78 Most Common Spanish Verbs You Need To Know [With Free PDF]

If you’re learning Spanish, you’ve got to know about the top Spanish verbs out there.

These are survival verbs, essential to communicating day-to-day activities, introducing yourself and expressing how you feel and also your origins.

Here are 78 of the most common Spanish verbs to get you speaking the language sooner rather than later:

Contents

• 1. Amar (To love)
• 2. Andar (To walk)
• 3. Aprender (To learn)
• 4. Ayudar (To help)
• 5. Beber (To drink)
• 6. Buscar  (To look for)
• 7. Caer  (To fall)
• 8. Cambiar (To change)
• 9. Cocinar (To cook) 
• 10. Comer (To eat)
• 11. Comprar (To buy)
• 12. Comprender (To understand)
• 13. Conducir (To drive) 
• 14. Conocer (To know)
• 15. Creer (To believe)
• 16. Dar (To give)
• 17. Deber (To have to)
• 18. Decidir (To decide)
• 19. Decir  (To say)
• 20. Descansar (To rest)
• 21. Dormir (To sleep)
• 22. Echar (To throw)
• 23. Empezar (To begin) 
• 24. Encontrar (To find)
• 25. Entender (To understand)
• 26. Escribir (To write)
• 27. Escuchar (To listen)
• 28. Esperar (To wait, to hope, to expect)
• 29. Estar  (To be)
• 30. Estudiar (To study)
• 31. Extrañar  (To miss)
• 32. Ganar (To win)
• 33. Gustar (To like)
• 34. Haber (To have)
• 35. Hablar (To speak)
• 36. Hacer  (To make or do)
• 37. Invitar  (To invite)
• 38. Ir (To go)
• 39. Jugar (To play)
• 40. Lavar (To wash)
• 41. Limpiar (To clean)
• 42. Llamar (To call)
• 43. Leer (To read)
• 44. Llegar (To arrive)
• 45. Llevar  (To take or bring, to wear)
• 46. Mirar  (To look)
• 47. Morir (To die)
• 48. Mover (To move)
• 49. Necesitar (To need)
• 50. Oír (To hear)
• 51. Pagar (To pay)
• 52. Pegar  (To hit, to stick)
• 53. Pensar (To think)
• 54. Poder  (To be able to)
• 55. Poner (To put)
• 56. Ponerse  (To put on (clothing), to become)
• 57. Preguntar (To ask)
• 58. Quedar  (To remain, to stay)
• 59. Querer (To want)
• 60. Recibir (To receive)
• 61. Regresar  (To return)
• 62. Saber (To know)
• 63. Sacar  (To take out, to remove)
• 64. Salir (To leave)
• 65. Sentirse (To feel)
• 66. Ser  (To be)
• 67. Tener  (To have)
• 68. Tocar  (To touch, to play a musical instrument)
• 69. Tomar  (To take)
• 70. Trabajar (To work)
• 71. Traducir (To translate) 
• 72. Traer (To bring)
• 73. Usar (To use)
• 74. Venir (To come, to arrive)
• 75. Ver  (To see)
• 76. Viajar (To travel)
• 77. Vivir (To live)
• 78. Volver (To return)

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1. Amar (To love)

Meaning: To love

Examples:

Tus hijos te aman mucho. (Your kids love you very much.)

Amo la naturaleza. (I love nature)

2. Andar (To walk)

Meaning: To walk

Examples:

¡Andas tan lento! (You walk so slow!)

Andaba por el parque todos los días. (I used to walk through the park every day.)

3. Aprender (To learn)

Meaning: To learn

Examples:

Aprendes los verbos. (You learn the verbs.)

Estoy aprendiendo español. (I am learning Spanish.)

4. Ayudar (To help)

Meaning: To help

Examples:

Él ayuda a su hermana con la tarea. (He helps his sister with homework.)

¿Puedes ayudarme? (Can you help me?)

5. Beber (To drink)

Meaning: To drink

Examples:

Solo bebo vino blanco. (I only drink white wine.)

