DELE A2 Present Tense: Irregular Verbs Practice Test & Review

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Irregular present tense verbs are the most common verbs in Spanish, and they appear in every section of the DELE A2 exam. Ser, estar, ir, tener, hacer — these are the verbs you use most, and none of them follow the regular pattern. You have to memorize them.

This page gives you a five-part practice quiz: an evaluation set to see where you stand, three practice sets to drill the main irregular groups, and a challenge set to confirm mastery. If you get stuck, scroll down for the full explanation. Ready? Start with the evaluation set below.

Grammar Guide

The Rule

Irregular verbs do not follow the regular present-tense pattern. You have to memorize them. The good news: the most common verbs are irregular, so you use them constantly and learn them fast.

There are three types of irregularity in the present tense: fully irregular verbs (ser, estar, ir, haber), irregular yo forms (tener, hacer, poner, salir), and stem-changing verbs (querer, poder, dormir, pedir).

Fully Irregular Verbs

Verb	Yo	Tú	Él	Nosotros	Vosotros	Ellos
ser	soy	eres	es	somos	sois	son
estar	estoy	estás	está	estamos	estáis	están
ir	voy	vas	va	vamos	vais	van
haber	he	has	ha	hemos	habéis	han

These four verbs do not follow any regular pattern. Memorize them as a set.

Irregular Yo Forms

These verbs are regular in all forms except yo.

Verb	Yo	Tú	Él	Nosotros	Ellos
tener	tengo	tienes	tiene	tenemos	tienen
hacer	hago	haces	hace	hacemos	hacen
poner	pongo	pones	pone	ponemos	ponen
salir	salgo	sales	sale	salimos	salen
decir	digo	dices	dice	decimos	dicen
venir	vengo	vienes	viene	venimos	vienen
traer	traigo	traes	trae	traemos	traen
ver	veo	ves	ve	vemos	ven
saber	sé	sabes	sabe	sabemos	saben

The yo form ends in -go for most of these. Decir, venir, and tener also have stem changes in the tú, él, and ellos forms.

Stem-Changing Verbs

These verbs change the vowel in the stem in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.

Change	Verb	Yo	Tú	Él	Nosotros	Ellos
e → ie	querer	quiero	quieres	quiere	queremos	quieren
e → ie	entender	entiendo	entiendes	entiende	entendemos	entienden
e → ie	cerrar	cierro	cierras	cierra	cerramos	cierran
o → ue	poder	puedo	puedes	puede	podemos	pueden
o → ue	dormir	duermo	duermes	duerme	dormimos	duermen
e → i	pedir	pido	pides	pide	pedimos	piden

The nosotros and vosotros forms do not change: queremos, podemos, dormimos, pedimos.

Common Mistakes

1. Using the regular form for an irregular verb.
   ✗ Yo tengo vs. Yo tene.
   ✓ Yo tengo.
   Tener has an irregular yo form.
2. Forgetting the stem change in the tú form.
   ✗ Tú queres ir.
   ✓ Tú quieres ir.
   Querer changes e → ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
3. Applying the stem change to nosotros.
   ✗ Nosotros quieremos ir.
   ✓ Nosotros queremos ir.
   The stem change does not apply to nosotros or vosotros.
4. Confusing ser and estar.
   ✗ Yo estoy estudiante.
   ✓ Yo soy estudiante.
   Ser is for identity and profession. Estar is for location and condition.

Quick Decision Chart

Ask yourself	Answer	Form
Is the verb ser, estar, ir, or haber?	Yes	Fully irregular — memorize
Does the yo form end in -go?	Yes	Irregular yo form
Does the stem vowel change?	Yes	Stem-changing verb
Is the subject nosotros or vosotros?	Yes	No stem change
Is it a form of tener, hacer, decir, venir?	Yes	Check for stem change in tú, él, ellos

Two Sentences That Show the Difference

(Yo) tengo un perro.
I have a dog.

• Tener is irregular in the yo form: tengo.

(Tú) tienes un perro.
You have a dog.

• Tener also changes in the tú form: tienes.

(Yo) quiero ir.
I want to go.

• Querer changes e → ie: quiero.

(Nosotros) queremos ir.
We want to go.

• The stem change does not apply to nosotros: queremos.

(Yo) voy al cine.
I go to the cinema.

• Ir is fully irregular: voy.

(Tú) vas al cine.
You go to the cinema.

• Ir is fully irregular: vas.