100 most common Dutch verbs

Ranked by how often each verb is actually spoken in films and TV series, with the English meaning and a short example. Free to download for Anki, Quizlet, Excel or print.

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The list

100 verbs

#	Dutch	English and example
1	zijnverb	be, exist, belongIk ben leraar. I am a teacher.
2	hebbenverb	have, hasZij hebben twee kinderen. They have two children.
3	gaanverb	go, goingIk ga naar school. I go to school.
4	kunnenverb	can, be able toKun je Nederlands spreken? Can you speak Dutch?
5	doenverb	do, makeWat doe je vandaag? What do you do today?
6	willenverb	want, wishIk wil graag koffie. I want coffee please.
7	wetenverb	knowWeet je waar het station is? Do you know where the station is?
8	zullenverb	shall, willIk zal je helpen. I will help you.
9	moetenverb	must, have toJe moet je huiswerk doen. You must do your homework.
10	komenverb	comeKom je morgen naar het feest? Are you coming to the party tomorrow?
11	zeggenverb	say, tellWat zeg je? What do you say?
12	zienverb	see, look, watchIk zie je morgen. I'll see you tomorrow.
13	denkenverb	think, believeIk denk dat het regent. I think it will rain.
14	latenverb	let, allow, leaveLaat me gaan, alsjeblieft. Let me go, please.
15	wordenverb	become, be, getHet wordt donker. It's getting dark.
16	makenverb	make, do, createIk maak een taart. I'm making a cake.
17	vindenverb	find, think, considerIk vind dit erg mooi. I think this is very beautiful.
18	houdenverb	hold, keep, like, loveIk hou van je. I love you.
19	zittenverb	sit, be sitting, stayIk zit op de bank. I'm sitting on the couch.
20	gevenverb	give, provide, handGeef me het boek. Give me the book.
21	kijkenverb	look, watchIk kijk naar de film. I'm watching the movie.
22	krijgenverb	get, receiveIk krijg een cadeau. I'm getting a gift.
23	staanverb	standIk sta hier. I'm standing here.
24	vertellenverb	tell, sayIk vertel je alles. I'm telling you everything.
25	nemenverb	takeNeem dit boek. Take this book.
26	blijvenverb	stay, remainIk blijf hier. I'm staying here.
27	levenverb	liveIk leef hier. I live here.
28	mogenverb	may, can, be allowedMag ik gaan? May I go?
29	wachtenverb	waitWacht op mij! Wait for me!
30	gebeurenverb	happen, occurWat gebeurt hier? What's happening here?
31	helpenverb	helpKun je me helpen? Can you help me?
32	vragenverb	ask, questionMag ik je iets vragen? May I ask you something?
33	horenverb	hear, belongIk hoor je niet goed. I don't hear you well.
34	pratenverb	talk, speakWe praten over het weer. We talk about the weather.
35	proberenverb	try, attemptIk probeer Nederlands te leren. I try to learn Dutch.
36	kennenverb	know, be acquainted withIk ken die man niet. I don't know that man.
37	werkenverb	workIk werk in een kantoor. I work in an office.
38	bedankenverb	thankIk bedank je voor je hulp. I thank you for your help.
39	bellenverb	call, ringIk bel je morgen. I call you tomorrow.
40	brengenverb	bring, takeIk breng je naar huis. I take you home.
41	bedoelenverb	mean, intendWat bedoel je daarmee? What do you mean by that?
42	halenverb	get, fetch, pick upIk haal je om vijf uur. I pick you up at five.
43	zoekenverb	search, look forIk zoek mijn sleutels. I'm looking for my keys.
44	gelovenverb	believe, thinkIk geloof je niet. I don't believe you.
45	voelenverb	feel, touchIk voel me niet goed. I don't feel well.
46	begrijpenverb	understand, comprehendIk begrijp het niet. I don't understand.
47	lijkenverb	seem, appearJe lijkt verdrietig. You seem sad.
48	stoppenverb	stop, quitStop met dat geluid! Stop that noise!
49	vermoordenverb	murder, killDat is een misdaad! That's a crime!
50	luisterenverb	listen, hearLuister naar mij! Listen to me!
51	sprekenverb	speak, talkIk spreek Nederlands. I speak Dutch.
52	etenverb	eat, foodIk wil eten. I want to eat.
53	beginnenverb	begin, startLaten we beginnen. Let's start.
54	zorgenverb	care, worry, take careIk zorg voor mijn moeder. I care for my mother.
55	liggenverb	lie, be lyingDe kat ligt op het bed. The cat is lying on the bed.
56	zettenverb	put, place, setZet de kopjes op tafel. Put the cups on the table.
57	gebruikenverb	useIk gebruik een lepel voor soep. I use a spoon for soup.
58	vallenverb	fall, dropPas op, je valt! Watch out, you're falling!
59	lopenverb	walk, run, goIk loop naar school. I walk to school.
60	spelenverb	playWij spelen voetbal in het park. We play football in the park.
61	hoevenverb	need, have to, mustJe hoeft niet te komen. You don't need to come.
62	missenverb	miss, loseIk mis mijn vrienden. I miss my friends.
63	reddenverb	save, rescue, manageHij redt de jongen uit het water. He saves the boy from the water.
64	stellenverb	put, place, ask, setHij stelt een vraag. He asks a question.
65	vergetenverb	forgetIk vergeet mijn sleutels. I forget my keys.
66	dodenverb	kill, murderDe soldaat doodt de vijand. The soldier kills the enemy.
67	stervenverb	dieMijn opa sterft vorig jaar. My grandfather dies last year.
68	schietenverb	shoot, fireHij schiet op het doel. He shoots at the target.
69	noemenverb	call, name, mentionZe noemen hem Jan. They call him Jan.
70	veranderenverb	change, alterHet weer verandert snel. The weather changes quickly.
71	betalenverb	payIk betaal voor het eten. I pay for the food.
72	betekenenverb	mean, signifyWat betekent dit woord? What does this word mean?
73	lerenverb	learn, teachIk wil Nederlands leren. I want to learn Dutch.
74	pakkenverb	grab, take, catchPak je jas, we gaan. Grab your coat, we're going.
75	ontmoetenverb	meet, encounterIk ontmoet hem morgen. I meet him tomorrow.
76	kopenverb	buy, purchaseIk koop een auto. I buy a car.
77	slapenverb	sleepIk ga nu slapen. I'm going to sleep now.
78	vertrouwenverb	trust, believe inIk vertrouw je. I trust you.
79	drinkenverb	drinkWil je wat drinken? Do you want something to drink?
80	hetenverb	be called, be namedIk heet Jan. I'm called Jan.
81	volgenverb	follow, pursueVolg me, alsjeblieft. Follow me, please.
82	wezenverb	be, existIk wil daar zijn. I want to be there.
83	rakenverb	touch, hit, affectRaak dat niet aan. Don't touch that.
84	schrijvenverb	writeIk schrijf een brief. I write a letter.
85	kloppenverb	knock, be correctEr klopt iets niet hier. Something is not right here.
86	wonenverb	live, dwellWaar woon je? Where do you live?
87	sturenverb	send, steerIk stuur je een bericht. I send you a message.
88	winnenverb	winWij winnen het spel! We win the game!
89	rijdenverb	drive, rideIk rijd naar huis. I drive home.
90	dragenverb	wear, carryIk draag een rode jas. I wear a red jacket.
91	snappenverb	understand, get itSnap je wat ik zeg? Do you understand what I say?
92	slaanverb	hit, strike, beatSla de bal! Hit the ball!
93	klinkenverb	sound, ringDat klinkt goed! That sounds good!
94	trouwenverb	marry, wedZij trouwen volgende maand. They marry next month.
95	herinnerenverb	remember, recallIk herinner me die dag. I remember that day.
96	liegenverb	lie, reclineIk lig in bed. I lie in bed.
97	lezenverb	readIk lees graag boeken. I like to read books.
98	belovenverb	promiseIk beloof het je. I promise you.
99	vertrekkenverb	leave, depart, goWij vertrekken morgen. We are leaving tomorrow.
100	verdienenverb	earn, deserve, meritIk verdien goed geld. I earn good money.

