English grammar: Simple past irregular verbs (common)

What this grammar point covers

The simple past tense with irregular verbs in English is used to talk about actions that happened in the past. Irregular verbs do not follow the usual -ed ending rule.

When to use it

Use the simple past irregular verbs to talk about something that happened and finished in the past, like yesterday or last week.

Key forms

• Irregular verbs have special past forms (not -ed).
• Example: go → went, have → had, eat → ate

Examples

Tips

• Do not add -ed to irregular verbs in the past.
• Learn the most common irregular verbs by heart.
• For questions and negatives, use 'did' and the base form: Did you go? She did not go.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some verbs have the same form in present and past (e.g., put → put, cut → cut).
• Some verbs change completely (e.g., go → went).