Common German verbs

With these verbs you can already build a large number of everyday sentences.

One English verb, two German ones

English German
to know wissen (a fact) / kennen (a person or place)
to go gehen (on foot) / fahren (by vehicle)
to like mögen (to like) / möchten (would like)

No "-ing" form

German has no continuous tense. Ich lerne Deutsch means both "I learn German" and "I'm learning German".

Endings matter

The verb ending changes with the person: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt, wir lernen. sein and haben are irregular, so learn them first: ich bin, du bist, er ist; ich habe, du hast, er hat.

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Every word on this page, with its pronunciation and an example sentence, is in the deck below. Add it to your decks and Echoes will bring each card back just before you would forget it.

Common German Verbs (A1)

a124 words

24 basic verbs that most everyday sentences are built on.

  • sein · to be
  • haben · to have
  • machen · to do, to make
  • gehen · to go (on foot)
  • fahren · to go (by vehicle), to drive
  • kommen · to come
Show all words
WordMeaningExample
sein/zaɪ̯n/to beIch bin heute müde.I'm tired today.
haben/ˈhaːbn̩/to haveIch habe ein Auto.I have a car.
machen/ˈmaxn̩/to do, to makeWas machst du?What are you doing?
gehen/ˈɡeːən/to go (on foot)Ich gehe nach Hause.I'm going home.
fahren/ˈfaːʁən/to go (by vehicle), to driveIch fahre mit dem Bus zur Arbeit.I take the bus to work.
kommen/ˈkɔmən/to comeKomm bitte her!Come here, please!
essen/ˈɛsn̩/to eatWir essen um sieben.We eat at seven.
trinken/ˈtʁɪŋkn̩/to drinkIch trinke viel Wasser.I drink a lot of water.
schlafen/ˈʃlaːfn̩/to sleepIch schlafe acht Stunden.I sleep eight hours.
arbeiten/ˈaʁbaɪ̯tn̩/to workSie arbeitet im Krankenhaus.She works at the hospital.
wohnen/ˈvoːnən/to live (somewhere)Wo wohnst du?Where do you live?
mögen/ˈmøːɡn̩/to likeIch mag Pizza.I like pizza.
möchten/ˈmœçtn̩/would likeIch möchte einen Kaffee.I'd like a coffee.
brauchen/ˈbʁaʊ̯xn̩/to needIch brauche Hilfe.I need help.
wissen/ˈvɪsn̩/to know (a fact)Ich weiß es nicht.I don't know.
kennen/ˈkɛnən/to know (a person or place)Kennst du Anna?Do you know Anna?
sehen/ˈzeːən/to seeIch sehe das Meer.I can see the sea.
sprechen/ˈʃpʁɛçn̩/to speakSprechen Sie Englisch?Do you speak English?
lesen/ˈleːzn̩/to readIch lese vor dem Schlafen.I read before going to sleep.
schreiben/ˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩/to writeSchreib deinen Namen hier.Write your name here.
lernen/ˈlɛʁnən/to learn, to studyIch lerne Deutsch.I'm learning German.
kaufen/ˈkaʊ̯fn̩/to buyIch kaufe Obst auf dem Markt.I buy fruit at the market.
helfen/ˈhɛlfn̩/to helpKannst du mir helfen?Can you help me?
verstehen/fɛɐ̯ˈʃteːən/to understandEntschuldigung, ich verstehe das nicht.Sorry, I don't understand that.