100 Most Common Spanish VerbsList of common Spanish verbs, conjugation rules, and practice.

There is no single universal ranking of the 100 most common Spanish verbs: frequency varies by region, genre, and corpus. The following list is a practical selection of 100 high-frequency verbs, arranged alphabetically. Learning them provides a strong foundation for Spanish communication.

1. acabar — to finish, to end
2. abrir — to open
3. aceptar — to accept
4. alcanzar — to reach, to achieve
5. amar — to love
6. aprender — to learn
7. ayudar — to help
8. bajar — to go down, to lower
9. beber — to drink
10. buscar — to search for, to look for
11. caer — to fall
12. cambiar — to change
13. caminar — to walk
14. cantar — to sing
15. cerrar — to close
16. comenzar — to begin
17. comer — to eat
18. comprar — to buy
19. conocer — to know, to meet
20. conseguir — to get, to obtain
21. contar — to count, to tell
22. correr — to run
23. creer — to believe
24. dar — to give
25. decir — to say, to tell
26. dejar — to leave, to let
27. descubrir — to discover
28. desear — to wish, to want
29. deber — to have to, ought to
30. dormir — to sleep
31. empezar — to begin, to start
32. encontrar — to find
33. entender — to understand
34. entrar — to enter, to go in
35. enviar — to send
36. escribir — to write
37. escuchar — to listen to
38. esperar — to hope, to wait
39. estar — to be
40. estudiar — to study
41. existir — to exist
42. ganar — to win, to earn
43. gustar — to like
44. haber — to have (auxiliary); there is/are
45. hablar — to speak, to talk
46. hacer — to do, to make
47. ir — to go
48. jugar — to play
49. leer — to read
50. levantar — to lift, to raise
51. llamar — to call
52. llegar — to arrive
53. llevar — to carry, to take, to wear
54. mantener — to maintain, to keep
55. mirar — to look at, to watch
56. morir — to die
57. necesitar — to need
58. oír — to hear
59. pagar — to pay
60. parecer — to seem, to appear
61. partir — to leave, to split
62. pedir — to ask for, to order
63. pensar — to think
64. perder — to lose
65. permitir — to allow
66. poder — to be able to, can
67. poner — to put, to place
68. preguntar — to ask
69. preparar — to prepare
70. quedar — to stay, to remain; to meet
71. querer — to want; to love
72. recibir — to receive
73. reconocer — to recognize
74. recordar — to remember
75. repetir — to repeat
76. responder — to answer, to respond
77. saber — to know (a fact or how to do something)
78. sacar — to take out, to remove
79. salir — to leave, to go out
80. seguir — to follow, to continue
81. sentir — to feel; to be sorry
82. ser — to be
83. servir — to serve
84. tener — to have
85. terminar — to finish, to end
86. tocar — to touch; to play (an instrument)
87. tomar — to take; to drink
88. trabajar — to work
89. traer — to bring
90. usar — to use
91. vender — to sell
92. venir — to come
93. ver — to see
94. viajar — to travel
95. vivir — to live
96. volver — to return, to come back

Some especially frequent verbs are ser, estar, haber, tener, hacer, poder, decir, ir, ver, and dar. Exact rankings differ among sources.

Spanish verbs are grouped by their infinitive endings: -ar, -er, and -ir. Regular verbs use predictable endings, while irregular verbs change their stem, endings, or both.

Regular verbs in the present tense:

For regular present-tense verbs, remove -ar, -er, or -ir from the infinitive and add the appropriate ending. The vosotros forms are mainly used in Spain; most of Latin America uses ustedes.

Common irregular verbs in the present tense:

• ser (to be): yo soy, tú eres, él/ella/usted es, nosotros/nosotras somos, vosotros/vosotras sois, ellos/ellas/ustedes son.
• tener (to have): yo tengo, tú tienes, él/ella/usted tiene, nosotros/nosotras tenemos, vosotros/vosotras tenéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes tienen.
• ir (to go): yo voy, tú vas, él/ella/usted va, nosotros/nosotras vamos, vosotros/vosotras vais, ellos/ellas/ustedes van.

Irregular verb in the preterite: hacer (to do, to make): yo hice, tú hiciste, él/ella/usted hizo, nosotros/nosotras hicimos, vosotros/vosotras hicisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes hicieron.

Learn each irregular verb individually, and use the regular patterns as a starting point for the many verbs that follow them.

Common verbs appear in nearly every setting. The examples below show natural uses in everyday conversation, formal emails, travel, shopping, work, and restaurants.

Daily conversations

• Yo soy feliz. — I am happy.
• Estoy cansado. — I am tired.
• Tengo dos hermanos. — I have two siblings.
• Hago la cama todos los días. — I make my bed every day.
• Puedo hablar español. — I can speak Spanish.

