If nouns are the furniture, verbs are the part where life actually happens. You can know every word for food, family, and random household objects, but without a few solid verbs, you are basically pointing at reality and hoping people guess correctly.

This list gives you 50 common verbs in simplified Chinese, starting with the ones beginners use every day. Each one comes with pinyin, an English meaning, and a real sentence, because memorizing isolated words is a fabulous way to forget them.

8 Verbs You Will Use Constantly

Useful Verb Phrases You Can Steal Right Now

• 想吃 xiǎng chī — to want to eat. 句子 jùzi: 我想吃饺子。Wǒ xiǎng chī jiǎozi. — I want to eat dumplings.
• 去上班 qù shàngbān — to go to work. 句子 jùzi: 他七点去上班。Tā qī diǎn qù shàngbān. — He goes to work at seven.
• 回家 huí jiā — to go home. 句子 jùzi: 我晚上九点回家。Wǒ wǎnshang jiǔ diǎn huí jiā. — I go home at 9 p.m.
• 开始学 kāishǐ xué — to start learning. 句子 jùzi: 我下个月开始学汉语。Wǒ xià ge yuè kāishǐ xué Hànyǔ. — I will start learning Chinese next month.
• 用手机 yòng shǒujī — to use a phone. 句子 jùzi: 她不用手机付款。Tā bú yòng shǒujī fùkuǎn. — She does not use her phone to pay.
• 找工作 zhǎo gōngzuò — to look for a job. 句子 jùzi: 他在北京找工作。Tā zài Běijīng zhǎo gōngzuò. — He is looking for a job in Beijing.
• 打电话给 dǎ diànhuà gěi — to call someone. 句子 jùzi: 我一会儿打电话给妈妈。Wǒ yíhuìr dǎ diànhuà gěi māma. — I will call my mom in a bit.
• 准备出门 zhǔnbèi chūmén — to get ready to go out. 句子 jùzi: 我们在准备出门。Wǒmen zài zhǔnbèi chūmén. — We are getting ready to go out.
• 坐地铁 zuò dìtiě — to take the subway. 句子 jùzi: 我每天坐地铁上班。Wǒ měitiān zuò dìtiě shàngbān. — I take the subway to work every day.
• 听音乐 tīng yīnyuè — to listen to music. 句子 jùzi: 她晚上喜欢听音乐。Tā wǎnshang xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè. — She likes listening to music at night.
• 写汉字 xiě hànzì — to write Chinese characters. 句子 jùzi: 我每天写十个汉字。Wǒ měitiān xiě shí ge hànzì. — I write ten Chinese characters every day.
• 买东西 mǎi dōngxi — to buy things. 句子 jùzi: 我周末去超市买东西。Wǒ zhōumò qù chāoshì mǎi dōngxi. — I go to the supermarket to buy things on weekends.

Common Verb Mix-Ups

• 看 kàn vs 读 dú — 看 kàn is for looking or watching, while 读 dú is for reading aloud or reading text. 句子 jùzi: 我看电视。Wǒ kàn diànshì. — I watch TV. / 我读课文。Wǒ dú kèwén. — I read the text.
• 想 xiǎng vs 觉得 juéde — 想 xiǎng often means “want” or “think about,” while 觉得 juéde means “to feel” or “to think” as an opinion. 句子 jùzi: 我想喝咖啡。Wǒ xiǎng hē kāfēi. — I want coffee. / 我觉得这家店不错。Wǒ juéde zhè jiā diàn búcuò. — I think this shop is pretty good.
• 知道 zhīdào vs 认识 rènshi — 知道 zhīdào is for facts, and 认识 rènshi is for people or being familiar with someone. 句子 jùzi: 我知道他的名字。Wǒ zhīdào tā de míngzi. — I know his name. / 我认识他。Wǒ rènshi tā. — I know him.
• 开 kāi vs 打开 dǎkāi — 开 kāi is often “open” in a simple way or “drive,” while 打开 dǎkāi is “open” something fully or “turn on.” 句子 jùzi: 请开门。Qǐng kāi mén. — Please open the door. / 打开电脑。Dǎkāi diànnǎo. — Turn on the computer.

