What are the top 10 most common French verbs?

10 Most Common French Verbs

1. être — to be

• I am - je suis

• You are - tu es

• He/She/It is - il/elle/on est

• We are - nous sommes

• You are (formal/plural) - vous êtes

• They are - ils/elles sont

Example: “Ce dortoir est plutôt animé” (“This dorm is pretty lively”)

2. avoir — to have

• I have - j’ai

• You have - tu as

• He/She/It has - il/elle/on a

• We have - nous avons

• You have (formal/plural) - vous avez

• They have - ils/elles ont

Example: “Merci beaucoup de nous avoir pris.” (“Thank you so much for picking us up.”)

3. faire — to make, to do

• I do - je fais

• You do - tu fais

• He/She/It does - il/elle/on fait

• We do - nous faisons

• You do (formal/plural) - vous faites

• They do - ils/elles font

Example: “Il commence à se faire tard.” (“It's starting to get late.”)

4. pouvoir — to be able to, can

• I can - je peux

• You can - tu peux

• He/She/It can - il/elle/on peut

• We can - nous pouvons

• You can (formal/plural) - vous pouvez

• They can - ils/elles peuvent

Example: “Je peux vous emmener si vous voulez ?” (“I can take you if you want?”)

5. aller — to go

• I go - je vais

• You go - tu vas

• He/She/It goes - il/elle/on va

• We go - nous allons

• You go (formal/plural) - vous allez

• They go - ils/elles vont

Example: “Je vais dans cette direction.” (“I'm going in that direction.”)

6. vouloir — to want

• I want - je veux

• You want - tu veux

• He/She/It wants - il/elle/on veut

• We want - nous voulons

• You want (formal/plural) - vous voulez

• They want - ils/elles veulent

Example: “Voulez-vous du thé ou du café ?” (“Do you want tea or coffee?”)

7. dire — to say, to tell

• I say - je dis

• You say - tu dis

• He/She/It says - il/elle/on dit

• We say - nous disons

• You say (formal/plural) - vous dites

• They say - ils/elles disent

Example: “Nous partons dans moins de douze heures”,” dit-il. (“We're leaving in less than twelve hours”, he said.)

8. savoir — to know

• I know - je sais

• You know - tu sais

• He/She/It knows - il/elle/on sait

• We know - nous savons

• You know (formal/plural) - vous savez

• They know - ils/elles savent

Example: “Tu es française et tu ne sais pas qui est Édith Piaf ?” (“You're French and you don't know who Édith Piaf is?”)

9. venir — to come

• I come - je viens

• You come - tu viens

• He/She/It comes - il/elle/on vient

• We come - nous venons

• You come (formal/plural) - vous venez

• They come - ils/elles viennent

Example: “Tu viens d’Argentine, non ?” (“You're from Argentina, right?”)

10. voir — to see

• I see - je vois

• You see - tu vois

• He/She/It sees - il/elle/on voit

• We see - nous voyons

• You see (formal/plural) - vous voyez

• They see - ils/elles voient

Example: “Tu veux aller voir la vue ?” (“Do you want to go and see the view?”)

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Learning French can feel overwhelming at first, but mastering the most common verbs is an excellent place to start. With just 10 essential verbs, you can start to build sentences and express yourself confidently.