Below are some of the most common verbs in the French language.
What to Know About French Verbs
Notice that verbs in French don’t always have a direct English counterpart: sometimes the equivalent “verb” is a multi word phrase, such as “J’ai besoin de + something” meaning “I need + something.”
Also, sometimes English verbs can be divided into several different verbs in French: for example, the verb “to call” could be translated to téléphoner, appeler or crier depending on the context; “to live” could be habiter or vivre. And sometimes the reverse happens: different verbs in English will go by just one verb in French, such as faire meaning both “to make” and “to do” in English.
In the list below, the pronoun se in front of a verb means that it is a reflexive verb, and the reflexive pronoun should take on the form of the subject: such as “Je me réveille,” or “Vous vous réveillez.”
| agree with | être d’accord avec |
| know | facts: savoir; people or places: connaître |
| read | lire |
| suggest | suggérer |
| allow | permettre |
| eat | manger |
| learn | apprendre |
| remember | se souvenir |
| take | prendre |
| answer | répondre |
| explain | expliquer |
| leave | partir |
| run | courir |
| talk | parler |
| ask | demander |
| fall | tomber |
| like | aimer |
| tell/say | dire |
| feel | se sentir |
| listen | écouter |
| see | voir |
| think | penser |
| become | devenir |
| fill | remplir |
| live | habiter |
| seem | avoir l’air de |
| travel | voyager |
| find | trouver |
| sell | vendre |
| try | essayer |
| finish | finir |
| send | envoyer |
| lose | perdre |
| turn | tourner |
| borrow | emprunter |
| follow | suivre |
| make or do | faire |
| understand | comprendre |
| want | vouloir |
| carry | porter |
| happen | arriver |
| need | avoir besoin de |
| speak | parler/dire |
| watch/look | regarder |
| change | changer |
| have | avoir |
| open | ouvrir |
| spend | dépenser |
| will | aller + infinitive verb |
| close | fermer |
| hear | entendre |
| pay | payer |
| stand (upright) | se tenir debout |
| win | gagner |
| come | venir |
| help | aider |
| play | jouer |
| begin/start | commencer |
| work | travailler |
| decide | décider |
| cut | couper |
| hold | tenir |
| promise | promettre |
| stop | arrêter |
| worry | s’inquiéter |
| believe | croire |
| bring | apporter |
| forget | oublier |
| wait | attendre |
| break | casser |
| fly | voler |
| keep | garder |
| put | mettre |
| study | étudier |
| write | écrire |
| buy | acheter |
| meet | rencontrer |
| show | montrer |
| wake up | se réveiller |
| call (on phone) | téléphoner |
| give | donner |
| move | bouger |
| sit | s’asseoir |
| walk | marcher (general) / se promener (for pleasure) |
| go | aller |
| must | devoir |
| sleep | dormir |
Next Steps
Knowing these verbs is a great foundation, but being able to use them means understanding how to conjugate them. Many verbs on this list are irregular, including the four most essential: être, avoir, faire, and aller. Start with our lesson on the four core French verbs, then work through the present tense conjugation patterns for regular –er, –ir, and –re verbs. And if you want to practice using these verbs in real conversation, italki is a good place to find a French tutor who can help you put them into practice.
