Para usar muchos tiempos verbales en inglés, necesitas conocer las formas pasadas de los verbos. Todos los verbos tienen una forma base o ‘infinitivo’ (por ejemplo, mirar, hacer, jugar). La mayoría de los verbos, llamados ‘verbos regulares’, siguen el mismo patrón y crean el pasado simple y el participio pasado usando la misma palabra que termina, -ed. Sin embargo, hay verbos que tienen diferentes terminaciones, y estos se llaman ‘verbos irregulares’. Aquí hay un resumen general de cada tipo, con ejemplos y también algunos consejos sobre cómo recordarlos.
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre los verbos regulares e irregulares?
Ya sea que estés lidiando con verbos regulares o irregulares en el idioma inglés, ambos tienen grafías de participios pasados y pasados simples específicos. La diferencia radica en cómo la palabra se pone en tiempo pasado. Los verbos en tiempo pasado simples siempre tienen solo una parte. Los verbos en tiempo pasado del participio tienen varias partes y generalmente requieren un verbo auxiliar, como had, has o have. Con verbos regulares, el tiempo pasado simplemente agrega una «ed» al final de la palabra, con el pasado simple y la partícula pasada tomando la misma forma. Sin embargo, los verbos irregulares son los bichos raros, los inconformistas en el mundo de los verbos; son los verbos que no se ajustan a las reglas tradicionales. Con estos verbos, agregar «ed» no solo es incorrecto, sino que a menudo suena incómodo. Los patrones para los verbos irregulares varían, y el pasado simple y el participio pasado pueden terminar de manera diferente. Considere los siguientes ejemplos:
Verbo regular: I learn easily. I learned that material yesterday. (Para el verbo “learn,” “learned” es tanto para el pasado simple como el participio pasado).
Verbo irregular: I hurt my foot today. I hurt my foot yesterday. (Para el verbo “hurt,” “hurt” es tanto para el pasado simple como el participio pasado. No escribirías “I hurted my foot yesterday”).
Diferentes tipos de verbos irregulares
No hay reglas específicas que dicten cómo se forman los verbos de pasado participio y pasado simple. Algunos verbos irregulares toman todos la misma forma, como put (put, put, put). Otros toman diferentes formas pero tienen sonidos similares, como blow (blow, blew, blown). Sin embargo, otro tipo tiene formas de partículas pasadas y pasadas simples que son idénticas pero difieren del tiempo presente, como el sleep (sleep, slept, slept). Luego están aquellos que no entran en ninguna de las tres categorías anteriores, como go (go, went, gone). Considere los siguientes ejemplos:
Misma forma:
- I put learning about irregular verbs at the top of my to-do list today (present tense of put).
- Yesterday, I put irregular verbs at the top of my list of things to learn (simple past tense of put).
- I should have put irregular verbs on my list of things to learn much sooner (past participle tense of put).
Sonidos similares:
- I drink only occasionally (present tense of drink).
- I drank socially last weekend (simple past tense of drink).
- I have drunk socially at most parties I attended in college (past participle of drink).
Igual a pasado simple y pasado participio:
- I make coffee as soon as I awake (present tense of make).
- I made coffee as soon as I awoke (simple past tense of make).
- I had made coffee as soon as I awoke (past participle tense of make).
Sin categorizar:
- I need to go to the store (present tense of go).
- I went to the store earlier (simple past tense of go).
- I have gone to the store already today (part participle of go).
Aprendiendo verbos irregulares
¿Cómo aprendes los verbos irregulares? En pocas palabras, debe memorizar una lista bastante exhaustiva de ellos si no son parte de tu vocabulario cotidiano, o puedes aprenderlos sobre la marcha. Hay muchos recursos disponibles para estudiar listas de verbos irregulares. Los 10 verbos más comúnmente utilizados en el idioma inglés son en realidad irregulares (be, can, do, get, go, have, say, see, take and will). Muy a menudo, si el inglés es su lengua materna, simplemente conoce las formas correctas del verbo para cada tiempo de muchas palabras de uso común. En cualquier caso, cuando aprende o usa un verbo con el que no está familiarizado, debe buscar la forma apropiada para el tiempo verbal. Con el tiempo, tu conocimiento de cómo formar el pasado simple y el participio pasado para esos verbos irregulares se expande.
Aprendiendo verbos regulares
La formación del tiempo presente
En el presente simple, la forma básica de un verbo regular solo cambia en la 3ª persona del singular, de la siguiente manera:
- La mayoría de los verbos simplemente agrega -s a la forma básica (por ejemplo, take/takes, seem/seems, look/looks).