Ella bebe mucha agua. (She drinks lots of water.)

6. Buscar  (To look for)

Meaning: To search for, to look for

Examples:

¿Vosotras buscáis recetas en línea? (Do you look for recipes online?)

Estoy buscando mi libro. (I am looking for my book.)

7. Caer  (To fall)

Meaning: To fall

Examples:

El libro cae al suelo. (The book falls to the floor.)

Su billetera cayó de su bolso. (Her wallet fell from her handbag.)

8. Cambiar (To change)

Meaning: To change

Examples:

Quiero cambiar mi vida. (I want to change my life.)

Cambiamos nuestra dieta cada mes. (We change our diet every month.)

9. Cocinar (To cook) 

Meaning: To cook

Examples:

Su papá cocina la mayoría de las comidas. (His dad cooks most of the meals.)

No cocinaré esta noche. (I’m not cooking tonight.)

10. Comer (To eat)

Meaning: To eat. In Spain, comer can be used as “to have lunch” as well 

Examples:

Voy a comer. (I am going to eat.)

Comemos una pizza. (We are eating a pizza.)

11. Comprar (To buy)

Meaning: To buy

Examples:

Necesito comprar la comida. (I need to buy the food.)

Estamos comprando los ingredientes para esta noche. (We are buying the ingredients for tonight.)

12. Comprender (To understand)

Meaning: To comprehend, to understand

Examples:

No comprende la tarea. (He doesn’t understand the homework.)

Yo comprendo lo que está pasando. (I understand what is happening.)

13. Conducir (To drive) 

Meaning: To drive

Examples:

¿De qué lado de la carretera conduces? (Which side of the road do you drive on?)

Tú conduces muy bien. (You drive very well.)

14. Conocer (To know)

Meaning: To know, to meet

Examples:

Yo no conozco malas palabras en español. (I don’t know any swear words in Spanish.)

¿Conoces a la profesora? (Have you met the professor? / Do you know the professor?)

15. Creer (To believe)

Meaning: To believe, to think

Examples:

Creo que la escuela es importante. (I think school is important.)

Creemos en la justicia. (We believe in justice.)

16. Dar (To give)

Meaning: To give

Examples:

Damos a nuestros gatos mucho amor y atención. (We give our cats a lot of love and attention.)

Dame la tarea. (Give me the homework.)

17. Deber (To have to)

Meaning: To have to. This is similar to “should” or “must.”

Examples:

Debo hacer mi tarea. (I should do my homework.)

Debiste haber terminado el informe ayer. (You should have finished the report yesterday.)

18. Decidir (To decide)

Meaning: To decide.

Examples:

Tienes que decidir qué quieres. (You have to decide what you want.)

Ella decidió tomar clases de baile. (She decided to take dance classes.)

19. Decir  (To say)

Meaning: To say or to tell. However, decir isn’t used to tell stories or facts—in those instances the verb contar would be used, but don’t worry about that one just yet!

Examples:

Ahora te lo digo. (I will tell you / let you know straight away.)

Voy a decir que no. (I am going to say no.)

20. Descansar (To rest)

Meaning: To rest

Examples:

En la tarde, necesito descansar. (In the afternoon, I need to rest.)

Estoy descansando después de correr todo el día. (I am resting after running all day.)

21. Dormir (To sleep)

Meaning: To sleep

Examples:

¿A qué hora dormís por la noche? (What time do you sleep at night?)

Duermo bien. (I sleep well.)

22. Echar (To throw)

Meaning: To throw (away)

Examples:

Echa los papeles en la papelera, por favor. (Throw the papers in the bin, please.)

Echamos la basura. (We threw away the garbage.)

23. Empezar (To begin) 

Meaning: To begin

Examples:

Empezamos nuestra lección en unos minutos. (We start our lesson in a few minutes.)

Ya empezó la clase. (The class already started.)

24. Encontrar (To find)

Meaning: To find

Examples:

Mi madre encuentra objetos extraños debajo del sofá. (My mother finds strange objects under the couch.)

