By lauraharker Last updated: September 22, 2023

50 Most Common German Verbs (with Conjugations and PDF)

If you’re a beginner German learner and are still tripping up with your verbs, I’ve come up with this handy guide to the 50 most common German verbs. 

Each verb comes with an example sentence and a conjugation table. These are the verbs that beginners should aim to learn from the get-go since they’ll only show up more and more as you dive into the German language! 

Contents

• 1. Sein (To be)
• 2. Haben (To have)
• 3. Werden (To become/to turn/to get)
• 4. Sagen (To say)
• 5. Geben (To give)
• 6. Kommen (To come)
• 7. Wissen (To know)
• 8. Machen (To make/do)
• 9. Denken (To think)
• 10. Nehmen (To take)
• 11. Sehen (To see)
• 12. Finden (To find)
• 13. Gehen (To go)
• 14. Stehen (To stand)
• 15. Liegen (To lie)
• 16. Heißen (To be called)
• 17. Fahren (To drive/travel)
• 18. Bleiben (To stay/remain)
• 19. Lassen (To let/leave)
• 20. Sprechen (To speak)
• 21. Bringen (To bring)
• 22. Leben (To live)
• 23. Schreiben (To write)
• 24. Laufen (To run/walk)
• 25. Beginnen (To begin)
• 26. Trinken (To drink)
• 27. Essen (To eat)
• 28. Spielen (To play)
• 29. Arbeiten (To work)
• 30. Brauchen (To need)
• 31. Sich fühlen (To feel)
• 32. Hören (To hear)
• 33. Kaufen (To buy)
• 34. Tragen (To wear/carry)
• 35. Verstehen (To understand)
• 36. Lesen (To read)
• 37. Fliegen (To fly)
• 38. Fallen (To fall)
• 39. Singen (To sing)
• 40. Schlafen (To sleep)
• 41. Zahlen (To pay)
• 42. Sich treffen (To meet)
• 43. Suchen (To search/look for)
• 44. Warten (To wait)
• 45. Sich anschauen (To look/watch)
• 46. Anfangen (To start)
• 47. Erzählen (To tell)
• 48. Wohnen (To live/reside)
• 49. Fragen (To ask)
• 50. Helfen (To help)
• German Verb Conjugation Basics

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1. Sein (To be)

Meaning: To be

Example: Er ist mein Bruder. Wir sind Geschwister. (He is my brother. We’re siblings.)

2. Haben (To have)

Meaning: To have

Example: Ich habe einen kleinen Hund namens Max. (I have a small dog named Max.)

3. Werden (To become/to turn/to get)

Meaning: To become

Example: Sie wird wütend. (She’s getting angry.) 

4. Sagen (To say)

Meaning: To say

Example: Wie sagt man das auf Englisch? (How do you say that in English?) 

5. Geben (To give)

Meaning: To give

Example: Ich gebe ihm ein Geschenk. (I give him a present.) 

6. Kommen (To come)

Meaning: To come

Example: Er kommt später, weil er viel zu tun hat. (He is coming later because he has a lot to do.) 

7. Wissen (To know)

Meaning: To know

Example: Ich weiß nicht, warum sie das gesagt hat. (I don’t know why she said that.)

8. Machen (To make/do)

Meaning: To make/do

Example: Er macht das Frühstück jeden Morgen. (He makes breakfast every morning.)

9. Denken (To think)

Meaning: To think

Example: Ich denke, dass es morgen regnen wird. (I think it will rain tomorrow.)

10. Nehmen (To take)

Meaning: To take

Example: Nimmst du Zucker in deinem Kaffee? (Do you take sugar in your coffee?)

11. Sehen (To see)

Meaning: To see

Example: Ich sehe den Mann. (I see the man.)

12. Finden (To find)

Meaning: To find

Example: Ich finde meine Schlüssel nicht. (I can’t find my keys.)

13. Gehen (To go)

Meaning: To go

Example: Gehen wir alle zusammen? (Are we all going together?)

14. Stehen (To stand)

Meaning: To stand

Example: Er steht gerne auf der Terrasse und sieht den Vögeln zu. (He likes to stand on the terrace and watch the birds.)

15. Liegen (To lie)

Meaning: To lie

Example: Sie liegt am Strand und genießt die Sonne. (She’s lying on the beach enjoying the sun.)

16. Heißen (To be called)

Meaning: To be called

Example: Ich heiße Lukas und komme aus Deutschland. (My name is Lukas and I come from Germany.)

17. Fahren (To drive/travel)

Meaning: To drive, travel

Example: Fahren sie morgen nach Frankreich? (Are they travelling to France tomorrow?)

18. Bleiben (To stay/remain)

Meaning: To stay/remain

Example: Ich bleibe heute Abend zu Hause und entspanne mich. (I’m staying home tonight and relaxing.)

19. Lassen (To let/leave)

Meaning: To let/leave

Example: Sie lässt ihre Kinder nie alleine zu Hause. (She never leaves her children alone at home.)

20. Sprechen (To speak)

Meaning: To speak

Example: Ich spreche fließend Englisch und ein bisschen Spanisch. (I speak fluent English and a little Spanish.)

21. Bringen (To bring)

Meaning: To bring

Example: Wir bringen das Geschenk zur Party. (We’re bringing the gift to the party.)

