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Easy Verb Conjugation in English (All 12 Tenses With Charts)

When you look up a verb in the dictionary, you might only see the base form of the verb. This means there’s a good chance you’ll have to conjugate the verb yourself! The verb conjugation English uses is simpler than some other languages, but there are also some things to watch out for.

Use this guide as a reference for basic verb conjugation charts, examples, and rules. If you still have questions, dig deeper with our other English grammar guides and stay curious.

Learn about conjugation: English verbs

A verb conjugation is when you change a base verb form depending on how it’s being used in a sentence. In English, several things require verbs to be conjugated, such as:

  • Point of view (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person)
  • pronouns
  • tense (such as present, past, and future)

The good news is that verbs are the only English part of speech that require conjugation. What’s more, English verb conjugations do not change based on gender. This means you have fewer conjugations to memorize when learning how to speak English!

What are the 12 English tenses?

grandfather telling young granddaughter a story sitting on a couch

To talk about when something happens, you use one of the English verb tenses. This allows the speaker to say whether an event happened in the past, the present, or the future. The three simple tenses are:

  • present
  • past
  • future

Each simple tense above also has three more complex tenses (sometimes called aspects):

  • continuous: describes an action that is ongoing (verb ends in -ing)
  • perfect: describes an action that is completed (looks like past tense)
  • perfect continuous: describes an action that was ongoing but is now completed (verb ends in -ing)

This makes a total of 12 tenses. That can seem like a lot, but the verb conjugations are very similar. The main difference is the addition of other words before the primary verb. This chart of verb tenses can help you see how verb conjugation in English works.

cook

Present Past Future
cook cooked will cook
Present Continuous Past Continuous Future Continuous
am cooking was cooking will be cooking
Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect
have cooked had cooked will have cooked
Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous Future Perfect Continuous
have been cooking had been cooking will have been cooking
  • I cook often.I cooked last night.I will cook tonight.
  • I am cooking now.I was cooking an hour ago.I will be cooking in a few minutes.
  • I have cooked before.If I had cooked earlier, I would not be hungry now.I will have cooked the pasta by 7:00.
  • I have been cooking for you.I had been cooking all night.I will have been cooking for three hours.

Basic conjugation charts for regular verbs

When you first start learning English, you’ll probably use the simple tenses most often. The exact spelling of the conjugation changes slightly between verbs. However, there are some general rules you can remember for regular verbs.

You may notice how similar the conjugations are between English pronouns. Verb conjugations can change based on the point of view or pronoun in the present, but simple tenses in English are consistent.

Add -s or -es in present tense

In present tense, there are two main conjugations. For pronouns I, you, we, and they, you don’t need to change the base verb. For pronouns he, she, and it, you will need to add -s or -es to the end of the base verb to correctly conjugate it. Most verbs will only need an -s

like

Pronoun Present Past Future
I like liked will like
You/We/They like liked will like
He/She/It likes liked will like
  • I like spaghetti.He likes spaghetti.

However, depending on the final letters of a word, you may need to add -es instead. This applies to words that end in -ch, -ss, -sh, -x, or -zz.

pass

Pronoun Present Past Future
I pass passed will pass
You/We/They pass passed will pass
He/She/It passes passed will pass
  • You pass the inspection.It passes the inspection.

Regular verbs that end in -y after a consonant are a little special. The -y changes to -i, and then you add -es.

study

Pronoun Present Past Future
I study studied will study
You/We/They study studied will study
He/She/It studies studied will study
  • We study at the library.She studies at the library.

Add -d or -ed in past tense

Unlike present tense, all pronouns use the same past tense verb conjugation. In general, when you have a regular verb that ends in -e, you will add an -d on the end of the word for past tense.

shove

Pronoun Present Past Future
I use used will use
You/We/They use used will use
He/She/It uses used will use
  • I used the pen.

Regular verbs that do not end in -e usually need an -ed on the end to make a past tense conjugation.

landed

Pronoun Present Past Future
I walk walked will walk
You/We/They walk walked will walk
He/She/It walks walked will walk
  • We walked in New York.

Add the verb will in future tense

Conjugating future tense is very simple. All you need to do is add the word will before the base verb form.

play

Pronoun Present Past Future
I play played will play
You/We/They play played will play
He/She/It plays played will play
  • They will play together.

work

Pronoun Present Past Future
I work worked will work
You/We/They work worked will work
He/She/It works worked will work
  • She will work all day.

What are the conjugation rules for irregular verbs in English?

two black men in manufacturing facility pointing to something

By definition, irregular verbs do not follow a standard set of rules. English has several irregular verbs with unique conjugations where nearly the entire word will change. This primarily affects the past tense, which you can see in these two chart examples.

see

Pronoun Present Past Future
I see saw will see
You/We/They see saw will see
He/She/It sees saw will see

think

Pronoun Present Past Future
I think thought will think
You/We/They think thought will think
He/She/It thinks thought will think

Irregular verbs take many forms. While some only change a letter or two, others look completely different from the base verb. 

