Learn the most important verbs presented in an attractive format to facilitate effective German language learning. This list is compiled on the basis of the Taalhammer team’s many years of experience. We have chosen the verbs that occur most frequently and that you are most likely to use. When I was tutoring, I gave it to several of my students who were just starting out for testing. By learning the vocabulary from this list, they immediately noticed a difference in understanding basic German texts and having simple conversations.
To make it even easier for you to learn German, we have prepared numerous examples for each verb that relate to real-life situations. To feel confident using new vocabulary you need to know not only what a word means, but also how to use it in context. At Taalhammer, we believe in the power of learning with whole sentences. This is the best way to learn German.
- Conjugation of the verb “sein” (to be)
- Conjugation of the verb “haben” (to have)
- Conjugation of the verb “werden” (to become, to stay)
- Conjugation of the verb “können” (to be able, to know, can)
- Conjugation of the verb “müssen” (must)
- Conjugation of the verb “sagen” (to speak, to say)
- Conjugation of the verb “machen” (to do)
- Conjugation of the verb “geben” (to give)
- Conjugation of the verb “kommen” (to come, to go)
- Conjugation of the verb “wollen” (to want)
- Conjugation of the verb “gehen” (to go, to walk)
- Conjugation of the verb “wissen” (to know)
- Conjugation of the verb “sehen” (to see)
- Conjugation of the verb “lassen” (to allow, to order, to leave)
- Conjugation of the verb “heißen” (to name)
- Conjugation of the verb “finden” (to find)
- Conjugation of the verb “nehmen” (to take)
- Conjugation of the verb “dürfen” (to have permission, to be able to)
- Conjugation of the verb “wohnen” (to live)
- Conjugation of the verb “glauben” (to believe)
- Conjugation of the verb “sollen” (to have an obligation)
- Conjugation of the verb “bringen” (to bring)
- Conjugation of the verb “meinen” (to judge, to think)
- Conjugation of the verb “fahren” (to drive)
- Conjugation of the verb “denken” (to think)
- Conjugation of the verb “fühlen” (to feel)
- Conjugation of the verb “mögen” (to like)
- Conjugation of the verb “sprechen” (to speak)
- Conjugation of the verb “kaufen” (to buy)
- Conjugation of the verb “beginnen” (to begin)
Conjugation of the verb “sein” (to be)
The most commonly used verb in German. It is irregular and you have to learn each of its forms separately. It also occurs as an auxiliary verb and is used to form the past tense and the passive voice. You will learn more about it in the next learning steps.
Example: Ich bin Maja (I am Maja).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich bin | wir sind |
| du bist | ihr seid |
| er/sie/es ist | sie/Sie sind |
Conjugation of the verb “haben” (to have)
In German, you mainly use the verb haben to express possession or an emotional state. In some cases you will use the word “have” where in English you would use “be”, e.g. “We are thirsty” becomes Wir haben Durst (i.e. We have thirst). Think of it as “I have a feeling for something”. Like the verb sein, the verb haben can be used as an auxiliary verb to form sentences in the past tense.
| ich habe | wir haben |
| du hast | ihr habt |
| er/sie/es hat | sie/Sie haben |
Conjugation of the verb “werden” (to become, to stay)
As an independent verb werden expresses development or transformation, e.g. Es wird kalt (It is becoming cold), Das Kind wird unabhängiger (The child is becoming more independent). We also use the verb werden to form the passive voice and the future tense. You will learn more about this later in your study.
