100 most common Italian 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
| # | Italian | English and example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | essereverb | to beSono molto stanco oggi. I am very tired today. |
| 2 | avereverb | to haveAbbiamo due figli e un cane. We have two children and a dog. |
| 3 | fareverb | to do, to makeChe cosa fai stasera? What are you doing tonight? |
| 4 | potereverb | can, to be able toPosso entrare un momento? May I come in for a moment? |
| 5 | stareverb | to be, to stay, to feelCome stai? Io sto bene. How are you? I'm fine. |
| 6 | andareverb | to goVado al lavoro in macchina. I go to work by car. |
| 7 | sapereverb | to know, to know how toNon so dove sia Luca. I don't know where Luca is. |
| 8 | volereverb | to wantVoglio un po' d'acqua, grazie. I want some water, thanks. |
| 9 | dovereverb | must, to have to, to oweDevo andare a casa adesso. I have to go home now. |
| 10 | direverb | to say, to tellChe cosa hai detto? What did you say? |
| 11 | vedereverb | to seeNon vedo niente, c'è buio. I can't see anything, it's dark. |
| 12 | pensareverb | to thinkPenso spesso a casa mia. I often think about my home. |
| 13 | venireverb | to comeVieni qui, ti devo parlare. Come here, I have to talk to you. |
| 14 | dareverb | to giveMi dai un po' d'acqua? Can you give me some water? |
| 15 | parlareverb | to speak, to talkPosso parlare con il dottore? May I speak with the doctor? |
| 16 | prendereverb | to take, to getPrendo un caffè e un cornetto. I'll have a coffee and a croissant. |
| 17 | credereverb | to believe, to thinkNon ci credo, è incredibile! I don't believe it, it's incredible! |
| 18 | sentireverb | to hear, to feelSenti questo rumore? Che cos'è? Do you hear this noise? What is it? |
| 19 | trovareverb | to findNon trovo le mie chiavi. I can't find my keys. |
| 20 | lasciareverb | to leave, to letLasciami in pace, per favore. Leave me alone, please. |
| 21 | capireverb | to understandNon capisco, puoi ripetere? I don't understand, can you repeat? |
| 22 | piacereverb | to like, pleasureMi piace molto questa musica. I like this music a lot. |
| 23 | chiamareverb | to callTi chiamo più tardi, va bene? I'll call you later, okay? |
| 24 | aspettareverb | to wait, to wait forTi aspetto davanti al cinema. I'll wait for you in front of the cinema. |
| 25 | sembrareverb | to seemSembra una bella idea. It seems like a good idea. |
| 26 | tornareverb | to return, to come backTorno tra dieci minuti, aspettami. I'll be back in ten minutes, wait for me. |
| 27 | cercareverb | to look for, to tryCerco mia sorella, l'hai vista? I'm looking for my sister, have you seen her? |
| 28 | guardareverb | to watch, to look atGuarda quel cane, è enorme! Look at that dog, it's huge! |
| 29 | mettereverb | to put, to placeMetti la borsa sul tavolo. Put the bag on the table. |
| 30 | chiedereverb | to askPosso chiederti un favore? Can I ask you a favor? |
| 31 | conoscereverb | to know, to meetConosci mia sorella Giulia? Do you know my sister Giulia? |
| 32 | arrivareverb | to arriveIl treno arriva alle nove. The train arrives at nine. |
| 33 | uccidereverb | to killChi ha ucciso il re? Who killed the king? |
| 34 | dispiacereverb | to be sorry, to mindMi dispiace, non lo sapevo. I'm sorry, I didn't know. |
| 35 | succedereverb | to happenChe cosa è successo qui? What happened here? |
| 36 | riuscireverb | to manage, to succeedNon riesco ad aprire questa porta. I can't manage to open this door. |
| 37 | portareverb | to bring, to carry, to wearPorto io il vino stasera. I'll bring the wine tonight. |
| 38 | aiutareverb | to helpPosso aiutarti con la spesa? Can I help you with the shopping? |
| 39 | servireverb | to serve, to be neededMi serve il tuo aiuto. I need your help. |
| 40 | scusareverb | to excuse, to forgiveScusa, sai che ore sono? Excuse me, do you know what time it is? |
| 41 | perdereverb | to lose, to missNon voglio perdere il treno. I don't want to miss the train. |
| 42 | ascoltareverb | to listen, to listen toAscolta bene, è molto importante. Listen carefully, it's very important. |
| 43 | uscireverb | to go out, to leaveStasera esco con i miei amici. Tonight I'm going out with my friends. |
| 44 | entrareverb | to enter, to come inPosso entrare? La porta è aperta. Can I come in? The door is open. |
| 45 | provareverb | to try, to feelVoglio provare questa pizza. I want to try this pizza. |
| 46 | tenereverb | to keep, to holdTieni questo, io non lo voglio. Keep this, I don't want it. |
| 47 | lavorareverb | to workLavoro in un ristorante vicino. I work in a nearby restaurant. |
| 48 | bastareverb | to be enoughBasta così, grazie. That's enough, thanks. |
| 49 | finireverb | to finish, to endQuando finisci il lavoro oggi? When do you finish work today? |
| 50 | ricordareverb | to rememberNon ricordo il suo nome. I don't remember his name. |
| 51 | amareverb | to loveTi amo più di tutto. I love you more than anything. |
| 52 | vivereverb | to liveVivono in campagna da molti anni. They have lived in the countryside for many years. |
