Master English Verb Forms - Complete Guide

What is a Verb?

Definition

A verb is a word that shows:

ACTION - what someone does (run, eat, write)
STATE - how someone/something is (is, am, are)
OCCURRENCE - what happens (happen, become, occur)

                    🔑 Key Point: Verbs are the HEART of every sentence. Without verbs, sentences are incomplete!
                

Examples of Different Verb Types

Action Verbs: run, jump, eat, sleep, write
State Verbs: is, am, are, was, were
Occurrence Verbs: happen, become, occur, appear, seem

Why Are Verbs Important?

✓ Every sentence MUST have a verb
✓ Verbs tell us WHAT is happening
✓ Verbs indicate TIME (through tenses)
✓ Verbs show WHO is doing the action

Without Verb: ❌ "The boy the ball"
With Verb: ✓ "The boy kicks the ball"

Types of Verbs

1. Main Verbs (Lexical Verbs)

Show the main action in a sentence

Examples:
• I eat breakfast every day.
• She runs in the park.
• They write letters to their friends.
• He sleeps for eight hours.
• We play football on weekends.

2. Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)

Help the main verb to form tenses and voices

Examples:
• I am going to school. (Present Continuous)
• She has completed her homework. (Present Perfect)
• They were playing cricket. (Past Continuous)
• He will arrive tomorrow. (Future Simple)
• We have been waiting for an hour. (Present Perfect Continuous)

3. Modal Verbs

Show possibility, ability, permission, or obligation

Examples:
• I can swim very well. (Ability)
• You must complete your assignment. (Obligation)
• She may come to the party. (Possibility)
• Could you help me with this? (Polite request)
• They should study harder. (Advice)

Action Verbs vs State Verbs

Action Verbs (Dynamic Verbs)

Show physical or mental action - Can be used in continuous forms

Physical Actions:
• She is running in the marathon.
• They are jumping on the trampoline.
• He is eating pizza.
• We are writing essays.
• I am dancing at the party.

Mental Actions:
• I am thinking about the solution.
• She is considering the offer.
• They are studying for exams.
• He is learning Spanish.
• We are planning a trip.

State Verbs (Stative Verbs)

Show state, not action - Usually NOT used in continuous forms

Feelings:
• I love chocolate. (NOT: I am loving)
• She hates spiders.
• They like music.
• He prefers tea to coffee.
• We enjoy traveling.

Possession:
• I have a car. (NOT: I am having a car)
• She owns a house.
• They belong to this club.
• He possesses great talent.
• This book contains useful information.

The Five Forms of Verbs

                    Important: Every verb in English has 5 different forms. Understanding these forms is essential for proper grammar!
                

Form Name	Symbol	Also Called	Example (Go)
Base Form	V1	1st Form / Infinitive	go
Simple Past	V2	2nd Form / Past Form	went
Past Participle	V3	3rd Form	gone
Present Participle	V4	-ing Form	going
Third Person Singular	V5	-s/-es Form	goes

V1 - Base Form (First Form)

When to use: Simple Present with I/You/We/They, After modal verbs, Infinitive form

5 Examples:
• I go to school every day.
• They play cricket on Sundays.
• I can swim very well.
• Please help me with this.
• We study English together.

V2 - Past Form (Second Form)

When to use: Simple Past Tense (for all subjects)

5 Examples:
• I went to the market yesterday.
• She played tennis last week.
• They ate dinner at 8 PM.
• He wrote a letter to his friend.
• We saw a movie on Friday.

                        Two Types:

                        Regular: play → played (add -ed)

                        Irregular: go → went (must memorize!)

V3 - Past Participle (Third Form)

When to use: Perfect tenses (with has/have/had), Passive voice

5 Examples:
• I have gone to Delhi many times.
• She has written three books.
• They have eaten lunch already.
• The work has been done. (Passive)
• He had seen that movie before.

V4 - Present Participle (Fourth Form / -ing Form)

When to use: All Continuous tenses, As a gerund (noun)

5 Examples:
• I am playing cricket now. (Present Continuous)
• She was eating when I called. (Past Continuous)
• They will be coming soon. (Future Continuous)
• Swimming is good exercise. (Gerund)
• He enjoys reading books. (Gerund)

V5 - Third Person Singular (Fifth Form / -s/-es Form)

When to use: Simple Present with He/She/It only

5 Examples:
• He goes to school by bus.
• She plays the piano beautifully.
• It works perfectly.
• My brother studies medicine.
• The sun rises in the east.

Quick Reference: Which Form in Which Tense?

