The Verb "Build" in English

Conjugation of "To Build"

The verb "build" is an irregular verb. (This means that "build" does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form.)

The Five Forms of "To Build"

Form	build	Alternative Name
Base Form	build	Infinitive Form
The -S Form	builds	Third Person Singular Form
Past Form	built	Simple Past Tense
The -ING Form	building	Present Participle Form
The Past Participle Form	built	[no alternative name]

"To Build" in All the Tenses

The tables below show how "build" conjugates in the past, present, and future tenses.

Past Tenses

Person	Simple Past	Past Progressive Tense	Past Perfect Tense	Past Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	built built built built built built The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.	was building were building was building were building were building were building The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.	had built had built had built had built had built had built The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.	had been building had been building had been building had been building had been building had been building The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.

Present Tenses

Person	Simple Present	Present Progressive Tense	Present Perfect Tense	Present Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	build build builds build build build The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.	am building are building is building are building are building are building The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.	have built have built has built have built have built have built The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)	have been building have been building has been building have been building have been building have been building The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).

Future Tenses

Person	Simple Future	Future Progressive Tense	Future Perfect Tense	Future Perfect Progressive Tense
I you he/she/it we you they	will build will build will build will build will build will build The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.	will be building will be building will be building will be building will be building will be building The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.	will have built will have built will have built will have built will have built will have built The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.	will have been building will have been building will have been building will have been building will have been building will have been building The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.

Most Common Irregular Verbs

The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs:

Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:

see, say, go, come, know, get, give, become, find, and think

Most Common Irregular Verbs

The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs:

Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:

see, say, go, come, know, get, give, become, find, and think

This page was written by Craig Shrives.

The Verb "Build" in English

Conjugation of "To Build"

The Five Forms of "To Build"

"To Build" in All the Tenses

Past Tenses

Present Tenses

Future Tenses

Most Common Irregular Verbs

Most Common Irregular Verbs

Learning Resources

Test Time!

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