A small number of verbs carry an enormous share of everyday German. Corpus studies of spoken and written German consistently show the same pattern found across languages: a relatively short list of high-frequency verbs accounts for most real conversation. Learn these well and you can express most of what you need — long before you've mastered German's full verb system.
Below are 100 of the most useful German verbs, grouped in batches of 20 so you can work through them without overload. Each one includes its infinitive, English meaning, and a natural example sentence.
Verbs 1–20: The essentials
| German | English | Example |
|---|
| sein | to be | Ich bin müde. (I am tired.) |
| haben | to have | Wir haben Zeit. (We have time.) |
| werden | to become | Es wird kalt. (It's getting cold.) |
| können | can, to be able to | Sie kann gut singen. (She can sing well.) |
| müssen | must, to have to | Ich muss gehen. (I have to go.) |
| sagen | to say | Er sagt die Wahrheit. (He tells the truth.) |
| machen | to do, to make | Was machst du? (What are you doing?) |
| geben | to give | Kannst du mir das geben? (Can you give me that?) |
| kommen | to come | Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?) |
| sollen | should, to be supposed to | Du sollst früh schlafen. (You should sleep early.) |
| wollen | to want | Ich will das nicht. (I don't want that.) |
| gehen | to go, to walk | Wir gehen ins Kino. (We're going to the cinema.) |
| wissen | to know (a fact) | Ich weiß es nicht. (I don't know it.) |
| sehen | to see | Siehst du das Haus? (Do you see the house?) |
| lassen | to let, to leave | Lass mich in Ruhe. (Leave me alone.) |
| stehen | to stand | Das Auto steht hier. (The car is standing here.) |
| finden | to find | Ich finde meine Schlüssel nicht. (I can't find my keys.) |
| bleiben | to stay | Bleib bitte hier. (Please stay here.) |
| liegen | to lie, to be located | Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (The book is on the table.) |
| heißen | to be called | Wie heißt du? (What's your name?) |
Verbs 21–40: Daily actions
| German | English | Example |
|---|
| denken | to think | Ich denke oft an dich. (I often think of you.) |
| nehmen | to take | Nimm den Regenschirm mit. (Take the umbrella with you.) |
| tun | to do | Das tut mir leid. (I'm sorry.) |
| dürfen | may, to be allowed to | Darf ich reinkommen? (May I come in?) |
| glauben | to believe | Ich glaube dir. (I believe you.) |
| halten | to hold, to stop | Halt bitte hier an. (Please stop here.) |
| nennen | to name, to call | Man nennt ihn den Chef. (They call him the boss.) |
| mögen | to like | Ich mag Kaffee. (I like coffee.) |
| zeigen | to show | Zeig mir den Weg. (Show me the way.) |
| führen | to lead | Diese Straße führt zum Bahnhof. (This street leads to the station.) |
| sprechen | to speak | Sprichst du Deutsch? (Do you speak German?) |
| bringen | to bring | Bring mir das Buch. (Bring me the book.) |
| leben | to live | Wir leben in Berlin. (We live in Berlin.) |
| fahren | to drive, to travel | Wir fahren nach München. (We're driving to Munich.) |
| meinen | to mean, to think (opinion) | Was meinst du damit? (What do you mean by that?) |
| fragen | to ask | Darf ich dich etwas fragen? (May I ask you something?) |
| kennen | to know (a person/place) | Kennst du ihn? (Do you know him?) |
| gelten | to be valid, to apply | Das Ticket gilt heute. (The ticket is valid today.) |
| bekommen | to receive, to get | Ich bekomme ein Paket. (I'm getting a package.) |
| schreiben | to write | Schreib mir eine Nachricht. (Write me a message.) |
Verbs 41–60: Getting things done
| German | English | Example |
|---|
| liegen | to lie, to be situated | Es liegt an dir. (It's up to you.) |
| stellen | to place, to put | Stell das auf den Tisch. (Put that on the table.) |
| bleiben | to remain | Ruhig bleiben. (Stay calm.) |
| erhalten | to receive, to preserve | Er erhält jeden Monat Post. (He receives mail every month.) |
| beginnen | to begin | Der Film beginnt um acht. (The film starts at eight.) |
| helfen | to help | Kannst du mir helfen? (Can you help me?) |
| spielen | to play | Die Kinder spielen im Park. (The children are playing in the park.) |
| erzählen | to tell, to narrate | Erzähl mir eine Geschichte. (Tell me a story.) |
| verstehen | to understand | Ich verstehe das nicht. (I don't understand that.) |
