Verbs and Auxiliary Verbs in English

November 01, 2026

Verbs and Auxiliary Verbs in English – Complete Guide with Hindi Explanation

Verbs are one of the most important parts of English grammar. They tell us what someone does, what happens, or what state someone or something is in.

Auxiliary verbs, also called helping verbs, work with main verbs to form questions, negatives, tenses and other grammatical structures.

हिंदी में समझें: Verb को हिंदी में क्रिया कहते हैं। यह किसी काम, घटना या अवस्था को बताती है। Auxiliary Verbs वे helping verbs हैं जो मुख्य क्रिया के साथ मिलकर वाक्य का अर्थ और grammatical structure बनाने में मदद करती हैं।

In this guide, you will learn the major types of verbs, their forms, helping verbs, linking verbs, common patterns and practical usage.

In This Guide – Topic Index

Main Verbs and Helping Verbs
Action Verbs and State Verbs
Transitive and Intransitive Verbs
Regular and Irregular Verbs
Base Form, Past Form and Past Participle
Be, Do and Have as Main and Helping Verbs
Auxiliary Verbs in Questions and Negatives
Linking Verbs
Verb Patterns and Common Usage
Common Verb Errors and Practice

1. Main Verbs and Helping Verbs

What Is a Main Verb?

A main verb carries the central meaning of a sentence. It tells us what the subject does, experiences or is.

हिंदी: Main Verb वाक्य की मुख्य क्रिया होती है। यह बताती है कि subject क्या करता है या उसकी क्या अवस्था है।

Examples:

She reads every morning.
They play football.
I know the answer.
He seems tired.

What Is a Helping Verb?

A helping verb, or auxiliary verb, works with a main verb to express tense, possibility, necessity, voice, questions or negatives.

हिंदी: Helping Verb मुख्य क्रिया की सहायता करती है। यह tense, possibility, necessity, question और negative sentence बनाने में मदद करती है।

Examples:

She is reading a book.
They have completed the work.
He can swim.
Do you understand?

Main Verb vs Helping Verb

Sentence	Helping Verb	Main Verb
She is singing.	is	singing
They have arrived.	have	arrived
He can drive.	can	drive
I do not agree.	do	agree

Important: A sentence can have a main verb without a helping verb. For example, “She works here.” The word “works” is the main verb.

2. Action Verbs and State Verbs

Action Verbs

Action verbs describe activities or actions. These actions may be physical or mental.

हिंदी: Action Verbs किसी काम या गतिविधि को बताती हैं। कुछ actions शरीर से होते हैं और कुछ मन से।

He runs every morning.
She writes stories.
I think about my future.
They discuss the problem.

State Verbs

State verbs, often called stative verbs, describe conditions, feelings, thoughts, possession, senses or relationships rather than actions.

हिंदी: State Verbs किसी अवस्था, भावना, विचार, पसंद, संबंध या possession को बताती हैं।

I know her.
She likes music.
He owns a car.
This bag belongs to me.
We believe you.

Action Verbs vs State Verbs

Action Verb	State Verb
She is running.	She knows the answer.
He is writing.	He likes coffee.
They are discussing it.	They believe him.

Can State Verbs Be Used in Continuous Forms?

Many state verbs are not normally used in continuous forms when they describe a state. However, some verbs can be used in both ways with different meanings.

State meaning: I think you are right. (I believe it.)
Action meaning: I am thinking about the problem. (I am considering it.)

State meaning: She has a new phone. (Possession)
Action meaning: She is having lunch. (Eating)

Do not assume that every verb is always an action verb or always a state verb. Its meaning and context matter.

3. Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb takes a direct object. The object receives the action of the verb.

हिंदी: Transitive Verb के साथ direct object आता है। यानी क्रिया का असर किसी व्यक्ति या वस्तु पर पड़ता है।

She bought a dress.
He kicked the ball.
I completed the assignment.

Ask “what?” or “whom?” after the verb to help identify a direct object.

Example: She bought what? A dress.

Intransitive Verbs

An intransitive verb does not take a direct object.

हिंदी: Intransitive Verb को direct object की आवश्यकता नहीं होती। वाक्य का अर्थ बिना direct object के भी पूरा हो सकता है।

The baby slept.
Birds fly.
He laughed.
The guests arrived.

