German Verbs List: Most Common A1 Verbs with Meanings
The complete Goethe A1 German verbs list, with regular, irregular, and modal verbs all in one place. This page covers the most common German verbs that every beginner needs to know, with English meanings and links to practice conjugation. If you want basic German verbs to start with or a full A1 verb list to study from, this is it.
142 verbs
to stay
“Ich bleibe heute zu Hause.”
I am staying at home today.
to need
“Ich brauche Wasser.”
I need water.
to bring
“Ich bringe das Buch zur Schule.”
I bring the book to school.
to take along
“Ich nehme meine Tasche mit.”
I take my bag with me.
to meet
“Ich treffe meine Freunde am Samstag.”
I meet my friends on Saturday.
would like
“Ich möchte einen Kaffee.”
I would like a coffee.
to see
“Ich sehe den Hund im Garten.”
I see the dog in the garden.
to smell
“Ich rieche die frischen Blumen.”
I smell the fresh flowers.
to repair
“Ich repariere den kaputten Stuhl.”
I repair the broken chair.
to travel
“Ich reise oft nach Berlin.”
I travel to Berlin often.
to rain
“Heute regnet es stark.”
Today it is raining heavily.
to smoke
“Ich rauche nicht.”
I do not smoke.
to ride a bicycle
“Ich fahre jeden Morgen Rad.”
I ride my bike every morning.
to spell
“Kannst du deinen Namen buchstabieren?”
Can you spell your name?
to thank
“Ich danke dir.”
I thank you.
to last, to take time
“Der Film dauert zwei Stunden.”
The movie lasts two hours.
to print
“Ich drucke das Dokument.”
I print the document.
to press, to push
“Ich drücke den Knopf.”
I press the button.
may, to be allowed to
“Ich darf heute länger schlafen.”
I may sleep longer today.
to shop
“Ich kaufe jeden Tag Brot ein.”
I buy bread every day.
to invite
“Ich lade meinen Freund zum Essen ein.”
I invite my friend to eat.
to end
“Der Film endet um neun Uhr.”
The movie ends at nine o’clock.
to get in, to board
“Ich steige in den Bus ein.”
I get on the bus.
to recommend
“Ich empfehle das Buch.”
I recommend the book.
to allow
“Ich erlaube dir das Spiel.”
I allow you the game.
to make, to do
“Er macht keinen Fehler.”
He makes no mistake.
to eat
“Ich esse einen Apfel.”
I eat an apple.
to open
“Ich öffne die Tür.”
I open the door.
to take
“Ich nehme einen Apfel.”
I take an apple.
to believe
“Ich glaube dir.”
I believe you.
to congratulate
“Ich gratuliere dir zum Geburtstag.”
I congratulate you on your birthday.
to say
“Ich sage die Wahrheit.”
I say the truth.
to shine, to seem
“Die Sonne scheint heute.”
The sun is shining today.
to send
“Ich schicke eine E-Mail.”
I send an email.
to sleep
“Ich schlafe heute lange.”
I sleep long today.
to close
“Ich schließe die Tür.”
I close the door.
to taste
“Der Apfel schmeckt gut.”
The apple tastes good.
to write
“Ich schreibe einen kurzen Text.”
I write a short text.
must, to have to
“Ich muss heute früh aufstehen.”
I have to get up early today.
to rent
“Ich miete eine kleine Wohnung.”
I rent a small apartment.
to be on
“Das Licht ist an.”
The light is on.
to make a phone call
“Ich telefoniere jeden Abend mit meiner Mutter.”
I call my mother every evening.
to take off clothes, to get undressed
“Ich ziehe meine Jacke aus.”
I take off my jacket.
to grill
“Ich grille heute Würstchen im Garten.”
I am grilling sausages in the garden today.
to have
“Ich habe einen Hund.”
I have a dog.
to live
“Ich lebe in Berlin.”
