What are the most common German verbs?

This table lists 400 German verbs, ordered by the lesson where they're first taught in our A1–B1 curriculum — a practical proxy for how often you'll actually need them, not a formal frequency-corpus ranking.

Is this list based on a frequency dictionary?

No. The order follows our curriculum's lesson sequence, which is built around the situations and grammar a learner meets early — not a word-frequency corpus. It's a close, practical proxy for frequency, not a claim of one.

Why do some verbs appear at the end of the list?

Verbs that aren't yet tied to a specific lesson sort alphabetically after the lesson-ordered ones. They're still core A1–B1 verbs — just not yet slotted into the curriculum sequence.

How is this different from the full German verbs list?

The full verbs list (/vocabulary/verbs) sorts by level then alphabetically. This page sorts by curriculum lesson order, so you can learn verbs in the sequence a beginner actually needs them.

Can I download this verb list as a PDF or CSV?

Yes. The CSV follows this page's lesson order, with every verb's principal parts and level — it imports cleanly into Anki or Excel. The free PDF covers every A1–B1 verb too, but grouped by level and sorted alphabetically within each level, not in lesson order — no signup needed for either.

Most common German verbs: A1 to B1

400 German verbs ordered the way you'll actually meet them — core lesson verbs first, in curriculum order, with the remaining verbs following alphabetically after.

Many of these verbs are irregular — see the full principal-parts table for Präteritum, Perfekt, and auxiliary forms.

Practice these verbs for free

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400 words

		Principal parts		Type
buchstabieren	to spell	buchstabieren, buchstabierte, habe buchstabiert	A1	verb
fragen	to ask	fragen, fragte, habe gefragt	A1	verb
glauben	to believe	glauben, glaubte, habe geglaubt	A1	verb
heißen	to be called	heißen, hieß, habe geheißen	A1	verb
lernen	to learn	lernen, lernte, habe gelernt	A1	verb
schreiben	to write	schreiben, schrieb, habe geschrieben	A1	verb
sprechen	to speak	sprechen, sprach, habe gesprochen	A1	verb
arbeiten	to work	arbeiten, arbeitete, habe gearbeitet	A1	verb
hören	to hear	hören, hörte, habe gehört	A1	verb
kochen	to cook	kochen, kochte, habe gekocht	A1	verb
meinen	to mean/think	meinen, meinte, habe gemeint	A1	verb
schwimmen	to swim	schwimmen, schwamm, bin geschwommen	A1	verb
sein	to be	sein, war, bin gewesen	A1	verb
spielen	to play	spielen, spielte, habe gespielt	A1	verb
tanzen	to dance	tanzen, tanzte, habe getanzt	A1	verb
zeichnen	to draw	zeichnen, zeichnete, habe gezeichnet	A1	verb
bestellen	to order	bestellen, bestellte, habe bestellt	A1	verb
essen	to eat	essen, aß, habe gegessen	A1	verb
kaufen	to buy	kaufen, kaufte, habe gekauft	A1	verb
lesen	to read	lesen, las, habe gelesen	A1	verb