regular verbs / irregular verbs
English verbs are either regular or irregular.
Most of them are regular and are conjugated according to regular models :
The infinitive and present : play, apply, climb
We play piano
I apply for a job
Present for the third person (adding “-s” or transforming “-y” into “-ies”): plays, applies, climbs
He plays piano
My sister likes him
- The preterite or simple past (adding “-ed” or changing “-y” into “-ied”): played, applied, climbed
We played piano
I climbed the mountain
The present participle / gerund (adding ”-ing”) : playing, applying, climbing
We are playing piano
He is applying for a job
Irregular verbs have specific forms in the preterite and past participle.
See the list opposite.