DELE A2 Preterite: Irregular Verbs Practice Test & Review
Irregular preterite verbs are the most common past-tense verbs in Spanish, and they appear in every section of the DELE A2 exam. Ser, ir, tener, hacer, estar — 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
Many of the most common Spanish verbs are irregular in the preterite. You have to memorize them. The good news: they fall into groups, and once you know one verb in a group, you know the pattern.
There are three main irregular patterns: the ser/ir/dar group, the -uv-/-u- group (tener, estar, poder, poner), and the j-group (decir, traer, querer, venir).
Ser and Ir — Identical Forms
Ser and ir share the same preterite forms. Context tells you which verb is which.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| Yo | fui |
| Tú | fuiste |
| Él / Ella / Usted | fue |
| Nosotros | fuimos |
| Vosotros | fuisteis |
| Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes | fueron |
Fui al cine = I went to the cinema (ir).
Fui muy amable = I was very kind (ser).
No accents anywhere — these forms are all monosyllabic or stressed on the first syllable.
The -uv- / -u- Group
These verbs have a strong stem with u or uv. The endings are the same across the group: -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
| Verb | Yo | Tú | Él | Nosotros | Ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tener | tuve | tuviste | tuvo | tuvimos | tuvieron |
| estar | estuve | estuviste | estuvo | estuvimos | estuvieron |
| poder | pude | pudiste | pudo | pudimos | pudieron |
| poner | puse | pusiste | puso | pusimos | pusieron |
| saber | supe | supiste | supo | supimos | supieron |
These verbs have no accent on the yo or él forms. The stem itself carries the stress.
The j-Group
These verbs have a j in the stem. The endings are -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -eron (note: no i in the ellos ending).
| Verb | Yo | Tú | Él | Nosotros | Ellos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decir | dije | dijiste | dijo | dijimos | dijeron |
| traer | traje | trajiste | trajo | trajimos | trajeron |
| querer | quise | quisiste | quiso | quisimos | quisieron |
| venir | vine | viniste | vino | vinimos | vinieron |
The j-group is unique: the ellos form ends in -eron, not -ieron. Dijeron, trajeron — no i before the -eron.
Other Common Irregular Preterites
| Verb | Yo form | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ir | fui | Shares forms with ser |
| ser | fui | Shares forms with ir |
| dar | di | Uses -er endings, not -ar |
| ver | vi | Short form |
| leer | leí | Accent on the í |
| oír | oí | Accent on the í |
| creer | creí | Accent on the í |
Dar uses the -er/-ir endings: di, diste, dio, dimos, disteis, dieron.
Accents in Irregular Preterites
Most irregular preterites have no accent on the yo or él forms. The only exceptions are the -er/-ir verbs with a stressed í in the yo form: leí, oí, creí.
Regular -er/-ir verbs also carry accents on the yo and él forms: comí, comió. Irregular preterites like tuve, tuvo, dije, dijo have no accent.
Common Mistakes
- Adding -i to the ellos form of j-group verbs.
✗ Ellos dijieron.
✓ Ellos dijeron.
The j-group verbs drop the i in the ellos ending: dijeron, trajeron, quisieron, vinieron. - Confusing ser and ir.
✗ La fiesta fue muy divertida. (if you mean “went”)
✓ La fiesta fue muy divertida. (ser — the party was fun)
✓ Fui a la fiesta. (ir — I went to the party)
Fue and fui are identical for both verbs. Context tells you which. - Putting an accent on tuve, tuvo, dije, dijo.
✗ Yo tuve (with accent).
✓ Yo tuve (no accent).
The -uv- and j-group verbs have no accent in the preterite. - Forgetting that dar takes -er endings.
✗ Yo daré (preterite)
✓ Yo di (preterite)
Dar uses the -er/-ir preterite endings, not the -ar endings.
Quick Decision Chart
| Ask yourself | Answer | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Is the verb ser or ir? | Yes | fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron |
| Does the verb have a u or uv stem? | Yes | tuve, estuve, pude, puse, supe |
| Does the verb have a j stem? | Yes | dije, traje, quise, vine |
| Is it dar? | Yes | di, diste, dio, dimos, dieron |
| Is it ver? | Yes | vi, viste, vio, vimos, vieron |
| Is there an accent on the yo form? | Only for leí, oí, creí | Otherwise no accent |
Two Sentences That Show the Difference
Ayer fui al cine.
Yesterday I went to the cinema.
- Ir is irregular. Yo form: fui.
La película fue muy buena.
The movie was very good.
- Ser is irregular. Él form: fue. The same form as ir, but context tells you it’s ser.
Anoche tuve que trabajar.
Last night I had to work.
- Tener is irregular. Yo form: tuve. No accent.
Ayer dije la verdad.
Yesterday I told the truth.
- Decir is irregular. Yo form: dije. No accent.
Ellos dijeron la verdad.
They told the truth.
- The ellos form of decir is dijeron, not dijieron. No i before -eron.
