101 Most Common German Verbs For Fluent German Communication

One of the first steps of learning German and any language is to learn new words or vocabulary, particularly German verbs.

At first, you might only learn enough words to express yourself simplistically, but as your language skills progress, you’ll want to expand your vocabulary to improve your fluency.

Verbs are essential parts of a sentence that you can’t do without, allowing you to describe your actions in detail. 

By learning the most common verbs in German, you can talk about everything you do, experience, and feel with accuracy. In this post, you'll discover a German verbs list of 101 essential verbs to get you started speaking about any topic of your choice in German with newfound confidence. 

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Why Are German Verbs Important For Communicating?

In German and English, words in sentences have different names or labels. For example, nouns are people or things, and we use adjectives to describe them.

Verbs are words that talk about actions, and we use adverbs to describe them. There are also many other elements of sentences like conjunctions, pronouns, and prepositions. All these words combine to form a complete sentence. 

Besides nouns, verbs are essential parts of a sentence that you need to pay attention to when you learn a foreign language because they describe actions. Everything you do involves a verb. Having a wide range to choose from helps you communicate more clearly and accurately in nearly every situation.

Once you learn some German verbs, you’ll still need to know how to conjugate them for different nouns and pronouns.

Some verbs require an accusative pronoun, and others the dative. You’ll also encounter German verbs with separable prefixes. But becoming familiar with how verbs work takes time, practice, and patience.

Luckily, you’ll use these verbs so often that they will quickly start to feel more familiar to you.

You also don’t need to remember all the German verbs so start speaking and communicating effectively. If you can learn a few new verbs each day, you’ll be on your way to speaking German fluently. 

And if you apply the StoryLearning® method – good news. You won't have to learn these verbs by heart as you'll pick them up naturally as you read stories in German. So the verbs, and their conjugations, will quickly become second nature.

Let’s look at some of the most used verbs in German verbs below.

German Verbs List: 101 Common German Verbs

Here are the most common words you'll use when talking about actions in the German language.

The examples below are in the present tense so as not to complicate things. You'll also see the conjugated form of the verb in the example, depending on the subject. If you want to learn the past participle of each verb, you'll need to check out this post.

1. Abgeben (To Give Up)

• Ich muss die Hälfte meines Anteils abgeben. (I must give up half of my share.)

2. Anbieten (To Offer)

• Was bietest du mir an? (What are you offering me?)

3. Andauern (To Continue/To Persist/To Last)

• Die Sitzung wird drei Stunden andauern. (The meeting will last for three hours.)

Typically, you use andauern before an activity happens and dauern while something is happening. 

4. Anerkennen (To Recognize/To Acknowledge)

• Grundrechte werden in der Verfassung anerkannt. (Fundamental rights are recognized in the constitution.)
• Ihr Abschluss wird hier als gültig anerkannt. (Your degree is acknowledged here as valid.)

5. Anfangen (To Start)

• Der Unterricht fängt bald an. (The lesson starts soon.)

6. Anrufen (To Call/To Phone)

• Lass uns Oma anrufen. (Let’s call/phone grandma.)

7. Ansehen (To Look At)

• Er sieht dich nicht an, wenn du sprichst. (He doesn’t look at you when you speak.)

In contrast to sehen, which means to see, ansehen means to look at something or someone.

8. Arbeiten (To Work)

• Ich arbeite im Krankenhaus. (I work at the hospital.)

9. Auffangen (To Collect/To Catch)

• Du kannst diese Behälter verwenden um das Wasser aufzufangen. (You can use these containers to collect the water.)
• Schnell, fang den Ball auf! (Quick, catch the ball!)

You use auffangen in a sentence when you mean to collect or to catch something that’s flying in the air. On the other hand, use fangen if the object is no longer in motion. 

10. Aufstehen (To Get Up/To Stand Up)

• Wir stehen oft zusammen auf. (We often get up together.)
• Bevore du vom Tisch aufstehst, habe ich etwas zu teilen. (Before you stand up from the table, I have something to share.

Two different meanings for the verb aufstehen are getting up and standing up. First, you can use aufstehen to mean get up out of bed. Secondly, you can use aufstehen when standing up from a seated position.

11. Aussprechen (To Pronounce)

• Wie spreche ich dieses Wort aus? (How do I pronounce this word?)

12. Bauen (To Build)

• Die Kinder bauen einen Schneemann. (The kids are building a snowman.)

