Les verbes irréguliers
1.Qu'est-ce qui distingue un verbe régulier d'un verbe irrégulier ?
Les verbes irréguliers
- Le prétérit et le participe passé des verbes réguliers se forment en ajoutant -ed à la base Les deux formes sont identiques. Ex. : live (habiter) → lived (prétérit) → lived (participe passé).
I lived in Scotland. (J’habitais en Écosse.)
You have never lived in Ireland. (Tu n’as jamais habité en Irlande.) Ex. : arrive (arriver) → arrived (prétérit) → arrived (participe passé). Your sister arrived late last night. (Ta sœur est arrivée tard hier soir.)Les verbes irréguliers
We have arrived at my parents’ place. (Nous sommes arrivés chez mes parents.)
- Mais il existe également des verbes irréguliers qui ne suivent pas cette règle ; il faut alors apprendre leurs formes par cœur.
Ex : know (connaître) → knew (prétérit) → known (participe passé). She knew all the answers. (Elle connaissait toutes les réponses.)
You have known her since last month. (Tu la connais depuis le mois dernier.)
Ex. : steal (voler) → stole (prétérit) → stolen (participe passé).
He stole money from the drawer. (Il a volé de l’argent dans le tiroir.)
When Peter went back home, he found that his car had been stolen. (Quand Peter est revenu à la maison, il a découvert que sa voiture avait été volée.)
2.Quels sont les emplois du participe passé ?
- Le participe passé sert à former certains temps du passé comme le present perfect et le past perfect (voir fiche Les temps du passé). Ex. : We have eaten delicious seafood in Greece. (Nous avons mangé de délicieux fruits de mer en Grèce.) (present perfect).
Ex. : My father had lived in Liverpool for two years when he decided to move to Glasgow. (Mon père vivait à Liverpool depuis deux ans quand il décida de déménager à Glasgow.) (past perfect).
- Le participe passé permet également de former la voix passive (voir fiche La construction des verbes).
Ex. : This game is sold 15 dollars. (Ce jeu est vendu 15 dollars.)
- Enfin, le participe passé peut aussi être utilisé comme
Ex. : After the film, the frightened children refused to go to bed. (Après le film, les enfants effrayés refusèrent d’aller au lit.)
3.Quels sont les principaux verbes irréguliers ?
| Base verbale | Prétérit | Participe passé | Traduction |
| be | was, were | been | être |
| beat | beat | beaten | battre |
| become | became | become | devenir |
| break | broke | broken | casser |
| bring | brought | brought | apporter |
| build | built | built | construire |
| burst | burst | burst | éclater |
| buy | bought | bought | acheter |
| catch | caught | caught | attraper |
| choose | chose | chosen | choisir |
| come | came | come | venir |
| cost | cost | cost | coûter |
| cut | cut | cut | couper |
| do | did | done | faire |
| draw | drew | drawn | dessiner |
| dream | dreamed/ dreamt | dreamed/ dreamt | rêver |
| drink | drank | drunk | boire |
| drive | drove | driven | conduire |
| eat | ate | eaten | manger |
| fall | fell | fallen | tomber |
| feel | felt | felt | ressentir |
| fight | fought | fought | combattre |
| find | found | found | trouver |
| flee | fled | fled | Fuir |
| fly | flew | flown | voler (avec des ailes) |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden | interdire |
| forecast | forecast | forecast | prévoir |
| freeze | froze | frozen | geler |
| get | got | got | obtenir |
| give | gave | given | donner |
| go | went | gone | Aller |
| grow | grew | grown | pousser, faire pousser |
| have | had | had | avoir |
| hear | heard | heard | entendre |
| hide | hid | hidden | cacher |
| hit | hit | hit | frapper |
| hold | held | held | Tenir |
| keep | kept | kept | garder |
| kneel | knelt | knelt | s’agenouiller |
| know | knew | known | connaître |
| learn | learned/ learnt | learned/ learnt | apprendre |
| leave | left | left | laisser, partir |
| make | made | made | faire, fabriquer |
| mean | meant | meant | signifier, vouloir dire |
| meet | met | met | rencontrer |
| pay | paid | paid | payer |
| put | put | put | mettre |
| read | read | read | lire |
| ring | rang | rung | sonner |
| run | ran | run | courir, diriger |
| say | said | said | dire |
| see | saw | seen | voir |
| send | sent | sent | envoyer |
| show | showed | shown | montrer |
| sleep | slept | slept | dormir |
| speak | spoke | spoken | parler |
| steal | stole | stolen | voler |
| take | took | taken | prendre |
| teach | taught | taught | enseigner |
| think | thought | thought | penser |
| understand | understood | understood | comprendre |
| wear | wore | worn | porter (un vêtement) |
| write | wrote | written | écrire |
