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50 Essential German Verbs Every Beginner Should Know

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The fifty German verbs you will actually use in everyday conversation, each with an example sentence. Practise them as flashcards or take the quiz.

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You do not need to memorise hundreds of verbs at once. Start with the ones that carry ordinary conversation, and add the rest as you meet them.

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  1. 1sein— to be

    • Ich bin müde. · I am tired.

  2. 2haben— to have

    • Ich habe einen Bruder. · I have a brother.

  3. 3machen— to do / make

    • Was machst du heute? · What are you doing today?

  4. 4gehen— to go

    • Ich gehe zur Arbeit. · I am going to work.

  5. 5kommen— to come

    • Ich komme aus Indien. · I come from India.

  6. 6wohnen— to live / reside

    • Ich wohne in Berlin. · I live in Berlin.

  7. 7leben— to live

    • Meine Eltern leben in Deutschland. · My parents live in Germany.

  8. 8arbeiten— to work

    • Ich arbeite von Montag bis Freitag. · I work from Monday to Friday.

  9. 9lernen— to learn

    • Ich lerne Deutsch. · I am learning German.

  10. 10studieren— to study at university

    • Sie studiert Medizin. · She studies medicine.

  11. 11essen— to eat

    • Ich esse gern Pizza. · I like eating pizza.

  12. 12trinken— to drink

    • Ich trinke jeden Morgen Kaffee. · I drink coffee every morning.

  13. 13schlafen— to sleep

    • Ich schlafe acht Stunden. · I sleep for eight hours.

  14. 14kaufen— to buy

    • Ich kaufe ein neues Buch. · I am buying a new book.

  15. 15bezahlen— to pay

    • Ich bezahle mit Karte. · I pay by card.

  16. 16kochen— to cook

    • Ich koche heute Abend. · I am cooking this evening.

  17. 17lesen— to read

    • Ich lese gern Bücher. · I like reading books.

  18. 18schreiben— to write

    • Ich schreibe eine E-Mail. · I am writing an email.

  19. 19hören— to hear / listen

    • Ich höre Musik. · I listen to music.

  20. 20sehen— to see / watch

    • Wir sehen einen Film. · We are watching a film.

  21. 21sprechen— to speak

    • Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch. · I speak a little German.

  22. 22sagen— to say

    • Was sagst du? · What are you saying?

  23. 23fragen— to ask

    • Ich möchte etwas fragen. · I would like to ask something.

  24. 24antworten— to answer

    • Bitte antworten Sie auf meine Frage. · Please answer my question.

  25. 25verstehen— to understand

    • Ich verstehe die Frage. · I understand the question.

  26. 26erklären— to explain

    • Kannst du das erklären? · Can you explain that?

  27. 27erzählen— to tell / narrate

    • Er erzählt eine Geschichte. · He is telling a story.

  28. 28brauchen— to need

    • Ich brauche Hilfe. · I need help.

  29. 29wollen— to want

    • Ich will nach Deutschland reisen. · I want to travel to Germany.

  30. 30möchten— would like

    • Ich möchte einen Kaffee. · I would like a coffee.

  31. 31mögen— to like

    • Ich mag Schokolade. · I like chocolate.

  32. 32lieben— to love

    • Ich liebe meine Familie. · I love my family.

  33. 33können— can / to be able to

    • Ich kann Deutsch sprechen. · I can speak German.

  34. 34müssen— must / have to

    • Ich muss heute arbeiten. · I have to work today.

  35. 35dürfen— may / to be allowed to

    • Darf ich hier sitzen? · May I sit here?

  36. 36sollen— should / supposed to

    • Du sollst mehr Wasser trinken. · You should drink more water.

  37. 37fahren— to drive / travel

    • Ich fahre mit dem Bus zur Arbeit. · I travel to work by bus.

  38. 38reisen— to travel

    • Ich reise gern. · I like travelling.

  39. 39bleiben— to stay

    • Ich bleibe heute zu Hause. · I am staying home today.

  40. 40laufen— to walk / run

    • Ich laufe jeden Morgen im Park. · I walk/run in the park every morning.

  41. 41geben— to give

    • Kannst du mir das Buch geben? · Can you give me the book?

  42. 42nehmen— to take

    • Ich nehme einen Kaffee. · I’ll have a coffee.

  43. 43finden— to find

    • Ich finde meine Schlüssel nicht. · I can’t find my keys.

  44. 44suchen— to look for

    • Ich suche meine Tasche. · I am looking for my bag.

  45. 45helfen— to help

    • Kannst du mir helfen? · Can you help me?

  46. 46kennen— to know / be familiar with

    • Kennst du Berlin? · Do you know Berlin?

  47. 47wissen— to know a fact

    • Ich weiß es nicht. · I don’t know.

  48. 48denken— to think

    • Ich denke, dass Deutsch interessant ist. · I think German is interesting.

  49. 49beginnen— to begin

    • Der Unterricht beginnt um neun Uhr. · The class begins at nine o’clock.

  50. 50treffen— to meet

    • Ich treffe meine Freunde am Wochenende. · I meet my friends at the weekend.

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