All 30 A2 German Irregular Verbs

a2.2 vocabulary

Thirty irregular verbs is all you need to cover the A2 level, and this lesson goes through every one of them. The verbs come in alphabetical order, each with its meaning, its participle and an example sentence. The video suggests that you write your own list while you watch, and that is still the best way to memorise irregular verbs.

Write Your Own List

If you have not started a list of irregular verbs yet, start now. For every verb, write down three things: the infinitive, the er / sie / es form in the present tense (to see where the verb is irregular) and the past participle. Writing the list by hand helps you remember the forms much better than reading someone else's list.

The video also mentions the video about all A1 irregular verbs, in case you have not seen it: ALL A1 German Irregular Verbs.

The 30 Verbs

The column "er / sie / es" shows the present tense of the third person singular. Where it says regular, the verb is conjugated like a regular verb in the present tense. Only the participle is irregular.

#	Infinitive	Meaning	er / sie / es	Partizip 2	Example
1	bieten	to offer, to bid	regular	geboten	Ich biete 500 Euro.
2	bitten	to ask for, to request	regular	gebeten	Der Hund bittet um einen Keks.
3	bleiben	to stay	regular	geblieben	Ich bleibe zurzeit oft zu Hause.
4	braten	to fry	brät	gebraten	Am Morgen brate ich oft ein Ei.
5	empfehlen	to recommend	empfiehlt	empfohlen	Ich empfehle dir diesen Käse.
6	fangen	to catch	fängt	gefangen	Der Mann fängt Fische.
7	fallen	to fall	fällt	gefallen	Die Aktien sind stark gefallen.
8	genießen	to enjoy	regular	genossen	Sie genießt die Ruhe.
9	gewinnen	to win	regular	gewonnen	Hast du schon einmal im Lotto gewonnen?
10	laden	to load, to charge	lädt	geladen	Ich lade mein Handy jeden Tag.
11	laufen	to run, to walk	läuft	gelaufen	Er läuft auf der Straße.
12	liegen	to lie	regular	gelegen	Das Kind liegt im Gras.
13	nennen	to name, to call	regular	genannt	Wie nennst du das in deiner Sprache?
14	raten	to advise (also: to guess)	rät	geraten	Ich rate dir, eine Liste zu schreiben.
15	rennen	to run	regular	gerannt	Sie rennen zum Bus.
16	riechen	to smell	regular	gerochen	Die Blume riecht einzigartig.
17	rufen	to call, to shout	regular	gerufen	Er ruft seinen Freund.
18	schließen	to close	regular	geschlossen	Die Restaurants schließen zurzeit früher.
19	senden	to send	regular (du sendest)	gesandt or gesendet	Die Post sendet das Paket bald.
20	sitzen	to sit	regular	gesessen	Der Frosch sitzt auf der Bank.
21	steigen	to rise, to climb	regular	gestiegen	Morgen steige ich auf den Berg.
22	sterben	to die	stirbt	gestorben	Herr Dassler ist vor 42 Jahren gestorben.
23	stinken	to stink	regular	gestunken	Münsterkäse stinkt unglaublich.
24	tragen	to wear, to carry	trägt	getragen	Der Hund trägt einen Pullover.
25	vergessen	to forget	vergisst	vergessen	Er hat den Schlüssel vergessen.
26	verlieren	to lose	regular	verloren	Sie hat ihr Handy verloren.
27	wachsen	to grow	wächst	gewachsen	Die Pflanze ist gewachsen.
28	waschen	to wash	wäscht	gewaschen	Sie waschen ihre Kleider.
29	werfen	to throw	wirft	geworfen	Der Junge wirft den Ball.
30	ziehen	to pull	regular	gezogen	Die Rentiere ziehen den Schlitten.

Notes on Some Verbs

braten, empfehlen, fangen, fallen, laden, laufen, raten, sterben, tragen, vergessen, wachsen, waschen, werfen change their vowel in the present tense for du and er / sie / es. Example: ich empfehle, du empfiehlst, er empfiehlt and ich falle, du fällst, er fällt.
senden has two possible participles, gesandt and gesendet. Both are correct. In the present tense, watch the extra e: ich sende, du sendest.
raten means "to advise" here, but it can also mean "to guess".
Which auxiliary verb? Most of these verbs form the Perfekt with haben. Verbs of movement or change of state use sein, for example bleiben, fallen, laufen, rennen, steigen, sterben, wachsen: Die Pflanze ist gewachsen. See Top 20 Verbs with SEIN as the Auxiliary Verb in PERFEKT.
In the video, a picture of the Matterhorn goes with steigen, and the Adidas story goes with sterben. If you like stories to remember words, those are worth a look.

Irregular in the Simple Past, Too

The verbs are not only irregular in the participle. In the simple past (Präteritum), all irregular verbs are irregular as well. That is why the free list from the video also shows the Präteritum. See How to use & build the German Simple Past Tense for how to use it.

The Free List from the Video

Near the end, the video gives you a small Christmas gift: a free list of all A1 and A2 irregular verbs, with the third person singular in the present tense, the Präteritum and the participle. You can download it on the website: free list of irregular verbs. Use it as a guide, but keep writing your own list.

What to Learn Next

The next step is the participle in the Perfekt: The German Past Participle: All the Rules. For the next level of verbs, see Top 40 German Irregular Verbs (B1 Level).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many irregular verbs do I need to learn for A2?

The video teaches 30 irregular verbs for A2, in alphabetical order, in addition to the irregular verbs of A1.

What do I need to learn for each irregular verb?

Three forms: the infinitive, the er / sie / es form in the present tense, and the past participle. For the Präteritum, add the simple past form as well.

Which of these verbs change their vowel in the present tense?

braten, empfehlen, fangen, fallen, laden, laufen, raten, sterben, tragen, vergessen, wachsen, waschen and werfen.

What is the participle of senden?

Both gesandt and gesendet are possible.

Where can I get a list of irregular verbs?

The video offers a free list of A1 and A2 irregular verbs on the YourGermanTeacher website. It is still better to write your own list, because writing helps you memorise the forms.

Want to learn A2 vocabulary and grammar in a clear order? Our A2 German course gives you short video lessons and exercises for every topic.