Formal emails

• Solicito más información. — I request more information.
• Agradezco su tiempo. — I appreciate your time.
• Confirmo la recepción del documento. — I confirm receipt of the document.
• Le informo de que la reunión ha sido cancelada. — I am informing you that the meeting has been canceled.
• Envío el documento adjunto. — I am sending the attached document.

Travel

• Voy al hotel. — I am going to the hotel.
• Necesito un taxi. — I need a taxi.
• Quiero visitar el museo. — I want to visit the museum.
• Busco una farmacia. — I am looking for a pharmacy.
• Llegamos a las ocho. — We arrive at eight.

Shopping

• Compro fruta. — I buy fruit.
• Pago en efectivo. — I pay in cash.
• ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much does it cost?
• Necesito ayuda. — I need help.
• Prefiero el azul. — I prefer the blue one.

At work

• Trabajo en un proyecto. — I am working on a project.
• Nos reunimos a las diez. — We meet at ten.
• Mando el informe. — I am sending the report.
• Colaboro con el equipo. — I collaborate with the team.
• Termino la tarea. — I finish the task.

Dining out

• Como una ensalada. — I eat a salad.
• Bebo agua. — I drink water.
• Quiero una mesa para dos. — I want a table for two.
• Pido el menú. — I ask for the menu.
• ¿Me trae la cuenta? — Could you bring me the bill?

Verb frequency depends on the source: spoken conversation, journalism, literature, and regional varieties do not use exactly the same vocabulary. Still, verbs such as ser, estar, haber, tener, hacer, ir, poder, and decir occur very often because they express basic states, existence, possession, movement, ability, and communication.

Everyday necessity: Verbs for basic actions and states are indispensable in ordinary interactions. For example, ir means “to go,” hacer means “to do” or “to make,” and decir means “to say” or “to tell.”

Grammar and function: Auxiliary and high-frequency verbs are common because they help form many structures. Haber forms compound tenses and expresses existence, while estar is used for states, conditions, and locations.

The following table gives useful examples of very frequent verbs; it is not a universal ranking.

The tense chosen for a common verb depends on the context, time frame, and variety of Spanish. The present is generally the most frequent in everyday communication, but the past tenses are essential for narration.

• Present tense (presente): Used for current situations, habits, and general truths. Hablo español. — I speak Spanish.
• Preterite (pretérito perfecto simple or indefinido): Used for completed events viewed as bounded or finished. Ayer hablé con Ana. — Yesterday I spoke with Ana.
• Imperfect (imperfecto): Used for ongoing or habitual past actions and background description. De niño, comía con mis abuelos. — As a child, I used to eat with my grandparents.
• Future (futuro): Used for future actions and predictions. Mañana hablaré con él. — Tomorrow I will speak with him.
• Conditional (condicional): Used for hypothetical results, softened statements, and polite requests. Comería más, pero ya estoy lleno. — I would eat more, but I am already full.

There is no single reliable percentage for all Spanish verb use. The proportions change according to the corpus, region, genre, and whether spoken or written language is measured. A useful qualitative guide is:

Common verbs often cause errors because Spanish does not always match English in verb choice, conjugation, or sentence structure.

• Ser and estar:
  • Ser commonly describes identity, classification, origin, and inherent or characteristic qualities; estar commonly describes states, conditions, and locations. Él es inteligente. — He is intelligent. Él está cansado. — He is tired.
  • Use estar, not ser, for location. El libro está en la mesa. — The book is on the table.
• Hablar:
  • Do not confuse present and preterite forms. Yo hablo español. — I speak Spanish. Ayer yo hablé con Marta. — Yesterday I spoke with Marta.
  • Use decir for “to say” or “to tell” when reporting words or information; hablar means “to speak” or “to talk.”
• Tener and haber:
  • Haber is the auxiliary in compound tenses. He tenido mucho trabajo. — I have had a lot of work. The simple present tengo means “I have,” not “I have had.”
  • Use tener for age, not ser. Tengo veinte años. — I am twenty years old.
• Gustar:
  • The liked thing is the grammatical subject, and an indirect object pronoun identifies the person who likes it. Me gusta el libro. — I like the book.
  • With a plural subject, use gustan. A ellos les gustan los deportes. — They like sports.
• Ir and venir:
  • Ir means “to go” toward a destination; venir means “to come” toward the speaker or another reference point. Voy a tu casa. — I am going to your house. Vengo a tu casa. — I am coming to your house.
  • Iré is the correct simple future of ir. The near future is formed with ir plus a plus an infinitive: Voy a ir mañana. — I am going to go tomorrow.