Regular verbs tell about actions, states, or events in English. They often stay in the same base form in a sentence, and that base form is the form listed in a dictionary. In a simple sentence, the verb anchors the meaning around what happens, who does it, or what state something is in. Verbs such as work, live, open, and stay are regular because their main forms follow a pattern. For the basic idea of how verbs function in English, see Verbs.

Present simple third person singular forms

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation	Example
he	watch	watches	He watches the street from the window every morning.
she	carry	carries	She carries a notebook in her bag.
it	play	plays	It plays soft music in the café.

Scramble

In the present simple, regular verbs add -s with he, she, and it. The pattern is subject + verb + -s form. I work becomes he works, she works, and it works. This form is common for daily routines, facts, and repeated actions: He walks to school, She studies at night, It rains often in spring. With other subjects, the verb stays in the base form: I work, you work, we work, they work.

Spelling patterns for present simple endings

Example	Pattern
My brother plays chess after school.	Add s to most regular verbs after a vowel sound or a simple consonant ending.
The machine washes the cups after lunch.	Add es to verbs ending in s sh ch x or z.
She tries new routes on weekends.	Change y to ies after a consonant before adding the ending.

Most regular verbs add -s directly: play becomes plays and read becomes reads. Verbs ending in s, sh, ch, x, or z add -es: wash becomes washes, watch becomes watches, fix becomes fixes, buzz becomes buzzes. Verbs ending in a consonant + y change y to i and add -es: study becomes studies, carry becomes carries. After a vowel + y, add only -s: play becomes plays. These spelling patterns appear in the present simple and in Irregular Verbs they do not change in the same way, because irregular verbs follow different forms.

Past simple regular verb forms

Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation	Example
I	paint	painted	Yesterday I painted a small bird on the card.
you	mend	mended	You mended the torn sleeve before dinner.
they	search	searched	They searched the garden for the lost key.

Scramble

Regular verbs form the past simple by adding -ed to the base form: work becomes worked, clean becomes cleaned, start becomes started. The past simple is the form used for finished actions and events in the past. In a sentence, it appears after the subject without an auxiliary verb: She worked late, They cleaned the room, The meeting started at noon. The past simple form is also the usual regular past participle, which becomes important in Past Simple and in perfect and passive structures.

Spelling patterns for past simple endings

Example	Pattern
We opened the box and found a ribbon inside.	Add ed to most regular verbs to make the past simple.
The baker smiled at the first customers.	Add d to verbs that already end in e.
He stopped at the red light.	Double the final consonant before ed after a short vowel in a stressed one syllable verb.
She studied late for the science test.	Change y to i before adding ed after a consonant.

Verbs ending in silent e add only d: live becomes lived, close becomes closed. Verbs ending in a consonant usually add ed: help becomes helped, call becomes called. Many verbs ending in consonant + y change y to i and add ed: study becomes studied, carry becomes carried. Verbs ending in a vowel + y keep the y: play becomes played. Some short verbs with one stressed vowel and one final consonant double the final consonant before ed: stop becomes stopped, plan becomes planned.

Pronunciation of regular past endings

Word	Notation	Description	Example
worked	t sound	Use the t sound after a voiceless final consonant such as k or p.	He worked quietly in the garden.
played	d sound	Use the d sound after a voiced final sound such as y or l.	She played violin at the concert.
wanted	id sound	Use the id sound after a final t or d sound.	They wanted more time to finish the puzzle.

The -ed ending has three common pronunciations. After voiceless sounds such as p, k, f, s, sh, and ch, it is usually pronounced /t/: worked, laughed, washed. After voiced sounds such as b, g, v, z, and vowels, it is usually pronounced /d/: played, called, lived. After t and d, it is pronounced /ɪd/: started, needed. The spelling stays the same, but the final sound changes to match the last sound of the verb.

Past participle and participle forms

Verb	Subject	Infinitive	Conjugation	Example
past participle	the verb	clean	cleaned	The room has cleaned quickly after the party.
ing form	the verb	clean	cleaning	She is cleaning the kitchen right now.
past participle	the verb	plan	planned	We have planned a picnic for Saturday.
ing form	the verb	plan	planning	They are planning a surprise visit.

Scramble

For regular verbs, the past participle is usually the same as the past simple form: worked, cleaned, started. The -ing form adds -ing to the base verb: working, cleaning, starting. The -ing form is used in continuous structures and in many noun-like verb patterns. The past participle is used in perfect tenses and passive sentences. Regular verbs keep these patterns neatly, which makes them easy to recognize in reading and writing.

Common functions of participles in sentences

Usage	Explanation	Example
Progressive action	Use being plus an ing form to show an action in progress.	She is reading a map on the train.
Perfect aspect	Use have plus a past participle to show that an action is completed before now.	They have finished the report already.
Passive voice	Use be plus a past participle when the focus is on the result or receiver of the action.	The cake was baked this morning.

The -ing form appears after forms of be in progressive tenses: am working, is cleaning, were waiting. The structure is be + -ing form. The past participle appears after forms of have in perfect tenses: have worked, has cleaned, had started. The structure is have + past participle. In passive sentences, the past participle appears after be: The room was cleaned, The letter is sent, The windows were opened. These patterns are central in Present Participles and Past Participles, where the same verb forms also appear in many other grammar structures.

Main forms of regular verbs for reading

Word	Definition	Example
base form	The basic form of a verb before any ending is added.	The base form in the sentence is help.
third person singular	The he she it form used in the present simple.	In that sentence, helps is the third person singular form.
past simple	The completed past form usually made with ed.	The word helped is the past simple form.
past participle	The form used with have or be in perfect and passive structures.	In has helped, the verb is the past participle.
ing form	The continuous form used in ongoing actions and other patterns.	In is helping, the verb is the ing form.

Scramble

A regular verb has four forms that are easy to identify: the base form, the present simple -s form, the past simple -ed form, and the -ing form. Work, works, worked, and working are one complete set. Clean, cleans, cleaned, and cleaning are another. In writing, the ending usually shows the form clearly. In reading, the subject and nearby words show whether the verb is present, past, progressive, perfect, or passive.