📘 Part of the Complete English Course · Elementary (A2), week 1
Many common English verbs are irregular in the past simple: go → went, have → had, see → saw. For questions and negatives, use did / didn't + the base verb.
The rules
Common irregular verbs
| Verb | Past simple | Example |
|---|---|---|
| go | went | We went to the beach. |
| have | had | I had a busy week. |
| see | saw | Did you see the game? |
| get | got | She got a new job. |
| make | made | He made dinner. |
| come | came | My parents came to visit. |
| take | took | I took the train. |
| buy | bought | We bought a car. |
| tell | told | She told me the news. |
| leave | left | The bus left early. |
Questions and negatives
| Form | Example |
|---|---|
| Did + subject + base verb? | Did you go out on Saturday? |
| subject + didn't + base verb | I didn't go out. I stayed home. |
| Wh- + did + subject + base verb? | Where did you go? What did you buy? |
Remember
- After did / didn't, always use the base verb: Did you see…? (not 'Did you saw…?')
- Short answers: Yes, I did. / No, I didn't.
- Learn irregular verbs in small groups and say them out loud: go-went, see-saw, buy-bought.
- Time words: yesterday, last weekend, two weeks ago, in 2019.
Listen and repeat
- What did you do on the weekend?
- We went to a friend's barbecue and had a great time.
- I didn't sleep well last night.
- My sister came to Australia in 2018.
Common mistakes
| Not this | Say this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I went to the shops. | go is irregular: went. | |
| Did you see it? | did + base verb. | |
| I didn't go. | didn't + base verb. |
Check yourself
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Frequently asked questions
When do we use Past simple (irregular) in English?
Many common English verbs are irregular in the past simple: go → went, have → had, see → saw. For questions and negatives, use did / didn't + the base verb. After did / didn't, always use the base verb: Did you see…? (not 'Did you saw…?')
What are common mistakes with Past simple (irregular)?
Say 'I went to the shops.', not 'I goed to the shops.' (go is irregular: went). Say 'Did you see it?', not 'Did you saw it?' (did + base verb). Say 'I didn't go.', not 'I didn't went.' (didn't + base verb).
What level is this Past simple (irregular) lesson?
It's a Elementary (A2) lesson, week 1 of the free Complete English Course. It takes about 10 minutes and ends with a quiz.