Core Everyday Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example	Translation
是 shì	to be	她是老师。Tā shì lǎoshī.	She is a teacher.
有 yǒu	to have	我有一个问题。Wǒ yǒu yí ge wèntí.	I have a question.
去 qù	to go	我们明天去北京。Wǒmen míngtiān qù Běijīng.	We are going to Beijing tomorrow.
来 lái	to come	你几点来？Nǐ jǐ diǎn lái?	What time are you coming?
看 kàn	to look, to watch	我晚上看电视。Wǒ wǎnshang kàn diànshì.	I watch TV in the evening.
吃 chī	to eat	他在吃面。Tā zài chī miàn.	He is eating noodles.
喝 hē	to drink	我想喝水。Wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ.	I want to drink water.
做 zuò	to do, to make	她会做饭。Tā huì zuòfàn.	She can cook.
说 shuō	to speak, to say	他说中文。Tā shuō Zhōngwén.	He speaks Chinese.
听 tīng	to listen	我喜欢听音乐。Wǒ xǐhuan tīng yīnyuè.	I like listening to music.

Study And Communication Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example	Translation
读 dú	to read	你读这本书吧。Nǐ dú zhè běn shū ba.	Read this book.
写 xiě	to write	我在写邮件。Wǒ zài xiě yóujiàn.	I am writing an email.
学 xué	to study, to learn	她学汉语。Tā xué Hànyǔ.	She studies Chinese.
教 jiāo	to teach	王老师教我们语法。Wáng lǎoshī jiāo wǒmen yǔfǎ.	Teacher Wang teaches us grammar.
想 xiǎng	to want, to think	我想休息一下。Wǒ xiǎng xiūxi yíxià.	I want to rest a bit.
爱 ài	to love	他爱他的家人。Tā ài tā de jiārén.	He loves his family.
喜欢 xǐhuan	to like	我喜欢中国菜。Wǒ xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.	I like Chinese food.
知道 zhīdào	to know facts	我知道答案。Wǒ zhīdào dá’àn.	I know the answer.
认识 rènshi	to know someone	你认识她吗？Nǐ rènshi tā ma?	Do you know her?
问 wèn	to ask	你可以问老师。Nǐ kěyǐ wèn lǎoshī.	You can ask the teacher.

Shopping And Movement Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example	Translation
回答 huídá	to answer	请回答这个问题。Qǐng huídá zhège wèntí.	Please answer this question.
买 mǎi	to buy	妈妈买了水果。Māma mǎi le shuǐguǒ.	Mom bought fruit.
卖 mài	to sell	这家店卖咖啡。Zhè jiā diàn mài kāfēi.	This shop sells coffee.
开 kāi	to open, to drive	请开门。Qǐng kāi mén.	Please open the door.
关 guān	to close	关窗户，好吗？Guān chuānghu, hǎo ma?	Close the window, okay?
给 gěi	to give	我给你发消息。Wǒ gěi nǐ fā xiāoxi.	I send you a message.
拿 ná	to take, to hold	请拿一下包。Qǐng ná yíxià bāo.	Please take the bag.
用 yòng	to use	我用电脑工作。Wǒ yòng diànnǎo gōngzuò.	I use a computer for work.
坐 zuò	to sit, to take transport	我坐地铁上班。Wǒ zuò dìtiě shàngbān.	I take the subway to work.
走 zǒu	to walk, to leave	我们现在走吧。Wǒmen xiànzài zǒu ba.	Let’s go now.