13. Bedeuten (To Mean/To Signify)

• Wir Wissen immer noch nicht, was die alten Symbole bedeuten. (We still don’t know what the ancient symbols mean/signify.)

14. Beginnen (To Begin)

• Wann beginnst du endlich? (When will you finally begin?)

15. Behalten (To Keep)

• Ich habe mich entschieden, den Artikel nicht zu behalten. (I decided not to keep the item.)

16. Beitragen (To Contribute)

• Jedes Teammitglied trägt aktiv zu unserem gemeinsamen Ziel bei. (Every team member actively contributes to our shared purpose.)

17. Bekommen (To Get/To Receive)

• Dieses Restaurant hat eine fünf-Sterne Bewertung bekommen. (This restaurant got a five-star review.
• Ich habe ein Paket per Post bekommen. (I received a package in the mail.)

The verb bekommen is a false friend for English speakers. When thinking about English translations, you might think bekommen looks like “become”, but it means getting or receiving. If you want to say “become”, use the verb werden instead. 

18. Beschreiben (To Describe)

• Wie würdest du dich selbst beschreiben? (How would you describe yourself?)

19. Besprechen (To Discuss)

• Das müssen wir später besprechen. (That’s something we need to discuss later.)

20. Besuchen (To Visit)

• Wie lange besucht er uns? (How long is he visiting us?)

21. Bewegen (To Move/To Persuade/To Encourage)

• Es ist gesund sich jeden Tag zu bewegen. (It’s healthy to move every day.)
• Ich habe mich dazu bewegen lassen. (I allowed myself to be persuaded into it.)

22. Bitten (To Ask/To Request/Please)

• Wir bitten euch hier nicht zu rauchen. (We ask you (plural) not to smoke here.)
• Ich möchte Sie um Erlaubnis bitten. (I’d like to request your permission.)
• Der Nächste, bitte! (Next, please!)

In German, you’ll hear the verb bitten used differently. Depending on the situation, bitten can mean asking, requesting, or please. 

23. Brauchen (To Need/To Require)

• Ich brauche die richtigen Werkzeuge, um den Job zu erledigen. (I need the right tools to do the job. 
• Hier brauchen wir Ihr Geburtsdatum. (We require your date of birth here.)

24. Brechen (To Break)

• Ich breche das Brot in zwei Hälften. (I’ll break the bread in half.)

25. Bringen (To Bring)

• Der Lieferservice bringt wöchentlich frisches Obst und Gemüse. (The delivery service brings fresh fruits and vegetables weekly.)

26. Dauern (To Take/To Last/To Continue)

• Die deutschen Winter scheinen ewig zu dauern. (German winters seem to last forever.)

27. Einstellen (To Adjust Smth.)

• Sie können die Knöpfe so einstellen. (You can adjust the knobs like this.)

28. Entscheiden (To Decide)

• Ich fürchte, du musst dich zwischen den beiden entscheiden. (I’m afraid you must decide between the two.)

29. Erinnern (To Remember)

• Unser Lehrer erinnert uns daran, wann wir Pause machen sollen. (Our teacher reminds us when we should take a break. 

The German verb erinnern is reflexive, meaning you need a reflexive pronoun like mich, dich, sich, euch, or uns.

30. Erkennen (To Recognize)

• Ich erkenne ihre Gesichter von irgendwoher. (I recognize their faces from somewhere.)

31. Erscheinen (To Appear/To Seem)

• Eine dunkle Gestalt erschien aus den Schatten. (A dark figure appeared from the shadows.)
• Er scheint die Wahrheit zu sagen. (He seems to be telling the truth.)

32. Essen (To Eat)

• Wir essen selten zu Hause. (We rarely eat at home.)

33. Fangen (To Catch)

• Er hat heute fünf Fische gefangen. (He caught five fish today.)

34. Fragen (To Ask)

• Warum fragst du? (Why do you ask?)

35. Fühlen (To Feel/To Experience/To Touch)

• Ich fühlemich gut. (I feel good.)

When you talk about emotions and feelings, you need a reflexive pronoun to accompany the German verb fȕhlen.

• Was du fühlst ist völlig normal. (What you’re experiencing is completely normal.)
• Dȕrfen wir den Stoff fühlen? (Can we touch the fabric?)

36. Geben (To Give)

• Gib mir die Wäsche. (Give me the laundry,)

Here, the verb geben is imperative, used to give commands and instructions.

