10 (more) Irregular Verbs Every Lawyer Must Know | Legal English
Do you know the past tense of bear, lend or foresee? Lawyers encounter these irregular verbs in contracts, legal disputes, court proceedings and commercial transactions. In this lesson, you’ll learn their past simple and past participle forms, the legal collocations they appear in and how to use them accurately. At the end, test yourself with a 10-question Legal English quiz.
What are irregular verbs?
Regular verbs normally form the past simple and past participle with -ed (for example, sign – signed – signed). Irregular verbs do not always follow this pattern: draw – drew – drawn, buy – bought – bought and set – set – set.
These forms matter especially in the passive voice (was drawn up), present perfect (has paid) and past perfect (had foreseen).
10 irregular verbs for lawyers: Quick reference
| Infinitive | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| Bear | Bore | Borne |
| Pay | Paid | Paid |
| Deal | Dealt | Dealt |
| Draw | Drew | Drawn |
| Hear | Heard | Heard |
| Set | Set | Set |
| Sell | Sold | Sold |
| Buy | Bought | Bought |
| Lend | Lent | Lent |
| Foresee | Foresaw | Foreseen |
1. Bear – Bore – Borne
Meaning: To carry or accept responsibility for something.
Common legal collocations:
- to bear the costs
- to bear the burden of proof
Example: All the legal costs shall be borne by the company.
Borne is the past participle used here in the passive voice (shall be borne). The active version would be: The company shall bear all legal costs. The phrase bear the burden of proof describes responsibility for proving something in court.
2. Pay – Paid – Paid
Meaning: To give money to someone for a purpose.
Common legal collocations:
- to pay damages
- to pay legal fees
- to pay the price
- to pay rent
- to pay an invoice
Example: The company paid damages to the claimant.
Paid is the past simple here. In The company has paid damages, it is the past participle following has. Avoid payed for financial payments.
3. Deal (with) – Dealt (with) – Dealt (with)
Meaning: To handle a matter or take action about it.
Common legal collocations:
- to deal with a dispute
- to deal with a matter
- to deal with an issue
- to deal with a problem
- to deal with contracts
Example: The solicitor dealt with the matter efficiently.
Lawyers commonly use the phrasal verb deal with. The preposition with stays the same in each tense. Compare: I deal with disputes and I have dealt with commercial disputes.
4. Draw (up) – Drew (up) – Drawn (up)
Meaning: To prepare or draft a document.
Common legal collocations:
- to draw up a contract
- to draw up legal documents
Example: The lawyer drew up the contract.
Draw up is often a synonym of draft. Compare the past simple (The lawyer drew up the contract) with the passive (The contract has been drawn up).
5. Hear – Heard – Heard
Meaning: In legal contexts, to consider a case, appeal or evidence in proceedings.
Common legal collocations:
- to hear an appeal
- to hear evidence
- to hear a case
- to hear the parties
Example: The Supreme Court heard the appeal.
Judges and arbitrators can hear cases and evidence. The case was heard yesterday is passive; The court has heard three witnesses uses the present perfect. Pronounce the initial h in hear.
6. Set – Set – Set
Meaning: To establish something or fix a requirement.
Common legal collocations:
- to set a precedent
- to set a deadline
- to set a date for trial
Example: The court set a deadline for filing the defence.
All three forms are set, never setted. A court can set a precedent; a lawyer or court can set a deadline. In The parties have set a deadline, set is the past participle.
7. Sell – Sold – Sold
Meaning: To transfer something in exchange for money.
Common legal collocations:
- to sell assets
- to sell shares
- to sell a company
- to sell property
- to sell goods
Example: The company sold its remaining assets.
The past form is sold, not selled or saled. Remember that sale is a noun: The sale of the property went ahead.
8. Buy – Bought – Bought
Meaning: To acquire something by paying for it.
Common legal collocations:
- to buy assets
- to buy shares
- to buy a company
- to buy property
- to buy goods
Example: The company bought the assets of another firm.
The present perfect is has bought. Pronunciation: in standard British English, bought is /bɔːt/ and rhymes with thought. Purchase is a useful alternative in legal and commercial language.
9. Lend – Lent – Lent
Meaning: To give money temporarily, expecting repayment.
Common legal collocations:
- to lend money to a borrower
- to lend funds to a borrower
Example: The bank lent the funds under strict conditions.
Use lent, not lended. Remember the direction and prepositions: a bank lends to a borrower; the borrower borrows from the bank. Loaned is a form of the separate verb loan.
10. Foresee – Foresaw – Foreseen
Meaning: To anticipate that something may happen.
Common legal collocations:
- to foresee a risk
- to foresee an event
- to foresee a delay
- to foresee a problem
Example: The parties had not foreseen the delay.
The verb follows the pattern see – saw – seen, with fore- added. Foreseen is the past participle in the past perfect had not foreseen. In legal writing, foresee is often used for potential problems, delays and risks, but the word itself is not negative.
Legal English irregular verbs quiz
Complete each sentence using the correct form of the verb in brackets. Check your answers below!
- The cost of insurance is ______ by the seller. (bear)
- The buyer has ______ the purchase price in full. (pay)
- The solicitor ______ with the client’s complaint yesterday. (deal)
- The contract was ______ up by the parties’ lawyers. (draw)
- The court has ______ evidence from three witnesses. (hear)
- The parties have ______ a deadline for completing the transaction. (set)
- The company ______ its assets last year. (sell)
- The investor has ______ shares in the company. (buy)
- The bank ______ the borrower £100,000 last year. (lend)
- Neither party had ______ the difficulties that would arise. (foresee)
🤓 How many did you get right out of 10? Let me know in the video comments.
Keep improving your Legal English
Learning verb forms alongside collocations such as bear the costs, draw up a contract, hear an appeal and set a precedent will help you communicate more naturally and accurately in your legal work.
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