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!
