Conjugation enables you to speak and write English properly, in a way that other English-speakers will easily understand. It’s an essential aspect of the language, and learning how to properly conjugate verbs will fine-tune your English skills. 

While you can technically use English without conjugation, it won’t sound very professional and will make communication more difficult. 

In this article, you’ll learn all the basics of English verb conjugation so that you can make the most of every conversation!

Table of Contents

1. What is Conjugation?
2. Conjugation Examples
3. Conjugating Irregular Verbs
4. English Verb Conjugation Quiz
5. Some Parting Words…

1. What is Conjugation?

Learning English conjugations can be difficult, but there’s a bit of good news for you: Verbs are the only part of speech that you conjugate!

Conjugation is how a verb changes to properly fit in a sentence. Each verb has an infinitive form, which is the most basic form of that verb (to think, to cry, to explain). But these infinitive verbs don’t work in all sentences, so they must be changed according to the following factors:

• Person (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
• Number (singular, plural)
• Tense (simple past, simple present, simple future)
• Aspect (simple, progressive, perfect)

In English, this is usually done by adding the most appropriate suffix: -ed (past participle) or -ing (present participle, also called a gerund). 

Further, there are various subcategories of verb conjugations based on their tense and aspect. These subcategories are:

• Indicative: Indicative conjugation is done to imply a statement of a true thing that happened, is happening, or will happen. 

• Subjunctive: Subjunctive conjugation is done to imply what one wishes had happened, or how a result might differ if that thing had happened.

• Conditional: Conditional conjugation is done to imply that something would happen or would have happened, in different circumstances.

• Imperative: Imperative conjugation is done to imply a command. Only the first person plural, second person singular, and second person plural forms use the imperative.

And because English verb conjugation is unnecessarily difficult and complex, these subcategories are further divided into the nominal form and the progressive/continuous form. The progressive/continuous form is easy to spot because the verb conjugations end in -ing.

Before you move on to the examples below, you may find it helpful to brush up on your English verb knowledge. Be sure to read the article I wrote on the topic, where I also explain the most basic conjugation.

2. Conjugation Examples

That was a lot to take in, so here I’ll include some examples using common English verbs. There’s a lot of information in the following English conjugation tables, so just take it easy and don’t expect to master these right away! 

1- To walk

• Infinitive: To walk
• Participle: Walked
• Gerund: Walking

A. Nominal Form

	Indicative
	Present	Simple past	Future	Perfect	Past perfect	Future perfect
I	Walk	Walked	Will walk	Have walked	Had walked	Will have walked
You [s]	Walk	Walked	Will walk	Have walked	Had walked	Will have walked
He / She	Walks	Walked	Will walk	Have walked	Had walked	Will have walked
We	Walk	Walked	Will walk	Have walked	Had walked	Will have walked
You [p]	Walk	Walked	Will walk	Have walked	Had walked	Will have walked
They	Walk	Walked	Will walk	Have walked	Had walked	Will have walked

	Subjunctive
	Present	Perfect	Imperfect	Past perfect
I	Walk	Have walked	Walked	Had walked
You [s]	Walk	Have walked	Walked	Had walked
He / She	Walk	Have walked	Walked	Had walked
We	Walk	Have walked	Walked	Had walked
You [p]	Walk	Have walked	Walked	Had walked
They	Walk	Have walked	Walked	Had walked

	Conditional
	Present	Perfect
I	Would walk	Would have walked
You [s]	Would walk	Would have walked
He / She	Would walk	Would have walked
We	Would walk	Would have walked
You [p]	Would walk	Would have walked
They	Would walk	Would have walked

	Imperative – Present
I	–
You [s]	Walk
He / She	–
We	Let’s walk
You [p]	Walk
They	–

B. Progressive / Continuous Form

	Indicative
	Present	Simple past	Future	Perfect	Past perfect	Future perfect
I	Am walking	Was walking	Will be walking	Have been walking	Had been walking	Will have been walking
You [s]	Are walking	Were walking	Will be walking	Have been walking	Had been walking	Will have been walking
He / She	Are walking	Was walking	Will be walking	Have been walking	Had been walking	Will have been walking
We	Are walking	Were walking	Will be walking	Have been walking	Had been walking	Will have been walking
You [p]	Are walking	Were walking	Will be walking	Have been walking	Had been walking	Will have been walking
They	Are walking	Were walking	Will be walking	Have been walking	Had been walking	Will have been walking

	Conditional
	Present	Perfect
I	Would be walking	Would have been walking
You [s]	Would be walking	Would have been walking
He / She	Would be walking	Would have been walking
We	Would be walking	Would have been walking
You [p]	Would be walking	Would have been walking
They	Would be walking	Would have been walking