  • I see the movie now.I saw a movie yesterday.
  • We think it will rain.We thought it was going to rain.
  • They go to high school now.They went to high school last year.
  • She will bring dinner tonight.She brought dinner last night.

Look at these verbs carefully when they appear in a sentence, but try not to worry about memorizing them too much. Many irregular verbs are common enough that you’ll pick them up naturally through immersion learning.

How do you conjugate verbs ending with -ing?

English verb conjugations ending in -ing have multiple purposes. This conjugation is used for:

  • Continuous aspect: describes ongoing actions (e.g., I am reading)
  • Gerund: using a verb like a noun (e.g., I like reading).
  • Adjective: using a verb to describe nouns (e.g., This book is exciting).

The rules surrounding the conjugation are fairly straightforward. For most verbs, you can add an -ing to the end of the base verb. For verbs that end in an “e,” you usually remove the “e” before adding -ing. Some verbs also require you to double the consonant at the end—keep an eye out for them!

Base Verb Example
begin beginning
drink drinking
eat eating
like liking
make making
swim swimming

How to conjugate English auxiliary verbs

Auxiliary verbs in English support the main verb of a sentence. You can also call them helping verbs. They appear in the more complex conjugations to describe when something is happening. English has three main auxiliary verbs: be, do, and have

Be as an auxiliary verb

The verb be is probably one of the first verbs you learned in English. You can use it as a state-of-being verb like I am British. However, be also plays a supporting role as an auxiliary verb when you combine it with a main verb.

Pronoun Present Past Future
I am was will be
You/We/They are were will be
He/She/It is was will be

Continuous conjugations (which end in -ing) always use a conjugation of the auxiliary verb be in addition to the conjugated main verb.

  • I walk to school.I am walking to school.
  • She walks to school.She is walking to school.

Sometimes, a person or object is affected by an action instead of doing the action themselves. This is called passive form. When using it, a conjugation of be is also used. In this example, the past tense conjugation was is combined with sent.

  • I sent a package.The package was sent.

Have as an auxiliary verb

When used as an auxiliary verb, have is used in both present and past perfect tenses.

Pronoun Present Past Future
I have had will have
You/We/They have had will have
He/She/It has had will have

Perfect tenses describe things that have already finished. 

  • Joe eats sushi.Joe has eaten sushi.
  • We played in the park.We had played in the park.

Do as an auxiliary verb

The auxiliary verb do performs many functions: 

  • making sentences negative
  • asking questions
  • showing emphasis
Pronoun Present Past Future
I do did will do
You/We/They do did will do
He/She/It does did will do

When asking a question, the subject goes between the conjugation of do and the main verb. You’ll also use do in response to questions.

  • Did you work at a doctor’s office?Yes, I did.

For negative sentences, you add the word not between the conjugated do and the main verb.

  • They do not speak Spanish.

You can also say something more strongly by adding do before the main verb.

  • I do love you.

How do you conjugate phrasal verbs in English?

two women reading to two children in a daycare showing verb conjugation in english

A verb can be combined with an adverb or a preposition to create one action, and it’s known as a phrasal verb. Some may be familiar to you already:

  • calm down: to relax after getting excited or upset
  • cheer up: to become happier after being sad
  • throw away: to put something in the trash

When conjugating phrasal verbs, only the verb portion is conjugated and not the additional adverb or preposition. For example, look at this chart for the phrasal verb look after:

Pronoun Present Past Future
I look after looked after will look after
You/We/They look after looked after will look after
He/She/It looks after looked after will look after

Do you see how look was conjugated and after stayed the same? Phrasal verbs can be tricky, but they’re very common English words. You’ll pick them up over time the more you use them!

  • Look after your sister.You looked after your sister.

Phrasal verbs are another place where you’ll see irregular verb conjugations. For the verb break up, the past tense doesn’t follow the usual -ed or -d rule.

Pronoun Present Past Future
I break up broke up will break up
You/We/They break up broke up will break up
He/She/It breaks up broke up will break up
  • Did she break up with her boyfriend?She broke up with her boyfriend.

Frequently asked questions about English verb conjugation

Conjugating verbs is often regarded as a challenging part of learning a new language. It’s natural to have questions about whether or not verbs make English a hard language to learn. Here are a few things that other people wonder about the rules of verb conjugation English uses. 

How do you conjugate English verbs?

First, identify your base verb. Then, determine the tense or aspect you want to conjugate the verb into. If it’s a regular verb, follow the standard rules (which you can find in the conjugation charts in this guide). If it’s an irregular verb, you may need to look up its unique conjugations in a dictionary or English verb conjugation chart on irregular verbs. 

Does English have a future tense conjugation?

There isn’t a specific verb conjugation English uses that acts directly on the base verb form for simple future tense in English. Instead, English often uses auxiliary verbs like be, have, will and going to before the base form of the main verb. For example, You will learn English and You are going to succeed.

Are English conjugations hard?

English conjugations can be hard, but they might also be easier than your native language. For example, English conjugations don’t change based on gender (like some Romance languages). The best way to learn them is to use them often. Use programs and apps designed to teach English (like Rosetta Stone) and you can pick up verb conjugations naturally!

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