Verbs are words which tell us the time of action in a sentence happened. The time that a verb shows is called tense.
List of Past, Present and Future Tense Words
| Present | Past | Past Participle |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke (or awaked) | awaked (or awoken) |
| bear (to give birth) | bore | born |
| beat | beat | beaten (or beat) |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| breed | bred | bred |
| bring | brought | brought |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| cast | cast | cast |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| dig | dug | dug |
| dive | dived (or dove) | dived |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamed (or dreamt) | dreamed (or dreamt) |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got (or gotten) |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang (to execute) | hanged | hanged |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| light | lighted (or lit) | lighted (or lit) |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mistake | mistook | mistaken |
| pay | paid | paid |
| prove | proved | proved (or proven) |
| put | put | put |
| quit | quit | quit |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shed | shed | shed |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| slay | slew | slain |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slide |
| sling | slung | slung |
| slink | slunk | slunk |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spin | spun | spun |
| spit | spit (or spat) | spit (or spat) |
| split | split | split |
| spread | spread | spread |
| spring | sprang (or sprung) | sprung |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| stink | stank (or stunk) | stunk |
| stride | strode | stridden |
| strike | struck | struck |
| string | strung | strung |
| strive | strove (or strived) | striven (or strived) |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swell | swelled | swelled (or swollen) |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| thrive | throve (or thrived) | throve (or thriven) |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| wake | woke (or waked) | waked (or woken) |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| wring | wring | wrung |
| write | wrote | written |
Verb forms of Verb To be
| Present tense | Past tense | Future tense |
| is/ am/ are | was/ were | will/shall |
Now let’s use the words from the above list and understand how different forms of verbs are formed using the root word.
- We usually make the past tense by adding “d” or “ed” to the verb root word. Some verbs have irregular past tenses. We do not add “d” or “ed” to the irregular past tense verb, but change the spelling. grow becomes grew not growed.
- We make the present tense by using the verb root word or the verb “to be”, am and an “ing” word eg: walk -> walking.
- We make the future tense by using the verb “to be” and the verb root word. Will / Shall is the verb “to be”.
| Root word | Past tense | Present tense | Future tense |
| Walk | I walked. | I walk. | I will walk. |
| Help | I helped. | I help. | I will help. |
| Learn | I learned. | I learn. | I will learn. |
| Write | I wrote | I write | I shall write |
| grow | It grew | It grows | It will grow |
Keep exploring EnglishBix for quality resources on three forms of verbs and learn how they are used.