Common Irregular Verbs

What you’ll learn

Recognize common past-simple forms that do not follow the regular -ed pattern.

ស្គាល់ទម្រង់ past simple របស់កិរិយាសព្ទពិសេសដែលមិនបន្ថែម -ed តាមធម្មតា។

Meaning and use

Irregular verbs do not make the past simple by simply adding -ed. Learn their past forms as useful word pairs: go → went, eat → ate. With ordinary irregular verbs, the positive past form is the same for all subjects: I went, she went, they went. Use the past simple for a finished past event. Do not add another past ending to a form that is already past. Be is a special case with two past forms, was and were.

កិរិយាសព្ទពិសេសមិនបង្កើតអតីតកាលដោយបន្ថែម -ed ទេ។ រៀនជាគូ ដូចជា go → went និង eat → ate។ ទម្រង់អតីតកាលរបស់កិរិយាសព្ទធម្មតាទាំងនេះដូចគ្នាសម្រាប់ប្រធានទាំងអស់។ កុំបន្ថែម -ed ទៅលើទម្រង់ដែលជាអតីតកាលរួចហើយ។

Grammar patterns

Pattern	Example or form
Movement	go → went; come → came
Everyday actions	eat → ate; see → saw
Possession and shopping	have → had; buy → bought
Same past form for ordinary irregular verbs	I went. She went. They went.

Examples

1. I went to the market yesterday.

   ខ្ញុំបានទៅផ្សារកាលពីម្សិលមិញ។

2. She ate rice for lunch.

   នាងបានញ៉ាំបាយជាអាហារថ្ងៃត្រង់។

3. We saw Dara last night.

   យើងបានឃើញដារ៉ាកាលពីយប់មិញ។

4. He bought a new bag.

   គាត់បានទិញកាបូបថ្មីមួយ។

Everyday conversation

Maly: Where did you go yesterday?

Dara: I went to the market.

Maly: What did you buy?

Dara: I bought a bag.

Common mistakes

Instead of	Use	Why
I goed to school yesterday.	I went to school yesterday.	The past form of go is went, not goed.
She ated lunch.	She ate lunch.	Ate is already the past form of eat.

Practice

Try these questions before opening the answers. Write or say each answer.

សាកល្បងឆ្លើយសំណួរទាំងនេះជាមុនសិន មុននឹងបើកមើលចម្លើយ។ អ្នកអាចសរសេរ ឬនិយាយចម្លើយរបស់អ្នក។

1. Complete: Yesterday I ___ to school. (go)
2. Complete: She ___ a book yesterday. (buy)
3. Write the past form: have.
4. Complete: We ___ Dara last night. (see)

Answers and explanations

Show answers / បង្ហាញចម្លើយ

1. went

   Go has the irregular past form went.

2. bought

   Buy changes to bought.

3. had

   Had is the past form of have.

4. saw

   See changes to saw in the past simple.

Quick recap

• Learn irregular past forms in short sentences.
• Do not add -ed to an irregular past form.
• Most ordinary irregular verbs use one past form for every subject.