The 20 Most Common English Verbs (And Common Types Of Verbs)

You can get pretty far in English with just these verbs.

By Thomas Moore DevlinMarch 25, 2026

The 20 Most Common English Verbs (And Common Types Of Verbs)

Every sentence needs a verb. Otherwise, it not grammatical. The English language technically has thousands, but there are a few of them that are far more common that others. Here, we’ll look at the 20 most common English verbs, and how to conjugate them depending on the subject of the sentence. Then, we’ll look into the various types of verbs in English, with examples.

The 20 Most Common Verbs in English

Learning the verbs you’ll use the most in everyday life is a great foundation for your English vocabulary. Each verb on the list comes with a present tense conjugation table.

1. to be

I am	we are
you are	you (pl.) are
he, she, it is	they are

2. to have

I have	we have
you have	you (pl.) have
he, she, it has	they have

3. to do

I do	we do
you do	you (pl.) do
he, she, it does	they do

4. to say

I say	we say
you say	you (pl.) say
he, she, it says	they say

5. to get

I get	we get
you get	you (pl.) get
he, she, it gets	they get

6. to make

I make	we make
you make	you (pl.) make
he, she, it makes	they make

7. to go

I go	we go
you go	you (pl.) go
he, she, it goes	they go

8. to know

I know	we know
you know	you (pl.) know
he, she, it knows	they know

9. to take

I take	we take
you take	you (pl.) take
he, she, it takes	they take

10. to come

I come	we come
you come	you (pl.) come
he, she, it comes	they come

11. to see

I see	we see
you see	you (pl.) see
he, she, it sees	they see

12. to think

I think	we think
you think	you (pl.) think
he, she, it thinks	they think

13. to look

I look	we look
you look	you (pl.) look
he, she, it looks	they look

14. to want

I want	we want
you want	you (pl.) want
he, she, it wants	they want

15. to give

I give	we give
you give	you (pl.) give
he, she, it gives	they give

16. to use

I use	we use
you use	you (pl.) use
he, she, it uses	they use

17. to find

I find	we find
you find	you (pl.) find
he, she, it finds	they find

18. to tell

I tell	we tell
you tell	you (pl.) tell
he, she, it tells	they tell

19. to ask

I ask	we ask
you ask	you (pl.) ask
he, she, it asks	they ask

20. to work

I work	we work
you work	you (pl.) work
he, she, it works	they work

Regular Verbs vs. Irregular Verbs

Most English verbs follow the same conjugation: add an s to the end of the present tense form for he/she/it and end the past participle with -d or -ed. These are called regular verbs. You can see many examples of them above. Any verbs that don’t follow this pattern are called irregular verbs. One example of an irregular verb from the above list is “be.”

Types of English Verbs

Not all English verbs serve the same purpose. Learning these common verb types will help you communicate more effectively.

Action Verbs

An action verb, also known as a dynamic verb, describes what the subject of the sentence is doing. It is the most classic example of what we think of when we think of a verb. Here are some examples:

Talk
Walk
Read
Watch
Play

Helping Verbs

A helping verb, also known as an auxiliary verb, is used alongside another verb to show the tense, mood, or form a question. The two verbs together create a verb phrase. For example:

Have
Be
May
Do
Will
Shall
Can
Must

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs are a subset of helping verbs that change the mood of the sentence. They are used to express concepts like ability, necessity, possibility, or permission. Modal verbs include:

May
Can
Might
Must
Would

Stative Verbs

Stative verbs refer to a state of being rather than an action. They can express permanent and temporary states such as qualities, opinions, beliefs, and emotions. Stative verbs include:

Want
Own
Need
Have
Love

Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb is always accompanied by a direct object to which the action is being done. Both action and stative verbs can also be transitive verbs. Here’s what they can look like in a sentence:

I drink coffee.
He cooked the meal.
She loves her cat.
They want a new car.

Intransitive Verbs

An intransitive verb is the opposite of a transitive verb: it is not paired with a direct object. Both action and stative verbs can also be intransitive. Here are some sentences that use them:

The bird flies.
The child ran.

Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb and a preposition and /or adverb that have a different meaning than the individual words that make them up. These include:

Lock up
Ask for
Put up with
Talk down to

Linking Verbs

A linking verb, also known as a copular verb, connects the subject to a noun, pronoun or adjective. Here are some example sentences:

Alex is happy.
The food tastes good.
I am tired.
You seem excited.
Gregory became a teacher.

Keep Improving Your English With Babbel’s English Lessons

Mastering common English verbs is one of the fastest ways to strengthen your communication skills, but real progress comes from practicing them in context. If you want to keep building your confidence with verbs — and the many ways they behave in real conversations — Babbel offers guided lessons, interactive exercises, and real‑world examples to help you learn effectively. Give it a try and take the next step in your English learning journey!

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Thomas Moore Devlin

Thomas is the editorial lead, and he has been at Babbel for over six years. He studied linguistics in college, and also has a background in English literature. He now lives in Berlin, where he spends most of his free time walking around and reading an unhealthy number of books.