I live in Berlin.
to lay, to put
“Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch.”
I put the book on the table.
to learn
“Ich lerne Deutsch jeden Tag.”
I learn German every day.
to visit, to view
“Wir besichtigen das Museum.”
We visit the museum.
to fill out
“Ich muss das Formular ausfüllen.”
I have to fill out the form.
to hold, to stop
“Ich halte das kleine Buch in der Hand.”
I hold the small book in my hand.
to marry
“Ich heirate meine Freundin im Sommer.”
I marry my girlfriend in the summer.
to be called
“Er heißt Tom.”
His name is Tom.
to help
“Ich helfe dir gern.”
I like helping you.
to fetch, get
“Ich hole ein Glas Wasser.”
I get a glass of water.
to request, to ask for
“Ich bitte dich um Hilfe.”
I ask you for help.
to bring along
“Ich bringe eine Flasche Wasser mit.”
I am bringing a bottle of water.
to come along
“Kommst du heute mit?”
Are you coming along today?
to participate
“Ich mache bei dem Spiel mit.”
I join the game.
to pay
“Ich bezahle den Kaffee.”
I pay for the coffee.
to excuse, to apologize
“Ich entschuldige mich bei dir.”
I apologize to you.
to use
“Ich benutze jeden Tag mein Handy.”
I use my phone every day.
to study
“Ich studiere Deutsch an der Universität.”
I study German at the university.
to stand
“Ich stehe jeden Morgen um sieben Uhr auf.”
I get up every morning at seven o’clock.
to hear
“Ich höre Musik.”
I listen to music.
can, to be able to
“Ich kann heute Deutsch lernen.”
I can study German today.
to search, to look for
“Ich suche meinen Schlüssel.”
I am looking for my key.
to dance
“Ich tanze jeden Morgen im Wohnzimmer.”
I dance every morning in the living room.
to pay
“Ich zahle die Rechnung.”
I pay the bill.
to want
“Ich will heute Kaffee trinken.”
I want to drink coffee today.
to place, to put
“Ich stelle den Stuhl an die Wand.”
I put the chair against the wall.
to live, to reside
“Ich wohne in Berlin.”
I live in Berlin.
to speak
“Ich spreche Deutsch.”
I speak German.
to win
“Ich gewinne oft kleine Spiele.”
I often win small games.
to play
“Ich spiele jeden Abend Fußball.”
I play soccer every evening.
to get, to receive
“Bekommt ihr auch das Geschenk?”
Are you also getting the gift?
to know, to know a fact
“Ich weiß die Antwort.”
I know the answer.
to repeat
“Ich wiederhole den Satz.”
I repeat the sentence.
to become
“Ich werde müde.”
I am getting tired.
to hurt
“Mein Kopf tut weh.”
My head hurts.
to wash, to wash oneself
“Ich wasche meine Hände.”
I wash my hands.
to begin
“Ich beginne jetzt die Arbeit.”
I begin the work now.
to answer
“Ich antworte sofort.”
I answer immediately.
to wait
“Ich warte vor dem Kino.”
I wait in front of the cinema.
to work
“Ich arbeite heute im Büro.”
I am working in the office today.
to introduce
“Ich stelle mich der neuen Lehrerin vor.”
I introduce myself to the new teacher.
to understand
“Ich verstehe dich gut.”
I understand you well.
to rent out
“Ich vermiete ein kleines Zimmer.”
I rent out a small room.
to sell
“Ich verkaufe heute ein altes Buch.”
I am selling an old book today.
to put on clothes, to get dressed
“Ich ziehe eine Jacke an.”
I put on a jacket.
to earn
“Ich verdiene heute Geld.”
I earn money today.
to bathe
“Ich bade jeden Morgen.”
I bathe every morning.
to sign
“Ich unterschreibe das Formular.”
I sign the form.
to move, to change residence
“Ich ziehe morgen um.”
