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3 Main Ways to Conjugate Verbs in English & Verb Conjugation Practice

Verbs are a mandatory part of creating a complete sentence. However, the form of the verb in the sentence will change depending on the subject. Today, let PREP introduce some of the most common ways to conjugate verbs in English along with some practice so you can reinforce this knowledge!

I. What is English Verb Conjugation?

Verb conjugation is the act of changing a verb's default form into other forms based on the subject's pronoun, the tense of the sentence, and any verb before it. Below are some examples of how to conjugate verbs:

She works at a hospital. (The verb "works" is conjugated based on the singular first-person subject "she" in the present simple tense.)
Bob is watching TV right now. (The verb "watching" is conjugated based on the singular subject "Bob" in the present continuous tense.)
They have never seen a kangaroo before. (The verb "seen" is conjugated based on the third-person plural subject "they" in the present perfect tense.)

In summary, verb conjugation makes the action or event mentioned in the sentence clearer. Through verb conjugation, the reader/ listener can understand the time frame and context in which the event or action took place or the number of subjects performing that action.

II. Most common ways to conjugate verbs in English

What factors does verb conjugation depend on? Let's take a look with PREP at the common ways to conjugate verbs and examples:

1. Subject’s grammatical person

	Subject’s grammatical person	Subject	How to conjugate verbs	Example
Tobe	Singular first person	I	am/ was/ have been/ had been	I am a student.
	Plural first/ second/ third person	You, We, They	are/ were/ have been/ had been	They are my best friends.
	Singular third person	He, She, It	is/ was/ has been/ had been	He is a singer.
Regular verb	Plural first/ second/ third person	I, You, We, They	Bare infinitive verb	I go to school every day.
Regular verb	Singular third person	He, She, It	Bare infinitive verb + suffix “-s” or “-es”.	She watches TV every evening.

2. Sentence tense

2.1. Present tense

Tense	Conjugate verbs according to the sentence’s tense	Example
Present simple tense	tobe: am/ is/ are (not); Regular verb: V(e/ es) or (do/ does + not + V)	Linda isn’t a teacher anymore. The sun rises in the east.
Present progressive tense	am/ is/ are (not) + V-ing	We are eating dinner at the restaurant.
Present perfect tense	have/ has (not) + V-ed/ Past Participle (PII)	David has lived in this city for five years.
Present Perfect Continuous tense	have/ has (not) + been + V-ing	I have been reading this book for hours.

2.2. Past tenses

Tense	Conjugate verbs according to the sentence’s tense	Example
Past simple tense	tobe: was/ were (not) Regular verb: V-ed/Past Simple (PI) or (did + not + V)	Bob played the piano when he was a child.
Past continuous tense	was/were (not) + V-ing	They were playing outside in the rain at 9 PM last night.
Past Perfect Tense	had (not) + V-ed/Past Participle (PII)	Mary had finished her homework before dinner.
Past perfect continuous tense	had (not) + been + V-ing	I had been working at a multinational company for five years before I went abroad.

2.3. Future tense

Tense	Conjugate verbs according to the sentence’s tense	Example
Future Simple Tense	will (not) + be/V	She will visit her grandparents next month.
Future continuous tense	will (not) + be + V-ing	They will be celebrating their anniversary on Saturday.
Future perfect Tense	will (not) + have + V-ed/Past Participle (PII)	They will have completed the construction project before the deadline.
Future perfect continuous tense	will (not) + have + been + V-ing	They will have been working on the project for three months by the time it’s done.

3. Preceding verb

3.1. V + to V

Some common verbs that have the structure “V + to V” are as follows:

Conjugate verbs according to the preceding verb

Verb	Meaning	Example
afford	to have enough money to be able to buy or do something	She can’t afford to buy a new car right now because she’s saving money for her trip abroad.
choose	to decide which thing or person you want out of the ones that are available	I choose to stay at home and watch TV.
decide	to think carefully about the different possibilities that are available and choose one of them	After much consideration, they decided to move to a smaller town for a quieter lifestyle.
fail	to not be successful in achieving something	Despite studying all night, she still failed to pass the challenging exam.
hope	to want something to happen and think that it is possible	We hope to visit our grandparents during the summer vacation.
learn	to gain knowledge or skill by studying, from experience, from being taught, etc.	He wants to learn to play the guitar, so he’s taking lessons twice a week.
manage	to control or be in charge of a business, a team, an organization, land, etc.	Despite his busy schedule, he managed to finish all his work on time.
prepare	to make something or somebody ready to be used or to do something	She is preparing well to become a champion.
pretend	to behave in a particular way, in order to make other people believe something that is not true	Were you just pretending to be interested?
promise	to tell somebody that you will definitely do or not do something, or that something will definitely happen	He promised to help his friend move to a new apartment over the weekend.
seem	to give the impression of being or doing something	Despite her smile, she seems to be feeling a bit down today.

