100 most common German 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
| # | German | English and example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | seinverb | be, exist, belongIch bin dein Freund. I am your friend. |
| 2 | habenverb | have, own, getIch habe einen Bruder. I have a brother. |
| 3 | werdenverb | become, will, getDu wirst ein Star. You will become a star. |
| 4 | könnenverb | can, be able to, mayIch kann Deutsch sprechen. I can speak German. |
| 5 | wollenverb | want, will, wishIch will nach Hause gehen. I want to go home. |
| 6 | wissenverb | know, be awareIch weiß nicht, wo er ist. I don't know where he is. |
| 7 | sagenverb | say, tell, speakSag mir die Wahrheit. Tell me the truth. |
| 8 | gehenverb | go, walk, leaveIch gehe zur Schule. I go to school. |
| 9 | kommenverb | come, arriveWann kommst du nach Hause? When are you coming home? |
| 10 | machenverb | make, doWas machst du heute? What are you doing today? |
| 11 | müssenverb | must, have toDu musst jetzt gehen. You must go now. |
| 12 | sehenverb | see, lookSiehst du das Auto dort? Do you see the car there? |
| 13 | tunverb | do, makeWas tust du da? What are you doing there? |
| 14 | sollenverb | should, shallDu sollst hier bleiben. You should stay here. |
| 15 | gebenverb | giveGib mir das Buch! Give me the book! |
| 16 | würdenverb | wouldWürdest du mir helfen? Would you help me? |
| 17 | lassenverb | let, leave, haveLass mich in Ruhe! Leave me alone! |
| 18 | denkenverb | thinkIch denke, das ist richtig. I think that is right. |
| 19 | hörenverb | hear, listenIch höre die Musik. I hear the music. |
| 20 | glaubenverb | believe, thinkIch glaube, das ist richtig. I think that's right. |
| 21 | findenverb | find, thinkIch finde das sehr gut. I think that's very good. |
| 22 | lebenverb | liveIch lebe in Berlin. I live in Berlin. |
| 23 | mögenverb | like, mayIch mag dich sehr. I like you very much. |
| 24 | meinenverb | mean, thinkWas meinst du damit? What do you mean by that? |
| 25 | nehmenverb | takeNimm das Buch, bitte. Take the book, please. |
| 26 | brauchenverb | needIch brauche deine Hilfe. I need your help. |
| 27 | bringenverb | bring, takeBringst du mir das Wasser? Will you bring me the water? |
| 28 | wartenverb | waitWarte hier auf mich. Wait here for me. |
| 29 | verstehenverb | understandIch verstehe dich nicht. I don't understand you. |
| 30 | bleibenverb | stay, remainBleib hier bei mir. Stay here with me. |
| 31 | stehenverb | standIch stehe hier und warte. I stand here and wait. |
| 32 | kennenverb | know, be acquainted withKennst du diesen Mann? Do you know this man? |
| 33 | redenverb | talk, speakWir reden über das Problem. We talk about the problem. |
| 34 | helfenverb | helpKannst du mir helfen? Can you help me? |
| 35 | haltenverb | hold, keep, stopHalt meine Hand! Hold my hand! |
| 36 | sprechenverb | speak, talkSprichst du Deutsch? Do you speak German? |
| 37 | passierenverb | happen, occurWas ist passiert? What happened? |
| 38 | dürfenverb | may, be allowed to, canDarf ich hier sitzen? May I sit here? |
| 39 | gehörenverb | belong, belong toDas gehört mir. That belongs to me. |
| 40 | fragenverb | askIch frage dich etwas. I'm asking you something. |
| 41 | fahrenverb | drive, go, travelWir fahren nach Berlin. We're driving to Berlin. |
| 42 | versuchenverb | try, attemptIch versuche es noch einmal. I'll try again. |
| 43 | tötenverb | killDas ist falsch, niemand sollte töten. That's wrong, nobody should kill. |
| 44 | heißenverb | be called, mean, sayWie heißt du? What's your name? |
| 45 | essenverb | eatWir essen zusammen zu Mittag. We eat lunch together. |
| 46 | erzählenverb | tell, narrate, recountErzähl mir eine Geschichte! Tell me a story! |
| 47 | arbeitenverb | workIch arbeite jeden Tag. I work every day. |
| 48 | bekommenverb | get, receive, obtainIch bekomme ein Geschenk. I'm getting a gift. |
| 49 | holenverb | fetch, get, pick upKannst du mich abholen? Can you pick me up? |
| 50 | sterbenverb | dieNiemand möchte sterben. Nobody wants to die. |
| 51 | treffenverb | meet, hitWir treffen uns morgen um drei. We meet tomorrow at three. |
| 52 | laufenverb | run, walkDie Kinder laufen sehr schnell. The children run very fast. |
| 53 | stimmenverb | be right, voteDas stimmt nicht ganz. That's not quite right. |
| 54 | zeigenverb | show, pointZeig mir dein neues Buch! Show me your new book! |
| 55 | spielenverb | playWir spielen Fußball im Park. We play football in the park. |
