Common German verbs: 25 essential verbs with examples

🇩🇪 GermanA1–A225 words

A small set of verbs builds most of your first sentences. Learn sein, haben and werden first, then the modal verbs können, müssen, wollen and möchten. Notice the difference between wissen and kennen, and how a separable verb like anrufen splits in a sentence: "Ich rufe dich an."

Where you will use it: Building your first sentences about yourself, plans and daily routine.

Common German verbs — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

German	Meaning and example
sein	to be“Ich bin seit Mai in Deutschland.”I've been in Germany since May.
haben	to have“Wir haben einen Hund.”We have a dog.
werden	to become; will“Es wird heute Abend kalt.”It's going to get cold this evening.
können	can; to be able to“Kannst du mir kurz helfen?”Can you help me for a moment?
müssen	must; to have to“Ich muss morgen früh aufstehen.”I have to get up early tomorrow.
wollen	to want“Wir wollen im Sommer nach Italien fahren.”We want to go to Italy in the summer.
möchten	would like“Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte.”I'd like a coffee, please.
gehen	to go (on foot)“Gehen wir heute Abend ins Kino?”Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
kommen	to come“Woher kommst du?”Where are you from?
machen	to do; to make“Was machst du am Wochenende?”What are you doing at the weekend?
sagen	to say“Was hat der Arzt gesagt?”What did the doctor say?
sprechen	to speak“Sprechen Sie Englisch?”Do you speak English?
sehen	to see“Ich sehe dich morgen im Büro.”I'll see you tomorrow at the office.
wissen	to know (a fact)“Ich weiß nicht, wo der Schlüssel ist.”I don't know where the key is.
kennen	to know (a person, place)“Kennst du ein gutes Restaurant hier?”Do you know a good restaurant here?
geben	to give“Kannst du mir das Salz geben?”Can you pass me the salt?
nehmen	to take“Ich nehme die Suppe.”I'll have the soup.
finden	to find; to think“Ich finde den Film langweilig.”I think the film is boring.
bleiben	to stay“Wir bleiben heute zu Hause.”We're staying at home today.
fahren	to drive; to travel“Ich fahre mit dem Zug nach München.”I'm taking the train to Munich.
essen	to eat“Wir essen um sieben zu Abend.”We have dinner at seven.
trinken	to drink“Trinkst du lieber Tee oder Kaffee?”Do you prefer tea or coffee?
schlafen	to sleep“Hast du gut geschlafen?”Did you sleep well?
arbeiten	to work“Meine Schwester arbeitet in einem Krankenhaus.”My sister works in a hospital.
anrufen	to call (on the phone)“Ich rufe dich heute Abend an.”I'll call you this evening.

Tips for learning German words

Learn der, die or das with every nounThe article is part of the word: der Zug, die Fahrkarte, das Gleis. It decides the case endings and adjectives, so learn it from day one.
Type the umlauts and ßWrite ä, ö, ü and ß, not a, o, u or ss: schon means "already" but schön means "beautiful". Getting them right in WordNest trains your spelling.
Watch the verb positionIn a German main clause the verb comes second, and separable verbs split: "Ich rufe dich morgen an." Read each example aloud to feel the word order.

Standard German as used in Germany

German is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and a few everyday words differ between them: a tomato is a Tomate in Germany and a Paradeiser in Austria, a bicycle is a Fahrrad rather than a Velo. These lists follow Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany, and WordNest's examples, audio and AI corrections use the same standard. You will be understood in every German-speaking country.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

German word lists →

Questions about this list

Is this German from Germany, Austria or Switzerland?

Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany. Where Austria or Switzerland usually use a different word, the list gives the one used in Germany, but every word is understood across the German-speaking world.

How do I practise Common German verbs?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the German word, with its article, from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

Create a free account, choose German as a study language and add these words to your own deck.