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich werde | wir werden |
| du wirst | ihr werdet |
| er/sie/es wird | sie/Sie werden |
Conjugation of the verb “können” (to be able, to know, can)
This is a modal verb used to express the ability, skill or capacity to do something. Like all modal verbs it usually occurs in a sentence together with another verb. For example: Ich kann Deutsch sprechen (I can speak German). It can also be used to express a request. For example: Kannst du mir helfen? (Can you help me?).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich kann | wir können |
| du kannst | ihr könnt |
| er/sie/es kann | sie/Sie können |
Conjugation of the verb “müssen” (must)
Müssen is a modal verb used to express the necessity or obligation to perform an action. For example: Ich muss zur Arbeit gehen (I have to go to work).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich muss | wir müssen |
| du musst | ihr müsst |
| er/sie/es muss | sie/ Sie müssen |
Conjugation of the verb “sagen” (to speak, to say)
Example: Er sagt die Wahrheit (He is telling the truth).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich sage | wir sagen |
| du sagst | ihr sagt |
| er/sie/es sagt | sie/Sie sagen |
Conjugation of the verb “machen” (to do)
Example: Was machst du? (What are you doing?)
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich mache | wir machen |
| du machst | ihr macht |
| er/sie/es macht | sie/Sie machen |
Conjugation of the verb “geben” (to give)
Geben is an irregular verb. Note that in its subject, “e” is replaced by “i”.
Example: Ich gebe dir ein Geschenk. (I am giving you a present.)
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich gebe | wir geben |
| du gibst | ihr gebt |
| er/sie/es gibt | sie/Sie geben |
Conjugation of the verb “kommen” (to come, to go)
Example: Sie kommt aus Polen (She comes from Poland).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich komme | wir kommen |
| du kommst | ihr kommt |
| er/sie/es kommt | sie/Sie kommen |
Conjugation of the verb “wollen” (to want)
This is a modal verb that expresses an intention, wish or desire to do something.
Example: Wir wollen ins Kino gehen (We want to go to the cinema).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich will | wir wollen |
| du willst | ihr wollt |
| er/sie/es will | sie/Sie wollen |
Conjugation of the verb “gehen” (to go, to walk)
Example: Ich gehe jeden Morgen zur Arbeit (I go to work every morning).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich gehe | wir gehen |
| du gehst | ihr geht |
| er/sie/es geht | sie/Sie gehen |
Conjugation of the verb “wissen” (to know)
Example: Ich weiß nicht, wie spät es ist. (I don’t know what time it is.)
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich weiß | wir wissen |
| du weißt | ihr wisst |
| er/sie/es weiß | sie/Sie wissen |
Conjugation of the verb “sehen” (to see)
Sehen is an irregular verb. In its subject, the “e” is changed to “ie”. Example: Ich sehe einen schönen Sonnenuntergang. (I see a beautiful sunset.)
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich sehe | wir sehen |
| du siehst | ihr seht |
| er/sie/es sieht | sie/Sie sehen |
Conjugation of the verb “lassen” (to allow, to order, to leave)
The construction of a sentence with the verb lassen is the same as with a modal verb. Its basic meaning is “to leave”, e.g. Ich lasse meinen Koffer immer im Hotelzimmer (I always leave my suitcase in the hotel room).
The verb lassen can also have a more extended meaning. It is then combined with another verb and means to order something to someone, to give someone something to do, or to allow someone to do something. For example: Meine Eltern lassen mich spät ausgehen (My parents let me go out late); Ich lasse mein Auto reparieren (I give my car to be repaired).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich lasse | wir lassen |
| du lässt | ihr lasst |
| er/sie/es lässt | sie/Sie lassen |
Conjugation of the verb “heißen” (to name)
Example: Wie heißt du? (What is your name?).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich heiße | wir heißen |
| du heißt | ihr heißt |
| er/sie/es heißt | sie/Sie heißen |
Conjugation of the verb “finden” (to find)
Example: Ich finde das Buch interessant (I find the book interesting).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich finde | wir finden |
| du findest | ihr findet |
| er/sie/es findet | sie/Sie finden |
Conjugation of the verb “nehmen” (to take)
Nehmen is another irregular verb on our list. In its subject, the “e” is replaced by an “i”.