37. Gehören (To Belong)

• Das Haus gehört unseren Großeltern. (The house belongs to our grandparents.)

38. Geschehen (To Happen/To Occur/To Take Place)

• Gern geschehen! (You’re welcome!)

In this phase, you can use the verb geschehen to express that you were glad to do something for someone. 

• Was geschieht als nächstes? (What’s happening next?)
• Die Geburt geschah vor einer Woche. (The birth occurred one week ago.)
• Unser letztes Turnier geschah in der Nachbarstadt. (Our last tournament took place in the neighboring city.)

39. Gewinnen (To Win)

• Wir waren kurz davor das Spiel zu gewinnen. (We were close to winning the game.)

40. Glauben (To Believe)

• Glaubst du mir nicht? (Don’t you believe me?)

41. Haben (To Have)

One of the most common German verbs you'll need to use is haben. It's an important one for forming the perfect tense when you want to talk about events that happened int the past.

• Ich habe drei Brüder und zwei Schwestern. (I have three brothers and two sisters.)
• Wir haben drei Hunde. (We have three dogs.)

42. Hassen (To Hate/To Despise)

• Wir hassen beide den Regen. (We both hate the rain.)

43. Helfen (To Help)

• Ich helfe ihr jetzt. (I’m helping her now.)

The German verb helfen is a dative verb that requires a dative pronoun for the direct object.

44. Herausfinden (To Find Out/To Figure Out)

• Wie haben sie das Geheimnis herausgefunden? (How did they find out the secret?)
• Ich habe herausgefunden wie man die Fernbedienung benutzt. (I figured out how to use the remote.)

45. Herunterkommen (To Come Down/To Get Down)

• Er kam die Treppe herunter. (He came down the stairs.)
• Kommt von der Wand herunter! (You guys get down from the wall!)

The German verb herunterkommen is a separable verb, which means you may have to separate the prefix herunter from kommen.

46. Herumtragen (To Carry Around)

• Warum muss ich diese Bücher mit mir herumtragen? (Why do I have to carry these books around with me?)

47. Herunterziehen (To Pull Down/To Tear Off)

• Als sie den Vorhang herunterzogen, wurde die wahre Identität des Zauberers enthüllt. (When they pulled the curtain down, the wizard’s real identity was revealed.)

48. Hochziehen (To Pull/To Hoist/To Raise)

• Du must drücken, während ich es hochziehe. (You must push while I pull it up.)

49. Hören (To Hear)

• Kannst du hören, was ich höre? (Can you hear what I’m hearing?) 

50. Interessieren (To Interest/To Be Interested)

• Ich interessiere mich für die deutsche Kultur. (I’m interested in German culture.)

When you want to say you’re interested in something, you’ll need a phrase that may sound strange as an English speaker.

Instead of being interested in something, in German, you interest yourself “for” something. You need both a reflexive pronoun and the preposition für.

51. Kaufen (To Buy)

• Wir müssen auch Seife kaufen. (We also need to buy soap.)

52. Kommen (To Come)

• Komm morgen Abend zum Essen vorbei. (Come over for dinner tomorrow night.)

53. Können (To Be Able To)

• Ich kann die helfen den platen Reifen zu reparieren. (I can help you fix the flat tire.)

54. Kriegen (To Get/To Receive)

• Er kriegt immer was er will. (He always gets what he wants.)

55. Lachen (To Laugh/To Smile/To Joke)

• Wir haben über alte Zeiten gelacht. (We laughed about old times.)
• Worȕber lächelst du? (What are you smiling about?)

Unlike in English, German uses lachen for both smile and laugh. 

56. Lassen (To Let/To Leave)

• Wie kann sie sie damit durchkommen lassen? (How can she let them get away with this?)
• Ich habe mein Portemonnaie auf dem Tisch liegen lassen. (I left my wallet laying on the table.)

57. Lernen (To Learn)

• Gerade lernen wir Holzbearbeitung. (Right now, we are learning woodworking.)

58. Lieben (To Love)

1. Wir lieben einander. (We love each other.)

59. Liegen (To Lie)

• Nicht zu lange in der Sonne liegen! (Don’t lay too long in the sun!)

60. Mitbringen (To Bring Along)

• Ich hätte meinen Pullover mitbringen sollen. (I should have brought my sweater along.)

61. Passen (To Fit)

• Diese Schuhgröße passt mir perfekt. (This shoe size fits me perfectly.)