Encontré una moneda en la calle. (I found a coin in the street.)

25. Entender (To understand)

Meaning: To understand

Examples:

¿Entendéis la pregunta? (Do you understand the question?)

Entendí lo que dijiste. (I understood what you said.)

26. Escribir (To write)

Meaning: To write

Examples:

Joanna escribe cartas a sus abuelos. (Joanna writes letters to her grandparents.)

Escribo un ensayo. (I write an essay.)

27. Escuchar (To listen)

Meaning: To listen

Examples:

Escucho música. (I listen to music.)

Escuché un podcast muy interesante. (I listened to a really interesting podcast.)

28. Esperar (To wait, to hope, to expect)

Meaning: To wait, to hope, to expect

Examples:

Yo espero tu regreso. (I wait for your return.)

Espero que sea verdad. (I hope it is true.)

29. Estar  (To be)

Meaning: To be, mainly for feelings, describing food, what you’re doing or what’s actively happening and location of buildings.

Examples:

Estoy triste porque no hace sol. (I am upset because it isn’t sunny.)

La sopa está muy rica. (The soup is delicious.)

30. Estudiar (To study)

Meaning: To study

Examples:

¿Estudias español? (Do you study Spanish?)

Estudié poco para el examen. (I didn’t study much for the exam.)

31. Extrañar  (To miss)

Meaning: To miss

Examples:

Extraño a mi madre. (I miss my mother.)

Extrañabas a tus amigos. (You missed your friends.)

32. Ganar (To win)

Meaning: To earn, to win

Examples:

Ellos ganan mucho dinero. (They earn a lot of money.)

¿Ganarán el concurso? (Will they win the contest?)

33. Gustar (To like)

Meaning: To like, to please

Examples:

Me gusta dormir. (I like to sleep.)

La verdad es que no me gusta el helado. (The truth is that I don’t like ice cream.)

34. Haber (To have)

Meaning: To be, have. When haber can be translated as “to be,” it’s being used to describe if an object exists or if it’s actually present. When it can be translated more as “have,” it’s generally being used in combination with other verbs to describe things that have or haven’t happened.

Examples:

He trabajado en la biblioteca. (I have worked in the library.)

Hay tres libros en la mesa. (There are three books on the table.)

35. Hablar (To speak)

Meaning: To speak, to talk

Examples:

Hablo inglés, mandarín y español. (I speak English, Mandarin and Spanish.)

Quiero hablar con mi madre. (I want to talk with my mother.)

36. Hacer  (To make or do)

Meaning: To make or to do

Examples:

Hago una tarta. (I am making a cake.)

Ella hace sus tareas. (She is doing her homework.)

37. Invitar  (To invite)

Meaning: To invite

Examples:

Voy a invitar a María a mi fiesta de cumpleaños. (I’m going to invite María to my birthday party.)

Invitaron a mi hermana a su casa. (They invited my sister to their house.)

38. Ir (To go)

Meaning: To go. Ir is almost exclusively used with the preposition a, check it out in the examples below.

Examples:

Voy al parque. (I am going to the park.)

Vas a tu casa. (You are going home.)

39. Jugar (To play)

Meaning: To play

Examples:

¿Qué videojuegos juegas? (What videogames do you play?)

Jugué a un juego de mesa. (I played a board game.)

40. Lavar (To wash)

Meaning: To wash

Examples:

¿Cuándo te lavas el cabello? (When do you wash your hair?)

Lavé todos los platos (I washed all the dishes.)

41. Limpiar (To clean)

Meaning: To clean

Examples:

Mi esposo y yo limpiamos la casa todos los domingos. (My husband and I clean the house every Sunday.)

Lo limpiaría, pero no fui yo. (I would clean it, but it wasn’t me.)

42. Llamar (To call)

Meaning: To call

Examples:

Llama a tu madre. (Call your mother.)

Llamaré a la policía. (I will call the police.)

43. Leer (To read)

Meaning: To read

Examples:

¿Vosotros leéis en voz alta? (Do you read aloud?)

Leo un libro. (I read a book.)

