Level: A2-B1
English Verbs
Verbs show actions, events, and states of being — every full English sentence needs one. This ESL guide covers the five verb forms, agreement, irregular verbs, action / linking / helping verbs, modals, the imperative, and phrasal verbs, with clickable examples you can hear out loud.
What is a verb?
A verb is a word that shows an action, an event, or a state of being. In almost every English sentence, you will find at least one verb.
Verbs are sometimes called doing words because they often tell what someone or something does. But verbs can also tell what someone or something is or feels.
A verb by itself can even be a complete sentence (this is called the imperative — see the section below): Run! Stop! Go!
Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech in English. Without a verb, you cannot make a full sentence.
Examples of verbs in sentences
Lisa runs every morning. (action)
The baby is happy. (state of being)
We felt tired after the trip. (state or feeling)
Verb forms
Every English verb has a small set of basic forms. Learning these forms is important because we use them to build all the different tenses.
The five main forms are:
| Form | Example | How it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive (base form) |
(to) play | The basic form. Used with to, after modals, and for commands: I want to play. I can play. Play! |
| Simple present | play / plays | Used for habits, facts, and general truths: She plays tennis every day. Add -s or -es for he / she / it. |
| Simple past | played | Used for actions that finished in the past: He played football yesterday. |
| Past participle | played | Used with have / has / had (perfect tenses) and in the passive voice: I have played tennis many times. The song was played twice. |
| Present participle | playing | Used with be verbs for continuous tenses: They are playing outside. |
Regular verb examples
to work — work / works · worked · worked · working
to help — help / helps · helped · helped · helping
Irregular verb examples
to go — go / goes · went · gone · going
to eat — eat / eats · ate · eaten · eating
👉 See our verb lists for more examples, or review English tenses to see how these forms are used in sentences.
Verb tenses
Tense shows when something happens and how it relates to time. English builds its tenses from the five verb forms plus helping verbs like be and have. There are twelve tenses, made from three times (past, present, future) and four aspects (simple, progressive, perfect, perfect progressive).
| Aspect | Past | Present | Future |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I worked | I work | I will work |
| Progressive (continuous) |
I was working | I am working | I will be working |
| Perfect | I had worked | I have worked | I will have worked |
| Perfect progressive | I had been working | I have been working | I will have been working |
Each tense has its own page with rules, examples, and a quiz. Start with the Verb Tenses guide, which links all of them.
Subject–verb agreement
In English, the verb must agree with its subject in number (singular or plural). The biggest pain point for ESL learners is the simple present: singular subjects (especially he / she / it) need an -s on the verb, while plural subjects do not.
The basic rule
He writes a letter. (singular subject → verb + s)
They write letters. (plural subject → no s)
Common mistakes
My sister have a new car.
My sister has a new car.
The children plays in the park.
The children play in the park.
He don’t like coffee.
He doesn’t like coffee.
Tricky cases
- Either / neither / each / everyone are treated as singular: Everyone is here.
- A team / a family / a group usually takes a singular verb in American English: The team is ready.
- Phrases between subject and verb don’t change the agreement: The box of cookies is on the table. (subject = box, not cookies)
Irregular verbs
Most English verbs are regular — you simply add -ed to make the past and past participle. But some verbs do not follow this pattern. These are called irregular verbs.
Irregular verbs form their past tense and past participle in different ways. There are some common patterns, but many must simply be learned and practiced.
Examples of irregular verbs
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle | Present participle |
|---|---|---|---|
| to go | went | gone | going |
| to drink | drank | drunk | drinking |
| to write | wrote | written | writing |
| to take | took | taken | taking |
| to put | put | put | putting |
Common patterns
- Same form throughout:
put → put → put ·
cut → cut → cut ·
hit → hit → hit
Watch out: ESL students often add -ed by mistake (“putted,” “cutted” — not English). - Same past and past participle: build → built → built · find → found → found
- Vowel change in the middle: sing → sang → sung · drink → drank → drunk
- Completely irregular: go → went → gone · be → was / were → been
Action verbs
Action verbs (also called dynamic verbs) describe what someone or something does. The action can be physical (run, write, jump) or mental (decide, plan, choose).
More examples: listen, drive, read, smile, study, take, sing.
Two types of action verbs
Action verbs can be transitive or intransitive depending on whether they need an object.
Transitive verbs
A transitive verb is followed by an object that receives the action. To check, ask “What?” or “Whom?” after the verb.
I wrote a letter. (wrote what?)
She carried the box. (carried what?)
They watched the movie. (watched what?)
Intransitive verbs
An intransitive verb is not followed by an object. If you ask “What?” or “Whom?” after the verb, the sentence makes no sense.
The baby cried. (cried what? — no object)
We arrived late. (arrived what? — no object)
Tom slept peacefully. (slept what? — no object)
Some verbs can be both
Many verbs are transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another:
She runs every morning. (no object → intransitive)
She runs a small business. (runs what? → transitive)
The mother sang a song. (transitive)
The mother sang beautifully. (no object → intransitive)
Non-action (stative) verbs
Non-action verbs (also called stative verbs) do not show an action. Instead, they describe a state, condition, feeling, possession, or sense. They tell us what someone is, has, thinks, or feels rather than what they are doing.
Common non-action verbs: be, seem, want, love, like, need, own, know, believe, understand, hate, prefer, remember, forget.
Examples in sentences
I know the answer. (state of knowledge)
She loves chocolate. (feeling)
They own a big house. (possession)
This soup smells delicious. (sense)
Important rule for ESL learners
Non-action verbs are not normally used in continuous (-ing) tenses. Use them in the simple tense instead.
I am knowing the answer.
I know the answer.
