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Learn English Verbs

English may seem simple on the surface, but its tense system, phrasal verbs, and irregular past forms are a constant source of mistakes for non-native speakers. Precision with verbs is what makes you sound truly fluent.

Essential English phrases

Building fluency in English starts with verbs. Here are some everyday phrases that rely on getting the verb form right:

I have been waiting for an hour

Present perfect continuous tense

She had already left when I arrived

Past perfect tense

I would have called if I had known

Third conditional

Could you help me with this?

Polite request with modal verb

I used to play tennis every week

Past habitual action

He's been working here since 2020

Present perfect continuous with 'since'

Why English verbs are challenging

English has over 200 irregular past tense forms (go/went, buy/bought, think/thought) with no consistent pattern to predict them.
Phrasal verbs like 'give up,' 'look into,' and 'put off' have meanings that can't be guessed from their individual words, and there are thousands of them.
The distinction between present perfect ('I have eaten') and simple past ('I ate') is subtle and used differently than in most other languages.
Modal verbs (can, could, may, might, should, would) express fine shades of certainty, politeness, and obligation that are difficult to master.

Sample English verb conjugations

VerbPal teaches these in full sentences, not isolated tables — but here's a taste of what you'll master:

Verb	Present	Past
to be	I am	I was
to have	I have	I had
to go	I go	I went
to do	I do	I did

How VerbPal teaches English

Learn in context

Every English verb is taught inside a real sentence you'd actually say.

Spaced repetition

Our SM-2 algorithm brings back verbs right before you forget them.

Build speed

Short daily sessions train automatic tense recall — no more freezing mid-sentence.

English conjugation tables

Need the full picture? The English conjugation tables cover 421 verbs across 5 tenses, free and complete. Start with the ones you'll use most:

be — to exist, to occur have — to possess, to own do — to perform, to execute say — to speak, to utter go — to move, to travel get — to obtain, to receive make — to create, to produce know — to understand, to be aware

Guides for English learners

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