22. Leben (To live)

Meaning: To live

Example: Ich lebe in einem kleinen Dorf außerhalb der Stadt. (I live in a small village outside the city.)

23. Schreiben (To write)

Meaning: To write

Example: Ich schreibe dir einen Brief. (I’m writing a letter to you.)

24. Laufen (To run/walk)

Meaning: To run/walk

Example: Fahren wir mit dem Bus, oder laufen wir? (Are we getting the bus, or are we walking?) 

25. Beginnen (To begin)

Meaning: To begin

Example: Die Show beginnt um zwanzig Uhr. (The show begins at eight o’clock in the evening.)

26. Trinken (To drink)

Meaning: To drink

Example: Trinken Sie lieber Bier oder Wein? (Do you prefer to drink beer or wine?)

27. Essen (To eat)

Meaning: To eat

Example: Isst er gern Käse? (Does he like to eat cheese?)

28. Spielen (To play)

Meaning: To play

Example: Spielt ihr morgen zusammen? (Are you playing together tomorrow?)

29. Arbeiten (To work)

Meaning: To work

Example: Sie arbeitet oft bis spät in die Nacht. (She often works late into the night.)

30. Brauchen (To need)

Meaning: To need

Example: Wir brauchen mehr Zeit, um das Projekt zu beenden. (We need more time to finish the project.)

31. Sich fühlen (To feel)

Meaning: To feel

Example: Ich fühle mich heute wirklich gut. (I feel really good today.)

32. Hören (To hear)

Meaning: To hear

Example: Hast du das Donnern gehört? (Did you hear the thunder?)

33. Kaufen (To buy)

Meaning: To buy

Example: Kaufst du das Kleid? (Are you buying the dress?)

34. Tragen (To wear/carry)

Meaning: To wear/carry

Example: Wir tragen immer Schutzhelme auf der Baustelle. (We always wear hardhats at the construction site.)

35. Verstehen (To understand)

Meaning: To understand

Example: Ich verstehe nicht, was du meinst. (I don’t understand what you mean.)

36. Lesen (To read)

Meaning: To read

Example: Ich lese jeden Morgen die Zeitung beim Frühstück. (I read the paper every morning at breakfast.)

37. Fliegen (To fly)

Meaning: To fly

Example: Sie fliegt oft geschäftlich nach Berlin. (She often flies to Berlin for business.)

38. Fallen (To fall)

Meaning: To fall

Example: Im Herbst fallen die Blätter von den Bäumen. (The leaves fall from the trees in autumn.)

39. Singen (To sing)

Meaning: To sing

Example: Er singt im Kirchenchor jeden Sonntag. (He sings in the church choir every Sunday.)

40. Schlafen (To sleep)

Meaning: To sleep

Example: Schläft sie während des Tages? (Does she sleep during the day?)

41. Zahlen (To pay)

Meaning: To pay

Example: Er zahlt immer bar, wenn er im Restaurant isst. (He always pays in cash when he eats at a restaurant.)

42. Sich treffen (To meet)

Meaning: To meet

Example: Treffen wir uns im Café oder im Park? (Are we meeting at the café or in the park?) 

43. Suchen (To search/look for)

Meaning: To search/look for

Example: Sie sucht einen neuen Job. (She’s looking for a new job.) 

44. Warten (To wait)

Meaning: To wait

Example: Ich warte seit einer Stunde auf meinen Freund. (I’ve been waiting for my boyfriend for an hour.)

45. Sich anschauen (To look/watch)

Meaning: To look/watch

Example: Ich schaue mir gerne alte Filme an. (I like watching old movies.)

46. Anfangen (To start)

Meaning: To start

Example: Wann fangen die Ferien an? (When do the holidays start?)

47. Erzählen (To tell)

Meaning: To tell

Example: Ich werde dir später alles erzählen. (I’ll tell you everything later.)

48. Wohnen (To live/reside)

Meaning: To live/reside

Example: Er wohnt seit fünf Jahren im Ausland. (He has been living abroad for five years.)

49. Fragen (To ask)

Meaning: To ask

Example: Sie fragt ihn nach dem Weg. (She asks him the way.)

50. Helfen (To help)

Meaning: To help

Example: Sie hilft ihm bei seinen Hausaufgaben. (She helps him with his homework.) 

German Verb Conjugation Basics

There are six basic verb conjugations in German: Present, Simple Past, Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Simple Future (Future I) and Future Perfect (Future II). Both the present perfect and simple past describe past events, but the present perfect is generally used in conversation while the simple past appears mostly in writing.

From the list above, you’ll notice that only the present and simple past tenses stand alone, while all the other tenses need auxiliary verbs like haben (to have) or sein (to be)!

For a detailed guide on German verb conjugation, you can check this out:

So now hopefully you’ll be able to drop these verbs into all your written and spoken German without any problems at all!

Now all that’s left to do is to get out there and use them, which is just as important as learning them.

This can be done by keeping a daily journal or speaking with a language partner every week.

You could also immerse yourself in native materials to internalize the language better. For instance, the authentic German videos on FluentU already come with interactive subtitles and flashcards to help you study verb conjugations while watching.   

Once you’ve mastered the basics (from the examples above), you’ll be able to advance into more complex tenses—Excited?!

You should be.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)