The verb to float in English has 3 forms. Three verb forms in English

Our topic today is an acquaintance with such an interesting phenomenon as the forms of irregular verbs. As you know, the English language is very cunning. This language often lays all sorts of traps for us. One of them is irregular verbs. English is not the only language that has irregular verbs. French also rich in irregular verbs. Three or four forms of irregular English verbs?

Romanian language, German, Latin, Greek also contains irregular verbs. And even the Russian language is replete with them. I think you have repeatedly heard about irregular verbs in English, in other words, Irregular Verbs. Why are such verbs called irregular? Everything is very simple: in the past tense they are conjugated in their own way, have their own special form, while all other verbs in the past tense have the ending -ed.

How to distinguish irregular verbs from regular ones?

For comparison, let's conjugate 3 regular regular verbs in the simple past tense (Past Simple):

As you can see, all 3 verbs are conjugated in the same way, according to the scheme stem + ending -ed.

The situation is quite different in the case of irregular verbs. We conjugate 3 more verbs in the simple past tense (Past Simple), which are irregular, and here pay attention to the fact that each of these verbs has its own, absolutely different shape at the end or even at the root of a word:

Even to the naked eye it is clear that each of these verbs appeared in its own, completely different from the others, form. The catch is that there is no certain rule, by which you can find out the form of an irregular verb. Each of them hides in their own way. The English language, friends, is full of tricky things and underwater reefs. Another catch is that each irregular verb has not one form, but three.

Three forms of irregular verbs

So what are these three forms?

• The first is the infinitive or initial (indefinite) form of the verb
• The second is Past Participle I, that is, the form that corresponds to the simple past tense (Past Simple), it is also used in the 2nd and 3rd cases conditional mood(Conditional of the 2-d and of the 3-d case)
• The third is Past Participle II, the one used in the perfect present tense ( Present Perfect) and in the past tense (Past Perfect). The same form is used in the Passive Voice, Conditional of the 3-d case, and some other grammatical rules.

Here are some examples of 3 forms of irregular verbs:

• To arise - arose - arisen - rise
• To be - was, were - been - to be
• To bear - bore - born - give birth
• To become - became - become - become, become
• To begin - began - begun - begin
• To catch - caught - caught - catch, catch
• To choose - chose - chosen - choose
• To dig - dug - dug - dig, dig
• To dream - dream - dream - dream, dream
• To feel - felt - felt - feel
• To forget - forgot - forgotten - forget
• To have - had - had - to have

Now let's look at these 3 forms using examples of sentences in all of the above tenses of verbs.

• So, the simple past tense of the verb (Past Simple Tense):

Yesterday she felt(self-bad) to feel). She felt bad yesterday. Last Wednesday we met Jim ( to meet). We met Jim last Wednesday. Last night I dream you ( to dream). “I dreamed about you last night. I was in Paris last year ( to be) — I was in Paris last year.

• Perfect present tense of the verb (Present Perfect Tense):

I have just seen him ( to see). “I just saw him. Tom has already brought my books ( to bring). Tom has already brought my books. Have you ever been in London to be)? - Have you ever been in London? Ann has already forgotten her boy-friend( to forget).- Anna has already forgotten her boyfriend.

• The past tense of the verb (Past Perfect Tense):

I noticed that I had forgotten my keys( to forget). — I noticed that I forgot my keys. He understood that he had lost his documents ( to lose). He realized that he had lost his papers.

• Passive voice (Passive Voice):

The dog is fed by me ( to feed). The dog is fed by me (I fed the dog). Made in France ( to make). - Made in France.

• Conditional mood of the 2nd and 3rd cases (Conditional). Here are the second and third forms:

If I had money, I would buy a car to have). - If I had money, I would buy a car (real condition). If I had money, I would have bought a car ( to have, to buy).- If I had money, I would buy a car (unreal condition, past tense).
How to learn all forms of irregular verbs?

