Learn 100 common and useful verbs in French
When learning a new language like French, mastering verbs is crucial. Verbs are the backbone of communication, allowing you to express actions, thoughts, preferences, and more.
Understanding verbs helps you form sentences and articulate yourself in everyday situations. Once you know the pronouns and some key verbs, you’ll be able to create simple sentences, such as:
Je comprends – I understand Je dors – I sleep Je mange – I eat Je lis – I read Elle court – She runs Il parle – He talks Vous partez – You go Ils reviennent – They come back
As demonstrated, just a pronoun and a verb can help you communicate effectively.
To accelerate your learning and make it more efficient, focusing on the most common and useful French verbs is essential.
Below, you’ll find example sentences for 100 common and useful French verbs, organized alphabetically. This list will aid you in practicing and improving your French at any time and anywhere.
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1)Practical Example Sentences for 100 Common French Verbs
- Acheter – to buy
- Agir – to act
- Aimer – to like/to love
- Ajouter – to add
- Aller – to go
- Apercevoir – to see/to spot
- Apprendre – to learn
- Arriver – to arrive
- Avoir – to have
- Boire – to drink
- Cacher – to hide
- Changer – to change
- Chanter – to sing
- Chercher – to look for
- Comprendre – to understand
- Compter – to count
- Conduire – to drive
- Connaître – to know
- Continuer – to continue
- Courir – to run
- Crier – to shout
- Croire – to believe
- Défaire – to undo
- Demander – to ask
- Descendre – to come down
- Devenir – to become
- Dire – to say/to tell
- Donner – to give
- Dormir – to sleep
- Écouter – to listen to
- Entendre – to hear
- Envoyer – to send
- Essayer – to try
- Être – to be
- Étudier – to study
- Exister – to exist
- Faire – to do/make
- Faire du shopping – to go shopping (for leisure)
- Faire les courses – to go shopping (for groceries)
- Finir – to finish
- Frapper – to hit
- Garder – to keep
- Jeter – to throw
- Jouer – to play
- Lire – to read
- Manger – to eat
- Mettre – to put/to place
- Obtenir – to get
- Occuper – to occupy
- Offrir – to offer
- Oublier – to forget
- Parler – to speak
- Passer – to pass
- Payer- to pay
- Penser – to think
- Peser – to weigh
- Pleurer – to cry
- Poser – to put
- Pousser – to push
- Pouvoir – to be able to/can
- Prendre – to take
- Présenter – to present
- Quitter – to leave
- Rappeler – to call back
- Recevoir – to receive
- Reconnaître – to recognize
- Redire – to repeat/to say again
- Refaire – to redo
- Regarder – to look
- Remettre – to put back
- Rencontrer – to meet
- Rendre – to return
- Répéter – to repeat
- Répondre – to answer
- Rester – to stay
- Retourner – to return
- Retrouver – to find
- Revenir – to come back
- Rire – to laugh
- Saigner – to bleed
- Saisir – to seize
- Sauver – to save
- Savoir – to know
- Se sentir – to feel/ to feel something
- Secourir – to rescue
- Sembler – to seem
- Sentir – to feel/to smell
- Servir – to serve
- Suivre – to follow
- Tirer – to pull, to shoot
- Tourner – to turn
- Travailler – to work
- Trouver – to find
- Tuer – to kill
- Vendre – to sell
- Venir – to come
- Vivre – to live
- Voir – to see
- Voler – to steal/ to fly
- Vomir – to vomit
- Vouloir – to want
2) List of common and useful verbs in French in alphabetic order: [download pdf version]
- acheter – to buy
- agir– to act
- aimer – to like/to love
- ajouter – to add
- aller – to go
- apercevoir – to see/to spot
- apprendre – to learn
- arriver – to arrive
- avoir – to have
- boire – to drink
- cacher – to hide
- changer – to change
- chanter – to sing
- chercher – to look for
- comprendre – to understand
- compter – to count
- conduire – to drive
- connaitre – to know
- continuer – to continue
- courir – to run
- crier – to shout
- croire – to believe
- défaire – to undo
- demander – to ask
- descendre – to come down
- devenir – to become
- dire – to say/to tell
- donner – to give
- dormir – to sleep
- écouter – to listen to
- entendre – to hear
- envoyer –to send
- essayer – to try
- être – to be
- étudier – to study
- exister – to exist
- faire – to do
- faire du shopping – to go shopping (for leisure)
- faire les courses – to go shopping (for groceries)
- finir – to finish
- frapper – to hit
- garder – to keep
- jeter – to throw
- jouer – to play
- lire – to read
- manger – to eat
- mettre – to put/to place
- obtenir – to get
- occuper – to occupy
- offrir – to offer
- oublier – to forget
- parler – to speak
- passer – to pass
- payer– to pay
- penser – to think
- peser – to weigh
- pleurer – to cry
- poser – to put
- pousser – to push
- pouvoir – to be able to
- prendre – to take
- présenter – to present
- quitter – to leave
- rappeler – to call back
- recevoir – to receive
- reconnaitre – to recognize
- redire – to repeat/to say again
- refaire – to redo
- regarder – to look
- remettre – to put back
- rencontrer – to meet
- rendre – to return
- répéter – to repeat
- répondre – to answer
- rester – to stay
- retourner – to return
- retrouver – to find
- revenir – to come back
- rire – to laugh
- saigner – to bleed
- saisir – to cease
- sauver – to save
- savoir – to know
- se sentir – to feel/ to feel something
- secourir – to rescue
- sembler – to seem
- sentir – to feel/to smell
- servir – to serve
- suivre – to follow
- tirer – to pull, to shoot
- tourner – to turn
- travailler – to work
- trouver – to find
- tuer – to kill
- vendre– to sell
- venir – to come
- vivre – to live
- voir – to see
- voler – to steal/ to fly
- vomir – to vomit
- vouloir – to want
I hope this list of verbs was useful for you, you can also watch it in video if you prefer, with different example sentences. If you have any questions, please leave a comment.