Comparison

Transitive	Intransitive
She opened the door.	The door opened.
He rang the bell.	The bell rang.
They stopped the car.	The car stopped.

Verbs That Can Be Both

Some verbs can be transitive in one sentence and intransitive in another. Their grammatical role depends on how they are used.

She reads every night. (Intransitive use)
She reads books. (Transitive use)
He opened the window. (Transitive use)
The window opened. (Intransitive use)

A phrase after a verb is not automatically a direct object. For example, “He slept on the sofa.” The phrase “on the sofa” tells us where; it is not a direct object.

4. Regular and Irregular Verbs

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs generally form their simple past and past participle by adding -ed or -d to the base form.

हिंदी: Regular Verbs के Past Form और Past Participle में सामान्यतः -ed या -d लगाया जाता है।

Base Form	Past Form	Past Participle
Work	Worked	Worked
Play	Played	Played
Clean	Cleaned	Cleaned
Open	Opened	Opened
Study	Studied	Studied
Stop	Stopped	Stopped

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow one single pattern for forming their past and past participle. Their forms usually need to be learned individually.

हिंदी: Irregular Verbs में Past Form और Past Participle बनाने का एक निश्चित -ed वाला नियम नहीं होता। इनके रूप याद करने पड़ते हैं।

Base Form	Past Form	Past Participle
Go	Went	Gone
Eat	Ate	Eaten
Write	Wrote	Written
See	Saw	Seen
Take	Took	Taken
Speak	Spoke	Spoken
Buy	Bought	Bought
Make	Made	Made
Put	Put	Put
Cut	Cut	Cut

Spelling reminder: Some regular verbs change spelling when -ed is added. For example, study → studied and stop → stopped.

5. Base Form, Past Form and Past Participle

Many English verbs are commonly studied in three important forms:

Base Form (V1): The basic form of the verb.
Past Form (V2): The simple past form.
Past Participle (V3): The form used with perfect auxiliaries and in passive constructions.

हिंदी: V1 क्रिया का मूल रूप है, V2 सामान्यतः Past Tense में इस्तेमाल होता है और V3 का प्रयोग Perfect Tenses तथा Passive Voice में होता है।

V1	V2	V3	Example
Go	Went	Gone	She has gone home.
Write	Wrote	Written	He has written a letter.
Eat	Ate	Eaten	They have eaten lunch.
Break	Broke	Broken	The glass was broken.
Speak	Spoke	Spoken	She has spoken to me.
Give	Gave	Given	I have given my answer.
See	Saw	Seen	We have seen this film.
Do	Did	Done	He has done his work.
Take	Took	Taken	She has taken the keys.
Choose	Chose	Chosen	They have chosen a leader.

How Are the Three Forms Used?

V1 – Base Form: I write every day.
V2 – Past Form: I wrote yesterday.
V3 – Past Participle: I have written a letter.

Important Grammar Patterns

Simple past: Subject + V2. Example: She went home.
Present perfect: Subject + has/have + V3. Example: She has gone home.
Past perfect: Subject + had + V3. Example: She had gone home.
Passive voice: Subject + be form + V3. Example: The work was completed.

After modal verbs such as can, will and should, use the base form: “She can write,” not “She can writes” or “She can wrote.”

6. Be, Do and Have as Main and Helping Verbs

The verbs be, do and have are especially important because they can work as main verbs or helping verbs.

A. Be: Am, Is, Are, Was, Were, Be, Being, Been

As a main verb, forms of be can describe identity, condition, location or existence.

I am a student.
She is happy.
They were at home.

As a helping verb, be is used in continuous forms and passive constructions.

She is reading.
They were playing.
The letter was written yesterday.

B. Do: Do, Does, Did, Done

As a main verb, do means to perform or carry out an activity.

I do my homework.
She does
They did

As a helping verb, do, does and did are used in many simple present and simple past questions, negatives and emphatic statements.

Do you speak English?
She does not drive.
Did they call you?
I do understand your point.

C. Have: Have, Has, Had

As a main verb, have can express possession, relationships, experiences and activities.

