The most common German verbs - How to get fluent, with Dr Popkins

Learning the most frequent German words is makes tactical sense when you’re starting to learn the language. The most common German verbs – words expressing an action like “to eat” or a state like “to be” – should be at the top of your list. After all, beyond pointing at objects and naming them, you won’t get far in German without some “action”! 🙂

There’s good news as you start learning (or revising) the most useful German verbs: many are very similar to the English equivalent.

The dictionary form of the verbs is the “infinitive”. In English that’s the “to” form: to be, to go, to say. In German, infinitives usually end in –en and sometimes just -n: gehen (to go), sagen (to say), können (to be able/can), sein (to be), klingeln (to ring).

Just like in English, German verb endings sometimes change (“conjugation”) to show who is doing the action (I live, he lives; ich lebe, er lebt), when (I lived; ich lebte).

Just like in English, some German verbs are “strong verbs” (including some in our list) and they show the past by a changing a vowel in the “stem” (the part that’s left when you take off the -(e)n at the end): I give > I gave; ich gebe > ich gab.

How should you learn the most important German verbs?

Don’t learn the list below in a set order: mix it up, for example by making flashcards with the German on one side and the English on the other.

Besides the infinitive, you need to get the right endings. The German verb “endings” are generally regular. Even strong verbs and the small number of other irregularities also follow patterns that are quickly explained and that you can master with practice.

Learn the infinitives by all means but it also helps to learn the verb in an example phrases. Context helps you remember and makes sure you’ve got the ending right and you’re using the verb in a natural-sounding way. As you read, listen and speak, collect sentences that contain examples of the verbs. Test yourself with your flashcards, try to make sentences of your own (modelled on your examples) and get feedback.

Keep coming back to the verbs and your illustrative sentences – you’ll forget them many times… ….until you don’t.

Practice leads to learning. Conscious vocab building is powerful but it won’t work if you don’t get lots of exposure to German too. Find a good beginner’s course, start listening to podcasts or YouTube aimed at learners and start reading simplified texts, even if, at first, there’s a lot you don’t understand.

Viel Erfolg – every success with your German in 2023!

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The 50 most common German verbs: a list

Here’s the basic German verb list, to get you started.

1	sein	be
2	haben	have
3	können	be able/can
4	werden	become
5	sagen	say/tell
6	müssen	have to/must
7	geben	give
8	wollen	want
9	machen	make
10	kommen	come
11	sollen	ought/should
12	gehen	go
13	wissen	know (a fact)
14	sehen	see
15	lassen	leave/let
16	stehen	stand
17	leben	live
18	finden	find
19	liegen	lie (i.e. be lying down)
20	bleiben	stay
21	heißen	be called
22	denken	think
23	stellen	stand (something somewhere)
24	zeigen	show
25	nehmen	take
26	dürfen	may/be allowed to
27	hören	hear
28	fragen	ask
29	halten	stop
30	glauben	believe
31	fühlen	feel
32	folgen	follow
33	sprechen	speak
34	führen	lead
35	bringen	bring
36	mögen	like
37	brauchen	need
38	nennen	name
39	schreiben	write
40	ziehen	pull
41	spielen	play
42	verstehen	understand
43	bekommen	get/receive
44	meinen	mean
45	fahren	drive
46	kennen	know (person/place)
47	vergessen	forget
48	arbeiten	work
49	versuchen	try
50	setzen	put