The 30 most common French verbs will get you through most daily conversations. Learn them top to bottom — the ones at the top are the ones you'll use every single day.
The 30 Most Common French Verbs
- Être – To be
- Avoir – To have
- Faire – To do / To make
- Dire – To say / To tell
- Aller – To go
- Voir – To see
- Savoir – To know (a fact / how to)
- Pouvoir – To be able to / Can
- Vouloir – To want
- Venir – To come
- Devoir – To have to / Must
- Prendre – To take
- Trouver – To find
- Donner – To give
- Parler – To speak / To talk
- Mettre – To put / To place
- Passer – To pass / To spend (time)
- Partir – To leave / To go away
- Regarder – To look at / To watch
- Penser – To think
- Croire – To believe
- Laisser – To leave / To let
- Suivre – To follow
- Appeler – To call
- Travailler – To work
- Essayer – To try
- Demander – To ask / To request
- Arriver – To arrive / To happen
- Devenir – To become
- Connaître – To know (a person / place)
Examples:
- I need to find a taxi. (Je dois trouver un taxi.)
- She goes to work every day. (Elle va au travail tous les jours.)
- Do you know how to speak French? (Tu sais parler français?)
Être vs. Avoir: the backbone of French
Être and avoir are the two most important verbs in French — not only for everyday use, but because they form all compound tenses.
Être (to be):
- Je – Suis
- Tu – Es
- Il/Elle – Est
- Nous – Sommes
- Vous – Êtes
- Ils/Elles – Sont
Avoir (to have):
- Je – Ai
- Tu – As
- Il/Elle – A
- Nous – Avons
- Vous – Avez
- Ils/Elles – Ont
Examples:
- I am a student. (Je suis étudiant.)
- She has a cat. (Elle a un chat.)
- We have arrived. (Nous sommes arrivés.) — compound tense using être
- He has eaten. (Il a mangé.) — compound tense using avoir
Note: Age uses avoir in French, just like Spanish but unlike English: J'ai 25 ans (I am 25 years old — literally "I have 25 years").
Faire: the high-frequency workhorse
Faire (to do / to make) appears in dozens of fixed expressions. Learn these early:
- Je – Fais
- Tu – Fais
- Il/Elle – Fait
- Nous – Faisons
- Vous – Faites
- Ils/Elles – Font
Examples:
- What are you doing? (Qu'est-ce que tu fais?)
- She makes great food. (Elle fait une très bonne cuisine.)
- It is sunny. (Il fait beau.) — weather with faire
- I exercise. (Je fais du sport.) — faire du/de la for activities
Pouvoir, vouloir, devoir: the modal verbs
These three always pair with an infinitive. They're the French equivalent of can, want, and must.
Pouvoir (can / to be able to):
- Je – Peux
- Tu – Peux
- Il/Elle – Peut
- Nous – Pouvons
- Vous – Pouvez
- Ils/Elles – Peuvent
Vouloir (to want):
- Je – Veux
- Tu – Veux
- Il/Elle – Veut
- Nous – Voulons
- Vous – Voulez
- Ils/Elles – Veulent
Devoir (must / to have to):
- Je – Dois
- Tu – Dois
- Il/Elle – Doit
- Nous – Devons
- Vous – Devez
- Ils/Elles – Doivent
Examples:
- Can you help me? (Tu peux m'aider?)
- I want a coffee. (Je veux un café.)
- She must leave early. (Elle doit partir tôt.)
Savoir vs. Connaître: two ways to "know"
Like Spanish, French has two verbs for "to know." English learners need to choose between them:
- Savoir – To know a fact, or to know how to do something
- Connaître – To know a person, a place, or to be familiar with something
Examples:
- I know the answer. (Je sais la réponse.) — fact → savoir
- Do you know how to drive? (Tu sais conduire?) — skill → savoir
- I know Paris well. (Je connais bien Paris.) — place → connaître
- She knows my sister. (Elle connaît ma sœur.) — person → connaître
Aller, venir, partir: movement in three directions
These three movement verbs cover most situations:
- Aller – To go (away from speaker, toward a destination)
- Venir – To come (toward speaker)
- Partir – To leave (departure, going away)
Aller + infinitive also forms the near future — one of the most useful structures in French:
Examples:
- I go to the office. (Je vais au bureau.)
- Are you coming? (Tu viens?)
- She is leaving tomorrow. (Elle part demain.)
- I am going to call you. (Je vais t'appeler.) — near future with aller
Pick five verbs from the list and write one real sentence about your day. The near future structure — je vais + infinitive — is especially worth practicing immediately, as it's far more common in spoken French than the formal future tense.