How To Use the 65 Most Common German Verbs

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If you’re new to learning German, building a healthy pool of German verbs from which to pull is an excellent way to develop your fluency. Verbs are the engine of every sentence, driving your intention forward by showing action, so they’re a critical part of every expression. Don’t let the lists of conjugations and verbs fool you! How long it takes to learn German verbs can be shortened by noticing the patterns between these different conjugations, and you’re sure to notice them quickly as you check out this guide.

The 25 most common German verbs 

Since verbs are an essential part of speech in German (or any language), it’s helpful to get started with the basics. Here’s a quick list of the most common German verbs shown in their infinitive form—meaning their base, unaltered form without conjugation. You’ll find verbs ranging from essen (to eat) and lernen (to learn) to machen (to make/do) and verstehen (to understand).

German	English
denken	to think
essen	to eat
finden	to find
geben	to give
haben	to have
heißen	to be called, to mean
können	to be able, can
lassen	to let, to allow
lernen	to learn
machen	to make, to do
mögen	to like, may
müssen	to have to, must
nehmen	to take
sagen	to say
sehen	to see
sein	to be
sollen	ought to, should
sprechen	to speak
stehen	to stand
trinken	to drink
tun	to do
verstehen	to understand
werden	to become, to get
wissen	to know
wollen	to want

1. Denken (to think)

Use the German verb denken (to think) to show what’s going on in someone’s mind. However, you won’t need to think much about how to conjugate denken because it’s a regular verb in the German present tense. The stem will remain the same as you conjugate and the ending will change according to the standard pattern.

Pronoun	Denken Conjugation
ich I	denke
du you, informal	denkst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	denkt
wir we	denken
ihr  you, informal plural	denkt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	denken

Denken sentence example:

• Ich denke an meine Frau. = I am thinking about my wife.
  

2. Essen (to eat) 

German food is an important part of German culture, and was du isst (what you eat) matters! Essen means “to eat” and is an irregular verb that swaps out the e- at the start with an i-, so be careful with your spelling as you conjugate this German verb. You might also confuse it at first with the conjugation of sein as ist. The context of the rest of the sentence will be most helpful for knowing what verb your friend or teacher is using.  

See the different spellings as you conjugate essen in the chart here:

Pronoun	Essen Conjugation
ich I	esse
du you, informal	isst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	isst
wir we	essen
ihr  you, informal plural	esst
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	essen

Essen sentence example:

• Sie essen bei Sonnenuntergang zu Abend. = They eat dinner at sunset.
  

3. Finden

While finden means “to find” in the common sense, like finding a crisp 20-dollar bill in an old jacket, it can also be used to communicate how you feel about something. This works similar to English, where saying that you find an event to be rather boring. Take a look at the conjugation chart below and discover how easy it can be to use this verb in the present tense:

Pronoun	Finden Conjugation
ich I	finde
du you, informal	findest
er/sie/es  he/she/it	findet
wir we	finden
ihr  you, informal plural	findet
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	finden

Finden sentence example:

• Sie wissen, wo sie Fische finden können. = They know where they can find fish.
  

4. Geben (to give)

Geben (to give) is both a stem-changing verb and an irregular verb, so it can be tricky to conjugate. While its primary meaning is “to give,” it is also used in many standard phrases as an equivalent for the English “is.”

• es gibt = there is/there are 
• Was gibt’s? = What’s up? What’s the matter? 
• Was gibt’s zum Abendessen? = What’s for dinner? 

Refer to the following chart to learn how to conjugate geben and use it in your own sentences:

Pronoun	Geben Conjugation
ich I	gebe
du you, informal	gibst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	gibt
wir we	geben
ihr  you, informal plural	gebt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	geben

Geben sentence example:

• Dann gibst du ihm fünf Euro. = Next, give him five euros.
  

5. Haben (to have)

Haben (to have) is most often used to express ownership over something. It’s also used in German grammar with the past participle to form the present perfect tense. This tense is similar to the simple past tense. For example, you could say Sie haben gestern abend einen Film gesehen (They have watched a movie last night). 

Pronoun	Haben Conjugation
ich I	habe
du you, informal	hast
er/sie/es  he/she/it	hat
wir we	haben
ihr  you, informal plural	habt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	haben

Haben sentence example:

• Die junge Frau hat schwarze Haare. = The young woman has black hair.
  

6. Heißen (to be called, to mean)

Heißen means “to be called” or “to mean” in German. This verb is often used with names since a German would ask you what you’re called with Wie heißt du? (What are you called?) rather than asking what your name is. You can also utilize heißen to ask what a word you don’t understand means with the question Wie heißt „Fahrrad“ auf Englisch? (What does Fahhrad mean in English?) or something similar depending on your current state of uncertainty. 

