So you’re super motivated to learn French, but also kind of intimidated by the sheer volume of new words you have to learn? Don’t worry, that’s normal. There’s no reason to feel overwhelmed when you have a good strategy: Start by getting your head around the most common verbs. No matter the context, these 20 verbs will pop up everywhere, making them easy to learn, memorize and practice.
To give you a head start, here are the 20 verbs you will need most often when speaking French, plus their present-tense conjugation and a practical sentence to use in everyday conversation. First, though, you can check out our helpful infographic for the five most common French verbs.
The 20 Most Common French Verbs
1. être — to be
| je suis (“I am”) | nous sommes (“we are”) |
| tu es (“you [singular informal] are”) | vous êtes (“you [plural informal/singular formal] are”) |
| il, elle, on est (“he, she, it is”) | ils, elles sont (“they are”) |
Example: Je suis devant le cinéma. (“I am in front of the movie theater.”)
Heads up: être (like avoir) is one of the most common French verbs because you use it in combination with a past participle to form the passé composé, like in the sentence: La semaine dernière, nous sommes allés à la mer. (“Last week, we went to the ocean.”)
2. avoir — to have
| j’ai | nous avons |
| tu as | vous avez |
| il, elle, on a | ils, elles ont |
Example: J’ai envie de manger une glace. Et toi ? (“I feel like [lit. have desire for] eating ice cream. What about you?”)
3. faire — to make, to do
| je fais | nous faisons |
| tu fais | vous faites |
| il, elle, on fait | ils, elles font |
Example: Tu fais toujours de la danse ? (“Are you still practicing [lit. doing] dancing?”)
4. pouvoir — to be able to, can
| je peux | nous pouvons |
| tu peux | vous pouvez |
| il, elle, on peut | ils, elles peuvent |
Example: Tu peux me passer le café ? (“Can you pass the coffee to me?”)
5. dire — to say, to tell
| je dis | nous disons |
| tu dis | vous dites |
| il, elle, on dit | ils, elles disent |
Example: Je te dis que c’est vrai ! (“I am telling you that it’s true!”)
6. aller — to go
| je vais | nous allons |
| tu vas | vous allez |
| il, elle, on va | ils, elles vont |
Example: Tu vas à la fête ce soir ? (“Are you going to the party tonight?”)
7. voir — to see
| je vois | nous voyons |
| tu vois | vous voyez |
| il, elle, on voit | ils, elles voient |
Example: Tu vois où est la crêperie ? J’habite juste à côté. (“Do you know [lit. see] where the crêperie is? I live next to it.”)
8. savoir — to know
| je sais | nous savons |
| tu sais | vous savez |
| il, elle, on sait | ils, elles savent |
Example: Vous savez si la gare est loin ? (“Do you know if the station is far away?”)
9. vouloir — to want
| je veux | nous voulons |
| tu veux | vous voulez |
| il, elle, on veut | ils, elles veulent |
Example: Tu veux m’accompagner au concert ? (“Do you want to come along with me to the concert?”)
10. venir — to come
| je viens | nous venons |
| tu viens | vous venez |
| il, elle, on vient | ils, elles viennent |
Example: Ils viennent nous rendre visite le week-end prochain. (“They will come visit us next weekend.”)
11. devoir — to have to, must
| je dois | nous devons |
| tu dois | vous devez |
| il, elle, on doit | ils, elles doivent |
Example: Nous devons y aller. (We must go.)
12. falloir — to be necessary (used in il form only)
- il faut
Example: Il faut que nous réservions une table pour samedi. (“It is necessary that we book a table for Saturday.”)
13. croire — to believe
| je crois | nous croyons |
| tu crois | vous croyez |
| il, elle, on croit | ils, elles croient |
Example: Je crois que le magasin est fermé. (“I believe the shop is closed.”)
14. prendre — to take
| je prends | nous prenons |
| tu prends | vous prenez |
| il, elle, on prend | ils, elles prennent |
Example: Je prends le train à la Gare du Nord. (“I take the train at the Gare du Nord.”)
15. mettre — to put, to place
| je mets | nous mettons |
| tu mets | vous mettez |
| il, elle, on met | ils, elles mettent |
Example: Tu mets la table ? (“Do you set [lit. place] the table?”)