3.2. V + V-ing

In addition to verb conjugation structures like V + to V or V + O + to V, verb forms also include the V + V-ing structure. Which verbs are followed by V-ing in their conjugated form? Let's take a look below:

Verb	Meaning	Example
admit	to agree, often unwillingly, that something is true	She admitted making a mistake in the report.
avoid	to prevent something bad from happening	He avoids eating sugary foods to maintain a healthy diet.
can’t help	to not be able to control or stop something	She can’t help laughing at the funny movie.
consider	to think about something carefully, especially in order to make a decision	They are considering redecorating their living room.
delay	to make somebody/something late or force them to do something more slowly	I think we should delay deciding about this until next year.
deny	to say that something is not true	He denied stealing the cookies from the jar.
enjoy	to get pleasure from something	She enjoys reading novels in her free time.
finish	to stop doing something or making something because it is complete	He finished cleaning the garage just before the guests arrived.
imagine	to form a picture in your mind of what something might be like	She can’t imagine living in a big city; she prefers the quiet countryside.
keep	to continue to have something and not give it back or throw it away	He keeps trying to distract me.
mind	to be upset, annoyed or worried by something	Do you mind helping me move this heavy table?
propose	to suggest a plan, an idea, etc. for people to think about and decide on	He proposed going for a hike on the weekend.
risk	to put something valuable or important in a dangerous situation, in which it could be lost or damaged	She risks losing her job if she doesn’t meet the project deadline.

3.3. V + to V/V-ing

Besides the cases above, many verbs can be followed by both to V and V-ing, depending on the meaning of the sentence. Let's take a look at which verbs these are:

Verb	Meaning	Meaning when another verb is attached	Example
Stop	to no longer move; to make somebody/ something no longer move	To V: Stopping one action in order to do something else V-ing: Ceasing an action completely	She stopped to talk to her neighbor on her way to work. She stopped talking when she saw him entering the room.
Forget	to not remember to do something that you ought to do, or to bring or buy something that you ought to bring or buy	To V: Forgetting to do something that needs to be done (without actually doing it) V-ing: Forgotten completely about something that was actually done in the past	He forgot to buy groceries at the store yesterday. He forgot locking the front door this morning.
Remember	to have or keep an image in your memory of an event, a person, a place, etc. from the past	To V: Remembering that something needs to be done (without having actually done it yet) V-ing: Remembering/ recalling something that was actually done in the past	Did you remember to call your mother last night? She always remembers sending her parents a gift on their anniversary.
Regret	to feel sorry about something you have done or about something that you have not been able to do	To V: Regretting/ lamenting an unfortunate situation V-ing: Feeling remorseful/ repentant about something done in the past	She regrets to inform you that the event has been canceled. He regretted not attending the important conference last week.
Try	to make an attempt or effort to do or get something	To V: Making an effort to do something V-ing: Trying or attempting to do something	He’s to fix the leaking faucet. They are trying cooking a new dish for dinner tonight.
Need	to require something/ somebody because they are essential or very important, not just because you would like to have them	To V: Needing to do something (active voice) V-ing: Something needing to be done (passive voice)	I need to finish this report before the meeting tomorrow. The car needs washing; it’s covered in dirt.
Mean	to have something as a meaning in the same or another language	To V: Doing something for some purpose or intention V-ing: Explaining what something means or signifies	What do you mean to say with that comment? Adopting my new pets also mean taking much more responsibility, but I am more than happy to do so.

III. Exercises on how to conjugate verbs & Detailed answers

To firmly grasp rules to conjugate verbs, PREP has shared some practice exercises with answers below. Students should diligently practice!

1. Exercises

Exercise 1:

I_____(eat) breakfast every morning.
They_____(study) for their exams now.
She already_____(visit) that museum twice.
I_____(read) this book for hours.
He_____(play) the piano when he was a child.
She_____(study) when the phone rang.
By the time we arrived, they already_____(leave).
I_____(wait) for hours before the bus finally came.
She_____(visit) her grandparents next month.
They_____(celebrate) their anniversary this Saturday.

Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer

He stopped _____ last year for the sake of his health.
1. Smoking
2. To smoke
She regretted _____ her candidate that he did not pass the interview.
1. To inform
2. Informing
She forgot _____ her umbrella, and it started raining heavily.
1. Bringing
2. To bring
He remembered _____ flowers for his wife on their anniversary which made her happy.
1. Buying
2. To buy
He regrets _____ so much junk food now that he’s dealing with health issues.
1. Eating
2. To eat

2. Answer keys

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
eat are studying has already visited have been reading played was studying had already left had been waiting will visit/ is going to visit will be celebrating	A A B B A

Hopefully, the knowledge on how to conjugate verbs that PREP shared in this article has helped you supplement your knowledge. Be sure to frequently visit PREP's knowledge blog to accurately and quickly update yourself on English information!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.