Base Form of a Verb

What Is the Base Form of a Verb?

The base form (or root) of a verb is the form listed in the dictionary.

It is the version of the verb without any endings (endings such as -s, -ing, and ed). The base form is the same as the infinitive (e.g., to walk, to paint, to think) but without the to.

All Five Verb Forms

The base form is one of five verb forms in English. Let's look at all five forms of the verb "to take":

1	Base Form	take
2	The -S Form (also called the Third Person Singular Present Tense Form)	takes
3	Past Form	took
4	The -ING Form (also called the Present Participle Form)	taking
5	The Past Participle Form	taken

This lesson is about No. 1, the base form.

Examples of Base Forms of Verbs

Here are some examples of the base forms of verbs:

• see
(These are not the base form: sees, seen, seeing.)
• sing
(These are not the base form: sings, singing.)
• play
(These are not the base form: plays, played, playing.)
• concur
(These are not the base form: concurs, concurred, concurring.)

The Base Form in the Present Tense

The base form of a verb appears in all versions of the present tense except the third person singular. For example:

Conjugation	Example 1	Example 2
1st person singular	I play	I concur
2nd person singular	You play	You concur
3rd person singular	He plays She plays It plays	He concurs She concurs It concurs
1st person plural	We play	We concur
2nd person plural	You play	You concur
3rd person plural	They play	They concur

The Base Form in the Infinitive Form

The base form of a verb appears in the infinitive form (including the zero infinitive form, i.e., without the word to). For example:

• It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. (Austrian medical doctor Alfred Adler)
• A musicologist is a man who can read music but can't hear it. (English conductor Thomas Beecham)

The Base Form in the Imperative Mood

The base form is used for commands (i.e., the imperative mood. For example:

• Eat a live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
• Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not. (American self-help author Napoleon Hill)

The Base Form in the Subjunctive Mood

The base form of a verb appears in the subjunctive mood. For example:

• He demands that you be silent.
• I propose he stay with us.

More about the Five Verb Forms

The table below shows the five verb forms in English.

Verb Type	1 The Base Form (aka "Simple Form" or "Uninflected Form")	2 The -S Form (aka "Third Person Singular Present Tense Form")	3 Past Form (aka "The Past Tense Form")	4 The -ING Form (aka the Present Participle Form	5 The Past Participle Form
Regular	play	plays	played	playing	played
Regular	use	uses	used	using	used
Regular	marry	marries	married	marrying	married
Irregular	bring	brings	brought	bringing	brought
Irregular	run	runs	ran	running	run
Irregular	fall	falls	fell	falling	fallen
Irregular	drink	drinks	drank	drinking	drunk

Why the Base Form of a Verb Is Important

Understanding the verb forms (including the base form) is useful when learning English because it allows teachers and pupils to talk about the components that form the various tenses.

For example, with some verbs, the base form, past form, and past participle form are the same (e.g., let, I let, I had let). However, with others, they are all different (e.g., take, I took, I had taken).

Knowing the various verb forms is a great starting point for learning these complex rules and exceptions.

Key Point

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