Common Verbs - Verbos comunes
Beginner Spanish · Common verbs
Common Spanish Verbs
Verbs power everyday Spanish. With a small group of high-frequency verbs, you can talk about where you are, what you have, where you go, what you like, what you understand, and what you do every day.
Your next small win: recognize common infinitives, understand several useful verb contrasts, and use everyday phrases such as Hablo un poco de español, No entiendo, and Voy al trabajo.
Start with six powerful verbs
Essential Common Verbs
These verbs appear constantly in beginner Spanish.
To be
To be
To have
To do / make
To go
To say / tell
Infinitives: Spanish verb infinitives normally end in -ar, -er, or -ir. Examples include hablar, comer, and vivir.
Recognize the infinitives
Say “to have, to do, and to go” in Spanish.
Tener, hacer e ir.
Build your everyday toolkit
Everyday Verbs
These verbs cover common activities such as speaking, eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, and writing.
To speak
To eat
To drink
To sleep
To read
To write
I speak a little Spanish.
I want to eat something.
I like to read.
She writes an email.
Talk about two activities
Say that you speak a little Spanish and that you like to read.
Hablo un poco de español.
Me gusta leer.
Separate verbs that learners mix up
Useful Verb Contrasts
Some common Spanish verbs overlap in English, so learning their different jobs is especially useful.
Ser and Estar
Used for identity and many descriptions
Used for location and many states or conditions
Where are you?
I am at home.
Beginner shortcut: do not reduce ser and estar to simply “permanent” and “temporary.” For now, remember that location normally uses estar, while identity normally uses ser.
Saber and Conocer
To know information or facts
To know or be familiar with people and places
Do you know the answer?
I know that city.
More helpful verbs
To like
To think
To understand
To ask
Choose the right idea
Say “Do you know the answer?” and “I know that city.”
¿Sabes la respuesta?
Conozco esa ciudad.
Put the verbs to work
Useful Everyday Verb Phrases
I do not understand.
Do you speak Spanish?
What do you want to eat?
I go to work every day.
I do my homework in the afternoon.
I sleep eight hours.
Notice the changes: common verbs do not always look like their infinitives when they are used in sentences. For example, ir becomes voy, hacer becomes hago, and dormir becomes duermo in these examples.
A simple conversation
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes, I speak a little.
Where are you?
I am at home.
Use four verbs
Say that you speak a little Spanish, you are at home, you go to work every day, and you do your homework in the afternoon.
Hablo un poco de español.
Estoy en casa.
Voy al trabajo todos los días.
Hago mi tarea por la tarde.
Your turn · 8 quick questions
Practice: Common Spanish Verbs
Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on useful verb meanings, everyday phrases, and the contrasts you just practiced.
Practice complete
You can use common Spanish verbs in everyday situations.
A few verb phrases to revisit
One last step: build four sentences without choices.
Say where you are, say one thing you like to do, say where you go every day, and say that you do not understand.
Estoy en casa.
Me gusta leer.
Voy al trabajo todos los días.
No entiendo.
You want to ask someone whether they speak Spanish. What do you ask?
- ¿Hablas español?
- ¿Lees español?
- ¿Escribes español?
- ¿Entiendes español?
Hablar means “to speak,” and hablas is the tú form used in this question.
¿Hablas español?
You are telling someone that you are at home. Which sentence fits?
- Estoy en casa.
- Soy en casa.
- Tengo en casa.
- Voy en casa.
Location uses estar here, so Estoy en casa means “I am at home.”
Estoy en casa.
You want to say that you go to work every day. Which sentence fits?
- Voy al trabajo todos los días.
- Hago al trabajo todos los días.
- Estoy al trabajo todos los días.
- Tengo al trabajo todos los días.
Voy is the yo form of ir, meaning “I go.”
Voy al trabajo todos los días.
You want to say that you like reading. Which sentence fits?
- Me gusta leer.
- Me gusta escribo.
- Yo gusto leer.
- Me gustan leer.
Me gusta + infinitive is the pattern used here for liking an activity.
Me gusta leer.
Someone explains something, but you do not understand. What do you say?
- No entiendo.
- No conozco.
- No pregunto.
- No escribo.
Entender means “to understand,” so No entiendo means “I do not understand.”
No entiendo.
You are familiar with a particular city. Which sentence fits?
- Conozco esa ciudad.
- Sé esa ciudad.
- Pregunto esa ciudad.
- Entiendo esa ciudad.
Conocer is used here for being familiar with a place.
Conozco esa ciudad.
You want to say that you do your homework in the afternoon. Which sentence fits?
- Hago mi tarea por la tarde.
- Voy mi tarea por la tarde.
- Tengo mi tarea por la tarde.
- Digo mi tarea por la tarde.
Hacer means “to do” or “to make,” and hago is the yo form.
Hago mi tarea por la tarde.
You want to ask what someone wants to eat. What do you ask?
- ¿Qué quieres comer?
- ¿Qué quieres beber?
- ¿Qué quieres leer?
- ¿Qué quieres escribir?
Comer means “to eat,” so ¿Qué quieres comer? asks “What do you want to eat?”
¿Qué quieres comer?