Top 20 Common French Verbs with Examples
Every French sentence needs a verb. Whether you are introducing yourself, talking about your daily routine, making plans, or sharing an opinion, learning common French verbs helps you communicate more naturally.
If you are an A1 beginner, you do not need to memorise hundreds of verbs at once. Start with the verbs you are most likely to use in everyday conversations, such as être (to be), avoir (to have), aller (to go), faire (to do or make), pouvoir (can), and vouloir (to want).
In this guide, you will learn 20 common French verbs with their meanings, example sentences, and conjugation tables. You will also learn useful French verb conjugation patterns, common mistakes, and how to use these verbs in real sentences.
Why Learn the Most Common French Verbs First?
A verb turns separate words into a sentence. Compare these pairs:
- Je étudiant. is incomplete. Je suis étudiant. means “I am a student.”
- Nous au bureau. is incomplete. Nous allons au bureau. means “We are going to the office.”
A small group of verbs appears in nearly every conversation. If you know être, avoir, aller, vouloir and pouvoir, you can already say “I am a student,” “I have a question,” “I want to learn French” and “Can you help me?” That is why trainers at Learn French With Avani start A1 learners with these verbs.
Top 20 French Common Verbs List
| S.no | Verb | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | être | to be | Irregular |
| 2 | avoir | to have | Irregular |
| 3 | aller | to go | Irregular |
| 4 | faire | to do, to make | Irregular |
| 5 | pouvoir | can, to be able to | Irregular |
| 6 | vouloir | to want | Irregular |
| 7 | devoir | must, to have to | Irregular |
| 8 | falloir | to be necessary (il faut) | Irregular |
| 9 | savoir | to know (facts, skills) | Irregular |
| 10 | dire | to say, to tell | Irregular |
| 11 | voir | to see | Irregular |
| 12 | venir | to come | Irregular |
| 13 | prendre | to take | Irregular |
| 14 | mettre | to put | Irregular |
| 15 | apprendre | to learn | Irregular |
| 16 | penser | to think | Regular (-er) |
| 17 | donner | to give | Regular (-er) |
| 18 | trouver | to find | Regular (-er) |
| 19 | parler | to speak | Regular (-er) |
| 20 | aimer | to like, to love | Regular (-er) |
The 4 Most Important French Verbs
These four verbs are irregular, so you need to memorise each one. Être and avoir are also the helper verbs that build the past tense.
| Verb | je | tu | il / elle | nous | vous | ils / elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| être | suis | es | est | sommes | êtes | sont |
| avoir | ai | as | a | avons | avez | ont |
| aller | vais | vas | va | allons | allez | vont |
| faire | fais | fais | fait | faisons | faites | font |
- Je suis étudiant. (I am a student.)
- J’ai vingt-cinq ans. (I am 25 years old. French uses “have” for age.)
- Nous allons apprendre le français. (We are going to learn French.)
- Il fait beau aujourd’hui. (The weather is nice today.)
French Modal Verbs: Pouvoir, Vouloir, Devoir, Falloir
Modal verbs express ability, wish and obligation. They are followed by a base form of a verb.
