You can survive with a hundred nouns and no verbs only if you point a lot. Verbs are what turn the words you've already learned into sentences, and German is generous here: most of them follow one set of endings, and the irregular ones are irregular in predictable places.
This page is the working list. It's grouped by what you're doing rather than alphabetically, because that's how you'll reach for them — and it ends with the ten verbs that only appear in German officialdom, which nobody teaches and everybody needs.
The Ten to Learn First
to be
sein
to have
haben
to become, to get
werden
can, to be able to
können
must, to have to
müssen
to say
sagen
to make, to do
machen
to give
geben
to come
kommen
to go
gehen
to want
wollen
to know (a fact)
wissen
to see
sehen
to find
finden
to need
brauchen
Practice these words
sein
Quick notes:
- Sein and haben have their own lessons — sein and haben — because they're irregular and they build other tenses.
- Machen is the workhorse. It covers do, make, and a hundred idioms: Was machst du?, Das macht nichts, Das macht 8 Euro, Mach's gut.
- Werden is worth early attention. It means "to become" (Es wird kalt) and it's also how German builds the future and the passive.
How the Endings Work
Regular German verbs drop the -en and add six endings. That's the entire system.
| Person | Ending | machen | arbeiten |
|---|---|---|---|
ich | -e | mache | arbeite |
du | -st | machst | arbeitest |
er / sie / es | -t | macht | arbeitet |
wir | -en | machen | arbeiten |
ihr | -t | macht | arbeitet |
sie / Sie | -en | machen | arbeiten |
Quick note: verbs whose stem ends in -t or -d slip an extra e in so the word stays pronounceable: du arbeitest, er findet, ihr redet.
Everyday Actions
to do, to make
machen
to go (on foot)
gehen
to come
kommen
to drive, to travel
fahren
to see
sehen
to hear
hören
to eat
essen
to drink
trinken
to sleep
schlafen
to work
arbeiten
to live (reside)
wohnen
to live (be alive)
leben
to buy
kaufen
to wait
warten
to look for
suchen
Practice these words
machen
Quick note: gehen is on foot and fahren is by vehicle, and Germans keep them apart. Ich gehe nach Berlin means you're walking there. For the train, it's Ich fahre.
Speaking and Thinking
to say
sagen
to speak
sprechen
to ask
fragen
to answer
antworten
to think
denken
to know (a fact)
wissen
to know (a person, a place)
kennen
to understand
verstehen
to believe, to think
glauben
to mean, to be of the opinion
meinen
to explain
erklären
to read
lesen
to write
schreiben
to learn
lernen
to forget
vergessen
Practice these words
sagen
Quick notes:
- German splits "to know" in two. Wissen is facts (Ich weiß nicht), kennen is people and places (Ich kenne ihn). Mixing them is one of the most audible learner mistakes.
- Ich glaube is how Germans soften a statement — closer to "I think" than to religious belief.
Having, Getting, Giving
to give
geben
to take
nehmen
to bring
bringen
to fetch, to go get
holen
to receive, to get
bekommen
to need
brauchen
to find
finden
to lose
verlieren
to show
zeigen
to help
helfen
to pay
bezahlen
to cost
kosten
to carry, to wear
tragen
to hold
halten
to keep, to leave
lassen
Practice these words
geben
Quick note: bekommen means to receive, not to become. It's the most famous false friend in German — Ich bekomme ein Kind means you're having a baby, not turning into one.
The Modal Verbs
These six sit in front of another verb, which goes to the end of the sentence: Ich muss morgen arbeiten.
can, to be able to / I can
können / ich kann
must, to have to / I must
müssen / ich muss
to want / I want
wollen / ich will
should, to be supposed to / I should
sollen / ich soll
may, to be allowed to / I may
dürfen / ich darf
to like / I like
mögen / ich mag
would like / I would like
möchten / ich möchte
Practice these words
können / ich kann
Quick notes:
- All of them change vowel in the singular and take no -t in the er form: ich kann, du kannst, er kann.
- Ich will means "I want," not "I will." Saying ich will where you meant a polite request sounds blunt — use ich möchte.
- Darf ich…? is the polite way to ask permission for anything: Darf ich hier sitzen?, Darf ich mal? (squeezing past someone).
Verbs That Change Their Vowel
A group of common verbs shifts its vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms only. Everything else stays regular.
| English | German | du | er / sie / es |
|---|---|---|---|
to drive | fahren | du fährst | er fährt |
to sleep | schlafen | du schläfst | er schläft |
to run, to walk | laufen | du läufst | er läuft |
to see | sehen | du siehst | er sieht |
to read | lesen | du liest | er liest |
to give | geben | du gibst | er gibt |
to take | nehmen | du nimmst | er nimmt |
to eat | essen | du isst | er isst |
to speak | sprechen | du sprichst | er spricht |
to help | helfen | du hilfst | er hilft |
to meet | treffen | du triffst | er trifft |
to forget | vergessen | du vergisst | er vergisst |
Quick note: the pattern is worth noticing rather than memorising: a → ä, e → i or ie, au → äu. Once you've heard du fährst a few times, the rest follow by ear.
Verbs That Split in Two
German has verbs with a prefix that detaches and travels to the end of the sentence. They look intimidating and they're completely mechanical.
to call (phone) / I call you
anrufen / Ich rufe dich an.
to get up / I get up at 7.
aufstehen / Ich stehe um 7 auf.
to go shopping / We're going shopping tomorrow.
einkaufen / Wir kaufen morgen ein.
to arrive / The train arrives at 8.
ankommen / Der Zug kommt um 8 an.
to depart / The bus is about to depart.
abfahren / Der Bus fährt gleich ab.
to come along / Are you coming along?
mitkommen / Kommst du mit?
to start / The class starts at 9.
anfangen / Der Kurs fängt um 9 an.
to stop / Please stop.
aufhören / Hör bitte auf.
to close / Close the door.
zumachen / Mach die Tür zu.
to open / Please open the window.
aufmachen / Mach bitte das Fenster auf.
Practice these words
anrufen / Ich rufe dich an.
Quick note: the prefix carries the meaning, so learning one root gives you several verbs. Kommen (come) produces ankommen (arrive), mitkommen (come along), zurückkommen (come back), vorbeikommen (drop by).
The Verbs German Officialdom Runs On
to apply for
beantragen
to fill in (a form)
ausfüllen
to sign
unterschreiben
to register (an address)
anmelden
to deregister
abmelden
to cancel, to terminate
kündigen
to extend, to renew
verlängern
to submit, to hand in
einreichen
to check, to examine
prüfen
to process
bearbeiten
to transfer (money)
überweisen
to bring with you
mitbringen
to certify
beglaubigen
to make an appointment
einen Termin vereinbaren
to confirm
bestätigen
Practice these words
beantragen
Quick notes:
- Beantragen is the verb your whole first year runs on: Kindergeld beantragen, einen Termin beantragen, eine Verlängerung beantragen.
- Kündigen cancels contracts — gym, phone, insurance, flat — and German contracts almost always need it in writing before a deadline.
- Ihr Antrag wird bearbeitet ("your application is being processed") is the sentence you'll read most often. It means: wait.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Using bekommen for "become." It means to get. "To become" is werden.
Mixing wissen and kennen. Ich kenne nicht is wrong where you mean Ich weiß nicht.
Leaving the prefix attached. Ich anrufe dich isn't German. The prefix goes to the end: Ich rufe dich an.