Tense	Verb Form	Example
Simple Present	V1 / V5	I play / He plays
Simple Past	V2	I played
Simple Future	will + V1	I will play
Present Continuous	am/is/are + V4	I am playing
Past Continuous	was/were + V4	I was playing
Future Continuous	will be + V4	I will be playing
Present Perfect	has/have + V3	I have played
Past Perfect	had + V3	I had played
Future Perfect	will have + V3	I will have played

Regular Verbs

                    Good News! Regular verbs follow a simple pattern - just add -ed for V2 and V3. This makes them easier to learn!
                

Complete Regular Verbs Table (30 Common Verbs)

V1 (Base)	V2 (Past)	V3 (Past Participle)	V4 (-ing)	V5 (-s/-es)	Hindi Meaning
play	played	played	playing	plays	खेलना
walk	walked	walked	walking	walks	चलना
talk	talked	talked	talking	talks	बात करना
work	worked	worked	working	works	काम करना
watch	watched	watched	watching	watches	देखना
clean	cleaned	cleaned	cleaning	cleans	साफ करना
cook	cooked	cooked	cooking	cooks	पकाना
help	helped	helped	helping	helps	मदद करना
jump	jumped	jumped	jumping	jumps	कूदना
listen	listened	listened	listening	listens	सुनना
look	looked	looked	looking	looks	देखना
move	moved	moved	moving	moves	हिलना
open	opened	opened	opening	opens	खोलना
paint	painted	painted	painting	paints	रंगना
rain	rained	rained	raining	rains	बारिश होना
start	started	started	starting	starts	शुरू करना
study	studied	studied	studying	studies	पढ़ना
try	tried	tried	trying	tries	कोशिश करना
visit	visited	visited	visiting	visits	मिलने जाना
wait	waited	waited	waiting	waits	इंतजार करना
wash	washed	washed	washing	washes	धोना
ask	asked	asked	asking	asks	पूछना
answer	answered	answered	answering	answers	जवाब देना
call	called	called	calling	calls	बुलाना
close	closed	closed	closing	closes	बंद करना
dance	danced	danced	dancing	dances	नाचना
finish	finished	finished	finishing	finishes	खत्म करना
laugh	laughed	laughed	laughing	laughs	हंसना
love	loved	loved	loving	loves	प्यार करना
plan	planned	planned	planning	plans	योजना बनाना
stop	stopped	stopped	stopping	stops	रुकना

Examples with Regular Verbs in Sentences

V1 (Base Form):
• I work in an office.
• They listen to music every day.
• We clean our room on Saturdays.
• You cook delicious food.
• I can dance very well.

V2 (Past Form):
• I worked late yesterday.
• They listened to the teacher carefully.
• We cleaned the house last Sunday.
• She cooked pasta for dinner.
• We danced at the wedding.

V3 (Past Participle):
• I have worked here for five years.
• They have listened to this song before.
• We have cleaned the entire building.
• She has cooked many dishes today.
• The letter was mailed yesterday. (Passive)

V4 (Present Participle):
• I am working on a project right now.
• They are listening to the radio.
• We are cleaning the garage.
• She is cooking dinner in the kitchen.
• Dancing is my hobby. (Gerund)

V5 (Third Person Singular):
• He works in a bank.
• She listens to classical music.
• My mother cleans the house daily.
• My father cooks on weekends.
• The baby laughs a lot.

Irregular Verbs

                    Challenge Alert! Irregular verbs don't follow the -ed pattern. You must MEMORIZE them! But don't worry - with practice, they'll become easy.
                

Complete Irregular Verbs Table (50 Most Common Verbs)