2- To listen

• Infinitive: To listen
• Participle: Listened
• Gerund: Listening

A. Nominal Form

	Indicative
	Present	Simple past	Future	Perfect	Past perfect	Future perfect
I	Listen	Listened	Will listen	Have listened	Had listened	Will have listened
You [s]	Listen	Listened	Will listen	Have listened	Had listened	Will have listened
He / She	Listen	Listened	Will listen	Have listened	Had listened	Will have listened
We	Listen	Listened	Will listen	Have listened	Had listened	Will have listened
You [p]	Listen	Listened	Will listen	Have listened	Had listened	Will have listened
They	Listen	Listened	Will listen	Have listened	Had listened	Will have listened

	Subjunctive
	Present	Perfect	Imperfect	Past perfect
I	Listen	Have listened	Listened	Had listened
You [s]	Listen	Have listened	Listened	Had listened
He / She	Listen	Have listened	Listened	Had listened
We	Listen	Have listened	Listened	Had listened
You [p]	Listen	Have listened	Listened	Had listened
They	Listen	Have listened	Listened	Had listened

	Conditional
	Present	Perfect
I	Would listen	Would have listened
You [s]	Would listen	Would have listened
He / She	Would listen	Would have listened
We	Would listen	Would have listened
You [p]	Would listen	Would have listened
You [p]	Would listen	Would have listened

	Imperative – Present
I	–
You [s]	Listen
He / She	–
We	Let’s listen
You [p]	Listen
They	–

B. Progressive / Continuous Form

	Indicative
	Present	Simple past	Future	Perfect	Past perfect	Future perfect
I	Am listening	Was listening	Will be listening	Have been listening	Had been listening	Will have been listening
You [s]	Are listening	Were listening	Will be listening	Have been listening	Had been listeningHad been listening	Will have been listening
He / She	Is listening	Was listening	Will be listening	Have been listening	Had been listening	Will have been listening
We	Are listening	Were listening	Will be listening	Have been listening	Had been listening	Will have been listening
You [p]	Are listening	Were listening	Will be listening	Have been listening	Had been listening	Will have been listening
They	Are listening	Were listening	Will be listening	Have been listening	Had been listening	Will have been listening

	Conditional
	Present	Perfect
I	Would be listening	Would have been listening
You [s]	Would be listening	Would have been listening
He / She	Would be listening	Would have been listening
We	Would be listening	Would have been listening
You [p]	Would be listening	Would have been listening
They	Would be listening	Would have been listening

3- To move

• Infinitive: To move
• Participle: Moved
• Gerund: Moving

A. Nominal Form

	Indicative
	Present	Simple past	Future	Perfect	Past perfect	Future perfect
I	Move	Moved	Will move	Have moved	Had moved	Will have moved
You [s]	Move	Moved	Will move	Have moved	Had moved	Will have moved
He / She	Moves	Moved	Will move	Has moved	Had moved	Will have moved
We	Move	Moved	Will move	Have moved	Had moved	Will have moved
You [p]	Move	Moved	Will move	Have moved	Had moved	Will have moved
They	Move	Moved	Will move	Have moved	Had moved	Will have moved

	Subjunctive
	Present	Perfect	Imperfect	Past perfect
I	Move	Have moved	Moved	Had moved
You [s]	Move	Have moved	Moved	Had moved
He / She	Move	Have moved	Moved	Had moved
We	Move	Have moved	Moved	Had moved
You [p]	Move	Have moved	Moved	Had moved
They	Move	Have moved	Moved	Had moved

	Conditional
	Present	Perfect
I	Would move	Would have moved
You [s]	Would move	Would have moved
He / She	Would move	Would have moved
We	Would move	Would have moved
You [p]	Would move	Would have moved
They	Would move	Would have moved

	Imperative – Present
I	–
You [s]	Move
He / She	–
We	Let’s move
You [p]	Move
They	–

B. Progressive / Continuous Form

	Indicative
	Present	Simple past	Future	Perfect	Past perfect	Future perfect
I	Am moving	Was moving	Will be moving	Have been moving	Had been moving	Will have been moving
You [s]	Are moving	Were moving	Will be moving	Have been moving	Had been moving	Will have been moving
He / She	Is moving	Was moving	Will be moving	Have been moving	Had been moving	Will have been moving
We	Are moving	Were moving	Will be moving	Have been moving	Had been moving	Will have been moving
You [p]	Are moving	Were moving	Will be moving	Have been moving	Had been moving	Will have been moving
They	Are moving	Were moving	Will be moving	Have been moving	Had been moving	Will have been moving

	Conditional
	Present	Perfect
I	Would be moving	Would have been moving
You [s]	Would be moving	Would have been moving
He / She	Would be moving	Would have been moving
We	Would be moving	Would have been moving
You [p]	Would be moving	Would have been moving
They	Would be moving	Would have been moving

3. Conjugating Irregular Verbs

In English, irregular verbs have conjugations that don’t follow the rules. Here are a few of the most common examples of irregular verbs with their conjugations. For this section, we’re not going to worry too much about the more complex conjugations that you saw above. I’ll keep this section simple by only including the verb tenses/aspects that are irregular.  

Let’s start with the English conjugations of “to be.”

