Question: How can I learn irregular verbs easily?
Answer: Instead of using rote memorization, you should learn irregular verbs using the predictive method. This involves grouping the verbs by common sound patterns, allowing you to "guess" the correct form naturally.
In this lesson, I’m going to teach you a fast way to learn the most common irregular verbs easily. You can watch the video, or keep reading to master the technique.
Why You Can't Learn Irregular Verbs Easily (The Textbook Trap)
If you have tried to learn irregular verbs easily by using an alphabetical list, you have already failed. This is the Generic Textbook Golem playing tricks on you—one of the 7 English learning villains that block your progress.
Standard books list verbs alphabetically (Be, Become, Begin), which forces your brain to jump between unrelated sounds. This creates Grammar Gremlins. You freeze up because you can’t remember if the Simple Past of “swim” follows the same rule as "start".
You start guessing: Swimmed? Swom?
Suddenly, you realize that your English teacher’s advice—"Just learn 5 verbs a day"—isn't working. The reality of English learning doesn't work like a dictionary. To master irregular English verbs, you need to stop acting like a robot and start thinking like a musician.
Irregular Verb Lists (And Why they Don't Work)
Most English coursebooks come with an irregular verbs list at the end of the book. As you go from elementary level to advanced, the list just gets bigger and bigger.
Below, you will find a list of 40 of the most common irregular verbs.
However, I never use such lists on their own to teach irregular verbs. What I like to do is to use the list to see how many of the verb patterns my students can find that are hidden within the list.
For instance, have a look at the verbs Bring, Buy, and Catch in the list below. Do you notice any similarities?
Trick #1: The "I-A-U" Pattern (Beginner Group)
Let's look at the most famous pattern. These verbs change their vowels from I in the Infinitive, to A in the Simple Past, and U in the Past Participle. Instead of memorizing them individually, drill them as a rhythm.
| Infinitive | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| Drink | Drank | Drunk |
| Ring | Rang | Rung |
| Sing | Sang | Sung |
| Swim | Swam | Swum |
| Sink | Sank | Sunk |
Do you see how much easier that is? You aren't learning 5 separate words; you are learning one single sound rule.
Trick #2: Irregular Verbs with [N] in the Past Participle
The next major branch of the tree contains verbs that end in [N] or [EN] in the Past Participle form. There are sub-groups here, but notice the consistency.
| Infinitive | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| Break | Broke | Broken |
| Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
| Choose | Chose | Chosen |
| Wake | Woke | Woken |
When you drill these, you stop searching for the word and start predicting the sound.
Trick #3: The "No Change" Verbs
These are often the easiest to learn, but the hardest to accept! Some verbs do not change at all across the three columns.
| Infinitive | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| Put | Put | Put |
| Cut | Cut | Cut |
| Set | Set | Set |
| Cost | Cost | Cost |
Why Knowing These Forms Matters (The 3 Columns)
You might be asking, "Why do I need to know the third column?" Official sources state there are up to 638 irregular verbs, but you only need to master the top 200 to be fluent. To do that, you must understand the 3 Columns:
- Infinitive: The base form.
- Past Simple: Used for finished actions in the past.
- Past Participle: Used for perfect tenses and passive voice.
The Past Simple vs. The Past Participle
This is where students get stuck. The Past Simple is for storytelling. It follows the formula: Who + Did + What + When.
Ex: My mom made spaghetti last night.
The Past Participle is the engine for more complex grammar. You cannot form the Present Perfect, Past Perfect, or Future Perfect without it.
Ex: I have made mistakes before. (Present Perfect)
If you don't know the irregular form, you can't build the tense.
Verbs in the Narrative Tenses
The narrative tenses consist of the Past Simple, Past Perfect Simple, Past Continuous, and the Past Perfect Continuous. To tell a story effectively, you need to know how to pronounce these irregular forms automatically.
Verbs in Reported Speech
Another area where irregular verbs are critical is Reported Speech. When you report what someone said, you often shift the tense back a level. If you don't know the irregular past form, you can't report the news.
Why are Irregular Verbs Important
The verb sits at the heart of an English sentence.
If you're a non-native English learner, not knowing how to conjugate a verb into the past tense or past participle can easily break your ability to complete the sentence—the Grammar Gremlins and Vocabulary Void combined.
Constantly searching for the word or the conjugation can be frustrating, so you want to master all of the most common irregular verbs. That means being able to use any verb automatically and intuitively.
Defeating the "Confidence Crusher" (Next Steps)
Not knowing these verbs can block you from speaking. Just imagine: You are in a conversation. You start your sentence. Then you hit the verb. Is it thinked? Thank? Thunk? While you cycle through options, you stop speaking. You freeze.
That fear is the Confidence Crusher. It stops you from speaking because you are afraid of making a mistake. Here is your plan:
- Download my Study Guide: It includes cut-out cards for drill practice so you can master the patterns.
- Practice the Patterns: Don't memorize lists. Use the tables above.
- Stop Apologizing: If you make a mistake, don't say "Sorry." Just correct it and move on.
Read Next: The "Apology Reflex": Why You Must Stop Saying "Sorry for my English"
Ready for your Next Lesson?
Since you are in the mood to learn the forms that include either the Past Simple or Past Participle, these posts will be good as your next lesson:
Get your free Native 1 Study Guide to Learn Irregular Verbs by Phonetic Groupings
It includes the following:
- Tips on how to practice and learn the irregular verbs.
- The Graphic Organizer overview.
- Cut-out cards for you to do drill-practice.
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