IRREGULAR VERBS
Irregular verbs Regular verbs
breed, breeds, bred, bred, breeding
Synonyms: propagate, reproduce, multiply, generate, spawn
Antonyms: sterilize, neuter, spay, prevent, stop
The verb "breed" is an irregular verb in English, used to describe the process of producing offspring, either in animals or plants, through reproduction. In the present simple tense, "breed" is conjugated as "I breed," "you breed," "he/she/it breeds," and so on. For example, "They breed rabbits for sale." In the past simple tense, "breed" changes to "bred." This form is used to talk about the reproduction that occurred in the past. For instance, "They bred their horses last spring." The past participle of "breed" is also "bred." When forming perfect tenses, such as present perfect or past perfect, the past participle is combined with auxiliary verbs. An example sentence is "She has bred champion dogs for years." Understanding the irregular conjugation of "breed" is essential for accurately describing the process of reproduction in animals or plants. Additionally, the verb "breed" is used metaphorically to describe the development or occurrence of something, such as breeding success or breeding problems.
Irregular verbs in English are special verbs that don't follow standard rules for changing forms. You need to memorize their specific forms instead of following regular patterns.
Regular verbs are verbs that follow a consistent pattern when forming their past tense and past participle by adding "-ed" to the base form.
| BREED - PRESENT SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ i | breed |
| ★ you | breed |
| ★ he/she/it | breeds |
| ★ we | breed |
| ★ you | breed |
| ★ they | breed |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Present Simple: |
|---|
| - I breed rabbits as a hobby. |
| - You breed dogs for competitions. |
| - He breeds horses on his farm. | She breeds rare birds in her aviary. |
| - We breed fish in our backyard pond. |
| - You (plural) breed cattle on your ranch. |
| - They breed insects for scientific research. |
| BREED - PRESENT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i am | breeding |
| ★ you are | breeding |
| ★ he/she/it is | breeding |
| ★ we are | breeding |
| ★you are | breeding |
| ★ they are | breeding |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Present Continuous: |
|---|
| - I am breeding a new variety of roses this year. |
| - You are breeding a champion racehorse. |
| - He is breeding a new breed of sheep. | She is breeding a type of butterfly. |
| - We are breeding rare orchids in our greenhouse. |
| - You (plural) are breeding a new strain of corn. |
| - They are breeding a genetically modified strain of mosquitoes. |
| BREED - PRESENT PERFECT | |
| ★ i have | bred |
| ★ you have | bred |
| ★ he/she/it has | bred |
| ★ we have | bred |
| ★ you have | bred |
| ★ they have | bred |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Present Perfect: |
|---|
| - I have bred many different types of animals. |
| - You have bred award-winning cats. |
| - He has bred show dogs for years. | She has bred exotic reptiles for a long time. |
| - We have bred several generations of chickens. |
| - You (plural) have bred thoroughbred horses. |
| - They have bred rare species of fish in captivity. |
| BREED - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i have been | breeding |
| ★ you have been | breeding |
| ★ he/she/it has been | breeding |
| ★ we have been | breeding |
| ★ you have been | breeding |
| ★ they have been | breeding |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Present Perfect Continuous: |
|---|
| - I have been breeding dogs for years. |
| - You have been breeding rare orchids for months. |
| - He has been breeding horses since he was young. | She has been breeding birds for a while. |
| - We have been breeding butterflies for the exhibit. |
| - You (plural) have been breeding fish in your pond for a long time. |
| - They have been breeding insects for scientific study. |
| BREED - PAST SIMPLE | |
| ★ i | bred |
| ★ you | bred |
| ★ he/she/it | bred |
| ★ we | bred |
| ★ you | bred |
| ★ they | bred |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Past Simple: |
|---|
| - I bred rabbits when I was younger. |
| - You bred dogs for a living. |
| - He bred horses on his grandfather's farm. | She bred rare birds in her aviary for years. |
| - We bred fish in our backyard pond last summer. |
| - You (plural) bred cattle on your ranch before you sold it. |
| - They bred insects for scientific research in the lab. |
| BREED - PAST CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i was | breeding |
| ★ you were | breeding |
| ★ he/she/it was | breeding |
| ★ we were | breeding |
| ★ you were | breeding |