- Los verbos que terminan con una vocal que no sea e agrega -es (por ejemplo go/goes, veto/vetoes, do/does).
- Los verbos que terminan con -s, -z, -ch, -sh y -x agregan -es (por ejemplo, kiss/kisses, fizz/fizzes, punch/punches, wash/washes, mix/mixes).
- Si el verbo termina en una consonante más -y, cambie la y a una i antes de agregar -es (por ejemplo, hurry/hurries, clarify/clarifies). Pero si el verbo termina en una vocal más -y, simplemente agrega -s (por ejemplo, play/plays, enjoy/enjoys).
Formación de tiempo pasado
Formar el tiempo pasado simple de los verbos regulares es, en su mayoría, sencillo, y se usa la misma forma para la primera, segunda y tercera persona, singular y plural:
- Si la forma básica del verbo termina en una consonante o vocal que no sea e, agregue las letras -ed al final (por ejemplo, seem / seem, laugh / laughed, look / looked).
- Para los verbos que terminan en -e, agregue -d (por ejemplo, love/loved, recede/receded, hope/hoped).
- Si el verbo termina en una consonante más -y, cambie la y a una i antes de agregar -ed (por ejemplo, hurry/hurried, clarify/clarified). Pero si el verbo termina en una vocal más -y, solo agrega -ed (por ejemplo, play/played, enjoy/enjoyed).
¿Puede text igualarse con texted? – Una aplicación moderna
A lo largo de la historia, se forman nuevas palabras a medida que se crean nuevas tecnologías, ideas y más. En la mayoría de los casos, las palabras nuevas de hoy en día simplemente reciben la forma regular, como fax (faxed), photocopy (photocopied) y email (emailed). Sin embargo, la palabra «text» crea un dilema interesante para determinar si el verbo es regular (text, text, text) o irregular (text, texted, texted). «Text» se originó como una palabra de argot para indicar el envío de un mensaje de texto a través de teléfonos celulares; en esta forma, es un sustantivo. Con el tiempo, se transformó en un verbo. Siguiendo el pensamiento moderno de que el texto como una palabra «nueva» es un verbo regular, los tiempos pasados adecuados son «texted». De hecho, en muchos diccionarios en línea, es probable que encuentre el tiempo pasado como «texted».
Sin embargo, la postura oficial sobre si el verbo es regular o irregular no es oficial. Según la convención moderna, el text como un verbo irregular es más fácil de pronunciar y tiene más sentido. La terminación «t» es difícil combinada con la «x» en la palabra crea una pronunciación con un sonido duro formado por el grupo de consonantes; uno que cuando se habla dentro de una oración puede incluso sonar mejor como «texted». Considere el siguiente ejemplo:
- I text my friends throughout the day (present tense of tense).
- I text my friends yesterday (text as an irregular verb, simple past tense).
- I have text my friends repeatedly without a response (text as an irregular verb, past participle tense).
- I texted my friends yesterday (text as a regular verb, both simple past and past participle tense).
Ejemplos de verbos regulares
| Infinitivivo | Pasado |
Participio |
| Accept | Accepted | Accepted |
| Act | Acted | Acted |
| Achieve | Achieved | Achieved |
| Admire | Admired | Admired |
| Advise | Advised | Advised |
| Affect | Affected | Affected |
| Agree | Agreed | Agreed |
| Amaze | Amazed | Amazed |
| Amuse | Amused | Amused |
| Answer | Answered | Answered |
| Appear | Appeared | Appeared |
| Arrange | Arranged | Arranged |
| Arrive | Arrived | Arrived |
| Ask | Asked | Asked |
| Attack | Attacked | Attacked |
| Bake | Baked | Baked |
| Behave | Behaved | Behaved |
| Believe | Believed | Believed |
| Belong | Belonged | Belonged |
| Blame | Blamed | Blamed |
| Borrow | Borrowed | Borrowed |
| Bother | Bothered | Bothered |
| Call | Called | Called |
| Cancel | Canceled | Canceled |
| Carry | Carried | Carried |
| Cause | Caused | Caused |
| Celebrate | Celebrated | Celebrated |
| Clean | Cleaned | Cleaned |
| Clear | Cleared | Cleared |
| Climb | Climbed | Climbed |
| Close | Closed | Closed |
| Compare | Compared | Compared |
| Compete | Competed | Competed |
| Complete | Completed | Completed |
| Contain | Contained | Contained |
| Continue | Continued | Continued |
| Cook | Cooked | Cooked |
| Correct | Corrected | Corrected |
| Cough | Coughed | Coughed |
| Count | Counted | Counted |
| Crash | Crashed | Crashed |
| Create | Created | Created |
| Cross | Crossed | Crossed |
| Curse | Cursed | Cursed |
| Pass | Passed | Passed |
| Perform | Performed | Performed |
| Persuade | Persuaded | Persuaded |
| Pick | Picked | Picked |
| Plan | Planned | Planned |
