Verb forms

Before we explain how to conjugate verbs in English, you need to understand the different forms a verb takes. This helps immeasurably when you conjugate on your own—you just need to use the right form at the right time. Keep in mind that these forms work mostly for regular verbs; irregular verbs each have their own special forms. 

If you want to learn more, we have a more detailed guide on verb forms here. 

ROOT	3RD PERSON SINGULAR	SIMPLE PAST	PRESENT PARTICIPLE	PAST PARTICIPLE
Dance (regular)	dances	danced	dancing	danced
Sing (irregular)	sings	sang	singing	sung

Root 

The root form is the basic form of the verb with no changes. It’s also the simple present tense for everything except the third-person singular. 

Third-person singular present

Used with subjects like he, she, the singular they, or it, the third-person singular in the present tense just adds an -s to the end of the root form most of the time. 

For verbs that end in a consonant and -y (try, carry), you remove the y and add -ies (tries, carries). If the verb ends in a vowel and -y (say, buy), you just add an –s like normal (says, buys). 

Verbs that end in -ch, -sh, -x, -z, or -s add -es to the end instead of just –s. For example, watch becomes watches and kiss becomes kisses. 

Simple past 

The past tense shows an action that already happened. In most cases it’s made by adding -ed to the end of the root form, or just -d if the root form already ends in an e. However, be careful of irregular verbs—their rules for the past don’t tend to be consistent. 

Present participle

The present participle is used for the continuous tenses to show ongoing or current action, and in more advanced English can be used for participial phrases. In most cases you simply add –ing to the end of the root form, although sometimes you have to remove an E first. 

Past participle

The past participle is used for the perfect tenses. In regular verbs, it’s the same as the simple past tense, so there’s nothing extra to learn. However, irregular verbs often use unique past participles, so you may have to memorize their forms.