Pronoun	Heißen Conjugation
ich I	heiße
du you, informal	heißt
er/sie/es  he/she/it	heißt
wir we	heißen
ihr  you, informal plural	heißt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	heißen

Heißen sentence example:

• Weißt du, wie er heißt? = Do you know what he is called?
  

7. Können (to be able, can)

Können (to be able to, can) is both an irregular and a modal verb. A modal verb is used in conjunction with another verb. Think of them as an auxiliary verb, or helping verb. In this case, können is used to indicate the ability to do something. When using a modal verb, you’ll conjugate the modal verb, but the other verb—often an action verb—will remain in the infinitive form.

Pronoun	Können Conjugation
ich I	kann
du you, informal	kannst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	kann
wir we	können
ihr  you, informal plural	könnt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	können

Können sentence example:

• Ich muss durch den mexikanischen Zoll gehen, bevor ich dich treffen kann. = I have to go through Mexican customs before I can meet you.
  

8. Lassen (to let, to allow)

The German verb lassen (to let, to allow) is incredibly versatile. While it means “to let” or “to allow” at its core, you can also use lassen to mean “to leave something as it is” or “to have something done.” You get plenty of bang for your buck as you learn how to use lassen, so give it the time it deserves and study the table of conjugations below:

Pronoun	Lassen Conjugation
ich I	lasse
du you, informal	lässt
er/sie/es  he/she/it	lässt
wir we	lassen
ihr  you, informal plural	last
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	lassen

Lassen sentence example:

• Ihre Eltern lassen sie mit diesen Spielzeugen nicht drinnen spielen. = Their parents do not let them play with these toys inside.
  

9. Lernen (to learn) 

Lernen (to learn) describes the process of acquiring new information—just like you’re doing now! As another example of a regular German verb, lernen follows the standard pattern of conjugation in all tenses. This makes lernen an excellent verb with which to practice as you test out new tenses and sentence structures.

Pronoun	Lernen Conjugation
ich I	lerne
du you, informal	lernst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	lernt
wir we	lernen
ihr  you, informal plural	lernt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	lernen

Lernen sentence example:

• Lernen Sie allein Deutsch? = Have you been learning German alone?
  

10. Machen (to make, to do)

Machen (to make, to do) is a helpful verb to use if you’re the type of hands-on person who likes to make things with their own hands. It’s a regular verb, so getting used to how this verb is conjugated will be a breeze!

Pronoun	Machen Conjugation
ich I	mache
du you, informal	machst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	macht
wir we	machen
ihr  you, informal plural	macht
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	machen

Machen sentence example:

• Sie ist morgen fällig, und ich muss noch viel machen. = It is due tomorrow and I still have a lot to do.
  

11. Mögen (to like, may)

In the simple present, mögen means “to like” or “may.” Sometimes you want to say that you like what you’re seeing in a souvenir shop without saying you love it. Mögen is the perfect word to describe that. 

As you advance in your German grammar, the subjunctive form of mögen is möchten, which means “would like to.” It’s how you express a wish or desire politely. This German verb is used often in interactions at restaurants, cafes, or stores to politely make a request.

Pronoun	Mögen Conjugation
ich I	mag
du you, informal	magst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	mag
wir we	mögen
ihr  you, informal plural	mögt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	mögen

Mögen sentence example:

• Ich hoffe, du magst diese Halskette. = I hope you like this necklace.
  

12. Müssen (to have to, must) 

When something simply can’t be avoided or has to be done, müssen (to have to, must) will be your go-to German verb. It can be used as a modal verb similar to können with other verbs in their infinitive form. Review the following chart to see how müssen is conjugated in the present tense:

Pronoun	Müssen Conjugation
ich I	muss
du you, informal	musst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	muss
wir we	müssen
ihr  you, informal plural	müsst
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	müssen

Müssen sentence example:

• Ja, ich muss dieses Problem lösen. = Yes, I must solve this problem.
  

13. Nehmen (to take)

Whether by force or simple happenstance, the word nehmen (to take) lets you communicate that something has been acquired from someone or somewhere and is now in new hands. Pay close attention to the stem change as you conjugate nehmen, since there’s a vowel change for some pronouns. You can see which pronoun uses which stem as you review the table below:

Pronoun	Nehmen Conjugation
ich I	nehme
du you, informal	nimmst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	nimmt
wir we	nehmen
ihr  you, informal plural	nehmt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	nehmen

Nehmen sentence example:

• Nehmen Sie diese Medikamente mit Milch ein. = Take this medicine with milk.
  