She is loving chocolate.
She loves chocolate.
I was wanting a car.
I wanted a car.
Linking verbs
Linking verbs do not show action. Instead, they connect the subject of a sentence to more information about the subject. This extra information is called a subject complement — a noun or adjective that describes or renames the subject.
Common linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been, become, seem.
Examples
She is happy.
My friend was a teacher.
Mike became the president.
He seems tired.
Other linking verbs
Many sense and state-change verbs can act as linking verbs: appear, feel, get, go, grow, look, prove, remain, smell, sound, taste, turn.
As linking verbs
I feel nervous. (state of being)
The soup tastes delicious. (description)
As action verbs
The same words can sometimes show action instead of linking:
I feel pain in my arm. (action: experiencing)
Please taste the soup. (action: trying it)
How to test for a linking verb
Try replacing the verb with am, is, or are. If the sentence still makes sense, the verb is probably linking.
I feel nervous. → I am nervous. ✅ (linking)
I feel pain. → I am pain. ❌ (action)
Helping (auxiliary) verbs
A helping verb (also called an auxiliary verb) works together with a main verb to form a verb phrase. Helping verbs show time (tense), possibility, ability, or add meaning like emphasis, politeness, or question form.
A sentence can have up to three helping verbs before the main verb. The main verb is always the last verb in the phrase.
Examples of verb phrases
I am learning English. (am = helping, learning = main)
She has finished her homework. (has = helping, finished = main)
We will visit the museum tomorrow. (will = helping, visit = main)
The car should have been fixed by now. (three helping verbs: should + have + been)
Common helping verbs
- Be – am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
- Do – do, does, did
- Have – have, has, had, having
- Modals – can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to
Main verb vs. helping verb
The verbs be, do, and have can act as main verbs or helping verbs, depending on how they are used:
I am late. (am = main verb)
I am studying now. (am = helping verb)
They do the work. (do = main verb)
Do you know the answer? (do = helping verb)
Why are helping verbs important?
Helping verbs are essential to form:
- Tenses: He is eating. She has arrived.
- Questions: Does she work here?
- Negatives: She does not understand.
- Polite forms: Could you help me?
Quick summary table
| Helping verb | Example phrase | How it’s used |
|---|---|---|
| be (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) |
I am reading. | Continuous tenses and passive voice. |
| have (have, has, had, having) |
She has finished her work. | Perfect tenses. |
| do (do, does, did) |
Do you like pizza? | Questions, negatives, and emphasis. |
| modals (can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must) |
We can help you. | Ability, possibility, necessity, or future intention. |
Modal verbs and their quirks
Modal verbs are a special group of helping verbs: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought to. They behave differently from other verbs in three important ways.
1. No -s for he / she / it
She cans swim.
She can swim.
2. No to before the next verb
He must to go home.
He must go home.
Exception: ought to always keeps the to: You ought to call her.
3. Always followed by the base form
The verb after a modal never takes -s, -ed, or -ing:
She can speak three languages.
You should try this dish.
It might rain tomorrow.
Common meanings
- can / could — ability or possibility: I can swim. / Could you help me?
- may / might — possibility or permission: It may rain. / May I come in?
- must — strong necessity or strong belief: You must wear a seatbelt. / He must be tired.
- should / ought to — advice or expectation: You should rest. / We ought to leave soon.
- will / would — future or polite requests: I will help you. / Would you mind?
The imperative form
The imperative is the form of the verb we use for commands, instructions, warnings, requests, and invitations. It is one of the easiest forms in English: just use the base form of the verb (no to, no ending), and no subject.
Examples
Open the door, please.
Stop!
Turn left at the corner.
Be careful on the ice.
Negative imperative
Add do not (or don’t) before the verb:
Don’t touch that.
Do not enter.
Making it polite
Add please at the beginning or the end:
Please sit down.
Pass the salt, please.
Phrasal verbs
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a small word (a preposition or adverb) that together create a new meaning — often very different from the original verb on its own. Phrasal verbs are everywhere in everyday English.
Examples
Please look up this word in the dictionary. (look up = search for)
I always get up at seven. (get up = leave bed)
She gave up smoking last year. (gave up = stopped trying)
We ran into an old friend at the store. (ran into = met by chance)
Can you turn off the lights? (turn off = stop / switch off)
Important things to know
- The meaning is often idiomatic. Look up a word has nothing to do with looking upward.
- Some phrasal verbs can be split. You can say turn off the lights OR turn the lights off. With a pronoun, you must split: turn them off (not “turn off them”).
- The same verb + different word = different meaning. get up (leave bed), get off (leave a bus), get over (recover from), get along (have a good relationship).
Active and passive voice
Voice shows whether the subject does the action or receives it. In the active voice, the subject does the action — this is the normal, direct choice. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action, built with a form of be + the past participle.
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| The chef cooked the meal. | The meal was cooked by the chef. |
| Workers build the houses. | The houses are built by workers. |
| Someone has stolen my bike. | My bike has been stolen. |
When do we use the passive?
- When the doer is unknown or unimportant: My wallet was stolen.
- When the action matters more than who did it (news, science, processes): The bridge was built in 1932.
- To sound formal or objective: The samples were tested twice.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a verb?
- A verb is a word that shows an action, an event, or a state of being. Almost every English sentence has at least one verb.
- What are the five forms of English verbs?
- The base form, the third-person -s form, the past tense, the past participle, and the -ing form. Regular verbs build these with -ed and -ing; irregular verbs change in other ways.
- What is the difference between action, linking, and helping verbs?
- Action verbs show what someone does. Linking verbs (like be and seem) connect the subject to a description. Helping verbs (like have, will, must) work with a main verb to show tense or possibility.