The 20 Most Common Spanish Verbs (And How To Use Them)

• The article lists 20 high-frequency Spanish verbs with present-tense conjugations and example sentences, encouraging beginners to focus on these for quick, practical progress.

• It clarifies key verb nuances: ser vs. estar (essential vs. temporary states), saber vs. poder (learned skill vs. possibility), and explains haber as an auxiliary and impersonal hay for existence.

• Practical usage tips appear throughout (e.g., tener ganas for “to feel like,” tomar for ordering food/drinks), helping learners avoid common idiomatic mistakes while building everyday fluency.

Want to learn Spanish but don’t know where to start? When learning a new language, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the grammar rules, unfamiliar pronunciation and all the new words. Don’t stress — it can happen to anyone! In order to not lose your motivation, it’s a good idea to concentrate on the most common words at the beginning, such as the most common Spanish verbs. You’ll come across them everywhere, memorize them quickly and be able to use them right off the bat.

Ready? Take a look at the 20 most common Spanish verbs, as well as their present-tense conjugations and a useful example sentence for each one. But first, we’ll start with a helpful infographic of the top five Spanish verbs.

The 20 Most Common Spanish Verbs

1. ser — to be

Example: Nosotras somos Carmen y Paula. (We are Carmen and Paula.)

2. estar — to be, to be situated

Example: ¡Estoy muy cansado por el viaje! (I am very tired from the journey!)

Note: Ser and estar both mean “to be.” Ser is used to introduce yourself and to talk about characteristics, professions, long-term conditions, nationalities and times. Estar is for temporary conditions, such as being tired in the example sentence, and giving locations. It is used in combination with verb participles to form the progressive tense — just like the “-ing” form in English.

Example for ser: Ella es profesora. (She is a teacher.)

Example for estar: Carlos está estudiando para un examen. (Carlos is studying for an exam.)

3. tener — to have

Example: ¿Tenéis ganas de helado? (Do you fancy an ice cream?)

Note: As you can see in the example, “to fancy” or “to feel like something” is translated with the phrase tener ganas in Spanish, which literally means “to have desire.”

4. hacer — to do, to make

Example: Hago deporte tres veces por semana. (I do sports 3 times a week.)

5. ir — to go

Example: Esta noche voy al cine con María. (Tonight I’m going to the cinema with María.)

6. poder — to be able to, can

Example: ¿Puedes venir a nuestra fiesta el viernes? (Can you come to our party on Friday?)

7. saber — to know, can

Example: ¿Usted sabe dónde está el Teatro Nacional? (Do you know where the National Theater is?)

Note: Saber und poder both mean “to be able to.” Saber is used for skills that have been learned or require experience, while poder expresses the possibility or opportunity to do something.

Example for saber: ¿Sabes bailar salsa? (Can you salsa dance?)

Example for poder: ¿Puedes salir con nosotros hoy? (Can you come out with us tonight?)

8. poner — to put

Example: Pongo el plato en la mesa. (I put the plate on the table.)

9. haber — to have, to be

Example: ¡Hemos trabajado toda la semana! (We have worked the week!)

Note: Unlike most of the other most common Spanish verbs, haber is exclusively an auxiliary verb. It is used in combination with a participle to create the pretérito perfecto tense: Esta semana he ido al cine. (“This week I went to the movie theater.”) On its own, haber is used almost exclusively in the impersonal form hay to show the existence or availability of things. In this sense it means “There is”: En este restaurante hay mesas libres. (There are free tables in this restaurant.)

10. decir — to say, to tell

Example: ¿Me dices la hora, por favor? (Can you tell me the time, please?)

11. querer — to want

Example: Queremos viajar en diciembre a Chile. (We want to go to Chile in December.)

12. hablar — to speak

Example: Hablamos solo un poco de inglés. (We only speak a little bit of English.)

13. dar — to give

Example: Siempre doy 10 % de propina. (I always give a 10% tip.)

14. ver — to see, to watch

Example: ¿Veis la televisión a menudo? (Do you often watch television?)

15. comer — to eat

Example: Hoy como con mis compañeros de trabajo. (Today I’m eating with my coworkers.)

16. tomar — to take, to have

Example: ¿Qué toman los señores? (What are the men having?)

Note: Tomar can also be used in reference to ordering food and drinks in the sense of “to have,” in which case it is more idiomatic than tener. Otherwise, it means “to take.”

17. vivir — to live

Example: Vivimos en España desde hace 5 años. (We’ve been living in Spain for 5 years.)

18. necesitar — to need

Example: ¡Necesito tu ayuda! (I need help!)

19. quedar — to stay, to meet

Example: Quedamos con Juan a las 8 en frente del cine. (We’re meeting Juan in front of the movie theater at 8.)

20. venir — to come

Example: ¿Cuándo vienes a visitarme? (When are you coming to visit me?)