Genau
Topic test · A1

The 50 most common verbs test

10questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
Start the test Read the topic first

One question at a time, the clock runs. Answers stay closed like a real exam: you see every correct answer with its explanation at the end. Score 60% to finish the topic.

Topic test

10 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

You’re taking the train to Berlin. Which one?

fahre. If you go by vehicle the verb is fahren; gehen means going on foot. The vowel change happens only in du fährst · er fährt, ich fahre stays plain.

“I know where he lives.” Which one?

weiß. A clause starting with wo follows, so it is information: wissen. kennen is for people and places. In the subordinate clause the verb goes to the end: wo er wohnt.

bringen only means “to bring”; for “to take (somewhere)” you need another verb.

False. bringen covers both directions: Bring mir bitte Wasser. (bring) · Ich bringe dich nach Hause. (I’ll take you home). The rest of the sentence tells you the direction.

Er jeden Morgen. (laufen)

He runs every morning.

läuft. laufen follows the a → ä pattern, and au becomes äu: du läufst · er läuft.

Was du gern? (essen)

What do you like to eat?

isst. essen follows the e → i pattern: du isst · er isst. ist is the verb sein, and esst is the ihr form.

Er mir. (helfen)

He’s helping me.

hilft. helfen follows the e → i pattern: du hilfst · er hilft. Who is being helped is expressed with the Dativ: mir.

Build the sentence: I get up at seven.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

auf·stehen is a separable verb: the conjugated part is in second position, the prefix auf at the end of the sentence.

“I have to work today.” Which one is correct?

The modal muss is conjugated in second position, and the main verb goes to the end unconjugated: arbeiten. The conjugated verb is in second position; no other word comes between the subject and the verb.

“Yesterday we went to Berlin by car.” Which one?

fahren expresses a change of place: the auxiliary is sein. Partizip II is irregular: gefahren.

Ich habe es dir geerklärt. — the Perfekt is built correctly in this sentence.

False. A verb starting with er- takes no ge-: Ich habe es dir erklärt. The same goes for erzählt · verstanden · bezahlt.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. gehen is on foot, fahren is by vehicle

    English “go” splits in two. With a vehicle it is fahren, by plane fliegen.

    Ich fahre nach Berlin.

  2. wissen is information, kennen is acquaintance

    If a clause follows, it is wissen; if a person or place follows, it is kennen.

    Ich weiß, wo er wohnt.

  3. Modal second, main verb last

    The modal is conjugated, the main verb goes to the end of the sentence unconjugated. The prefix of a separable verb drops to the end too.

    Ich muss heute arbeiten. · Ich stehe um sieben auf.

  4. If place or state changes, the Perfekt takes sein

    Eight verbs in the list: sein · werden · gehen · kommen · fahren · laufen · fliegen · auf·stehen.

    Ich bin nach Hause gegangen.

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • Ich weiß ihn.

    Ich kenne ihn.

    You don’t know a person like a fact, you are acquainted with them: kennen.

  • Ich aufstehe um sieben.

    Ich stehe um sieben auf.

    In a main clause, the prefix of a separable verb drops to the end.

  • Er weißt das nicht.

    Er weiß das nicht.

    The er form of wissen takes no -t.

  • Ich habe es dir geerklärt.

    Ich habe es dir erklärt.

    A verb that starts with er- takes no ge- in the Perfekt.