The 50 most common French verbs

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

There’s good news as you start learning (or revising) the most useful French verbs: many are very similar to the English equivalent. Try guessing the meaning of “commencer”, “continuer”, “décider”.

The dictionary form of the verbs is the “infinitive”. In English that’s the “to” form: to be, to go, to say.  In French, infinitives end in –er, –ir or –re (aller – to go; venir – to come, être – to be).  The three verbs above (to commence, to continue and to decide, in case you were stuck 😉 ) are all “-er” verbs.

French verb endings change from the basic infinitive -er, -ir, -re most often that is to show who is doing the action (the “person”) and when (the “tense”). We see the same in English, though the patterns are different: I eat, you eat, he eats; je mange, tu manges, il mange).

How should you learn the most important French verbs?  

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

Besides the infinitive, you need to get the right endings. The endings (or “the conjugation”) of most verbs depends on whether they end in -er, -ir or -re.

However, just like in English, some French verbs are irregular (including some in our list). 

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 French 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.

Bonne chance!

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The 50 most common French verbs: a list

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

1	être	be
2	avoir	have
3	pouvoir	be able, can
4	faire	to do
5	mettre	to put, place
6	dire	say, tell
7	devoir	have to, must, owe
8	prendre	want
9	donner	make
10	aller	come
11	vouloir	want
12	savoir	know (a fact)
13	falloir	know (a fact)
14	voir	see
15	demander	ask for
16	trouver	find
17	rendre	return, yield, give up or back
18	venir	come
19	passer	pass
20	comprendre	understand
21	rester	stay
22	tenir	hold, keep
23	porter	wear, carry
24	montrer	show
25	continuer	continue
26	penser	think
27	suivre	follow
28	connaître	know (person or place)
29	croire	believe
30	commencer	begin, commence, start
31	compter	count
32	entendre	hear
33	attendre	wait
34	remettre	put, replace
35	appeler	call (out to somebody)
36	permettre	permit
37	occuper	occupy
38	devenir	become
39	partir	leave
40	décider	decide
41	arriver	arrive
42	servir	serve
43	sembler	seem
44	revenir	come back
45	laisser	let
46	recevoir	receiver
47	répondre	answer
48	vivre	live
49	rappeler	call back, recall
50	présenter	present

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