V1 (Base)	V2 (Past)	V3 (Past Participle)	V4 (-ing)	V5 (-s/-es)	Hindi Meaning
be	was/were	been	being	is/am/are	होना
have	had	had	having	has	रखना/पास होना
do	did	done	doing	does	करना
go	went	gone	going	goes	जाना
get	got	got/gotten	getting	gets	पाना
make	made	made	making	makes	बनाना
take	took	taken	taking	takes	लेना
come	came	come	coming	comes	आना
see	saw	seen	seeing	sees	देखना
know	knew	known	knowing	knows	जानना
give	gave	given	giving	gives	देना
find	found	found	finding	finds	ढूंढना
tell	told	told	telling	tells	बताना
say	said	said	saying	says	कहना
speak	spoke	spoken	speaking	speaks	बोलना
write	wrote	written	writing	writes	लिखना
run	ran	run	running	runs	दौड़ना
eat	ate	eaten	eating	eats	खाना
drink	drank	drunk	drinking	drinks	पीना
swim	swam	swum	swimming	swims	तैरना
sing	sang	sung	singing	sings	गाना
sit	sat	sat	sitting	sits	बैठना
stand	stood	stood	standing	stands	खड़े होना
sleep	slept	slept	sleeping	sleeps	सोना
break	broke	broken	breaking	breaks	तोड़ना
bring	brought	brought	bringing	brings	लाना
buy	bought	bought	buying	buys	खरीदना
catch	caught	caught	catching	catches	पकड़ना
teach	taught	taught	teaching	teaches	सिखाना
think	thought	thought	thinking	thinks	सोचना
fight	fought	fought	fighting	fights	लड़ना
fly	flew	flown	flying	flies	उड़ना
read	read	read	reading	reads	पढ़ना
wear	wore	worn	wearing	wears	पहनना
win	won	won	winning	wins	जीतना
lose	lost	lost	losing	loses	हारना
meet	met	met	meeting	meets	मिलना
feel	felt	felt	feeling	feels	महसूस करना
hear	heard	heard	hearing	hears	सुनना
leave	left	left	leaving	leaves	छोड़ना
begin	began	begun	beginning	begins	शुरू होना
choose	chose	chosen	choosing	chooses	चुनना
draw	drew	drawn	drawing	draws	चित्र बनाना
fall	fell	fallen	falling	falls	गिरना
forget	forgot	forgotten	forgetting	forgets	भूलना
grow	grew	grown	growing	grows	बढ़ना
hide	hid	hidden	hiding	hides	छुपाना
ride	rode	ridden	riding	rides	सवारी करना
drive	drove	driven	driving	drives	चलाना
throw	threw	thrown	throwing	throws	फेंकना

Special Cases - Same Forms

All Three Forms Same (V1 = V2 = V3)

V1	V2	V3	Meaning
cut	cut	cut	काटना
put	put	put	रखना
hit	hit	hit	मारना
hurt	hurt	hurt	चोट लगाना
let	let	let	देना/अनुमति देना
set	set	set	सेट करना
shut	shut	shut	बंद करना
spread	spread	spread	फैलाना

Examples with Irregular Verbs in Sentences

V1 (Base Form):
• I go to school every day.
• They eat lunch at 1 PM.
• We write in our notebooks.
• You speak English fluently.
• I can swim across the river.

V2 (Past Form):
• I went to Delhi last week.
• They ate pizza for dinner.
• We wrote a letter to our grandparents.
• She spoke to the manager.
• He swam in the ocean.

V3 (Past Participle):
• I have gone to that restaurant many times.
• They have eaten all the cookies.
• We have written ten essays this month.
• She has spoken to him about it.
• The race has been won by our team. (Passive)

V4 (Present Participle):
• I am going to the market now.
• They are eating breakfast.
• We are writing a story.
• She is speaking on the phone.
• Swimming keeps you fit. (Gerund)

V5 (Third Person Singular):
• He goes to the gym daily.
• She eats healthy food.
• My teacher writes neatly.
• He speaks three languages.
• The bird flies high in the sky.

Verb Formation Rules

How to Form V4 (-ING Form)

Rule 1: Most Verbs - Just add -ing

• play → playing
• eat → eating
• read → reading
• sleep → sleeping
• jump → jumping

Rule 2: Verbs ending in -e - Drop e, add -ing

• make → making (not makeing)
• write → writing (not writeing)
• come → coming
• dance → dancing
• move → moving

Rule 3: One syllable CVC pattern - Double last letter

(Consonant-Vowel-Consonant pattern)

• run → running (not runing)
• sit → sitting (not siting)
• swim → swimming
• stop → stopping
• get → getting

Rule 4: Exception - Don't double w, x, y

• fix → fixing (not fixxing)
• snow → snowing (not snowing)
• play → playing (not playying)
• box → boxing
• row → rowing

How to Form V5 (-S/-ES Form)

Rule 1: Most Verbs - Add -s

• play → plays
• eat → eats
• run → runs
• sleep → sleeps
• jump → jumps

Rule 2: Verbs ending in -s, -ss, -x, -z, -ch, -sh - Add -es

• wash → washes (not washs)
• catch → catches
• fix → fixes
• buzz → buzzes
• miss → misses

Rule 3: Verbs ending in Consonant + y - Change y to i, add -es

• study → studies (not studys)
• cry → cries
• fly → flies
• try → tries
• carry → carries

Rule 4: Verbs ending in Vowel + y - Just add -s

• play → plays (not plaies)
• stay → stays
• enjoy → enjoys
• buy → buys
• say → says

