IRREGULAR VERBS
Irregular verbs Regular verbs
dig, digs, dug, digging
Synonyms: excavate, burrow, shovel, unearth, delve
Antonyms: fill, bury, cover, conceal, hide
The verb "dig" is an irregular verb in English, commonly used to describe the action of breaking up and moving earth or soil. Its conjugation deviates from regular verbs. In the present simple tense, "dig" follows its base form for all subjects: "I dig," "you dig," "he/she/it digs," and so forth. For example, "She digs in the garden every weekend." In the past simple tense, "dig" changes to "dug." This irregular form is used to recount actions that took place and concluded in the past. For instance, "He dug a hole in the backyard." The past participle of "dig" is also "dug." When forming perfect tenses, such as present perfect or past perfect, the past participle is combined with auxiliary verbs. An example sentence is "They have dug up some interesting artifacts." Understanding the irregular conjugation of "dig" is essential for accurately describing actions related to excavating or moving earth. Whether used in gardening, construction, or metaphorical expressions, such as "digging for information," the verb "dig" plays a significant role in the English language.
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.
| DIG - PRESENT SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ i | dig |
| ★ you | dig |
| ★ he/she/it | digs |
| ★ we | dig |
| ★ you | dig |
| ★ they | dig |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Present Simple: |
|---|
| - I dig in the garden every weekend. |
| - You dig a hole for the new tree. |
| - He digs a trench for the pipes. | She digs through the boxes looking for her old toys. |
| - We dig deep to find the treasure. |
| - You (plural) dig into the sand to build a sandcastle. |
| - They dig up the road to repair the pipes. |
| DIG - PRESENT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i am | digging |
| ★ you are | digging |
| ★ he/she/it is | digging |
| ★ we are | digging |
| ★you are | digging |
| ★ they are | digging |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Present Continuous: |
|---|
| - I am digging a hole in the backyard. |
| - You are digging up the weeds in the garden. |
| - He is digging a tunnel under the house. | She is digging through the documents to find the right one. |
| - We are digging trenches for the new irrigation system. |
| - You (plural) are digging out the old tree stumps. |
| - They are digging a foundation for the new building. |
| DIG - PRESENT PERFECT | |
| ★ i have | dug |
| ★ you have | dug |
| ★ he/she/it has | dug |
| ★ we have | dug |
| ★ you have | dug |
| ★ they have | dug |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Present Perfect: |
|---|
| - I have dug up the old tree roots. |
| - You have dug a hole for the new fence post. |
| - He has dug a pond in the garden. | She has dug through the archives to find the document. |
| - We have dug out the basement for the new house. |
| - You (plural) have dug up the garden to plant new flowers. |
| - They have dug tunnels under the city for the new subway system. |
| DIG - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i have been | digging |
| ★ you have been | digging |
| ★ he/she/it has been | digging |
| ★ we have been | digging |
| ★ you have been | digging |
| ★ they have been | digging |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Present Perfect Continuous: |
|---|
| - I have been digging all morning. |
| - You have been digging since yesterday. |
| - He has been digging for hours. | She has been digging through the files for days. |
| - We have been digging in this area for weeks. |
| - You (plural) have been digging up the road for months. |
| - They have been digging tunnels for the project for years. |
| DIG - PAST SIMPLE | |
| ★ i | dug |
| ★ you | dug |
| ★ he/she/it | dug |
| ★ we | dug |
| ★ you | dug |
| ★ they | dug |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Past Simple: |
|---|
| - I dug a hole in the backyard yesterday. |
| - You dug up the garden last weekend. |
| - He dug a well in the field. | She dug through her old belongings to find the photo. |
| - We dug trenches during the war. |
| - You (plural) dug out the old tree stumps. |
| - They dug a tunnel under the prison walls. |
| DIG - PAST CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i was | digging |
| ★ you were | digging |
| ★ he/she/it was | digging |
| ★ we were | digging |
| ★ you were | digging |
| ★ they were | digging |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Past Continuous: |
|---|