Irregular Verbs Cheat Sheet

As mentioned above, there are no rules by which the forms of irregular verbs are formed, each has its own. But, we hope that this poetic form will help you quickly remember such irregular verbs:

To write-wrote-written
To eat-ate-eat
To speak-spoke-spoken
To break-broke-broken

To come-came-come
To become-became-become
To run-run-run
To swim swam swum

To know-knew-known
To throw-threw-thrown
To blow-blew-blown
To fly-flew-flown

Tossing-sang-sung
To ring-rang-rung
To hide-hid-hidden
To bite-bit-bitten

To send-sent-sent
To spend-spent-spent
To sleep-slept-slept
To keep-kept-kept

To tell-told-told
To sell-sold-sold
To teach-taught-taught
To catch-caught-caught

To fight-fought-fought
To think-thought-thought
To buy-bought-bought
To bring-brought-brought

To cut-cut-cut
To shut-shut-shut
To cost-cost-cost
To lose-lost-lost

To lead-led-led
To feed-fed-fed
To feel-felt-felt
To hold-held-held

From this funny poetic form, we see that some irregular verbs have the same letter combinations, which allows them to rhyme and thus make it easier for us to memorize them.

The "fourth" form of irregular verbs

There is a popular belief that there is also a 4th form of irregular verbs. This 4th configuration is formed according to the scheme base + ending -ing. It defines the Present Participle, that is, the present participle in tenses such as the present continuous (Present Continuous) and the past continuous (Past Continuous). In other words, this is the present and past tense of the imperfect form. It follows from this that there are not 3, but 4 forms of irregular verbs. But this 4th configuration is, as it were, unofficial.

Consider this same 4th form using examples of sentences with Present Continuous:

The same 4th form in sentences with Past Continuous.

If you have reached the study of verbs, then you have already gone through a lot. But there is still a long road to perfection ahead. The temporary system is based on such a distinction between this part of speech, as correct and incorrect. It is about the latter that we will talk and explain how to quickly learn irregular verbs.

So, we already know that with the passage of time, foreign conquests or other interactions of people, the English language also did not stand aside. This is especially true for verbs. If we study tenses, then we have to delimit according to this category. Irregular Verbs are found in almost every one of them.

Forms of irregular verbs in English

Where to begin? From acquaintance. What types are, when and how they are used. Indeed, when reading a rule, you often stumble upon the expression 2nd form, 3rd. And what is it, we will now consider. Once again, it is worth recalling that there are 3 forms of irregular verbs (some linguists distinguish four).

First form is it an infinitive or first column of the table. It is in this form that the verb is used in the dictionary: run, swim, give. It is used in Present Simple, Future Simple, in interrogative and negative sentences Past Simple.

The second form is this is the simple past tense (Past Simple): ran, swam, gave (second column). In this form, irregular verbs of English language used in Past Simple (with the exception of interrogative and negative sentences).

Third form- this is the past participle (Past Participle or Participle II): run, swun, given. This form is the most commonly used verb. In tenses perfect, at all times Passive Voice. You will find it in third column of the table.

fourth form is the present participle (Present Participle or Participle I): running, swimming, giving. It is used by the times of the group Continuous and Perfect Continuous. Not all tables contain a fourth column, only some.

When considering sentences with irregular verbs, pay attention to the tense.

How are the main irregular verbs of the English language formed?

It is impossible to clearly determine that these words change in this way, and others - the second or third. But it is still possible to trace a certain trend, and then it will not be a set of words and incomprehensible forms.

1. By changing the vowel at the root of the word: meet - met - met; begin - began - begun.
2. Changing the root and adding a suffix: speak - spoke - spoken; give - gave - given.
3. The ending changes: send - sent - sent; build-built-built.
4. And some verbs are the same in all forms: cut - cut - cut; put - put - put.

How to learn irregular verbs?

Everyone has their own methodology, their own way, which has its pros and cons. But I would like to start by saying a few generally accepted facts. First, learn all three forms at once and with translation. Irregular verbs with translation can be found in almost any grammar book, dictionary, online resources and on our website. All complete table can be downloaded. Don't learn 10 at once, take 5, spread over 3-4 days, do the exercises. Many teach in a row, alphabetically, some in groups (depending on the method of education). I find the second one to be more efficient and easier. Therefore, we will break all the irregular English verbs into groups.

1. Match completely

2. The second and third forms coincide - p-t

3. Matches the second and third forms - d-t

4. The root vowel changes - ew - own

5. A group of verbs with different root vowels

6. Endings aught/ought

7. Vowel alternation

8. Vowel alternation + en ending

9. Alternation, ending en, doubling the consonant

10. The second and third forms coincide

11. Have two options

12. Completely different shapes

Remembering irregular verbs in English at first seems difficult, tedious. But believe me, if you do not reset yourself, learn from the groups that we have provided, you will easily master them. And this is very important! All irregular verbs are very often used in speech. Learn grammar and expand vocabulary.

