Regular verbs form their past tense and past participle with a consistent pattern, usually by adding -ed to the base form. This makes them predictable compared with irregular verbs, which change in different ways. Regularity is about the verb’s past forms, not about whether the meaning is common or the spelling looks simple.

In English, a verb is commonly described with these key forms: base form, third-person singular present, past tense, and past participle. For regular verbs, the past tense and past participle have the same -ed form. Learning these forms helps you use regular verbs correctly in simple tenses and in perfect and passive structures.

Word/Phrase	🇨🇳 中文 Word/Phrase	Definition	🇨🇳 中文 Definition	Example	🇨🇳 中文 Example
Base form	🧩 基本形式	The dictionary form used after subjects like I, you, we, they and after to	🧩 在主语如 I、you、we、they 之后以及在 to 之后使用的词典形式	I work. I want to work.	🧩 我工作。 我想工作。
Third-person singular	🧩 第三人称单数	Present form for he, she, it with -s or -es	🧩 对 he、she、it 的现在时形式，带 -s 或 -es	She works.	🧩 她工作。
Past tense	🧩 过去时	Finished action in the past, typically -ed for regular verbs	🧩 过去完成的动作，通常对规则动词为 -ed	They worked yesterday.	🧩 他们昨天工作。
Past participle	🧩 过去分词	Form used with have and in passives, usually -ed for regular verbs	🧩 与 have 搭配以及在被动语态中使用的形式，通常对规则动词为 -ed	I have worked. The task was worked on.	🧩 我已经工作。 这个任务已被处理。

To form the past tense of regular verbs, add -ed to the base form. This past form is used in the simple past to describe completed actions, past states, and sequences of events. Time words like yesterday, last week, and in 2020 often appear with the simple past, but the past tense can be used without them when the time is clear.

For regular verbs, the past participle is the same as the past tense form: base plus -ed. Use it with have to form perfect tenses, and with be to form passive voice. This is a key feature of regular verbs: one consistent -ed form covers both past tense and past participle.

Adding -ed follows spelling rules that keep pronunciation and readability consistent. Some verbs take -d instead of -ed, some change y to i, and some double the final consonant. These are still regular because the change is predictable and follows standard patterns.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 Rule	Example	🇨🇳 中文 Example
Add -ed to most verbs	🧾 大多数动词加 -ed	play → played	🧾 play → played
If the verb ends in e, add -d	🧾 如果动词以 e 结尾，添加 -d	like → liked	🧾 like → liked
If the verb ends in consonant plus y, change y to i and add -ed	🧾 如果动词以辅音字母后跟 y 结尾，将 y 改为 i 再加 -ed	study → studied	🧾 study → studied
If the verb ends in vowel plus y, just add -ed	🧾 如果动词以元音字母后跟 y 结尾，只需加 -ed	enjoy → enjoyed	🧾 enjoy → enjoyed
Double the final consonant in many one-syllable verb patterns ending consonant-vowel-consonant	🧾 在很多单音节动词中，末尾辅音—元音—辅音的模式时，重复最后一个辅音	stop → stopped	🧾 stop → stopped
Do not double when the last letter is w, x, or y	🧾 当末字母是 w、x，或 y 时不要重复	fix → fixed	🧾 fix → fixed

The -ed ending has three common pronunciations, chosen by the final sound of the base verb. This affects spoken clarity and listening comprehension. The spelling is the same, but the sound changes: /t/, /d/, or /ɪd/.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 规则	Description	🇨🇳 中文 描述	Notation	🇨🇳 中文 记号	Example	🇨🇳 中文 示例
After voiceless sounds	🔊 在清音后	-ed is pronounced /t/ after sounds like /p k f s ʃ tʃ/	🔊 -ed 在像 /p k f s ʃ tʃ/ 这样的辅音后发音为 /t/	/t/	🔊 /t/	laughed /læft/ → laughed /læft/ plus /t/ sound at end: laughed /læft/	🔊 laughed /læft/ → laughed /læft/ 加上末尾的 /t/ 音：laughed /læft/
After voiced sounds	🔊 在有声音后	-ed is pronounced /d/ after vowels and voiced consonants like /b g v z ʒ m n l r/	🔊 -ed 在元音和有声辅音如 /b g v z ʒ m n l r/ 之后发音为 /d/	/d/	🔊 /d/	played /pleɪd/	🔊 played /pleɪd/
After /t/ or /d/	🔊 在 /t/ 或 /d/ 之后	-ed adds a full syllable /ɪd/ after verbs ending in /t/ or /d/	🔊 -ed 在以 /t/ 或 /d/ 结尾的动词后再添加一个完整音节 /ɪd/	/ɪd/	🔊 /ɪd/	needed /ˈniːdɪd/	🔊 needed /ˈniːdɪd/

Regular verbs also follow predictable patterns in the present tense, especially in the third-person singular. Add -s to most verbs, -es to verbs ending in s, sh, ch, x, or z, and change consonant plus y to -ies. This is not about past regularity, but it is part of using regular verbs accurately in everyday sentences.

Rule	🇨🇳 中文 Rule	Example	🇨🇳 中文 Example
Add -s for he, she, it	🧾 对 he、she、it 加 -s	He works every day.	🧾 他每天工作。
Add -es after s, sh, ch, x, z	🧾 对 s、sh、ch、x、z 结尾的动词加 -es	She watches TV.	🧾 她看电视。
Consonant plus y changes to -ies	🧾 辅音后接 y 变为 -ies	It studies at night.	🧾 它在晚上学习。
Vowel plus y takes -s	🧾 元音后接 y 加 -s	He enjoys music.	🧾 他喜欢音乐。

Perfect tenses use have plus the past participle. With regular verbs, that participle is the -ed form, so the structure is consistent across subjects and time. Use the present perfect to connect past actions to now, and the past perfect to show an earlier past action before another past event.

Passive voice uses be plus the past participle to focus on the action or the receiver rather than the doer. With regular verbs, the past participle is the -ed form, which keeps passive formation straightforward. The agent can be added with by when it matters, or omitted when unknown or unimportant.

A verb is regular if its past tense and past participle follow the standard -ed pattern or its predictable spelling variants like -d or -ied. A verb is irregular if it forms the past tense or past participle in another way, such as go → went or take → taken. Knowing whether a verb is regular helps you choose the correct past and participle forms quickly and accurately.