| 56 | vergessenverb | forgetIch vergesse meine Tasche immer. I always forget my bag. |
| 57 | verlierenverb | loseWir verlieren das Spiel heute. We lose the game today. |
| 58 | suchenverb | search, look forIch suche meinen Schlüssel. I'm looking for my key. |
| 59 | nennenverb | call, nameWie nennt man das auf Deutsch? What do you call that in German? |
| 60 | fühlenverb | feelWie fühlst du dich heute? How do you feel today? |
| 61 | schaffenverb | manage, createIch schaffe das nicht allein. I can't manage that alone. |
| 62 | ziehenverb | pull, draw, moveZieh die Tür nicht so hart! Don't pull the door so hard! |
| 63 | liebenverb | loveIch liebe dich sehr. I love you very much. |
| 64 | gefallenverb | like, pleaseDas Kleid gefällt mir sehr gut. I like that dress very much. |
| 65 | liegenverb | lie, be locatedDas Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. The book lies on the table. |
| 66 | stellenverb | put, place, askStell die Vase auf den Tisch! Put the vase on the table! |
| 67 | rufenverb | call, shoutRuf mich morgen an! Call me tomorrow! |
| 68 | schauenverb | look, watchSchau mal, was ich gefunden habe! Look, what I found! |
| 69 | setzenverb | sit, put, setSetz dich neben mich! Sit next to me! |
| 70 | erinnernverb | remember, remindErinnere mich morgen daran! Remind me about it tomorrow! |
| 71 | entschuldigenverb | excuse, apologizeEntschuldige, das war mein Fehler! Sorry, that was my mistake! |
| 72 | schlafenverb | sleepIch bin sehr müde und will schlafen. I'm very tired and want to sleep. |
| 73 | kriegenverb | get, receive, catchKriege ich ein Stück Kuchen? Can I get a piece of cake? |
| 74 | verschwindenverb | disappear, vanishDer Mann ist plötzlich verschwunden. The man suddenly disappeared. |
| 75 | schreibenverb | write, spellIch schreibe dir einen Brief. I write you a letter. |
| 76 | trinkenverb | drinkIch trinke gerne Kaffee. I like to drink coffee. |
| 77 | hoffenverb | hope, expectIch hoffe, du kommst morgen. I hope you come tomorrow. |
| 78 | verlassenverb | leave, abandon, desertIch verlasse dich nicht. I will not leave you. |
| 79 | lesenverb | readIch lese jeden Tag ein Buch. I read a book every day. |
| 80 | bedeutenverb | mean, signify, matterWas bedeutet dieses Wort? What does this word mean? |
| 81 | führenverb | lead, guide, conductEr führt uns nach Hause. He leads us home. |
| 82 | kümmernverb | care, worry, concernIch kümmere mich um dich. I care about you. |
| 83 | fallenverb | fall, dropPass auf, nicht fallen! Be careful, don't fall! |
| 84 | tragenverb | wear, carry, bearIch trage ein rotes Kleid. I'm wearing a red dress. |
| 85 | legenverb | lay, put, placeLeg dich hin. Lie down. |
| 86 | rettenverb | save, rescueDu hast mein Leben gerettet. You saved my life. |
| 87 | scheinenverb | seem, appear, shineDas scheint einfach. That seems easy. |
| 88 | kaufenverb | buyIch kaufe ein neues Auto. I'm buying a new car. |
| 89 | lernenverb | learn, studyIch lerne Deutsch für die Schule. I'm learning German for school. |
| 90 | sitzenverb | sitIch sitze auf dem Sofa. I'm sitting on the sofa. |
| 91 | umbringenverb | kill, murderDas bringt mich um! That's killing me! |
| 92 | anrufenverb | call, phoneIch rufe dich morgen an. I'll call you tomorrow. |
| 93 | vertrauenverb | trustIch vertraue dir. I trust you. |
| 94 | reichenverb | reach, hand, sufficeKannst du mir das Salz reichen? Can you pass me the salt? |
| 95 | versprechenverb | promiseIch verspreche dir, pünktlich zu sein. I promise you to be on time. |
| 96 | lachenverb | laughWir lachen über den lustigen Film. We're laughing at the funny movie. |
| 97 | erwartenverb | expect, wait for, anticipateIch erwarte dich um acht Uhr. I expect you at eight o'clock. |
| 98 | wagenverb | dare, risk, ventureEr wagt nicht, die Wahrheit zu sagen. He doesn't dare to tell the truth. |
| 99 | gewinnenverb | win, gain, earnWir gewinnen das Spiel! We're winning the game! |
| 100 | freuenverb | be happy, be pleased, look forwardIch freue mich auf dich! I'm looking forward to you! |
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 (156 million German 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 German words do you need to understand films and TV?
In 156 million words of German subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 60.7% of everything said, the top 500 make up 76.7% and the top 1000 make up 81%. 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.