English is the language of exceptions, where when studying a new grammatical rule, students are faced with a dozen buts in which this rule does not work. One of these rules is the use of irregular verbs in the past tense. For many English learners, this topic is a nightmare. But without them it is impossible, because these are the realities of English! However, there is good news - modern English is gradually getting rid of irregular verbs, replacing them with regular ones. Why and how - we will consider in the article.

Why are English verbs irregular?

The difficulty in using irregular verbs is experienced not only by foreigners, but also by the speakers themselves. Nevertheless, for English philologists, the non-standard nature of this part of speech is not a drawback, but a reason for pride. They believe that irregular verbs are a cultural monument that perpetuates the history of the English language. The explanation for this fact is the Germanic roots of the origin of irregular verbs, which makes British English a traditional variant of the language. For comparison, the Americans are trying with might and main to get rid of irregular shape, converting it to the correct one. Therefore, the list of non-standard verbs increases for those who learn both variants of the language. Thus, the incorrect version is ancient, which is reflected in prose and poetry.

How many forms does a verb have in English?

Speaking about verbs in English, it should be noted that they have 3 forms:

• infinitive, aka ;
• I, or Participle I, - this form is used in the simple past tense (Past Simple) and the 2nd and 3rd cases of the conditional mood (Conditional of the 2-d and of the 3-d case);
• Past Participle II, or Participle II, for the simple perfect tense of the past tense (Past Perfect), passive voice(Passive Voice) and Conditional of the 3-d case.

The table "Three in English" is presented later in the article.

What are regular and irregular verbs? Education rules

Regular verbs are those in which the past form (Past Simple) and the form Participle II (Participle II) are formed by adding endings -ed to the original form. The table "Three forms of the verb in English. Regular verbs" will help you better understand this rule.

When forming the forms Participle I and Participle II, there are some features:

• if the verb ends with the letter -e, then when adding -ed it does not double;
• the consonant in monosyllabic verbs is duplicated when added. Example: stop - stopped (stop - stopped);
• if the verb ends in -y followed by a consonant, then y is changed to i before adding -ed.

Irregular verbs are those that do not obey general rule in the formation of temporary forms. In English, these include the simple past tense verb forms (Past Simple) and Participle II (Participle II).

Irregular verbs are formed with:

ablaut, in which the root is changed. Example: swim - swam - swum (swim - swam - swam);

the use of suffixes that are different from those accepted in the grammar of the language. Example: do - did - done (do - did - did);

the same or unchanged form. Example: cut - cut - cut (cut - cut - cut).

Due to the fact that each irregular verb has its own form of change, they should be learned by heart.

In total, there are 218 irregular verbs in English, of which approximately 195 are in active use.

Recent studies in the field of language show that rare verbs are gradually disappearing from the language due to the replacement of the 2nd and 3rd forms with regular verb forms, that is, the addition of the ending - ed. This fact is confirmed by the table "Three forms of the verb in English" - the table represents a number of verbs that have both regular and irregular forms.

table of irregular verbs

The table "Three forms of irregular verbs in English" includes the most commonly used verbs. The table shows 3 forms and a translation.

Irregular verbs came into modern English from Old English, which was spoken by the Angles and Saxons - British tribes.

Irregular verbs originated from the so-called strong verbs, each of which had its own type of conjugation.

Harvard researchers found that most of the verbs used are irregular, and they will remain so, as they are used more often than others.

In the history of the English language there is such a phenomenon when the correct verb became irregular. For example, sneak, which has 2 forms - sneaked and snuck.

Not only English learners have problems with verbs, but also native speakers, as even they get into awkward situations when it comes to this difficult part of speech.

One of them is Jennifer Garner, who has been sure all her life that the verb sneak is correct.

She was corrected by the host of one of the programs in which the actress took part. Dictionary in hand, he pointed out to Jennifer her mistake.

Therefore, do not be upset if you make mistakes when using irregular verbs. The main thing is that they do not become systematic.

Regular verbs

The table "Three forms of regular verbs in English with transcription and translation" is compiled on the basis of the most commonly used verbs.

