Weak Verbs

search our site by Craig Shrives

What Are Weak Verbs? (with Examples)

A weak verb is one that ends "-d" or "-t" for its past forms (i.e., its simple past tense and past participle).

A weak verb is not the same as a regular verb, which is a verb that complies with the normal rules forming its various forms. Some weak verbs are irregular verbs. If you're learning or teaching English, you should concentrate on regular verbs and irregular verbs. The terms "weak verb" and "strong verb" derive from the study of Germanic languages.

Ineffective Verbs

The term "weak verb" is not always reserved for the grammatical classification of Germanic verbs. It is often used to mean an "ineffective verb." Here is an example of a weak (i.e. ineffective) verb:

• He looked at his rival angrily.
(Here, the verb "looked" is ineffective. It needs the word "angrily" to work.)
• He glared at his rival.
(The verb "glared" is effective. We can now dispense with "angrily.")

Read more about choosing the right verb to dispense with adverbs (see Issue 1).

Examples of Weak Verbs

Here are some examples of weak verbs. Note the end column, which states whether the verb is regular or irregular.

Weak Verb	Simple Past Tense	Past Participle	Comment
love	loved	has loved	regular verb
play	played	has played	regular verb
creep	crept	has crept	irregular verb
shoot	shot	has shot	irregular verb
put	put	has put	irregular verb

The term "weak verb" incorporates all regular verbs but also a lot of irregular verbs.

Types of Weak Verb

There are four types of weak verb:

(Type 1) Past form adds "-d", "-ed", or "-t" without a change of vowel sound.

For example:

Weak Verb	Simple Past Tense	Past Participle	Comment
love	loved	has loved	regular verb
hate	hated	has hated	regular verb
move	moved	has moved	regular verb

(Type 2) Past form adds "-d", or "-t" with a change of vowel sound.

For example:

Weak Verb	Simple Past Tense	Past Participle	Comment
tell	told	has told	irregular verb
keep	kept	has kept	irregular verb

(Type 3) Past form retains the "-d", or "-t" ending and shortens the vowel sound.

For example:

Weak Verb	Simple Past Tense	Past Participle	Comment
meet	met	has met	irregular verb
bleed	bled	has bled	irregular verb

(Type 4) Past form is the same as the base form.

For example:

Weak Verb	Simple Past Tense	Past Participle	Comment
put	put	has put	irregular verb
set	set	has set	irregular verb

Regular Verbs Are Weak Verbs

A regular verb is a type of weak verb.

The terms "regular verb" and "weak verb" are not synonyms (i.e., they do not mean the same). Similarly, the terms "irregular verb" and "strong verb" are not synonyms.

Here is an infographic explaining how verbs are classified: If you disagree with this classification, please tell us using this form.

Why Weak Verbs Are Important

If you're learning or teaching English, you do not need to worry about the term "weak verb." You should go now to the page on regular verbs.

Key Point

Printable Test