Learn the Top 50 Most Common German Verbs 🎯

How about making your German learning significantly more efficient? Verbs are the backbone of any sentence and in this German video lesson, we reveal the Top 50 most common used German verbs - the true workhorses of a language.

Verbs Are the Backbone of Every German Sentence

Verbs are the backbone of every German sentence — and a surprisingly small set of them does most of the work. Just these 50 verbs cover 60-70% of everyday German conversation at A1/A2 level, and they show up even more heavily on exams: 95% of A1 exam vocabulary, 80% of A2, and around 50% of B1.

Grab a pen and write your own example sentence for each verb as you go — actively writing them down (rather than just reading a list) makes them far easier to remember. Verbs are grouped alphabetically below, with a bonus "Top 10" list at the end.

A

• anfangen (trennbar) — to start/begin. "Der Unterricht fängt um 14 Uhr an." — Class starts at 2pm. (Synonym: beginnen — "Der Unterricht beginnt um 14 Uhr.")
• arbeiten — to work. "Wann arbeitest du morgen?" — When are you working tomorrow?
• aussehen (trennbar) — to look (appearance). "Heute siehst du wirklich toll aus." — You look really great today.

B

• bekommen — to get/receive. "Morgen bekomme ich meine Resultate." — I'll get my results tomorrow. (German often uses present tense + a time word for the future.)
• bleiben — to stay/remain. "Wie lange bleibst du in Berlin?" — How long are you staying in Berlin?
• brauchen — to need. "Sonja braucht ein neues Handy." — Sonja needs a new phone.
• bringen — to bring. "Bringst du mir bitte einen Kaffee?" — Can you bring me a coffee? (mir = dative/the person, einen Kaffee = accusative/the thing.)

D

• denken — to think. "Ich denke nicht, dass Paul morgen kommt." — I don't think Paul is coming tomorrow.
• dürfen (modal verb) — may/to be allowed to. "Darf ich Ihnen helfen?" — May I help you? (formal)

E

• essen — to eat. "Was hast du gestern zu Abend gegessen?" — What did you have for dinner last night? (Always zu Abend/Mittag essen, zum Frühstück.)

F

• fahren — to drive/go (by vehicle). "Am Samstag fahren wir nach Italien." — On Saturday we're going to Italy.
• finden — to find / to think (opinion). "Ich kann mein Handy nicht finden." — I can't find my phone. Also: "Ich finde, das Bild ist sehr schön." — I think this picture is beautiful.
• fragen — to ask. "Darf ich dich etwas fragen?" — May I ask you something?

G

• geben — to give. "Gabi gibt mir das Geld am Montag." — Gabi will give me the money on Monday.
• gehen — to go. "Wohin gehst du?" — Where are you going?
• glauben — to believe. "Das glaube ich nicht." — I don't believe that. "Ich glaube schon." — I do believe so.

H

• haben — to have. "Pedro und Mia haben zwei Kinder." — Pedro and Mia have two children.
• halten — to hold/stop. "Kannst du das kurz für mich halten?" — Can you hold that for a second?
• heißen — to be called. "Wie heißt du?" — What's your name?
• helfen — to help. "Kannst du mir bitte kurz helfen?" — Can you help me for a second please?
• hören — to hear. "Abends höre ich oft meine Nachbarn." — In the evenings I often hear my neighbors.

K

• kaufen — to buy. "Habt ihr das Fleisch schon gekauft?" — Have you already bought the meat?
• kennen — to know (people/things). "Kennst du Gilbert gut?" — Do you know Gilbert well?
• kommen — to come. "Meine Eltern kommen um 18 Uhr." — My parents are coming at 6pm.
• können (modal verb) — can/to be able to. "Kannst du mir das bitte erklären?" — Can you explain that to me please?

L

• lassen — to let / have something done. "Morgen lasse ich mein Auto reparieren." — Tomorrow I'm having my car repaired.
• leben — to live. "Wo lebt deine Familie?" — Where does your family live?
• lernen — to learn. "Seit wann lernst du Deutsch?" — How long have you been learning German?
• lieben — to love. "Ich liebe dich." — I love you.
• liegen — to lie (be positioned horizontally). "Die Schlüssel liegen auf dem Tisch." — The keys are on the table.

M

• machen — to make/do. "Hast du die Hausaufgaben gemacht?" — Have you done your homework?
• mögen (modal verb) — to like. "Du magst Schokolade nicht?" — You don't like chocolate?
• müssen (modal verb) — to have to. "Morgen muss ich früh aufstehen." — I have to get up early tomorrow.

N

• nehmen — to take. "Nimmst du den Bus?" — Are you taking the bus?

S

• sagen — to say. "Was hast du gesagt?" — What did you say?
• schreiben — to write. "Schreib mir bitte eine Nachricht." — Please text me.
• sehen — to see. "Habt ihr den Film schon gesehen?" — Have you already seen the movie?
• sein — to be. "Wo warst du gestern?" — Where were you yesterday?
• spielen — to play. "Spielst du gern Fußball?" — Do you like playing soccer?
• sprechen — to speak. "Tom, du sprichst zu wenig Deutsch." — Tom, you don't speak enough German.
• stehen — to stand. "Die Flasche steht auf dem Tisch." — The bottle is on the table.
• stellen — to place/put (upright). "Stell die Flasche bitte auf den Tisch." — Please put the bottle on the table.

T

• tragen — to carry/wear. "Am Morgen trage ich eine Brille." — In the morning I wear glasses.
• trinken — to drink. "Trinkst du genug Wasser?" — Are you drinking enough water?
• tun — to do. "Ich habe viel zu tun." — I have a lot to do.

V

• verstehen — to understand. "Ich verstehe dich nicht. Sprich bitte ein bisschen langsamer." — I don't understand you. Please speak a bit slower.

W

• werden — to become (also the auxiliary verb for the passive voice). "Hanna will Krankenpflegerin werden." — Hanna wants to become a nurse.
• wissen — to know (facts). "Weißt du schon das Neueste?" — Do you already know the latest news?
• wollen (modal verb) — to want. "Ich will nach Hause gehen." — I want to go home. (For polite requests, use Konjunktiv II instead: "Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.")

Z

• zeigen — to show. "Ich zeige dir, wie man das macht." — I'll show you how to do it.

Bonus: the Top 10 most important verbs

1. sein (to be)
2. haben (to have)
3. werden (to become) — sein and haben are also the auxiliary verbs for building the Perfekt tense
4. können (can)
5. müssen (must)
6. sagen (to say)
7. machen (to make/do) — useful, but try to reach for a more specific verb once you're past A2 level
8. geben (to give)
9. kommen (to come)
10. wollen (to want)

Memorization tip: the fastest way to lock these in is to write your own simple example sentences — in both present tense and Perfekt (present perfect) tense — using topics from your own daily life.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many German verbs do I need to know to have a basic conversation?

Just these 50 verbs cover an estimated 60-70% of everyday German conversation at A1/A2 level, and up to 95% of the vocabulary needed for the A1 exam.

What are the most important German verbs to learn first?

The absolute top 10 are: sein, haben, werden, können, müssen, sagen, machen, geben, kommen, and wollen — sein and haben are especially important since they're also used to build the Perfekt (present perfect) tense.

What's the best way to memorize German verbs?

Write your own simple example sentences for each verb, in both present tense and Perfekt tense, using things and topics from your own daily life rather than memorizing a generic list.

Want to put these verbs into full sentences with confidence? Our A2 Level Course builds directly on this vocabulary.