| ★ they were | breeding |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Past Continuous: |
|---|
| - I was breeding rabbits when you called. |
| - You were breeding dogs for the police department. |
| - He was breeding horses for racing. | She was breeding rare birds for conservation. |
| - We were breeding fish in our backyard pond at that time. |
| - You (plural) were breeding cattle on your ranch while the market was good. |
| - They were breeding insects for scientific study in the lab. |
| BREED - PAST PERFECT | |
| ★ i had | bred |
| ★ you had | bred |
| ★ he/she/it had | bred |
| ★ we had | bred |
| ★ you had | bred |
| ★ they had | bred |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Past Perfect: |
|---|
| - I had bred rabbits before I switched to chickens. |
| - You had bred dogs for years before you retired. |
| - He had bred horses for racing before he became a trainer. | She had bred rare birds for conservation for a long time. |
| - We had bred fish in our backyard pond before we moved. |
| - You (plural) had bred cattle on your ranch for generations. |
| - They had bred insects for scientific research before they discovered a new species. |
| BREED - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i had been | breeding |
| ★ you had been | breeding |
| ★ he/she/it had been | breeding |
| ★ we had been | breeding |
| ★ you had been | breeding |
| ★ they had been | breeding |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Past Perfect Continuous: |
|---|
| - I had been breeding rabbits for years before I decided to stop. |
| - You had been breeding dogs for a while before you realized it wasn't for you. |
| - He had been breeding horses for racing for a long time. | She had been breeding rare birds for conservation for years. |
| - We had been breeding fish in our backyard pond for a while before we moved. |
| - You (plural) had been breeding cattle on your ranch for quite some time. |
| - They had been breeding insects for scientific research for years before they made a breakthrough. |
| BREED - FUTURE SIMPLE | |
| ★ i will | breed |
| ★ you will | breed |
| ★ he/she/it will | breed |
| ★ we will | breed |
| ★ you will | breed |
| ★ they will | breed |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Future Simple: |
|---|
| - I will breed chickens next year. |
| - You will breed horses for the competition. |
| - He will breed a new species of fish. | She will breed rare butterflies. |
| - We will breed exotic plants in the greenhouse. |
| - You (plural) will breed cattle on the new farm. |
| - They will breed insects for scientific research. |
| BREED - FUTURE CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i will be | breeding |
| ★ you will be | breeding |
| ★ he/she/it will be | breeding |
| ★ we will be | breeding |
| ★ you will be | breeding |
| ★ they will be | breeding |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Future Continuous: |
|---|
| - I will be breeding chickens when you come to visit. |
| - You will be breeding horses for the race. |
| - He will be breeding a new species of fish. | She will be breeding butterflies for the exhibit. |
| - We will be breeding plants for the garden show. |
| - You (plural) will be breeding cattle on the new ranch. |
| - They will be breeding insects for scientific study. |
| BREED - FUTURE PERFECT | |
| ★ i will have | bred |
| ★ you will have | bred |
| ★ he/she/it will have | bred |
| ★ we will have | bred |
| ★ you will have | bred |
| ★ they will have | bred |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Future Perfect: |
|---|
| - I will have bred many generations of chickens by then. |
| - You will have bred award-winning horses by the end of the year. |
| - He will have bred a new species of fish. | She will have bred rare butterflies successfully. |
| - We will have bred a variety of plants for the exhibit. |
| - You (plural) will have bred cattle for the market. |
| - They will have bred insects for scientific research for years. |
| BREED - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i will have been | breeding |
| ★ you will have been | breeding |
| ★ he/she/it will have been | breeding |
| ★ we will have been | breeding |
| ★ you will have been | breeding |
| ★ they will have been | breeding |
| Examples of verb 'breed' in the Future Perfect Continuous: |
|---|
| - I will have been breeding chickens for years by then. |
| - You will have been breeding horses for a while. |
| - He will have been breeding a new species of fish. | She will have been breeding butterflies for a long time. |
| - We will have been breeding plants for the garden show for months. |
| - You (plural) will have been breeding cattle on the ranch for quite some time. |
| - They will have been breeding insects for scientific research for years. |