| Play | Played | Played |
| Please | Pleased | Pleased |
| Practice | Practiced | Practiced |
| Predict | Predicted | Predicted |
| Prefer | Preferred | Preferred |
| Present | Presented | Presented |
| Program | Programmed | Programmed |
| Protect | Protected | Protected |
| Provide | Provided | Provided |
| Purchase | Purchased | Purchased |
| Push | Pushed | Pushed |
| Rain | Rain | Rain |
| Receive | Received | Received |
| Recommend | Recommended | Recommended |
| Relate | Related | Related |
| Relax | Relaxed | Relaxed |
| Release | Released | Released |
| Remember | Remembered | Remembered |
| Repair | Repaired | Repaired |
| Repeat | Repeated | Repeated |
| Resist | Resisted | Resisted |
| Rest | Rested | Rested |
| Return | Returned | Returned |
| Review | Reviewed | Reviewed |
| Sail | Sailed | Sailed |
| Save | Saved | Saved |
| Scan | Scanned | Scanned |
| Scare | Scared | Scared |
| Share | Shared | Shared |
| Shop | Shopped | Shopped |
| Shout | Shouted | Shouted |
| Skate | Skated | Skated |
| Ski | Skied | Skied |
| Slow | Slowed | Slowed |
| Sneeze | Sneezed | Sneezed |
| Snow | Snowed | Snowed |
| Solve | Solved | Solved |
| Spell | Spelled | Spelled |
| Start | Started | Started |
| Step | Stepped | Stepped |
| Stop | Stopped | Stopped |
| Stress | Stressed | Stressed |
| Ignore | Ignored | Ignored |
| Imagine | Imagined | Imagined |
| Impress | Impressed | Impressed |
| Improve | Improved | Improved |
| Include | Included | Included |
| Increase | Increased | Increased |
| Interview | Interviewed | Interviewed |
| Introduce | Introduced | Introduced |
| Invite | Invited | Invited |
| Jog | Jogged | Jogged |
| Join | Joined | Joined |
| Jump | Jumped | Jumped |
| Knock | Knocked | Knocked |
| Label | Labeled | Labeled |
| Land | Landed | Landed |
| Last | Lasted | Lasted |
| Learn | Learned | Learned |
| Like | Liked | Liked |
| Link | Linked | Linked |
| List | Listed | Listed |
| Listen | Listened | Listened |
| Live | Lived | Lived |
| Locate | Located | Located |
| Look | Looked | Looked |
| Love | Loved | Loved |
| Manage | Managed | Managed |
| Mark | Marked | Marked |
| Match | Matched | Matched |
| Measure | Measured | Measured |
| Mention | Mentioned | Mentioned |
| Miss | Missed | Missed |
| Move | Moved | Moved |
| Name | Named | Named |
| Need | Needed | Needed |
| Note | Noted | Noted |
| Notice | Noticed | Noticed |
| Number | Numbered | Numbered |
| Offer | Offered | Offered |
| Open | Opened | Opened |
| Order | Ordered | Ordered |
| Organize | Organized | Organized |
| Pack | Packed | Packed |
| Paint | Painted | Painted |
| Pamper | Pampered | Pampered |
| Pardon | Pardoned | Pardoned |
| Park | Parked | Parked |
| Participate | Participated | Participated |
Ejemplos de verbos irregulares
| Infinitivo | Pasado simple | Pasado participio |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| be | was / were | been |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bet | bet/betted | bet/betted |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| build | built | built |
| buy | bought | bought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| creep | crept | crept |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamt/dreamed | dreamt/dreamed |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| forsake | forsook | forsaken |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| kneel | knelt | knelt |
| know | knew | known |
| lead | led | led |
| learn | learnt/learned | learnt/learned |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| quit | quit/quitted | quit/quitted |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| sew | sewed | sewn/sewed |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shine | shone | shone |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown/showed |
| shrink | shrank/shrunk | shrunk |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| spill | spilt/spilled | spilt/spilled |
| split | split | split |
| spoil | spoilt/spoiled | spoilt/spoiled |
| spread | spread | spread |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stank/stunk | stunk |
| strike | struck | struck |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swim | swam | swum |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| tread | trode | trodden/trod |
| understand | understood | understood |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove | woven |
| weep | wept | wept |
| win | won | won |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| write | wrote | written |