Monday, March 04, 2013

Top 20 Most-Used German Verbs

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German Language

Ranked by Frequency (Häufigkeit)

Some estimates of vocabulary use indicate that an educated person has an active vocabulary of 10,000 to 20,000 words. (Our passive vocabulary—words we understand—is much larger.) To be reasonably fluent in a foreign language (be it German or any other tongue), most experts say you need to understand around 8,000 words and be able to use about 2,000. Since larger German dictionaries list over 300,000 terms, no one can be expected to know all of them. Our goal here is much more modest: the most frequently used verbs.
Although this is a non-scientific listing of word frequency (Worthäufigkeit), the 21 verbs listed here (there was a tie for 11th place) are among the most commonly used in daily spoken and written (email, letters) form. They are ranked by approximate frequency, from most-used to least. But by any measure, the verbs below are among the most useful in German, and it is a good idea to know all of them. Note that the English meaning shown here for each verb may be only one of several possible meanings.
In the following chart you'll find selected conjugations and examples for each verb. For more detailed information on some verbs, click on the verb's hyperlink. (You can see all of the irregular and other German verbs on our German Verbs page and on the 50 Common German Verbs chart of the most common German verbs in the present tense - with examples.)
Note: Our ranked verb list is related more to spoken German. Many ranked word lists are based on the frequency of words found in newspapers and magazines, which is an easier statistic to generate. We make no claims of scientific accuracy for our "Rangliste."
Also see: Verb-Lexikon - 500+ German verbs
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The Top 20
Most-Used German Verbs
Ranked by Frequency of Use
Infinitiv Common Forms Examples
1
sein
to be		 ich bin I am
du bist you are
er war he was
er ist gewesen he was/has been
es wäre it would be		 COMMANDS
Sei still! Be quiet!
Seien Sie bitte so freundlich! Would you be so kind!
OTHER
Ich bin's. It's me.
Wie wär's mit einem Bier? How about a beer?
2
haben
to have		 ich habe I have
du hast you have
er hat he has
Sie haben gehabt You had/have had
wir hätten we would have		 COMMANDS
Hab dich nicht so! Don't make such a fuss!
OTHER
Er hat keine Zeit. He has no time.
Wenn ich nur das Geld hätte. If I only had the money.
3
werden
to become

Also used to
form the
future tense
and the
passive voice.		 ich werde I become
du wirst you become
er ist geworden he became
es wurde it became
es würde.. it would...		 COMMANDS
werde! become!
werden Sie! become!
OTHER
Es wird dunkel. It's getting dark.
Sie wird uns schreiben. She will write us. (future)
Der Brief wurde geschrieben. The letter was written. (passive)
4
können
to be able, can		 ich kann I can
du kannst you can
er konnte he could
Sie können you can		 COMMANDS
No imperative
OTHER
Er kann Deutsch. He knows German.
Ich habe es nicht sagen können. I couldn't say it.
5
müssen
to have to, must		 ich muss I must/have to
du musst you must
er muss he must
sie musste she had to
wir müssen we have to		 COMMANDS
No imperative
OTHER
Ich muss nicht. I don't have to.
Er muss nach Berlin. He has to go to Berlin.
6
wollen
to want (to)		 ich will I want (to)
du willst you want (to)
er will he wants (to)
er wollte he wanted to
sie hat gewollt she wanted to		 COMMANDS
Imperative rare
OTHER
Er will nichts trinken. He doesn't want to drink anything.
Das habe ich nicht gewollt. I didn't mean to (do that).
Wir wollen morgen abfahren. We want to leave tomorrow.
7
mögen
to like (to)		 ich mag I like
ich möchte I would like
du magst you like
er mochte he liked
Sie mögen you like		 COMMANDS
No imperative
OTHER
Er mag die Suppe. He likes the soup.
Was möchten Sie? What would you like?
8
wissen
to know		 ich weiß I know
du weißt you know
wir wissen we know
er wusste he knew
ich habe gewusst I knew, have known		 COMMANDS
wisse! know!
wisset! know!
OTHER
Er weiß es nicht. He doesn't know.
Sie wusste weder ein noch aus. She didn't know which way was up.
Wissen Sie, wann sie ankommen? Do you know when they arrive?
9
machen
to make, do		 ich mache I do, make
du machst you make
er macht he does
wir machten we did, made
er hat gemacht he did, has done
ich werde machen I will do, make		 COMMANDS
Machen Sie sich keine Gedanken! Don't worry about it!
OTHER
Das macht nichts. It doesn't matter.
Was macht das? What does it come to? (How much?)
Was machen wir jetzt? Now what do we do?
10
sollen
should,
ought to,
supposed to		 ich soll I should
du sollst you should
er soll he should
sie sollte she was supposed to
wir sollen we ought to		 COMMANDS
No imperative
OTHER
Ich sollte dort bleiben. I ought to stay there.
Es soll schön sein. It's said to be/supposed to be nice.
Was soll das? What's that supposed to mean?
MORE > Next 10 Verbs
MORE > Next 10 Most-Used Verbs
Verb-Lexikon
Over 500 German verbs with their English meanings, many with full conjugations.
Der deutsche Almanach
Back to the complete German almanac.
Top 1000 German Words
The 1000 most frequently encountered German words (reading).
German Strong Verbs
A look at more irregular verbs in the present, simple past and present perfect.
German Verb Conjugations
Selected German verbs with conjugations and example sentences.
Lektion 4B
How to conjugate most German verbs in the present tense. Part of German for Beginners.
Lektion 16
How to say "know" in German - kennen/wissen. Part of German for Beginners.
German for Beginners - Contents

Related Pages

50 Common German Verbs
A chart of the most common German verbs - with examples.
German Strong (Irregular) Verbs
The principal parts and conjugations of German irregular verbs, including "haben" and "sein."
Verb Review 1
Part One of a 3-part look at the ins and outs of German verbs. With self-scoring quiz.
English-German Glossaries
All of the annotated glossaries on this site - from aerospace to travel.
German Grammar
All of the grammar resources on this site, by category.
German Newsletters
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