I am moving tomorrow.
to transfer money
“Ich überweise das Geld heute.”
I transfer the money today.
to stay overnight
“Wir übernachten heute im Hotel.”
We are staying overnight in the hotel today.
to do
“Ich tue heute nichts.”
I do nothing today.
to mean
“Was bedeutet dieses Wort?”
What does this word mean?
to be off
“Sind die Lampen aus?”
Are the lamps off?
to turn off
“Ich mache das Licht aus.”
I turn off the light.
to get up
“Ich stehe jeden Morgen um sieben Uhr auf.”
I get up every morning at seven o'clock.
to be open
“Das Fenster ist auf.”
The window is open.
to visit
“Ich besuche meine Oma.”
I visit my grandma.
to lie, to be located
“Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.”
The book is lying on the table.
to buy
“Ich kaufe heute Brot.”
I am buying bread today.
to read
“Ich lese jeden Morgen die Zeitung.”
I read the newspaper every morning.
to know a person, to know a place
“Ich kenne ihn.”
I know him.
to get to know
“Ich möchte neue Freunde kennenlernen.”
I want to get to know new friends.
to cook
“Ich koche heute eine Suppe.”
I am cooking a soup today.
to come
“Ich komme aus Deutschland.”
I come from Germany.
to cost
“Die Äpfel kosten zwei Euro.”
The apples cost two euros.
to get
“Ich kriege heute einen Brief.”
I get a letter today.
to take care of
“Ich kümmere mich um meinen Hund.”
I take care of my dog.
to run, to walk
“Ich laufe jeden Morgen im Park.”
I run every morning in the park.
to love
“Ich liebe Kaffee am Morgen.”
I love coffee in the morning.
to stop
“Ich höre jetzt auf.”
I am stopping now.
to laugh
“Er lacht nicht heute.”
He does not laugh today.
to belong
“Das Buch gehört mir.”
The book belongs to me.
to go
“Ich gehe jeden Morgen zur Schule.”
I go to school every morning.
to give
“Ich gebe dir das Buch.”
I give you the book.
to order
“Ich bestelle eine Pizza.”
I order a pizza.
to swim
“Ich schwimme jeden Morgen im Schwimmbad.”
I swim every morning in the pool.
to be happy, to look forward
“Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende.”
I am looking forward to the weekend.
to ask
“Ich frage den Lehrer.”
I ask the teacher.
to be missing, to lack
“Mir fehlt heute mein Schlüssel.”
I am missing my key today.
to celebrate
“Wir feiern heute meinen Geburtstag.”
We are celebrating my birthday today.
to hike
“Ich wandere jeden Sonntag im Park.”
I hike in the park every Sunday.
to drink
“Ich trinke Wasser.”
I drink water.
to drive, to go
“Ich fahre jeden Tag zur Arbeit.”
I drive to work every day.
to take a shower
“Duscht ihr jeden Tag?”
Do you shower every day?
to tell, to narrate
“Ich erzähle eine kurze Geschichte.”
I tell a short story.
to look, to appear
“Du siehst heute sehr müde aus.”
You look very tired today.
to get off
“Ich steige an der Haltestelle aus.”
I get off at the stop.
should, to be supposed to
“Ich soll heute früh schlafen gehen.”
I should go to sleep early today.
to explain
“Ich erkläre die Aufgabe.”
I explain the task.
to sit
“Sitzt du hier?”
Are you sitting here?
to watch TV
“Ich sehe jeden Abend fern.”
I watch TV every evening.
to find
“Ich finde meinen Schlüssel nicht.”
I cannot find my key.
Practice with Games
Example Sentences
Ich gehe jeden Tag zur Schule.
I go to school every day.
Sie kauft Brot im Supermarkt.
She buys bread at the supermarket.
Wir lernen zusammen Deutsch.
We learn German together.
Er schreibt einen Brief.
He is writing a letter.
Die Kinder schlafen schon.
The children are already sleeping.