44. Llegar (To arrive)

Meaning: To arrive

Examples:

¿Llegáis a tiempo al trabajo? (Do you get to work on time?)

Llegamos tarde a la cita. (We arrived late to the appointment.)

45. Llevar  (To take or bring, to wear)

Meaning: To take or bring, to wear

Examples:

Voy a llevar una pizza a la fiesta. (I’m going to take a pizza to the party.)

Llevo mi gorro negro y mis zapatos azules. (I’m wearing my black hat and my blue shoes.)

46. Mirar  (To look)

Meaning: To look

Examples:

Mira, ¡qué linda! (Look, how pretty!)

No me van a mirar. (They’re not going to look at me.)

47. Morir (To die)

Meaning: To die

Examples:

Las plantas mueren sin luz solar ni agua. (Plants die without sunlight or water.)

Su perro murió a los quince años. (The dog died at 15 years old.)

48. Mover (To move)

Meaning: To move

Examples:

Yo me muevo al ritmo. (I move to the beat.)

¿Movisteis las cajas como os pedí? (Did you move the boxes as I asked you to?)

49. Necesitar (To need)

Meaning: To need

Examples:

Yo necesito un corte de pelo. (I need a haircut.)

Necesitan descansar. (They need to rest.)

50. Oír (To hear)

Meaning: To hear

Examples:

Oigo la música. (I hear the music.)

¿Oyes el ruido de la calle? (Do you hear the noise from the street?)

51. Pagar (To pay)

Meaning: To pay

Examples:

Él no pagó la cuenta. (He didn’t pay the check.)

¿Pagará con tarjeta? (Will you pay by card?)

52. Pegar  (To hit, to stick)

Meaning: To hit, to stick

Examples:

¡No le pegues a tu hermano! (Don’t hit your brother!)

Pegué las fotos en la pared. (I stuck the photos on the wall.)

53. Pensar (To think)

Meaning: To think

Examples:

No pienso igual que tú. (I don’t think the same way as you.)

Nosotros pensamos que era una buena idea. (We thought it was a good idea.)

54. Poder  (To be able to)

Meaning: To be able to, can

Examples:

No podrás ir a la fiesta. (You won’t be able to go to the party.)

Podemos ir a mi casa a comer. (We can go eat at my place.)

55. Poner (To put)

Meaning: To put, to set

Examples:

Pones la tarea en el escritorio. (You put the homework on the desk.)

Hay que poner la mesa. (We need to set the table.)

56. Ponerse  (To put on (clothing), to become)

Meaning: To put on (clothing), to become

Examples:

Se puso su abrigo porque hace mucho frío. (He put on his coat because it’s very cold.)

Siempre se pone nerviosa cuando tiene un examen. (She always becomes nervous when she has an exam.)

57. Preguntar (To ask)

Meaning: To ask

Examples:

Quiero preguntar algo. (I want to ask something.)

¿Por qué te preguntaría a ti? (Why would he ask you?)

58. Quedar  (To remain, to stay)

Meaning: To remain, to be left with, to set a time and/or place to meet, to stay

Examples:

¿Quedan algunas galletas? (Are there any cookies left?)

Quédate en casa hoy. (Stay at home today.)

59. Querer (To want)

Meaning: To want, to love 

Examples:

Sus hijas quieren otra mascota. (Their daughters want another pet.)

Yo te quiero mucho. (I love you a lot.)

60. Recibir (To receive)

Meaning: To receive

Examples:

Recibo la tarea. (I receive the homework.)

Creo que recibiré un regalo de cumpleaños. (I think I’ll receive a birthday gift.)

61. Regresar  (To return)

Meaning: To return

Examples:

Nosotros regresamos a la escena del crimen. (We return to the scene of the crime.)

Él regresa a casa después del trabajo. (He returns home after work.)

62. Saber (To know)

Meaning: To know. This is used when talking about knowledge of facts or skills.

Examples:

Mis amigas y yo no sabemos nadar. (My friends and I don’t know how to swim.)

