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 telephoner, 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 + infinitve 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 | etudier |
| write | écrire |
| buy | acheter |
| meet | rencontre |
| show | montre |
| wake up | se reveiller |
| call (on phone) | telephoner |
| give | donner |
| move | bouger |
| sit | s’asseoir |
| walk | marcher (general) / se promener (for pleasure) |
| go | aller |
| must | devoir |
| sleep | dormir |