I have a laptop.
She has two brothers.
We had a meeting yesterday.

As a helping verb, have, has and had are used to form perfect tenses.

I have finished my work.
She has completed the task.
They had left before noon.

Quick Comparison

Verb	Main Verb	Helping Verb
Be	He is tired.	He is sleeping.
Do	I do my work.	Do you work here?
Have	She has a car.	She has arrived.

Look at the role of the verb in the sentence. The same word can be a main verb in one sentence and a helping verb in another.

7. Auxiliary Verbs in Questions and Negatives

Making Questions

Auxiliary verbs often come before the subject when we form questions.

Statement	Question
You are ready.	Are you ready?
She can swim.	Can she swim?
They have arrived.	Have they arrived?
He works here.	Does he work here?
She called you.	Did she call you?

हिंदी: English में कई questions बनाने के लिए helping verb को subject से पहले रखा जाता है। जब simple present या simple past में कोई दूसरा auxiliary नहीं होता, तो सामान्यतः do, does या did का प्रयोग किया जाता है।

Making Negative Sentences

To make a negative sentence, place not after the auxiliary verb.

Positive	Negative
She is working.	She is not working.
He can drive.	He cannot drive.
They have finished.	They have not finished.
I work here.	I do not work here.
She likes tea.	She does not like tea.
He called me.	He did not call me.

Important Do, Does and Did Rules

Use do with I, you, we and they in the simple present.
Use does with he, she and it in the simple present.
Use did for all subjects in the simple past.
After do, does and did, use the base form of the main verb.

Correct: Does she work here?
Incorrect: Does she works here?

Correct: He did not go there.
Incorrect: He did not went there.

When Do We Not Use Do, Does or Did?

When a sentence already has an auxiliary or modal verb, we generally use that verb to form questions and negatives instead of adding do.

She is ready. → Is she ready?
He can swim. → Can he swim?
They have arrived. → Have they arrived?

With the main verb be, use be directly: “Are you happy?” not “Do you are happy?”

8. Linking Verbs

A linking verb connects the subject to a word or phrase that describes or identifies it. It does not normally express an action performed on an object.

हिंदी: Linking Verb subject को उसकी पहचान, गुण या अवस्था बताने वाले शब्द से जोड़ती है।

Common Linking Verbs

Verb	Example
Be	She is intelligent.
Become	He became a doctor.
Seem	You seem worried.
Appear	The situation appears serious.
Feel	I feel tired.
Look	You look happy.
Sound	That sounds interesting.
Smell	The flowers smell sweet.
Taste	The soup tastes delicious.
Remain	She remained calm.

Linking Verb vs Action Verb

Some verbs can work as linking verbs in one context and action verbs in another.

Linking: The food tastes delicious. (Describes the food.)
Action: She tastes the food. (Describes an action.)

Linking: He looks tired. (Describes his condition.)
Action: He looks at the picture. (Describes an action.)

What Comes After a Linking Verb?

A linking verb is commonly followed by a subject complement, such as an adjective or a noun phrase.

She is kind. (Adjective)
He became a teacher. (Noun phrase)
The sky looks beautiful. (Adjective)

Use an adjective when describing the subject after a linking verb: “She looks beautiful,” not “She looks beautifully,” when you mean her appearance.

9. Verb Patterns and Common Usage

English verbs are often followed by particular grammatical patterns. Learning these patterns helps you make natural and correct sentences.

A. Verb + To-Infinitive

Some verbs are commonly followed by to + base form.

I want to learn English.
She decided to leave.
They hope to win.
He plans to study abroad.

B. Verb + Gerund (-ing Form)

Some verbs are followed by a gerund, which is the -ing form used as a noun-like form.

I enjoy reading.
She avoids making mistakes.
He finished working.
They suggested going by train.

C. Verb + Object + To-Infinitive

Some verbs are followed by an object and then a to-infinitive.

She asked me to wait.
They advised him to rest.
I want you to listen.
He encouraged her to apply.

D. Modal Verb + Base Form

Modal verbs such as can, could, may, might, must, shall, should and will are followed by the base form of the main verb.

You should study.
She can sing.
We must leave.
He might come tomorrow.

