected through practice.
If you want to continue working on your language skills to become a highly competitive professional in the market, we suggest you take a look at our online English courses.