Common German verbs
Common German verbs vocabulary with English translations and native audio.
These high-frequency verbs are the engine of German sentences — you can't build much without them. Start by mastering their present tense, then their word order.
| German | English | |
|---|---|---|
| gehen | to go | |
| kommen | to come | |
| essen | to eat | |
| trinken | to drink | |
| sprechen | to speak | |
| sehen | to see | |
| hören | to hear | |
| lesen | to read | |
| schreiben | to write | |
| lernen | to learn | |
| arbeiten | to work | |
| schlafen | to sleep | |
| spielen | to play | |
| kaufen | to buy | |
| fahren | to drive | |
| laufen | to run | |
| helfen | to help | |
| verstehen | to understand | |
| wohnen | to live | |
| kochen | to cook | |
| geben | to give | |
| nehmen | to take |
How to use these words
- •Regular verbs follow one pattern: ich lerne, du lernst, er lernt, wir lernen.
- •Some common verbs change their vowel in the du/er form: essen → du isst, fahren → du fährst, sprechen → du sprichst.
- •In a main clause the verb sits in second position: “Heute lerne ich Deutsch.”
Example sentences
Ich lerne Deutsch.
I'm learning German.
Sprichst du Englisch?
Do you speak English?
Wir gehen nach Hause.
We're going home.
Frequently asked
- How do you say "to go" in German?
- "to go" is "gehen" in German. You can hear it pronounced on this page.
- How many words does this Common German verbs page cover?
- This page lists 22 German words with English translations and native audio.
- Is the audio recorded by native speakers?
- Yes — most words use real native-speaker recordings, so you learn authentic German pronunciation.
- Is Wortnaut free?
- Yes. You can browse these pages and start learning German for free.
Keep learning
Want to actually learn it?
Practice common german verbs with games, pronunciation scoring and spaced review — free.
Start learning free →