Examples of the use of 3 forms of verbs with translation

Above we looked at 3 forms of verbs in English. A table with examples of usage and translation will help reinforce the topic.

Here, for each grammatical construction, two examples are given - one with regular, the other with irregular verbs.

Exercises

For better memorization of irregular verbs, you need not only to learn them by heart and repeat, but also to perform various exercises.

Exercise 1. Before you is a table "Three forms of the verb in English. Irregular verbs." Fill in one of the three missing forms.

Exercise 2. Before you is a table "Three forms of the verb in English. Regular verbs." Insert forms Participle I and II.

Exercise 3. Using the tables, translate the following sentences into English.

1. I was reading a book.
2. We saw them yesterday.
3. The Smiths lived in London until 2000. Then they moved to Manchester.
4. Alice was a university student in 2014.
5. They worked for the same company two years ago.
6. He just finished training.
7. When we were children, my mother often took us to this park.
8. I drove a toy car as a child.

Answers to the exercises

Exercise 1.

Exercise 2.

asked, borrowed, closed, decided, explained, helped, started, travelled, used, worked.

Exercise 3

1. I read a book.
2. We saw them yesterday.
3. The Smiths lived in London till 2000. Then they moved to Manchester.
4. Alice was a student of Univercity in 2014.
5. They worked in the same company two years ago.
6. He has just finished training.
7. When we were children we were taken for a walk to this park.
8. I drove a toy car in my childhood.

Get in the habit of repeating basic shapes periodically English verb. A table with irregular verbs, exercises and periodic repetition will help you quickly cope with the difficulties of the English language.

In order to make it easier for yourself and make the learning process more complete English grammar, it is necessary to practically get acquainted with the so-called three main forms of the verbs of this language.

It is necessary to know these verb forms, since they are the basis for the formation of complex tense verb forms and other constructions in English. That is why it is important to learn how to use the three forms of the English verb correctly.

Let's consider what they are. First form (basic)- this is an inherently indefinite form of the verb (infinitive) without the particle to characteristic of it, for example: speak - to speak - speak (basic form); exist - to exist (infinitive) - exist (basic form); stay, stop - to stay (infinitive) - stay (basic form). This form of the English verb is necessary in order to form a simple present - Present Simple. At the same time, the basic form is taken as a basis and coincides with the forms of almost all verbs in all numbers and persons of the Present Simple, except for the third person singular. numbers, where the characteristic ending - (e) s is added to it (only in the singular and only in the third person!). One of the exceptions is the verb to be, which can be used both in the role of semantic (exist, be) and in the function of service (without any lexical meaning), which forms its forms in a specific way: 1 person unit. h - am; 3 person unit hours - is; in all other cases - are. The second exception is all modal verbs, in which - (e) s is not added and the form is the same for all numbers and persons. And, finally, the third exception is the verb to have, which can be used both in the role of an official and as a semantic one (in the meaning of having at disposal, owning). This verb has singular in the 3rd person. Numbers Present Simple form has.

From the first verb form comes the formation second form is the past simple form. For all regular English verbs (and the vast majority of them are minus about three hundred irregular ones), this means adding the ending -ed to the basic form, for example: divide, divide - divide + ed => divided; investigate, investigate - + ed => investigate. As for the relatively few irregular verbs, they form their forms in a completely special way without any explicit rules, for example: spend - spend => spent; steal - steal => stole; understand - understand => understood; to forbid, not to allow - forbid => forbidden. The forms of such irregular verb units must be gradually memorized in order to use them correctly in your speech. A feature of the verb to be in Past Simple is the fact that it has (unlike all other English verbs) two forms: for all persons singular. numbers - was and for all persons pl. numbers - were.

And finally we got to third form English verb - participle II (Participle II), which for regular (regular) verbs always coincides with the second and, thus, presents absolutely no difficulties for students, for example: reconstruct - reconstruct (basic) => reconstructed (second) => reconstructed (third); illustrate - illustrate (base) => illustrated (second) => illustrated (third). As for irregular verbs, they again can form it in a variety of ways. non-standard ways and subject to the most banal memorization. For example: spread - spread (base) => spread (second) => spread (third); appear, arise - arise (basic) => arose (second) => arisen (third); seek, seek - seek (basic) => sought (second) => sought (third).