14. Sagen (to say)

If you’re new to German, you will find yourself using sagen (to say) quite often! Sagen is the ideal German verb when you need something repeated or if you’re not sure what word you should use. For instance, you could say Wie sagt mann? (How does one say?) if you’re searching for the right German animal name. Or you might ask Was haben Sie gesagt? (What did you say?) to a stranger who spoke too quickly. Take a look at the table below to find out how to conjugate sagen.

Pronoun	Sagen Conjugation
ich I	sage
du you, informal	sagst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	sagt
wir we	sagen
ihr  you, informal plural	sagt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	sagen

Sagen sentence example:

• Meine Mama sagt, dass diese Tiere aus Afrika sind. = My mother said that these animals are from Africa.
  

15. Sehen (to see)

Witnessing the sights of Germany, from the beautiful nature of the Black Forest to the stunning architecture is a matter of sehen (seeing, to see) to believe! Use this German verb in your expressions to describe what your visual senses pick up. The chart below shows you how to conjugate sehen based on the subject of your sentence in the present tense:

Pronoun	Wissen Conjugation
ich I	weiß
du you, informal	weißt
er/sie/es  he/she/it	weiß
wir we	wissen
ihr  you, informal plural	wisst
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	wissen

Sehen sentence example:

• Sehen Sie sich die Ampel an. = Look at the stoplight.
  

16. Sein (to be)

Sein (to be) is typically used in conjunction with a state of being, activities, or actions, like swimming, running, and driving. Just like the verb haben, it’s also used to form the present perfect tense, as in the sentence Sie ist gestern abend ins Kino gegangen (She has gone to the movies last night). 

Pronoun	Sein Conjugation
ich I	bin
du you, informal	bist
er/sie/es  he/she/it	ist
wir we	sind
ihr  you, informal plural	seid
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	sind

Sein is an irregular verb, so mastering the conjugation of sein will be important. In the present tense, sein is one of the most important verbs since it’s how you form a basic statement.

• Es tut mir leid, ich bin beschäftigt. Ich muss arbeiten. = I’m sorry, I am busy. I have to work.
  

17. Sollen (ought to, should)

Sollen is also a modal verb. You can pair it with an infinitive to express what one “should” or “ought to” be doing at a given time. Use it in your sentences by remembering the conjugation chart for the present tense.

Pronoun	Sollen Conjugation
ich I	soll
du you, informal	sollst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	soll
wir we	sollen
ihr  you, informal plural	sollt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	sollen

Sollen sentence example:

• Soll ich jetzt üben? = Should I practice?
  

18. Sprechen (to speak, to talk)

Sprechen is a German verb meaning “to speak” or “to talk.” You can use this term to describe conversations, or when a voice needs to be heard. Master the irregular conjugation of sprechen by reviewing the table here:

Pronoun	Sprechen Conjugation
ich I	spreche
du you, informal	sprichst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	spricht
wir we	sprechen
ihr  you, informal plural	sprecht
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	sprechen

Sprechen sentence example:

• Ja, aber ich spreche nur ein wenig Englisch. = Yes, but I only speak a little English.
  

19. Stehen (to stand)

You can use stehen (to stand) to describe someone’s change of position, like standing up from sitting in a chair. It also indicates where someone is located, like describing that your friend is standing in the corner of the room. Either way, you’ll want to include some spatial context when using this verb to help your reader or listener understand how it’s being used. (The opposite of stehen is sitzen (to sit), and it’s often used as a German dog command just as you’d use “sit” in English!)

Here is a conjugation table for stehen in the present tense:

Pronoun	Stehen Conjugation
ich I	stehe
du you, informal	stehst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	steht
wir we	stehen
ihr  you, informal plural	steht
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	stehen

Stehen sentence example:

• Die Mädchen stehen auf der Brücke. = The girls are standing on the bridge.
  

20. Trinken (to drink) 

Trinken means “to drink,” and can be remembered by how close the spelling of trinken is to its English equivalent. We call these terms cognates when they look alike, sound alike, and mean the same thing between languages. Looking for German cognates helps make the language much more approachable as you see the many similarities between the German and English languages.

This chart shows the conjugations for trinken:

Pronoun	Trinken Conjugation
ich I	trinke
du you, informal	trinkst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	trinkt
wir we	trinken
ihr  you, informal plural	trinkt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	trinken

Trinken sentence example:

• Es ist sicher, dieses Wasser zu trinken. = It is safe to drink this water.
  

>> Don’t missing drinking Glühwein around the Christmas holidays!

