100 most common Spanish 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

#	Spanish	English and example
1	serverb	to beYo soy ingeniero. I am an engineer.
2	estarverb	to be¿Dónde estás? Where are you?
3	irverb	to go¿Vamos al cine? Shall we go to the cinema?
4	haberverb	to haveHay mucha gente aquí. There are many people here.
5	tenerverb	to haveTengo dos hermanos. I have two brothers.
6	poderverb	can, to be able¿Puedo entrar? Can I come in?
7	hacerverb	to do, to make¿Qué haces? What are you doing?
8	decirverb	to say, to tell¿Qué dice? What does he say?
9	saberverb	to know¿Sabes dónde está? Do you know where it is?
10	quererverb	to want, to love¿Qué quieres hacer? What do you want to do?
11	ververb	to see¿Ves eso? Do you see that?
12	creerverb	believe, think¿Crees que es verdad? Do you think it's true?
13	deberverb	must, should, oweDebes hablar con él ahora. You must talk to him now.
14	hablarverb	speak, talkNecesito hablar contigo ahora. I need to talk to you now.
15	darverb	give¿Me das tu número de teléfono? Will you give me your phone number?
16	venirverb	come¿Vienes a la fiesta mañana? Are you coming to the party tomorrow?
17	pasarverb	happen, pass, spend¿Qué pasó aquí ayer? What happened here yesterday?
18	dejarverb	leave, let, allowDéjame en paz, por favor. Leave me alone, please.
19	sentirverb	feel, regret, sorry¿Cómo te sientes ahora? How do you feel now?
20	pensarverb	think¿En qué estás pensando? What are you thinking about?
21	esperarverb	wait, hope, expectEspera aquí un momento. Wait here for a moment.
22	necesitarverb	to needNecesito ayuda con esto. I need help with this.
23	mirarverb	to look, to watch, to seeMira ese coche rojo. Look at that red car.
24	parecerverb	to seem, to appear, to look likeParece que va a llover. It seems like it's going to rain.
25	llamarverb	to call, to name, to ring¿Cómo te llamas? What's your name?
26	gustarverb	to like, to pleaseMe gusta mucho este libro. I really like this book.
27	volververb	to return, to come back, to go backVuelvo a casa a las seis. I return home at six.
28	llevarverb	to carry, to take, to wear, to leadLlevo mi bolsa al trabajo. I carry my bag to work.
29	encontrarverb	find, meet¿Dónde encontraste mi libro? Where did you find my book?
30	llegarverb	arrive, reachLlegué a casa a las ocho. I arrived home at eight.
31	oírverb	hear¿Oyes ese ruido? Do you hear that noise?
32	salirverb	leave, go outSalgo de casa a las siete. I leave home at seven.
33	quedarverb	stay, remain, be left¿Cuánto dinero te queda? How much money do you have left?
34	tomarverb	take, drinkTomo café cada mañana. I drink coffee every morning.
35	ponerverb	put, placePongo el libro en la mesa. I put the book on the table.
36	conocerverb	know, meet¿Conoces a mi hermano? Do you know my brother?
37	seguirverb	follow, continueSigo estudiando español. I continue studying Spanish.
38	escucharverb	listen, hearEscucho música cada día. I listen to music every day.
39	matarverb	killNo quiero matar insectos. I don't want to kill insects.
40	valerverb	be worth, cost¿Cuánto vale este libro? How much is this book worth?
41	entenderverb	understand¿Entiendes lo que digo? Do you understand what I'm saying?
42	ayudarverb	help¿Me ayudas con la tarea? Will you help me with homework?
43	acabarverb	finish, endAcabo de terminar mi trabajo. I just finished my work.
44	vivirverb	liveVivo en una casa grande. I live in a big house.
45	trabajarverb	workTrabajo en una oficina. I work in an office.
46	morirverb	dieLas flores mueren sin agua. Flowers die without water.
47	buscarverb	look for, searchBusco mis llaves. I'm looking for my keys.
48	importarverb	matter, careNo me importa lo que pienses. I don't care what you think.
49	tratarverb	treat, deal with, try¿Cómo me tratas así? How do you treat me like this?
50	suponerverb	suppose, assume, meanSupongo que tienes razón. I suppose you are right.
51	intentarverb	try, attemptVoy a intentar una vez más. I am going to try once more.
52	empezarverb	start, begin¿Cuándo empezamos? When do we start?
53	pedirverb	ask for, request, orderTe pido un favor importante. I ask you for an important favor.
54	perderverb	lose, missNo quiero perder este momento. I do not want to miss this moment.
55	conseguirverb	get, obtain, manage to¿Cómo consigues eso? How do you get that?
56	entrarverb	enter, go in, come in¿Puedo entrar ahora? Can I come in now?