Example: Ich nehme eine Tasse Tee (I will take a cup of tea).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich nehme | wir nehmen |
| du nimmst | ihr nehmt |
| er/sie/es nimmt | sie/Sie nehmen |
Conjugation of the verb “dürfen” (to have permission, to be able to)
The verb dürfen is one of the modal verbs in German. We use it when we want to express permission or prohibition to perform some action. For example, Du darfst hier nicht rauchen (You are not allowed to smoke here). We use the verb dürfen when we want to ask if we can do something (rather than the verb können (can), which is a common mistake), e.g. Darf ich hier sitzen? (Can I sit here?).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich darf | wir dürfen |
| du darfst | ihr dürft |
| er/sie/es darf | sie/Sie dürfen |
Conjugation of the verb “wohnen” (to live)
Example: Ich wohne in Krakau (I live in Kraków).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich wohne | wir wohnen |
| du wohnst | ihr wohnt |
| er/sie/es wohnt | sie/Sie wohnen |
Conjugation of the verb “glauben” (to believe)
Example: Ich glaube an dich (I believe in you).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich glaube | wir glauben |
| du glaubst | ihr glaubt |
| er/sie/es glaubt | sie/Sie glauben |
Conjugation of the verb “sollen” (to have an obligation)
Sollen belongs to the group of modal verbs. We use it to express an obligation, e.g. Wir sollen morgen früh aufstehen (We should get up early tomorrow). The verb sollen is not as strong as müssen (must) and does not express absolute obligation. Instead, it suggests that something is advisable but not necessary.
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich soll | wir sollen |
| du sollst | ihr sollt |
| er/sie/es soll | sie/Sie sollen |
Conjugation of the verb “bringen” (to bring)
Example: Kannst du mir bitte das Buch bringen? (Can you bring me the book?)
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich bringe | wir bringen |
| du bringst | ihr bringt |
| er/sie/es bringt | sie/Sie bringen |
Conjugation of the verb “meinen” (to judge, to think)
Example: Ich meine, dass dieses Restaurant sehr gut ist (I think that this restaurant is very good).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich meine | wir meinen |
| du meinst | ihr meint |
| er/sie/es meint | sie/Sie meinen |
Conjugation of the verb “fahren” (to drive)
Fahren is an irregular verb. In its subject “a” is replaced by “ä”.
Example: Ich fahre heute mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit (Today I’m riding my bike to work).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich fahre | wir fahren |
| du fährst | ihr fahrt |
| er/sie/es fährt | sie/Sie fahren |
Conjugation of the verb “denken” (to think)
Example: Ich denke oft an meine Katze (I often think of my cat).
If you want to learn more about animals in German, take a look at this article!
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich denke | wir denken |
| du denkst | ihr denkt |
| er/sie/es denkt | sie/Sie denken |
Conjugation of the verb “fühlen” (to feel)
Example: Ich fühle mich schlecht (I feel bad about myself).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich fühle | wir fühlen |
| du fühlst | ihr fühlt |
| er/sie/es fühlt | sie/Sie fühlen |
Conjugation of the verb “mögen” (to like)
This is a modal verb used to express likes, preferences, tastes.
Example: Mögt ihr Sport treiben? (Do you like to play sports?)
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich mag | wir mögen |
| du magst | ihr mögt |
| er/sie/es mag | sie/Sie mögen |
Conjugation of the verb “sprechen” (to speak)
Sprechen is the last irregular verb on this list. Can you already tell for yourself what its irregularity is?
Example: Ich spreche gut Deutsch (I speak German well).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich spreche | wir sprechen |
| du sprichst | ihr sprecht |
| er/sie/es spricht | sie/Sie sprechen |
Conjugation of the verb “kaufen” (to buy)
Example: Jeden Morgen kaufe ich Kaffee in einem Café (Every morning I buy coffee in a café).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich kaufe | wir kaufen |
| du kaufst | ihr kauft |
| er/sie/es kauft | sie/Sie kaufen |
Conjugation of the verb “beginnen” (to begin)
Example: Ich beginne heute mit meinem neuen Projekt (Today I am starting my new project).
| German | |
|---|---|
| ich beginne | wir beginnen |
| du beginnst | ihr beginnt |
| er/sie/es beginnt | sie/Sie beginnen |
If you want to learn more about verbs in German, read our articles on modal verbs and irregular verbs.
