Grammar: A2 - ⚙️ Verbs in Depth: ⏳ Past & Future Tenses (Basics) - Lesson 3: Past Simple with common irregular verbs (go-went, eat-ate, see-saw, have-had, do-did)

Lesson 3: Past Simple with Common Irregular Verbs

In the last lesson, we learned that regular verbs add '-ed' in the past simple. However, many of the most common verbs in English are irregular¹.

Irregular verbs have a special, unique form for the past simple. You must memorize² them. Let's start with five of the most common ones.

Five Common Irregular Verbs

Base Form (Present)	Past Simple Form	Example Sentence
go	went	We went to the temples yesterday.
eat	ate	I ate fish amok for dinner last night.
see	saw	She saw a beautiful Apsara dance show.
have	had	He had a wonderful time in Siem Reap.
do	did	I did all my homework this morning.

The MOST Important Rule for Irregular Verbs

This is a rule you must remember! When we make a negative or a question with 'did', the irregular verb changes back to its base form.

Verb	Affirmative (+)	Negative (-)	Question (?)
go	He went to Pub Street.	He didn't go to Pub Street.	Did he go to Pub Street?
eat	They ate lunch.	They didn't eat lunch.	Did they eat lunch?
see	I saw the sunrise.	I didn't see the sunrise.	Did you see the sunrise?

Only use the special past form (went, ate, saw) in positive, affirmative sentences. For negatives and questions, always use the helping verb 'did' and the base form (go, eat, see).

Practice Quiz: Complete the Sentences

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses ( ).

1. I ______ to the market this morning. (go)
   → went
2. She ______ her homework. (not / do)
   → didn't do
3. ______ you ______ a good time? (have)
   → Did you have
4. They ______ a lot of interesting things at the museum. (see)
   → saw
5. He didn't ______ the spicy soup. (eat)
   → eat

Homework: What Did You Do?

Write three sentences about what you did yesterday. Use at least two of the irregular verbs from this lesson.

Example: I went to a cafe and had a coffee. I saw my friend there.

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1: ___________________________________

2: ___________________________________

3: ___________________________________

Vocabulary Glossary

1. Irregular Verb: (Noun) - កិរិយាស័ព្ទមិនទៀងទាត់ - A verb that does not form its past tense by adding '-ed'. ↩
2. Memorize: (Verb) - ចងចាំ - To learn something so that you can remember it exactly. ↩