| - I was digging all day yesterday. |
| - You were digging in the garden when I arrived. |
| - He was digging a hole for the new tree. | She was digging through the rubble searching for survivors. |
| - We were digging trenches in the rain. |
| - You (plural) were digging up the road to lay new pipes. |
| - They were digging for hours before they found anything. |
| DIG - PAST PERFECT | |
| ★ i had | dug |
| ★ you had | dug |
| ★ he/she/it had | dug |
| ★ we had | dug |
| ★ you had | dug |
| ★ they had | dug |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Past Perfect: |
|---|
| - I had dug a hole before it started raining. |
| - You had dug up all the potatoes before I got there. |
| - He had dug the garden before planting the new seeds. | She had dug through the pile of papers before finding the right one. |
| - We had dug out the basement before the construction crew arrived. |
| - You (plural) had dug up the whole garden before winter. |
| - They had dug tunnels under the city before anyone noticed. |
| DIG - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i had been | digging |
| ★ you had been | digging |
| ★ he/she/it had been | digging |
| ★ we had been | digging |
| ★ you had been | digging |
| ★ they had been | digging |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Past Perfect Continuous: |
|---|
| - I had been digging in the garden for hours before it started raining. |
| - You had been digging up the road for weeks before they finally repaired it. |
| - He had been digging a hole in the backyard. | She had been digging through the old files for days before she found the document. |
| - We had been digging trenches for the new irrigation system for months. |
| - You (plural) had been digging out the old tree stumps for quite some time. |
| - They had been digging tunnels under the city for years before they were discovered. |
| DIG - FUTURE SIMPLE | |
| ★ i will | dig |
| ★ you will | dig |
| ★ he/she/it will | dig |
| ★ we will | dig |
| ★ you will | dig |
| ★ they will | dig |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Future Simple: |
|---|
| - I will dig a hole in the garden tomorrow. |
| - You will dig a trench for the new pipes next week. |
| - He will dig a hole for the new tree. | She will dig through the boxes to find her old toys. |
| - We will dig a tunnel under the road for the new sewer line. |
| - You (plural) will dig up the garden to plant new flowers. |
| - They will dig a well in the field. |
| DIG - FUTURE CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i will be | digging |
| ★ you will be | digging |
| ★ he/she/it will be | digging |
| ★ we will be | digging |
| ★ you will be | digging |
| ★ they will be | digging |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Future Continuous: |
|---|
| - I will be digging in the garden all afternoon. |
| - You will be digging up the road to repair the pipes. |
| - He will be digging a hole for the foundation. | She will be digging through the documents to find the right one. |
| - We will be digging trenches for the new irrigation system. |
| - You (plural) will be digging out the old tree stumps. |
| - They will be digging a tunnel under the river. |
| DIG - FUTURE PERFECT | |
| ★ i will have | dug |
| ★ you will have | dug |
| ★ he/she/it will have | dug |
| ★ we will have | dug |
| ★ you will have | dug |
| ★ they will have | dug |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Future Perfect: |
|---|
| - I will have dug the hole by the time you arrive. |
| - You will have dug up the garden by the end of the day. |
| - He will have dug the trench for the pipes. | She will have dug through the archives to find the document. |
| - We will have dug the tunnel by next month. |
| - You (plural) will have dug up the road for the new sewer line. |
| - They will have dug the foundation for the new building. |
| DIG - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
| ★ i will have been | digging |
| ★ you will have been | digging |
| ★ he/she/it will have been | digging |
| ★ we will have been | digging |
| ★ you will have been | digging |
| ★ they will have been | digging |
| Examples of verb 'dig' in the Future Perfect Continuous: |
|---|
| - I will have been digging for hours by then. |
| - You will have been digging up the garden for days. |
| - He will have been digging the tunnel for weeks. | She will have been digging through the files for months. |
| - We will have been digging in this area for years. |
| - You (plural) will have been digging up the road for a long time. |
| - They will have been digging the well for ages. |