62. Putzen (To Clean)

• Meine Mutter putzt immer Samstags. (My mother always cleans on Saturdays.)

63. Reichen (To Reach)

• Kannst du mir bitte die Ernussbutter reichen? (Can you please hand me the peanut butter?)

64. Rufen (To Call)

• Ich habe deinen Namen aus dem anderen Zimmer gerufen. (I called your name from the other room.) 

65. Sagen (To Say)

• Könntest du das letzte was du gesagt hast widerholen? (Could you repeat the last thing that you said?)

66. Scheinen (To Seem/To Appear/To Shine)

• Da scheint ein Fehler vorzuliegen. (There seems to be a mistake.)
• Ein riesiger Vogel erschien am Himmel. (A giant bird appeared in the sky.)
• Draußen scheint die Sonne. (The sun is shining outside.)

You can use the German verb scheinen similarly to English. 

67. Schenken (To Give/To Gift)

• Ich schenke dir einen Bleistift. (I’ll give you a pencil.)
• Was hast du ihm zum Abschluss geschenkt? (What did you gift him for graduation?)

68. Schieben (To Push)

• Würdest du den Einkaufswagen schieben? (Would you push the shopping cart?)

69. Schließen (To Close)

• Bitte schließen Sie das Fenster bevor Sie das Haus verlassen. (Please close the window before you leave the house.) 

70. Sehen (To See/To Watch)

• Sie können die Änderungen in diesem Dokument sehen. (You can see the changes in this document.)
• Ich sehe fern. (I’m watching television.)

The German verb sehen appears to function similarly to its English counterpart in many ways. However, one difference to note is that this word can also mean “to watch”.

71. Spielen (To Play)

• Sie spielen gerne Videospiele vor dem Schlafengehen. (They like to play video games before bed.)

72. Springen (To Jump)

• Im Sommer springen wir von der Brücke in den See. (In the summer, we jump off the bridge into the lake.)

73. Spüren (To Feel/To Sense/To Experience)

• Ich spüre, dass wir auseinander wachsen. (I feel that we are growing apart.)

74. Stehen (To Stand)

• Ich habe den Überblick verloren, wie lange wir in der Schlange standen. (I lost track of how long we were standing in line.) 

75. Stellen (To Ask/To Put/To Ensure)

• Darf ich dir eine persönliche Frage stellen? (May I ask you a personal question?)
• Stell die Vase auf den Tisch. (Put the vase on the table.)
• Ich stellte fest dass er lügt. (I found out that he’s lying.)

In German, the verb stellen can have many uses. The first use for the verb means to ask a question.

Another use translates in English as “to put or place” an object on a surface. When adding the prefix ‘fest’, the verb changes its meaning. This verb form means “to ensure” or “to find out”.

76. Tanzen (To Dance)

• Ich tanze gerne zu jeden Art von Musik. (I like to dance to any type of music.)

77. Tragen (To Wear/To Carry)

• Ich liebe die Schuhe die du trägst. (I love the shoes you are wearing.)
• Du lässt mich immer die schweren Taschen tragen. (You always make me carry the heavy bags.)

In German, tragen can have two different meanings, “to wear or carry”.

78. Träumen (To Dream/To Imagine)

• Ich habe von einem sattgrȕnen Wald geträumt. (I dreamed about a lush green forest.)
• War das echt oder haben wir es geträumt? (Was that real or did we imagine it?)

79. Tropfen (To Drop)

• Das Waschbecken tropft wieder. (The sink is dripping again.)

80. Tun (To Do)

• Sie beschweren sich immer, dass sie nichts zu tun haben. (They always complain that they have nothing to do.)

81. Verdanken (To Owe)

• Wir verdanken unseren Erfolg unseren Mentoren. (We owe our success to our mentors.)

The German verb verdanken comes in handy when you want to give thanks or appreciation to someone. If you owe someone money, use the verb schulden instead.

82. Verlieren (To Lose)

• Ich fürchte, ich habe meine Hausaufgabenn verloren. (I’m afraid I lost my homework.)

83. Versprechen (To Promise)

• Versprichst du, die Information geheim zu halten? (Do you promise to keep the information secret?)

84. Verstehen (To Understand/To Know)

• Die Frage ist schwer zu verstehen. (The question is difficult to understand.)
• Sie versteht nur deutsch. (She only knows German.)