Home And Body Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example	Translation
住 zhù	to live, to stay	我住在上海。Wǒ zhù zài Shànghǎi.	I live in Shanghai.
休息 xiūxi	to rest	我们中午休息。Wǒmen zhōngwǔ xiūxi.	We rest at noon.
睡觉 shuìjiào	to sleep	孩子八点睡觉。Háizi bā diǎn shuìjiào.	The child sleeps at eight.
起床 qǐchuáng	to get up	我每天六点起床。Wǒ měitiān liù diǎn qǐchuáng.	I get up at six every day.
洗 xǐ	to wash	先洗手。Xiān xǐ shǒu.	Wash your hands first.
穿 chuān	to wear	今天别穿太少。Jīntiān bié chuān tài shǎo.	Do not wear too little today.
站 zhàn	to stand	请站这边。Qǐng zhàn zhè biān.	Please stand here.
跑 pǎo	to run	他每天早上跑步。Tā měitiān zǎoshang pǎobù.	He runs every morning.
等 děng	to wait	你等我五分钟。Nǐ děng wǒ wǔ fēnzhōng.	Wait for me five minutes.
找 zhǎo	to look for	我在找钥匙。Wǒ zài zhǎo yàoshi.	I am looking for my keys.

Work And Time Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example	Translation
工作 gōngzuò	to work	他在银行工作。Tā zài yínháng gōngzuò.	He works at a bank.
帮助 bāngzhù	to help	谢谢你帮助我。Xièxie nǐ bāngzhù wǒ.	Thank you for helping me.
打开 dǎkāi	to open, to turn on	打开电脑吧。Dǎkāi diànnǎo ba.	Turn on the computer.
关掉 guāndiào	to turn off	请关掉灯。Qǐng guāndiào dēng.	Please turn off the light.
开始 kāishǐ	to begin	电影七点开始。Diànyǐng qī diǎn kāishǐ.	The movie starts at seven.
结束 jiéshù	to end, to finish	会议几点结束？Huìyì jǐ diǎn jiéshù?	What time does the meeting end?
回 huí	to return	我晚上九点回家。Wǒ wǎnshang jiǔ diǎn huí jiā.	I go home at 9 p.m.
觉得 juéde	to feel, to think	我觉得这个办法很好。Wǒ juéde zhège bànfǎ hěn hǎo.	I think this method is very good.
准备 zhǔnbèi	to prepare	我在准备考试。Wǒ zài zhǔnbèi kǎoshì.	I am preparing for an exam.
打电话 dǎ diànhuà	to make a phone call	我晚点给你打电话。Wǒ wǎndiǎn gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.	I will call you later.

A Fast Way To Learn These Verbs

• Start with 10 verbs, not all 50. Your brain likes progress, not drama.
• Say each verb inside a tiny sentence: 我去学校。Wǒ qù xuéxiào. — I go to school.
• Pair verbs with your own daily life: 吃 chī, 喝 hē, 工作 gōngzuò, 回 huí, 睡觉 shuìjiào.
• Review opposites or pairs together, like 开 kāi and 关 guān, or 开始 kāishǐ and 结束 jiéshù.
• Reuse the same few nouns while practicing. Fewer moving parts means better memory.

Quick FAQ

Which Chinese verbs should beginners learn first?

Start with 是 shì, 有 yǒu, 去 qù, 来 lái, 吃 chī, 喝 hē, 做 zuò, 说 shuō, 看 kàn, and 想 xiǎng. These are everywhere, which is exactly what beginners need.

Do Chinese verbs change for tense?

Usually, no. Chinese verbs do not conjugate the way English verbs do. You often show time with words like 今天 jīntiān, 明天 míngtiān, or markers like 了 le, instead of changing the verb itself.

What is the difference between 知道 zhīdào and 认识 rènshi?

知道 zhīdào is for knowing information or facts. 认识 rènshi is for knowing a person or being familiar with someone. One is knowledge; the other is acquaintance. Chinese likes being precise like that.

Common verbs are the engine of beginner Chinese. Learn them in chunks, say them out loud, and use them in real sentences. That is how 动词 dòngcí stop being a list and start becoming speech.