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Past tense verbs show what has already happened. However, the past tense can look quite different between regular and irregular verbs. Keep reading to find past tense verb lists with regular and irregular verbs conjugated into the past tense, as well as many helpful examples of each type of verb.
Past Tense Charts for Regular and Irregular Verbs
What you may know most commonly as the past tense is also called the past simple or the simple past tense. Regular verbs all tend to take on the same sort of endings in the past tense, while irregular verbs typically vary. The past tense verbs list below shows verbs conjugated into both past tense and future tense forms, while the irregular verb chart displays verbs in past tense and past participle forms.
In addition, regular verbs are also conjugated into their future tense form, while the irregular verbs are shown in their past participle forms too.
Regular Verbs Chart
Regular verbs follow a predictable, traditional pattern when conjugating into other verb tenses. There are three patterns you can use when writing a verb in past tense.
- adding -ed- for verbs that end in a consonant blend or vowel team and consonant, such as owned, guarded and feared
- doubling the last consonant and adding -ed - for verbs that end in a single vowel and consonant, such as dropped, grinned and hugged
- adding only -d - for verbs that end in a silent -e, such as named, ruled and stared
There are some exceptions to these rules, such as verbs that end in -c (add a -ked in past tense like picnicked or panicked), but for the most part, you conjugate all regular verbs in these three ways. Refer to the 21-page downloadable PDF document below when double-checking your spelling and conjugation.
Regular Verb Example Sentences
A great way to understand verb conjugation is to read them in the context of a sentence. Each example sentence below demonstrates the present tense, past tense and future tense of the same word. Notice how they follow the three rules listed above.
Example 1:
- They ask a lot of questions. (present tense)
- They asked a lot of questions. (past tense)
- They will ask a lot of questions. (future tense)
Example 2:
- Joe bats a .300. (present tense)
- Joe batted a .300. (past tense)
- Joe will bat a .300. (future tense)
Example 3:
- Jane dreams of becoming an actor. (present tense)
- Jane dreamed of becoming an actor. (past tense)
- Jane will dream of becoming an actor. (future tense)
Example 4: Drivers hspadatacard port devices.
- The dog jumps for joy. (present tense)
- The dog jumped for joy. (past tense)
- The dog will jump for joy. (future tense)
Example 5:
- You own a Cadillac. (present tense)
- You owned a Cadillac. (past tense)
- You will own a Cadillac. (future tense)
Once you know the rules for regular verbs, you’ll be able to conjugate them into all sorts of tenses. But for irregular verbs, the rules don’t exactly reply.
Irregular Verbs Chart
While regular verbs follow a standard conjugation pattern, irregular verbs are a series of exceptions. The only way to know how to conjugate a given irregular verb is to memorize the variations. Study these irregular verbs in the downloadable PDF format below, including their corresponding past tense and past participle forms.
Irregular Verb Example Sentences
Just as with regular verbs, irregular verbs are best understood in the context of a sentence. But unlike regular verbs, seeing the progression between tenses isn’t always easy to predict. Read the examples below to see how many irregular verbs you know.
Example 1:
- Terrence beats the drum. (present tense)
- Terrence beat the drum. (past tense)
- Terrence has beaten the drum. (past participle)
Example 2:
- Janine and Jessica catch fish in the river. (present tense)
- Janine and Jessica caught fish in the river. (past tense)
- Janine and Jessica have caught fish in the river. (past participle)
Example 3:
- Rocky fights with a lot of heart. (present tense)
- Rocky fought with a lot of heart. (past tense)
- Rocky has fought with a lot of heart. (past participle)
Example 4:
- You forget your password? (present tense)
- You forgot your password? (past tense)
- Have you forgotten your password? (past participle)
Example 5:
- They meet for lunch every week. (present tense)
- They met for lunch every week. (past tense)
- They have met for lunch every week. (past participle)
Using Past Tense Verbs
Although these past tense verb charts have covered a number of different verbs and their tenses, there are thousands of verbs in the English language. If you are not sure what word to use, double check the definition of the verb and review its past tense forms. Take a look at another verbs chart that includes singular and plural verbs for subject-verb agreement.
M.Ed. Education
The simple past (also called past simple, past indefinite or preterite) is a verb tense which is used to show that a completed action took place at a specific time in the past. The simple past is also frequently used to talk about past habits and generalizations. Read on for detailed descriptions, examples, and simple past exercises.
Simple Past Forms
The simple past is formed using the verb + ed. In addition, there are many verbs with irregular past forms. Questions are made with did and negative forms are made with did not.
- Statement: You called Debbie.
- Question:Did you call Debbie?
- Negative: You did not call Debbie.
Simple Past Uses
USE 1 Completed Action in the Past
Use the simple past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:
- I saw a movie yesterday.
- I didn't see a play yesterday.
- Last year, I traveled to Japan.
- Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
- Did you have dinner last night?
- She washed her car.
- He didn't wash his car.
USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions
We use the simple past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
- I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
- He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
- Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?
USE 3 Duration in the Past
The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
- I lived in Brazil for two years.
- Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
- They sat at the beach all day.
- They did not stay at the party the entire time.
- We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
- A: How long did you wait for them?
B: We waited for one hour.
USE 4 Habits in the Past
The simple past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as 'used to.' To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:
- I studied French when I was a child.
- He played the violin.
- He didn't play the piano.
- Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
- She worked at the movie theater after school.
- They never went to school, they always skipped class.
USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations
The simple past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the simple past is quite similar to the expression 'used to.'
Examples:
- She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
- He didn't like tomatoes before.
- Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
- People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.
Simple Past Tips
IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First
Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word 'when' such as 'when I dropped my pen..' or 'when class began..' These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.
Examples:
- When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.
- She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.
When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the simple past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether 'when I paid her one dollar' is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.
Pasta Fagioli
Example:
Pasta Fagioli
- I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.
ADVERB PLACEMENT
The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.
Examples:
- You just called Debbie.
- Did you just call Debbie?
ACTIVE / PASSIVE
Examples:
- Tom repaired the car. Active
- The car was repaired by Tom. Passive
Simple Past Exercises
| Verb Tense Exercise 3 | Simple Past and Past Continuous |
| Verb Tense Exercise 4 | Simple Past and Past Continuous |
| Verb Tense Exercise 5 | Simple Past and Present Perfect |
| Verb Tense Exercise 6 | Simple Past and Present Perfect |
| Verb Tense Exercise 11 | Simple Past and Past Perfect |
| Verb Tense Exercise 12 | Simple Past, Present Perfect, and Past Perfect |
| Verb Tense Exercise 15 | Tenses with durations |
| Verb Tense Exercise 16 | Present and Past Tenses with Non-Continuous Verbs |
| Verb Tense Exercise 17 | Present and Past Tense Review |
| Verb Tense Practice Test | Cumulative Verb Tense Review |
| Verb Tense Final Test | Cumulative Verb Tense Review |