Unit 21: The Simple Past Tense – Irregular Verbs

Can-do

I can understand and use irregular verbs to talk about past actions and past events.

What Are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not use -ed in the simple past.

We must learn their special past forms.

Compare:

Present Past
walk walked
play played
go went
eat ate
Exercise Context
A happy family at a park after a weekend trip, parents and children talking about yesterday, one child ate ice cream, another went on a bicycle ride, bright daytime, friendly mood, simple everyday life suitable for A1 English learners

Common Irregular Verbs

These are common irregular verbs. Learn the present form and the past form together.

Present Past Example
go went I went home.
come came She came late.
eat ate We ate lunch.
drink drank He drank water.
see saw They saw a movie.
have had I had breakfast.
get got She got a gift.
make made He made dinner.
take took We took photos.
buy bought They bought fruit.

Grammar: Positive Sentences

Form

Subject + past form of the verb

Examples:

Grammar: Negative Sentences

Form

Subject + did not (didn't) + base verb

After didn't, use the base verb, not the past form.

Correct Incorrect
I didn't go. I didn't went.
She didn't eat. She didn't ate.

Examples:

Grammar: Questions

Form

Did + subject + base verb?

Examples:

Short answers:

Question Answer
Did you see the film? Yes, I did.
Did he come yesterday? No, he didn't.

Worked Examples

Example 1

Present: I go to school.

Past: I went to school yesterday.

The past form of go is went.

Example 2

Present: She eats an apple.

Past: She ate an apple this morning.

The past form of eat is ate.

Example 3

Question: Did they buy a book?

Answer: Yes, they did.

Use buy after did, not bought.

Remember!

  • Irregular verbs do not use -ed.
  • Learn the present form and past form together.
  • In negative sentences, use didn't + base verb.
  • In questions, use Did + subject + base verb?
🔑 Đáp án & Giải thích

Giải thích ngắn:

  • Động từ bất quy tắc không thêm -ed ở thì quá khứ.
  • Cần học thuộc dạng quá khứ riêng của từng động từ: go → went, eat → ate, see → saw...
  • Sau didn't và Did, động từ luôn quay về dạng nguyên mẫu.
  • Ví dụ: "I didn't go" (đúng), không phải "I didn't went".
  • Ví dụ: "Did she eat?" (đúng), không phải "Did she ate?".