85. Verzeihen (To Forgive/To Excuse/To Pardon)

• Bitte verzeiht meine Verspätung. (Please forgive my delay)
• Verzeihen Sie mir, bitte. (Excuse/pardon me, please.)

86. Vorstellen (To Introduce)

• Ich möchte Ihnen unsere Familie vorstellen. (I want to introduce you to our family.)

87. Sich Vorstellen (To Imagine)

• Sie können sich nur vorstellen, wie kalt es dort ist. (They can only imagine how cold it is there.

The German verb sich vorstellen is one of the many reflexive verbs and requires a dative pronoun.

88. Vorziehen (To Prefer)

• Ich ziehe deutsche Filme amerikanischen vor. (I prefer German films over American ones.)

When you use the German verb vorziehen, remember to separate the stem verb from the prefix.

89. Wählen (To Choose)

• Welches soll ich wählen? (Which one should I choose?)

90. Wechseln (To Change)

• Wo können wir unser Geld wechseln? (Where can we change our money?)

91. Weggehen (To Leave)

• Warum geht er so früh weg? (Why does he leave so early?) 

92. Werden (To Be/To Become)

• Ich werde wütend, wenn du zu spat kommst. (I will be angry if you are late.)
• Ich möchte Vereinsmitglied werden, (I want to become a member of the club.)

When you speak and learn German, you’ll use the verb werden frequently. First, you’ll need this verb to talk in the future tense or about what will be.

Secondly, you need this verb to describe a physical transition from an old state to a new one when you ‘become’ something. Don’t get this verb confused with bekommen, a false friend that means “to get”.

93. Wiedersehen (To See/To Meet)

• Wir können morgen wiedersehen ob sich die Situation verbessert hat. (We can see again tomorrow if the situation has improved.)
• Es war mir eine Freude dich wiederzusehen. (It was a pleasure meeting you again.)

Watch out for the verb wiedersehen, which has a different meaning depending on whether you use it as one or two separate verbs. 

94. Wissen (To Know/To Understand)

• Wusstest du, dass dieses Weingut 1875 gegründet wurde? (Did you know that this winery was founded in 1875?)

In English, the verb “to know” can mean knowing a person or knowing a fact. But in German, the verb wissen is only used to talk about knowing facts, not people. If you want to say that you know someone, use the verb kennen instead.

95. Wollen (To Want)

• Sie will nicht darüber sprechen. (She doesn’t want to talk about it.)

Because of the spelling, it can be easy to confuse the meanings of “will” in German and English. In German, will is a form of wollen that means “to want”. 

96. Wünschen (To Wish/To Want)

• Wir wünschen Ihnen schöne Feiertage. (We wish you happy holidays.)
• Ich wünsche mir eine Ehefrau. (I want a wife.)

When you use wünschen as a standalone verb, the word means “to wish”. If you use the verb with a dative pronoun, it changes its meaning to “want”.

97. Ziehen (To Drag/To Pull)  

• Ziehen Sie die Tür zu sich. (Pull the door toward you.)

98. Zuhören (To Listen/To Listen To/To Hear)

• Hörst du mir zu? (Are you listening to me?)
• Wir hören klassische Musik. (We’re listening to classical music.)
• Kannst du die Musik von dort hören? (Can you hear the music from there?)

When you listen to a person speak, use the verb zuhören, but if you hear something like music or a sound, use the verb hören without zu.

99. Zulassen (To Allow/To Permit)

• Wie kann man so ein Verhalten zulassen? (How can someone allow such behavior?)

100. Zurückbehalten (To Retain/To Hold)

• Hast du etwas zurückbehalten? (Did you hold something back?)

101. Zusagen (To Agree)

• Sobald Sie zusagen können wir sofort mit den Arbeiten beginnen. (As soon as you agree we can begin the work immediately.)

Jump Start Your German With These Common German Verbs  

The German verbs list above includes some of the German verbs, which you’ll undoubtedly encounter along the way. But if you include the most common German verbs from the list in your vocabulary, you’ll already be able to express yourself in a wide range of different scenarios in all six tenses.

If you practice using new German verbs and vocabulary as frequently as possible, you’ll learn German even faster. You’ll find plenty of opportunities to speak German once you understand a few basic German verbs. 

Want to know even more about the most common German verbs? Check out this post on modal verbs and this one about past participles.

When you’re ready to start reading in German, try my series of Short Stories in German. My StoryLearning® technique will help you stay motivated to learn the German language and keep having fun.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.