57	amarverb	to loveYo te amo con todo mi corazón. I love you with all my heart.
58	preguntarverb	to ask¿Puedo preguntar algo importante? Can I ask something important?
59	comerverb	to eat¿Quieres comer algo conmigo? Do you want to eat something with me?
60	traerverb	to bring¿Puedes traer el pan, por favor? Can you bring the bread, please?
61	preocuparverb	to worryNo te preocupes por eso ahora. Don't worry about that now.
62	recordarverb	to remember, to remind¿Recuerdas el día que nos conocimos? Do you remember the day we met?
63	usarverb	to use¿Puedo usar tu teléfono un momento? Can I use your phone for a moment?
64	significarverb	to mean¿Qué significa esa palabra en español? What does that word mean in Spanish?
65	cambiarverb	change, switchNecesito cambiar de ropa. I need to change clothes.
66	terminarverb	finish, endVoy a terminar mi trabajo ahora. I'm going to finish my work now.
67	sucederverb	happen, occur¿Qué va a suceder ahora? What is going to happen now?
68	dormirverb	to sleepNecesito dormir ocho horas. I need to sleep eight hours.
69	jugarverb	to play¿Quieres jugar conmigo? Do you want to play with me?
70	olvidarverb	to forgetNo puedo olvidar ese día. I can't forget that day.
71	ocurrirverb	to happen, to occur¿Qué ocurrió aquí ayer? What happened here yesterday?
72	ganarverb	to win, to earnQuiero ganar este partido de fútbol. I want to win this football match.
73	funcionarverb	to work, to function¿Funciona bien tu teléfono? Does your phone work well?
74	comprarverb	to buyVoy a comprar pan en la tienda. I'm going to buy bread at the store.
75	encantarverb	to love, to enchantMe encanta esta película. I love this movie.
76	leerverb	to readMe gusta leer libros por la noche. I like to read books at night.
77	abrirverb	to open¿Puedes abrir la puerta? Can you open the door?
78	correrverb	run, to run¡Corre rápido, por favor! Run fast, please!
79	moververb	move, to move¿Puedes mover la mesa un poco? Can you move the table a bit?
80	regresarverb	return, come back, go backRegreso a casa a las seis. I return home at six.
81	disculparverb	excuse, forgive, pardonDisculpa, no te escuché bien. Excuse me, I didn't hear you well.
82	sacarverb	take out, remove, pullSaca el dinero de tu bolsillo. Take the money out of your pocket.
83	bastarverb	be enough, sufficeCien dólares bastan para el viaje. One hundred dollars are enough for the trip.
84	beberverb	drink¿Quieres beber algo frío? Do you want to drink something cold?
85	escribirverb	writeEscribo una carta a mi madre. I'm writing a letter to my mother.
86	alegrarverb	make happy, cheer upTu visita me alegra mucho. Your visit makes me very happy.
87	callarverb	be quiet, silence, shut up¡Calla y escúchame bien! Be quiet and listen to me!
88	andarverb	walk, go, moveAndo por la calle todos los días. I walk down the street every day.
89	mantenerverb	keep, maintain, supportDebo mantener mi familia. I must support my family.
90	perdonarverb	forgive, pardon, excuseTe perdono, no fue tu culpa. I forgive you, it wasn't your fault.
91	sonarverb	ring, sound, playEl teléfono suena constantemente. The phone rings constantly.
92	recibirverb	receive, get, welcomeRecibí tu carta ayer. I received your letter yesterday.
93	confiarverb	trust, rely onConfío en ti completamente. I trust you completely.
94	referirverb	refer, mention¿A qué te refieres exactamente? What exactly are you referring to?
95	caerverb	fall, dropTen cuidado, no caigas. Be careful, don't fall.
96	dispararverb	shoot, fire¡No dispares! Es peligroso. Don't shoot! It's dangerous.
97	pagarverb	payTengo que pagar la cuenta hoy. I have to pay the bill today.
98	comenzarverb	to begin, to startLa película comienza a las ocho. The movie starts at eight.
99	contarverb	to count, to tellCuéntame qué pasó ayer. Tell me what happened yesterday.
100	tocarverb	to touch, to playNo toques eso, es peligroso. Don't touch that, it's dangerous.

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 (423 million Spanish 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 Spanish words do you need to understand films and TV?

In 423 million words of Spanish subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 61.3% of everything said, the top 500 make up 76.5% and the top 1000 make up 80.7%. 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.