How this list was made

Most frequency lists count newspapers and books. This one counts what people say on screen: word counts from the OpenSubtitles 2018 collection of film and TV subtitles (263 million Dutch words), published by the FrequencyWords project.

Different forms of the same word are counted together under the dictionary form, so every form of a verb adds to the verb's rank. Names, English words, typos and swear words were removed. Nouns are shown with their article where the language has one, so you learn the gender with the word.

Ranking: OpenSubtitles 2018 via FrequencyWords by Hermit Dave (CC BY-SA 4.0). This list is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Questions

How many Dutch words do you need to understand films and TV?

In 263 million words of Dutch subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 62.1% of everything said, the top 500 make up 78.5% and the top 1000 make up 82.8%. The rest are rarer words that are easiest to pick up from the shows themselves, in context.

How do I import this list into Anki?

Download the Anki deck (.apkg) and open it, or in Anki choose File, Import and pick the file. The cards arrive in the order of the list, most common first, with the meaning and an example on the back. AnkiDroid and AnkiMobile open the same file.

Can I use it in Quizlet?

Yes. Open the Quizlet file, copy everything, then in Quizlet create a set, choose Import and paste. Keep "Tab" between term and definition and "New line" between cards. Knowt and Brainscape accept the same text.

Is it free to use and share?

Yes. Download it, print it and share it. The list is published under CC BY-SA 4.0: if you publish it or a changed version, credit Fluent by Accident and the FrequencyWords project and share it under the same licence.

Where do the translations and examples come from?

The ranking comes only from real word counts. The English meanings and example sentences were drafted with AI and can contain small mistakes. If you spot one, write to rk@coldabry.com.