The 30 most common German verbs will get you through most everyday situations. German verb conjugation follows clear patterns — once you see the logic, the whole system opens up.
The 30 Most Common German Verbs
- Sein – To be
- Haben – To have
- Werden – To become / Will (future auxiliary)
- Können – To be able to / Can
- Müssen – To have to / Must
- Sagen – To say
- Machen – To do / To make
- Gehen – To go
- Wissen – To know (a fact)
- Sehen – To see
- Wollen – To want
- Kommen – To come
- Dürfen – To be allowed to / May
- Sollen – To be supposed to / Should
- Geben – To give
- Nehmen – To take
- Denken – To think
- Finden – To find
- Sprechen – To speak
- Arbeiten – To work
- Heißen – To be called / To mean
- Brauchen – To need
- Fragen – To ask
- Rufen – To call
- Lassen – To let / To leave
- Bleiben – To stay / To remain
- Fahren – To drive / To travel
- Kennen – To know (a person / place)
- Versuchen – To try
- Beginnen – To begin
Examples:
- I need to find a taxi. (Ich muss ein Taxi finden.)
- She goes to work every day. (Sie geht jeden Tag zur Arbeit.)
- Do you know how to speak German? (Kannst du Deutsch sprechen?)
Sein: the most important German verb
Sein (to be) is irregular — memorize it early because it's everywhere.
- Ich – Bin
- Du – Bist
- Er/Sie/Es – Ist
- Wir – Sind
- Ihr – Seid
- Sie/sie – Sind
Examples:
- I am a student. (Ich bin Student.)
- Are you tired? (Bist du müde?)
- She is from Berlin. (Sie ist aus Berlin.)
Haben: possession and compound tenses
Haben (to have) handles possession and forms the present perfect — the most common past tense in spoken German.
- Ich – Habe
- Du – Hast
- Er/Sie/Es – Hat
- Wir – Haben
- Ihr – Habt
- Sie/sie – Haben
Examples:
- I have a dog. (Ich habe einen Hund.)
- She has a car. (Sie hat ein Auto.)
- I have already eaten. (Ich habe schon gegessen.) — present perfect
Note: Age in German uses sein, not haben: Ich bin 25 Jahre alt (I am 25 years old). Unlike Spanish and Italian, German does not use "have" for age.
The six modal verbs
German has six modal verbs. All pair with an infinitive at the end of the sentence — this is a key word order rule in German.
- Können – Can / To be able to
- Müssen – Must / To have to
- Wollen – To want to
- Dürfen – May / To be allowed to
- Sollen – Should / To be supposed to
- Mögen – To like (also: möchten — would like)
Können conjugation:
- Ich – Kann
- Du – Kannst
- Er/Sie/Es – Kann
- Wir – Können
- Ihr – Könnt
- Sie/sie – Können
Müssen conjugation:
- Ich – Muss
- Du – Musst
- Er/Sie/Es – Muss
- Wir – Müssen
- Ihr – Müsst
- Sie/sie – Müssen
Wollen conjugation:
- Ich – Will
- Du – Willst
- Er/Sie/Es – Will
- Wir – Wollen
- Ihr – Wollt
- Sie/sie – Wollen
Examples:
- Can you help me? (Kannst du mir helfen?)
- I want a coffee. (Ich will einen Kaffee.)
- She must leave early. (Sie muss früh gehen.) — infinitive at end
- You are not allowed to park here. (Du darfst hier nicht parken.)
Note: With modal verbs, the infinitive goes to the very end of the sentence. This word order is one of the first things to internalize in German.
Wissen vs. Kennen: two ways to "know"
German, like Spanish and French, splits "to know" into two verbs:
- Wissen – To know a fact or piece of information
- Kennen – To know a person, a place, or to be familiar with something
Examples:
- I know the answer. (Ich weiß die Antwort.) — fact → wissen
- Do you know where he lives? (Weißt du, wo er wohnt?) — fact → wissen
- I know Berlin well. (Ich kenne Berlin gut.) — place → kennen
- She knows my brother. (Sie kennt meinen Bruder.) — person → kennen
Note: Wissen is irregular in the singular: ich weiß, du weißt, er weiß — but wir wissen, ihr wisst, sie wissen follow the regular pattern.
Gehen, kommen, fahren: movement verbs
- Gehen – To go (on foot, or general movement)
- Kommen – To come (toward the speaker)
- Fahren – To drive / To travel (by vehicle)
Examples:
- I go to the office. (Ich gehe ins Büro.)
- Are you coming to the party? (Kommst du zur Party?)
- She drives to work. (Sie fährt zur Arbeit.)
Pick five verbs from the list and write one sentence about something real in your day. The pattern modal verb + infinitive at the end — ich muss ... gehen, ich will ... finden, kannst du ... helfen — is worth practicing from day one.