| 53 | diventareverb | to becomeVoglio diventare un medico. I want to become a doctor. |
| 54 | smettereverb | to stop, to quitSmetti di ridere, non è divertente. Stop laughing, it's not funny. |
| 55 | mangiareverb | to eatMangiamo insieme a casa mia? Shall we eat together at my place? |
| 56 | rimanereverb | to stay, to remainRimani qui con me stanotte. Stay here with me tonight. |
| 57 | sperareverb | to hopeSpero di vederti presto. I hope to see you soon. |
| 58 | restareverb | to stay, to remainResta con noi per cena. Stay with us for dinner. |
| 59 | passareverb | to pass, to spendPasso il weekend dai miei nonni. I spend the weekend at my grandparents'. |
| 60 | morireverb | to dieMuoio di fame, andiamo a mangiare! I'm starving, let's go eat! |
| 61 | iniziareverb | to start, to beginIl film inizia alle nove. The film starts at nine. |
| 62 | preoccupareverb | to worryNon ti preoccupare, andrà tutto bene. Don't worry, everything will be fine. |
| 63 | cambiareverb | to changeVoglio cambiare la mia vita. I want to change my life. |
| 64 | bereverb | to drinkVuoi bere qualcosa di freddo? Do you want to drink something cold? |
| 65 | significareverb | to meanCosa significa questa parola? What does this word mean? |
| 66 | usareverb | to usePosso usare il tuo telefono? Can I use your phone? |
| 67 | importareverb | to matter, to importNon mi importa cosa pensano. I don't care what they think. |
| 68 | fermareverb | to stopDobbiamo fermare questa macchina subito. We have to stop this car right now. |
| 69 | dormireverb | to sleepVoglio dormire fino a tardi. I want to sleep in late. |
| 70 | scoprireverb | to discover, to find outVoglio scoprire chi l'ha fatto. I want to find out who did it. |
| 71 | intendereverb | to mean, to intendChe cosa intendi con questo? What do you mean by this? |
| 72 | continuareverb | to continue, to keep goingDobbiamo continuare a cercare, amico. We have to keep searching, friend. |
| 73 | aprireverb | to openPuoi aprire la finestra, per favore? Can you open the window, please? |
| 74 | scrivereverb | to writeVoglio scrivere una lettera a mamma. I want to write a letter to Mom. |
| 75 | parereverb | to seemMi pare un'idea molto buona. It seems like a very good idea to me. |
| 76 | funzionareverb | to work, to functionIl mio telefono non funziona più. My phone doesn't work anymore. |
| 77 | chiudereverb | to close, to shutChiudi la porta, fa freddo. Close the door, it's cold. |
| 78 | controllareverb | to check, to controlDevo controllare la mia email. I have to check my email. |
| 79 | rispondereverb | to answer, to replyPerché non rispondi al telefono? Why don't you answer the phone? |
| 80 | giocareverb | to playI bambini vogliono giocare fuori. The children want to play outside. |
| 81 | pagareverb | to payIo pago la cena stasera. I'm paying for dinner tonight. |
| 82 | immaginareverb | to imagineRiesci a immaginare una vita senza musica? Can you imagine a life without music? |
| 83 | vincereverb | to winOggi la nostra squadra può vincere. Today our team can win. |
| 84 | mancareverb | to miss, to lackMi manchi tanto, lo sai. I miss you so much, you know. |
| 85 | ricevereverb | to receiveHo appena ricevuto un messaggio strano. I just received a strange message. |
| 86 | rendereverb | to make, to give backQuesto lavoro mi rende molto felice. This job makes me very happy. |
| 87 | sparareverb | to shootNon sparare, siamo amici! Don't shoot, we are friends! |
| 88 | trattareverb | to treat, to deal withDevi trattare tutti con rispetto. You must treat everyone with respect. |
| 89 | cominciareverb | to begin, to startIl film sta per cominciare. The movie is about to start. |
| 90 | andarseneverb | to leave, to go awayMe ne vado, è tardi. I'm leaving, it's late. |
| 91 | spiacereverb | to be sorry, to displeaseMi spiace, non posso venire. I'm sorry, I can't come. |
| 92 | muovereverb | to moveNon muoverti, per favore! Don't move, please! |
| 93 | salvareverb | to save, to rescueDevi salvare il tuo amico! You must save your friend! |
| 94 | promettereverb | to promiseTi prometto che torno presto. I promise you I'll be back soon. |
| 95 | mentireverb | to liePerché devi sempre mentire? Why must you always lie? |
| 96 | incontrareverb | to meetVoglio incontrare tuo padre domani. I want to meet your father tomorrow. |
| 97 | scappareverb | to run away, to escapeDobbiamo scappare da qui, adesso! We have to get out of here, now! |
| 98 | comprareverb | to buyVoglio comprare un regalo per lei. I want to buy a gift for her. |
| 99 | dimenticareverb | to forgetNon dimenticare le chiavi, per favore. Don't forget the keys, please. |
| 100 | scegliereverb | to chooseDevi scegliere una sola cosa. You must choose only one thing. |
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 (247 million Italian 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 Italian words do you need to understand films and TV?
In 247 million words of Italian subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 60.2% of everything said, the top 500 make up 76.2% and the top 1000 make up 80.5%. 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.