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | can | Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat, please?) |
| vouloir | to want | Je veux réussir le TEF Canada. (I want to pass the TEF Canada.) |
| devoir | must | Je dois étudier tous les jours. (I must study every day.) |
| falloir | to be necessary | Il faut étudier. (You need to study.) |
Common French Verbs for Knowing, Saying and Daily Actions
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| savoir | to know (facts, skills) | Je sais parler un peu français. (I know how to speak a little French.) |
| dire | to say, to tell | Que dites-vous ? (What are you saying?) |
| voir | to see | Je vois mon professeur lundi. (I see my teacher on Monday.) |
| venir | to come | Je viens d'Inde. (I come from India. Venir de means "to come from.") |
| penser | to think | Je pense que c'est une bonne idée. (I think it is a good idea.) |
| prendre | to take | Je prends le bus. (I take the bus.) |
| mettre | to put | Je mets le livre sur la table. (I put the book on the table.) |
| donner | to give | Il donne son numéro. (He gives his number.) |
| trouver | to find | Je trouve mes clés. (I find my keys.) |
| parler | to speak | Nous parlons français en classe. (We speak French in class.) |
| aimer | to like, to love | J'aime lire en français. (I like reading in French.) |
Savoir vs Connaître : Two Ways to Say "To Know"
| Savoir | Connaître | |
|---|---|---|
| Use for | Facts, information, skills | People, places, things you are familiar with |
| Example | Je sais nager. (I know how to swim.) | Je connais Montréal. (I know Montreal.) |
French Verb Conjugation: Present Tense Patterns
French verb conjugation means changing the verb ending to match the subject. Use tu for a friend and “vous” for a formal person or for a group. Regular verbs follow these endings:
| Group | Endings (je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -er | -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent | parler: je parle, nous parlons |
| -ir | -is, -is, -it, -issons, -issez, -issent | finir: je finis, nous finissons |
| -re | -s, -s, no ending, -ons, -ez, -ent | attendre: j'attends, nous attendons |
These irregular verbs must be memorised:
| Verb | je | tu | il / elle | nous | vous | ils / elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | peux | peux | peut | pouvons | pouvez | peuvent |
| vouloir | veux | veux | veut | voulons | voulez | veulent |
| devoir | dois | dois | doit | devons | devez | doivent |
| savoir | sais | sais | sait | savons | savez | savent |
| dire | dis | dis | dit | disons | dites | disent |
| voir | vois | vois | voit | voyons | voyez | voient |
| venir | viens | viens | vient | venons | venez | viennent |
| prendre | prends | prends | prend | prenons | prenez | prennent |
Common Mistakes With French Verbs
- Saying “je suis 25 ans.” Age uses avoir: j’ai 25 ans.
- Mixing up savoir and connaître.
- Forgetting the extra “e” in -ger verbs: nous mangeons, not nous mangons.
- Dropping the subject pronoun. French needs je parle, not just parle.
- Expecting silent endings to sound different. Parle, parles and parlent sound the same, so listen and repeat aloud.
- Treating falloir like a normal verb. Say il faut, never je faux.
French Verbs for TEF, TCF and DELF Speaking
Speaking tasks ask you to introduce yourself, share plans and give opinions. These sentences use the verbs above:
- Je suis étudiant et j’apprends le français depuis un an. (I am a student and I have been learning French for a year.)
- Je veux immigrer au Canada. (I want to immigrate to Canada.)
- Je peux travailler en équipe. (I can work in a team.)
- Je dois améliorer mon niveau de français. (I must improve my French level.)
- Je pense que le français est important au Canada. (I think French is important in Canada.)
A small set of correctly conjugated verbs usually serves you better than many half-remembered ones.
Practice Exercise: Fill in the Correct Verb Form
- Je ___ (être) étudiant.
- Nous ___ (aller) au marché.
- Elle ___ (vouloir) un café.
- Ils ___ (pouvoir) venir demain.
- Vous ___ (apprendre) le français.
- Tu ___ (savoir) nager ?
Answers: 1) suis 2) allons 3) veut 4) peuvent 5) apprenez 6) sais
Learn French Verbs With Live Classes at Learn French With Avani
Knowing French verbs is the first step, but using them in real conversations is what builds confidence and fluency. At Learn French With Avani, you can practise French through live, interactive classes designed for learners from A1 to B2.
Whether you are starting French from scratch, improving your speaking skills, or preparing for a French-language exam, you can learn with structured lessons and practical conversation practice. The courses also include preparation for TEF Canada, TCF Canada, and DELF Canada, helping you develop the language skills needed for your goals.
About the Author
Avani kukreja is the founder of Learn French With Avani, an online French training platform offering live French classes from A1 to B2, along with preparation for TEF, TCF and DELF exams.
With 14+ years of teaching experience, professional certifications and experience training French learners, Avani focuses on practical French learning, structured exam preparation and helping students build the skills needed for their language goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Être (to be) and avoir (to have). Both also form compound tenses such as the past tense.
It is changing a verb's ending to match the subject (je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils) and the tense.
Savoir is for facts and skills. Connaître is for people and places you are familiar with.