E. Make and Let + Object + Base Form

My teacher made me rewrite the answer.
They let us enter the room.

In active constructions, make and let are commonly followed by an object and the base form without to.

F. Help + Object + (To-)Infinitive

After help, both the bare infinitive and the to-infinitive are possible.

She helped me carry the bags.
She helped me to carry the bags.

G. Remember, Stop and Try: Meaning Can Change

Pattern	Meaning	Example
Remember + to-infinitive	Remember a task that must be done	Remember to call me.
Remember + gerund	Recall a past experience	I remember meeting her.
Stop + to-infinitive	Pause one activity to do another	He stopped to drink water.
Stop + gerund	End an activity	He stopped smoking.
Try + to-infinitive	Make an effort	Try to solve the problem.
Try + gerund	Test a possible method	Try restarting the computer.

Verb patterns are best learned with examples. Do not assume that every verb can be followed by both to-infinitives and gerunds.

10. Common Verb Errors and Practice

Common Verb Errors

Incorrect	Correct	Reason
She go to school.	She goes to school.	Use -s with he, she and it in the simple present.
He did not went.	He did not go.	Use the base form after did.
Does she likes tea?	Does she like tea?	Use the base form after does.
I have saw it.	I have seen it.	Use the past participle after have.
She can sings.	She can sing.	Use the base form after a modal.
He is know me.	He knows me.	Know is not normally used in this continuous-style construction.
They was happy.	They were happy.	Use were with they.
She enjoys to dance.	She enjoys dancing.	Enjoy is followed by a gerund.
I am agree.	I agree.	Agree is a main verb; do not add am.
He has went home.	He has gone home.	Use the past participle after has.

Practice Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Verb

Choose the correct option in each sentence.

She ___ to the office every day. (go / goes / going)
They have ___ their homework. (complete / completed / completing)
___ you speak English? (Do / Does / Are)
He did not ___ the message. (received / receive / receives)
My brother can ___ very fast. (runs / run / running)

Show Answers – Exercise 1

1. goes
2. completed
3. Do
4. receive
5. run

Practice Exercise 2: Identify the Verb Type

Identify whether the bold verb is transitive, intransitive or linking in each sentence.

She opened the window.
The baby slept peacefully.
He became a doctor.
They bought a new car.
The flowers smell sweet.

Show Answers – Exercise 2

1. Transitive – “the window” is the direct object.
2. Intransitive – there is no direct object.
3. Linking – “a doctor” identifies the subject.
4. Transitive – “a new car” is the direct object.
5. Linking – “sweet” describes the flowers.

Practice Exercise 3: Correct the Errors

Rewrite these sentences correctly.

She do not like coffee.
Did he went to school?
I have wrote a letter.
They is playing football.
He enjoys to read books.

Show Answers – Exercise 3

1. She does not like coffee.
2. Did he go to school?
3. I have written a letter.
4. They are playing football.
5. He enjoys reading books.

Practice Exercise 4: Fill in the Correct Verb Form

Yesterday, I ___ (see) my friend.
She has ___ (take) the keys.
We ___ (be) happy yesterday.
He ___ (study) English every evening.
They had ___ (leave) before I arrived.

Show Answers – Exercise 4

1. saw
2. taken
3. were
4. studies
5. left

Daily Practice Plan

Spend 15 minutes each day improving your understanding of verbs.

5 minutes: Learn five new verbs and their V1, V2 and V3 forms.
5 minutes: Write five sentences using different verb patterns.
3 minutes: Change two statements into questions and negatives.
2 minutes: Read your sentences aloud and check their grammar.

Example: Write, wrote, written – I write daily. I wrote yesterday. I have written a letter.

Quick Revision

Main Verb: Carries the central meaning of the sentence.
Helping Verb: Helps form tenses, questions, negatives and other structures.
Action Verb: Describes an activity or action.
State Verb: Describes a condition, feeling, thought or relationship.
Transitive Verb: Takes a direct object.
Intransitive Verb: Does not take a direct object.
Regular Verb: Usually forms its past and past participle with -ed or -d.
Irregular Verb: Follows a different or changing pattern.
Linking Verb: Connects the subject to its description or identity.
Verb Pattern: The grammatical structure that commonly follows a verb.

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