16. trouver — to find
| je trouve | nous trouvons |
| tu trouves | vous trouvez |
| il, elle, on trouve | ils, elles trouvent |
Example: Je trouve cette langue très difficile. (“I find this language very difficult.”)
17. donner — to give
| je donne | nous donnons |
| tu donnes | vous donnez |
| il, elle, on donne | ils, elles donnent |
Example: On se donne rendez-vous sur la place principale ? (“Let’s meet [lit. give appointment] at the main square?”)
18. parler — to speak, to talk
| je parle | nous parlons |
| tu parles | vous parlez |
| il, elle, on parle | ils, elles parlent |
Example: Nous parlons cinq langues. (“We speak five languages.”)
19. aimer — to like
| j’aime | nous aimons |
| tu aimes | vous aimez |
| il, elle, on aime | ils, elles aiment |
Example: J’aime aller au marché le week-end. (“I like going to the market on the weekend.”)
20. passer — to spend time, to pass by
| je passe | nous passons |
| tu passes | vous passez |
| il, elle, on passe | ils, elles passent |
Example: Je passe te voir avant de partir. (“I pass by to see you before leaving.”)
Why These Common French Verbs Matter So Much
If you look closely at everyday French, you’ll notice something interesting: a small group of verbs carries an enormous amount of meaning.
These common verbs show up in almost every conversation. They help you express actions, opinions, needs, possibilities and emotions – often in multiple tenses and moods. That’s why learning how each verb behaves in real-life contexts matters more than memorizing long vocabulary lists.
Every French verb begins in its infinitive form (This is the version you’ll see in a dictionary, like être, avoir, or aller). But that basic form is only the starting point. Once you build a sentence, the form of a verb shifts.
A verb can change depending on:
- The pronoun (who is doing the action)
- The tense (when it happens)
- The mood (how certain or hypothetical it is)
For example, with a regular -er verb like aller, the present tense changes for each subject:
- je vais
- tu vas
- il/elle va
- nous allons
- vous allez
- ils/elles vont
Here, the verb changes dramatically – and this is why so many high-frequency verbs in French grammar are considered irregular verbs.
But not all verbs are unpredictable. Many follow consistent patterns. These are called regular verbs, including typical -er verbs. In those cases, the stem often stays recognizable while the ending shifts to match the subject.
The important takeaway? When you understand how a verb moves from its infinitive to different forms, you unlock dozens of real-world expressions in French. And because these verbs appear constantly, mastering their conjugation makes it significantly easier to speak French with confidence.
How French Verbs Work Across Tenses And Moods
Once you’re comfortable using these verbs in the present tense, you’ll start encountering them in other time frames.
In French grammar, verbs show action, yes, but they can also indicate time and perspective. The form of the verb changes to reflect different tense and mood combinations.
Some of the most common include:
- Present (what’s happening now)
- Imperfect (ongoing or repeated past actions)
- Compound past forms (completed actions)
- Conditional (what would happen)
- Subjunctive (doubt, emotion, necessity)
Each tense requires a different type of conjugation. Some forms are simple. Others are compound, meaning they combine more than one verb.
For example:
J’ai eu une idée.
I had an idea.
Here, the past is built using a helping verb plus a participle – a structure that differs from standard English word order.
The subjunctive is often used to express uncertainty or emotion:
Il faut que tu sois prêt.
It’s necessary that you be ready.
Meanwhile, the conditional helps you express hypothetical situations:
Je voudrais partir.
I would like to leave.
As you progress in your French lesson, you’ll see that verbs are the engine of the language. Whether regular or irregular, their ending, spelling, and structure shift according to the subject – singular or plural – and the grammatical context.
A Simple Tip For Learning Regular And Irregular Verbs
Here’s one practical tip: focus on usage before perfection.
Instead of trying to memorize every possible variation of every verb, pay attention to how these high-frequency verbs appear in real conversation. Notice the pronoun, the tense, and the situation.
A short exercise to try: Take one verb from this list — for example, faire — and write one sentence in the present and one in the conditional. Pay attention to the infinitive, the form of the verb, and how the meaning shifts.By revisiting these verbs in multiple contexts, you reinforce both vocabulary and grammar naturally.
The more exposure you get to how a verb adapts across tenses, the more intuitive the system becomes, and the easier it is to build real communication skills in French.