Introduction to Irregular Verbs in the Present Tense

Lesson objective

In this lesson, you will understand the main categories of irregular present-tense verbs.

Irregular verbs in the present tense are more complicated than irregular verbs in the past tense. In the past tense, verbs with the same structure usually followed the same pattern. In the present tense, verbs that look similar in their basic form may use different conjugation patterns — so learners must remember the category of each irregular verb.

Main groups

Verbs with a long “a” in the middle

These verbs can follow three patterns:

• a changes to u
• a changes to i
• a remains a

Verbs ending in a long “a”

These verbs can follow three patterns:

• a changes to i
• a remains a
• the verb has internal changes

Regular practice helps learners remember which pattern each verb follows.