| setzen | to set, to sit down | Setz dich bitte. (Please sit down.) |
| bilden | to form, to educate | Diese Wörter bilden einen Satz. (These words form a sentence.) |
| ziehen | to pull, to move | Wir ziehen nächsten Monat um. (We're moving next month.) |
| scheinen | to seem, to shine | Die Sonne scheint heute. (The sun is shining today.) |
| lernen | to learn | Ich lerne Deutsch. (I'm learning German.) |
| lassen | to allow, to have done | Lass uns gehen. (Let's go.) |
| studieren | to study (at university) | Sie studiert Medizin. (She's studying medicine.) |
| entwickeln | to develop | Die Firma entwickelt eine App. (The company is developing an app.) |
| tragen | to carry, to wear | Er trägt eine Jacke. (He's wearing a jacket.) |
| suchen | to search, to look for | Ich suche meinen Pass. (I'm looking for my passport.) |
| bieten | to offer | Das Hotel bietet Frühstück an. (The hotel offers breakfast.) |
Verbs 61–80: Interaction and change
| German | English | Example |
|---|
| lieben | to love | Ich liebe dich. (I love you.) |
| verlieren | to lose | Verlier nicht die Geduld. (Don't lose patience.) |
| wohnen | to reside, to live (somewhere) | Wo wohnst du? (Where do you live?) |
| erklären | to explain | Kannst du das erklären? (Can you explain that?) |
| brauchen | to need | Ich brauche Hilfe. (I need help.) |
| folgen | to follow | Folgen Sie mir bitte. (Please follow me.) |
| lesen | to read | Ich lese ein Buch. (I'm reading a book.) |
| sitzen | to sit | Er sitzt am Tisch. (He's sitting at the table.) |
| treffen | to meet | Wir treffen uns um sechs. (We're meeting at six.) |
| beschreiben | to describe | Beschreib deinen Tag. (Describe your day.) |
| ändern | to change | Das ändert alles. (That changes everything.) |
| kaufen | to buy | Ich kaufe Brot. (I'm buying bread.) |
| entstehen | to arise, to come about | Ein Problem entsteht. (A problem arises.) |
| verlassen | to leave (a place) | Sie verlässt das Haus. (She's leaving the house.) |
| erreichen | to reach, to achieve | Wir erreichen den Bahnhof pünktlich. (We're reaching the station on time.) |
| sitzen | to be seated | Bleib sitzen. (Stay seated.) |
| aussehen | to look, to appear | Du siehst müde aus. (You look tired.) |
| wechseln | to change, to switch | Ich möchte Geld wechseln. (I'd like to exchange money.) |
| verwenden | to use | Wir verwenden diese Methode. (We use this method.) |
| öffnen | to open | Öffne bitte das Fenster. (Please open the window.) |
Verbs 81–100: Rounding things out
| German | English | Example |
|---|
| schließen | to close | Schließ die Tür. (Close the door.) |
| essen | to eat | Wir essen um sieben. (We eat at seven.) |
| trinken | to drink | Was möchtest du trinken? (What would you like to drink?) |
| arbeiten | to work | Ich arbeite von zu Hause. (I work from home.) |
| schlafen | to sleep | Die Katze schläft viel. (The cat sleeps a lot.) |
| hören | to hear, to listen | Hörst du das? (Do you hear that?) |
| fühlen | to feel | Ich fühle mich gut. (I feel good.) |
| verkaufen | to sell | Sie verkauft ihr Auto. (She's selling her car.) |
| bezahlen | to pay | Wer bezahlt die Rechnung? (Who's paying the bill?) |
| beantworten | to answer | Beantworte die Frage. (Answer the question.) |
| verbringen | to spend (time) | Wir verbringen den Sommer hier. (We're spending the summer here.) |
| erinnern | to remind, to remember | Erinnerst du dich an mich? (Do you remember me?) |
| vergessen | to forget | Vergiss das nicht. (Don't forget that.) |
| planen | to plan | Wir planen eine Reise. (We're planning a trip.) |
| reisen | to travel | Ich reise gern. (I like to travel.) |
| feiern | to celebrate | Wir feiern heute Abend. (We're celebrating tonight.) |
| kochen | to cook | Er kocht gern. (He likes to cook.) |
| warten | to wait | Warte auf mich. (Wait for me.) |
| lachen | to laugh | Sie lacht viel. (She laughs a lot.) |
| entscheiden | to decide | Ich muss mich entscheiden. (I have to decide.) |
How to actually learn these
A list like this is a starting point, not a study method. To move these verbs into long-term memory, you need structure, repetition, and context — the same three ingredients that make any vocabulary stick. Learning ten verbs a day out of order will fade fast; working through them in small, level-appropriate batches with spaced review is what actually holds.
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