⏱️ 2 min practice • 🔥 CEFR A1

buy

Irregular Level A1 ⭐ #22 Most Common

English translation: to purchase with money

Stem Pattern: buy / bought / bought (-ought cluster)
💡 Key Usage Note: Past tense and participle are both 'bought' with silent 'gh'.
📘 Linguistic Rule: Germanic velar consonant shift resulting in modern '-ought'.
⚖️ Buy vs. Bring
View BRING →
🔊 Speed:

Present Simple

Habitual purchases.

Subject Pronoun Conjugation Audio
I buy
you buy
he / she / it buys
we buy
they buy
Example Sentences in Context
  • They buy fresh groceries at the market. — Pazardan taze bakkaliye alırlar.
💡 Tip: Click any row's audio button to hear native pronunciation
🤖

AI Smart Tutor: 'BUY' Insights

Linguistic breakdowns & native shortcuts

Smart Tips
🧠 Memory Trick (Mnemonic)

Don't confuse 'bought' (buy) with 'brought' (bring, with an 'r').

⚠️ Most Common Student Mistake
✗ Don't say: I buyed a new computer.
✓ Say instead: I bought a new computer.

Why: 'Buy' is irregular: bought.

🗣️ Essential Native Idioms with 'buy'
Buy time

= To delay an event to gain an advantage

"He tried to buy time by asking questions."

🎴 Flashcard Practice Mode

Flip through pronouns to test active recall for 'buy'

1 / 10
Present Simple
I

Tap anywhere to reveal conjugation ↻

Answer
buy

Tap to flip back

Keyboard shortcuts: Space to flip • ← / → arrow keys to switch

❓

Frequently Asked Questions: BUY

Is "buy" a regular or irregular verb in English? ▾

"buy" is classified as a Irregular verb in English. Its characteristic conjugation pattern is "buy / bought / bought (-ought cluster)". Germanic velar consonant shift resulting in modern '-ought'. Past tense and participle are both 'bought' with silent 'gh'.

What does "buy" mean in English? ▾

In English, "buy" translates primarily to "to purchase with money". In natural speech, it is commonly used across CEFR level A1 contexts for everyday communication.

What is the most frequent mistake learners make with "buy"? ▾

A frequent error is saying "I buyed a new computer." instead of "I bought a new computer.". Why? 'Buy' is irregular: bought.

What are common idioms or expressions with "buy"? ▾

A popular idiom is "Buy time" which means "To delay an event to gain an advantage" (e.g. "He tried to buy time by asking questions.").

How can I practice and memorize "buy" conjugations? ▾

Use Verbpedia's built-in interactive flashcards, pronounce each form using native Web Speech audio, and complete the instant mini-quiz below. You can also print a distraction-free A4 cheat sheet using the Print button above.

⚡ 1-on-1 Practice From $6/hr

Struggling with 'buy' in real conversations?

Memorizing charts is only 20% of fluency. Speak naturally with certified native English tutors on Preply. Book your first trial lesson today with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

✓ Verified Native Speakers ✓ Flexible Schedules ✓ Cancel or Switch Anytime
Find a Native Tutor →

Quick Practice: Fill in the Blanks

Test your understanding of 'buy' across tenses

Interactive Quiz
Question 1 (Past Simple)

She ___ a ticket yesterday.

Other Important English Verbs to Study

be Irregular

to exist / to have a state or quality

go Irregular

to move from one place to another

have Irregular

to possess / auxiliary for perfect tenses

see Irregular

to perceive with the eyes / understand

make Irregular

to create, produce, or cause

take Irregular

to grasp, carry, or acquire

get Irregular

to obtain, receive, or become

come Irregular

to move toward a destination / arrive

eat Irregular

to consume food

run Irregular

to run / move rapidly / operate

know Irregular

to be aware of / recognize

choose Irregular (choose / chose / chosen)

to pick / select / elect

speak Strong Verb (Class 4 Ablaut)

to speak / to talk

bring Irregular (bring / brought / brought)

to bring / to carry toward

think Irregular (thought, thought)

to think / to ponder / to believe

give Irregular (gave, given)

to give / to hand over / to grant

find Irregular (found, found)

to find / to discover / to locate

tell Irregular (told, told)

to tell / to narrate / to order

write Irregular

to compose text / mark letters

read Irregular

to comprehend written text

📬

Master 1 Irregular Verb Every Morning

Join 4,200+ students getting a 2-minute daily breakdown of irregular conjugation rules & memory shortcuts. 100% free, unsubscribe anytime.