¿Sabes la respuesta? (Do you know the answer?)

63. Sacar  (To take out, to remove)

Meaning: To take out, to remove

Examples:

Voy a sacar al perro ahora. (I’m going to take the dog out now.)

Saca tu lápiz de la bolsa, por favor. (Take your pencil out of the bag, please.)

64. Salir (To leave)

Meaning: To go out, to leave

Examples:

Nosotros salimos temprano de las fiestas. (We leave parties early.)

Salgo de mi casa. (I leave my house.)

65. Sentirse (To feel)

Meaning: To feel

Examples:

Me siento triste. (I feel sad.)

Nos sentimos súper felices hoy. (We felt super happy today.)

66. Ser  (To be)

Meaning: To be, mainly used for time, date, nationality, occupation or profession, physical description of people and places and event locations

Examples:

Soy de Nueva York. (I am from New York.) 

Soy chileno(a). (I am Chilean.)

67. Tener  (To have)

Meaning: To have. It can also be used for expressing age.

Examples:

Tengo veinticinco años. (I am 25 years old.)

Tienen una hermana. (They have a sister.)

68. Tocar  (To touch, to play a musical instrument)

Meaning: To touch, to play a musical instrument

Examples:

Algo me tocó el hombro. (Something touched my shoulder.)

Mi hermana toca la guitarra. (My sister plays the guitar.)

69. Tomar  (To take)

Meaning: To take; to catch the bus, train, airplane or taxi; to drink or consume

Examples:

¿Tomaste el autobús a tiempo? (Did you take the bus on time?)

Tomaremos una copa después del trabajo. (We’ll have a drink after work.)

70. Trabajar (To work)

Meaning: To work

Examples:

Nosotros trabajamos cinco días a la semana. (We work five days a week.)

Trabajo muchas horas. (I work many hours.)

71. Traducir (To translate) 

Meaning: To translate

Examples:

Roberto traduce del inglés al español para sus padres. (Roberto translates from English to Spanish for his parents.)

No tradujeron las instrucciones. (They didn’t translate the instructions.)

72. Traer (To bring)

Meaning: To bring

Examples:

¿Qué traeréis a la comida compartida? (What will you bring to the potluck?)

Mi abuela siempre nos traía regalos. (My grandma would always bring us presents.)

73. Usar (To use)

Meaning: To use

Examples:

¿Con qué frecuencia usas la aplicación? (How often do you use the app?)

Uso la computadora para escribir. (I use the computer to write.)

74. Venir (To come, to arrive)

Meaning: To arrive, to come

Examples:

Vengo a mi casa. (I arrive at my house.)

Tus amigos vinieron a visitarte. (Your friends came to visit you.)

75. Ver  (To see)

Meaning: To see, to watch. It can also be used to mean physically seeing a specific person.

Examples:

Veo una película. (I am watching a movie.)

Te veré a las cuatro. (I’ll see you at four.)

76. Viajar (To travel)

Meaning: To travel

Examples:

Viajáis a Barcelona cada verano. (You travel to Barcelona every summer.)

Viajabas mucho de joven. (You used to travel a lot when you were young.)

77. Vivir (To live)

Meaning: To live

Examples:

¿Vives en la ciudad? (Do you live in the city?)

Este árbol vivirá por muchos años. (This tree will live for many years.)

78. Volver (To return)

Meaning: To return

Examples:

Vuelvo a mi casa. (I return to my house.)

Volvimos a trabajar ayer. (We came back to work yesterday.)

There you have it, your verb list! 

In addition to this list, also make sure to review your present tense conjugations for each one to really get your verb usage going. Check out this handy online conjugation tool, select a verb from the list and hit conjugate.

You can also practice with Spanish songs for a fun way to pick up more verbs. Immersion programs like FluentU are also helpful: The language learning program lets you learn Spanish in context by watching authentic Spanish videos, and the interactive titles help you spot different verbs as they’re used.

In any case, start with the most common verbs, and they’ll carry you far in day-to-day Spanish.

So make sure you learn them as soon as you can!

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