21. Tun (to do)

While sein (to be) describes what state you’re in, tun (to do) describes what you’re doing. This powerful German verb breaks the mold with its conjugations since it has irregular endings and typically drops off the -n from its stem as it conjugates across the present tense. Get used to how this common German verb conjugates with the table here:

Pronoun	Tun Conjugation
ich I	tue
du you, informal	tust
er/sie/es  he/she/it	tut
wir we	tun
ihr  you, informal plural	tut
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	tun

Tun sentence example:

• Ich tue mein Bestes, um Deutsch zu lernen. = I am doing my best to learn German.

22. Verstehen (to understand)

Verstehen (to understand) is, funnily enough, an easy verb to understand how to conjugate since it’s a regular verb in the present tense. Consider using this German verb to help others know what does and does not make sense to yourself or others as you peruse the table below:

Pronoun	Verstehen Conjugation
ich I	verstehe
du you, informal	verstehst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	versteht
wir we	verstehen
ihr  you, informal plural	versteht
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	verstehen

Verstehen sentence example:

• Verstehst du, was er sagt? = Do you understand what he is saying?
  

23. Werden (to become, will)

As a staple word in conversations about the future, werden means “to become” or “to get” but it can also be “will.” It’s an incredibly versatile German verb that is usually paired with another action verb like gehen (to go). See the table below for conjugations of werden:

Pronoun	Werden Conjugation
ich I	werde
du you, informal	wirst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	wird
wir we	werden
ihr  you, informal plural	werdet
sie/Sie they, informal/you, formal	werden

Werden sentence example:

• Diese Patientin muss genäht werden. = This patient will need stitches.
  

24. Wissen (to know)

You’ll need to “know” wissen (to know) because it helps communicate what you are and are not knowledgeable about. For example, if you’re meeting with a tutor in a Rosetta Stone tutoring session, you can let them know what you know or don’t know about using this common German verb so you can practice it in any tense.

See the table below for conjugations of wissen:

Pronoun	Wissen Conjugation
ich I	weiß
du you, informal	weißt
er/sie/es  he/she/it	weiß
wir we	wissen
ihr  you, informal plural	wisst
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	wissen

Wissen sentence example:

• Jetzt weiß er, dass es eine schlechte Idee war. = Now he knows that it was a bad idea.
  

25. Wollen (to want)

Wollen (to want) can be used as a modal verb with an infinitive to express the desire to do something, as shown above. Or, it can function as an independent verb with a direct object to express the desire to have a piece of a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cake) or Apfelstrudel.

Pronoun	Wollen Conjugation
ich I	will
du you, informal	willst
er/sie/es  he/she/it	will
wir we	wollen
ihr  you, informal plural	wollt
sie/Sie  they, informal/you, formal	wollen

Wollen sentence example:

• Der Hund will das Rindfleisch essen. = The dog wants to eat the beef.
  

More helpful and common verbs in German verbs to know

If you want to expand your vocabulary even further, review the following chart to see 40 more helpful and common German verbs to keep in your back pocket:

German Verb	English translation
anbeiten	to offer
antworten	to answer
arbeiten	to work
bedecken	to cover
bleiben	to stay
brauchen	to need
entscheiden	to decide
entsprechen	to correspond, to match
erinnern	to remember
fragen	to ask
gehen	to go
gelten	to be valid, to apply
genießen	to enjoy
gewinnen	to win
glauben	to believe
halten	to hold, to stop
helfen	to help
hören	to hear
kennen	to know (a person/place)
kommen	to come
laufen	to run, to walk
leben	to live
lesen	to read
liegen	to lie, be located
meinen	to mean, to think
nennen	to name, to call
schaffen	to create, to accomplish
schicken	to send
schreiben	to write
sparen	to save (money, time)
stellen	to place, to put
suchen	to search, to look for
treffen	to meet
unterschreiben	to sign
vergleichen	to compare
verkaufen	to sell
verlieren	to lose
wachsen	to grow
zahlen	to pay
zeigen	to show

Frequently asked questions about common German verbs

While the charts of verbs are a solid start to help you learn vocabulary and basic conjugation, you might be curious about verb tenses and conjugation. Here are the two most frequently asked questions about German verbs and their answers.

What verb tenses are used in German?

While all conjugations you’ve seen here so far are in the Präsens (simple present), there are a total of six German tenses used for verbs:

• Präsens (simple present)
• Präteritum (simple past)
• Futur I (simple future)
• Perfekt (present perfect)
• Plusquamperfekt (past perfect)
• Futur II (future perfect)

What are the basics of regular and irregular verb conjugation?

Regular German verbs will always follow a standard pattern of German verb endings when conjugated based on the subject of the sentence, and the stem of the verb will not change. For irregular German verbs, spelling can vary greatly in different conjugations based on the subject of the sentence both for the ending of the verb and the stem.