How to Form V2 and V3 (Past Forms) - Regular Verbs

Rule 1: Most Verbs - Add -ed

• play → played
• walk → walked
• jump → jumped
• work → worked
• talk → talked

Rule 2: Verbs ending in -e - Add -d only

• move → moved (not moveed)
• like → liked
• dance → danced
• live → lived
• use → used

Rule 3: Verbs ending in Consonant + y - Change y to i, add -ed

• study → studied (not studyed)
• cry → cried
• try → tried
• carry → carried
• worry → worried

Rule 4: One syllable CVC - Double last letter, add -ed

• stop → stopped (not stoped)
• plan → planned
• drop → dropped
• slip → slipped
• shop → shopped

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Wrong form with He/She/It
❌ He go to school.
✓ He goes to school. (Use V5)

Mistake 2: Wrong form with has/have
❌ I have went there.
✓ I have gone there. (Use V3)

Mistake 3: Wrong form in continuous tenses
❌ She is play cricket.
✓ She is playing cricket. (Use V4)

Mistake 4: Using regular pattern for irregular verbs
❌ I eated pizza.
✓ I ate pizza. (Irregular verb)

Mistake 5: Wrong verb agreement
❌ They was playing.
✓ They were playing.

Practice Quiz - Test Your Knowledge!

                Instructions: Answer all 30 questions below. Click "Submit Quiz" to check your answers and see your score!
            

What is a Verb?

Definition

Examples of Different Verb Types

Why Are Verbs Important?

Types of Verbs

1. Main Verbs (Lexical Verbs)

2. Auxiliary Verbs (Helping Verbs)

3. Modal Verbs

Action Verbs vs State Verbs

Action Verbs (Dynamic Verbs)

State Verbs (Stative Verbs)

The Five Forms of Verbs

V1 - Base Form (First Form)

V2 - Past Form (Second Form)

V3 - Past Participle (Third Form)

V4 - Present Participle (Fourth Form / -ing Form)

V5 - Third Person Singular (Fifth Form / -s/-es Form)

Quick Reference: Which Form in Which Tense?

Regular Verbs

Complete Regular Verbs Table (30 Common Verbs)

Examples with Regular Verbs in Sentences

Irregular Verbs

Complete Irregular Verbs Table (50 Most Common Verbs)

Special Cases - Same Forms

All Three Forms Same (V1 = V2 = V3)

Examples with Irregular Verbs in Sentences

Verb Formation Rules

How to Form V4 (-ING Form)

Rule 1: Most Verbs - Just add -ing

Rule 2: Verbs ending in -e - Drop e, add -ing

Rule 3: One syllable CVC pattern - Double last letter

Rule 4: Exception - Don't double w, x, y

How to Form V5 (-S/-ES Form)

Rule 1: Most Verbs - Add -s

Rule 2: Verbs ending in -s, -ss, -x, -z, -ch, -sh - Add -es

Rule 3: Verbs ending in Consonant + y - Change y to i, add -es

Rule 4: Verbs ending in Vowel + y - Just add -s

How to Form V2 and V3 (Past Forms) - Regular Verbs

Rule 1: Most Verbs - Add -ed

Rule 2: Verbs ending in -e - Add -d only

Rule 3: Verbs ending in Consonant + y - Change y to i, add -ed

Rule 4: One syllable CVC - Double last letter, add -ed

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Practice Quiz - Test Your Knowledge!

Part 1: Identify the Verb Form (10 Questions)

1. What form is "playing"?

2. What form is "went"?

3. What form is "goes"?

4. What form is "eaten"?

5. What form is "write"?

6. What form is "swimming"?

7. What form is "studies"?

8. What form is "spoken"?

9. What form is "ran"?

10. What form is "catches"?

Part 2: Choose the Correct Form (10 Questions)

11. He _____ to school every day.

12. I have _____ my homework.

13. She is _____ a book.

14. They _____ football yesterday.

15. We have _____ to Delhi many times.

16. My sister _____ very well.

17. I _____ a movie last night.

18. The children are _____ in the park.

19. She has _____ three books.

20. He _____ English and Hindi.

Part 3: Identify Regular or Irregular (10 Questions)

21. "play - played - played" is a _____ verb.

22. "go - went - gone" is a _____ verb.

23. "study - studied - studied" is a _____ verb.

24. "eat - ate - eaten" is a _____ verb.

25. "walk - walked - walked" is a _____ verb.

26. "bring - brought - brought" is a _____ verb.

27. "clean - cleaned - cleaned" is a _____ verb.

28. "swim - swam - swum" is a _____ verb.

29. "cook - cooked - cooked" is a _____ verb.

30. "cut - cut - cut" is a _____ verb.