1- To Be

• Infinitive: To be
• Participle: Been
• Gerund: Being

	Indicative		Subjunctive
	Present	Past	Imperfect
I	Am	Was	Were
You [s]	Are	Were	Were
He / She	Is	Was	Were
We	Are	Were	Were
You [p]	Are	Were	Were
They	Are	Were	Were

2- To Have

• Infinitive: To have
• Participle: Had
• Gerund: Having

	Indicative		Subjunctive
	Present	Past	Imperfect
I	Have	Had	Had
You [s]	Have	Had	Had
He / She	Has	Had	Had
We	Have	Had	Had
You [p]	Have	Had	Had
They	Have	Had	Had

3- To Feel

• Infinitive: To feel
• Participle: Felt
• Gerund: Feeling

	Indicative	Subjunctive
	Past	Imperfect
I	Felt	Felt
You [s]	Felt	Felt
He / She	Felt	Felt
We	Felt	Felt
You [p]	Felt	Felt
They	Felt	Felt

4- To Eat

• Infinitive: To eat
• Participle: Eaten
• Gerund: Eating

	Indicative	Subjunctive
	Past	Imperfect
I	Ate	Ate
You [s]	Ate	Ate
He / She	Ate	Ate
We	Ate	Ate
You [p]	Ate	Ate
They	Ate	Ate

5- To Bite

• Infinitive: To bite
• Participle: Bitten
• Gerund: Biting

	Indicative	Subjunctive
	Past	Imperfect
I	Bit	Bit
You [s]	Bit	Bit
He / She	Bit	Bit
We	Bit	Bit
You [p]	Bit	Bit
They	Bit	Bit

6- To Sleep

• Infinitive: To sleep
• Participle: Slept
• Gerund: Sleeping

	Indicative	Subjunctive
	Past	Imperfect
I	Slept	Slept
You [s]	Slept	Slept
He / She	Slept	Slept
We	Slept	Slept
You [p]	Slept	Slept
They	Slept	Slept

7- To Tell

• Infinitive: To tell
• Participle: Told
• Gerund: Telling

	Indicative	Subjunctive
	Past	Imperfect
I	Told	Told
You [s]	Told	Told
He / She	Told	Told
We	Told	Told
You [p]	Told	Told
They	Told	Told

As you can see, the majority of these irregular verbs tend to repeat, making them easier to memorize. Further, most of them only conjugate irregularly in the past tense. 

The downside is that these are only the beginning of irregular verbs. There are many more that you’ll have to memorize as you come across them. But you can do it! 

4. English Verb Conjugation Quiz

Now, it’s time to test your knowledge. Don’t fret too much, though; this quiz will only focus on the simpler conjugations. 

1) Bob [talk] with Dana yesterday.

Choices:
A) Talk
B) Talks
C) Talking
D) Talked

2) Phil [to be] in love with Valerie.

Choices:
A) Are
B) Is
C) Am
D) Were

3) Lily is [finish] her assignment right now.

Choices:
A) Finished
B) Finish
C) Finishing
D) Finishes

4) Mary always [act] like she [know] everything.

Choices:
A) Acts/knows
B) Acted/knows
C) Acted/knew
D) Acting/knows

5) I [eat] oatmeal with peanut butter this morning.

Choices:
A) Eaten
B) Eat
C) Eats
D) Ate

The correct answers are: 

D – The word “yesterday” implies that the conversation happened the day before. Thus, the past tense conjugation is used.

B – Because Phil is a singular individual and currently in love, “is” is the most appropriate choice.

C – Lily is currently doing the action (indicated by the to be verb “is”), so the present form is used.

A – The word “always” implies that Mary currently does these things. Thus, the present form is used.

D – “Ate” is the past tense form of the word “eat,” and because the sentence doesn’t have a “to be” verb (to make it “I have eaten”), the correct conjugation must be “ate.”

5. Some Parting Words…

English verb conjugation is pretty terrible. But you’ve made it this far, and you’re going to make it even farther! 

If the English verb conjugation charts in this article seem daunting to you, don’t worry—they’re daunting for native English-speakers too. Before you try learning all of this information, you may find it easier to learn the infinitive, participle, and gerund forms of verbs first. These forms play into the more complex ones, and from there, it’s as easy as plugging-and-chugging your way through. 

For more information on this topic, be sure to check out more practical resources on EnglishClass101: 

• 50 Most Common Verbs in English
• 10 Verbs not to Travel Without
• About English Verbs
• Learn English Grammar

Better yet, if you want to make a game out of learning conjugation, visit Verbix.com. Here, you can simply type in the infinitive form of any English verb, hit Enter, and see all of its different conjugations! Sometimes just playing around with new information can help you retain it better. 🙂

Before you go, let us know in the comments if you learned something new today! Do you feel more confident using English language conjugations? We hope that English conjugation is clearer to you now, and that you have a strong basis for future learning. Feel free to reach out with any questions, and we’ll do our best to answer them.

Until next time, happy learning!