Common Spanish Verbs: 80+ Beginner Actions

Spanish verbs are the little workhorses of the language. They do the running, eating, thinking, going, talking, and, yes, occasionally making beginners feel like they need a nap. But once you know the most common verbs, a huge amount of everyday Spanish suddenly becomes readable, listenable, and even usable.

This guide gives you beginner-friendly, practical verbs you’ll actually hear in real life: at home, in class, at a café, in messages, and while pretending you totally understood the last thing someone said. By the end, you’ll know 80+ common Spanish verbs, what they mean, how they sound, and how they behave in real sentences.

Before we dive in, here’s the one boring-but-useful thing: most Spanish verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir, and that pattern matters a lot. If you want the conjugation side of the story, check out Spanish regular -ar, -er, -ir verb conjugation, plus Spanish irregular verbs for the ones that like to break the rules just to keep things interesting.

For the broader learning path, visit our parent guide.

For a reliable reference on meanings and usage, the Real Academia Española is the classic boring authority. Boring can be helpful. Tragic, but helpful.

Table of Contents

How To Use This Verb List

Each entry gives you the Spanish verb, a simple pronunciation guide, the meaning in English, and a beginner-friendly example. You do not need to memorize all 80+ in one go unless you enjoy pain as a hobby.

Start with the high-frequency verbs first: ser, estar, tener, hacer, ir, poder, querer, decir, ver, and dar. Those verbs show up everywhere.

Core Must-Know Verbs

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
ser	SEHR	to be	Yo soy estudiante.	I am a student.	Use for identity, origin, and basic facts.
estar	eh-STAHR	to be	Estoy cansado.	I am tired.	Use for states, feelings, and locations.
tener	teh-NEHR	to have	Tenemos tiempo.	We have time.	Very common in everyday Spanish.
hacer	ah-SEHR	to do, to make	Hago café por la mañana.	I make coffee in the morning.	See the dedicated guide on hacer in Spanish for beginners.
ir	eer	to go	Vamos al centro.	We’re going downtown.	Often used with a: ir a + place.
venir	veh-NEER	to come	¿Vienes conmigo?	Are you coming with me?	Useful for invitations and movement toward the speaker.
poder	poh-DEHR	can, to be able to	No puedo hoy.	I can’t today.	One of the most useful modal verbs.
querer	keh-REHR	to want, to love	Quiero un té.	I want a tea.	Can sound softer than English “want.”
decir	deh-SEER	to say, to tell	Ella dice la verdad.	She tells the truth.	Very common and irregular.
ver	behr	to see, to watch	Veo una película.	I’m watching a movie.	Also used for “see” in a general sense.
dar	dahr	to give	Me da agua, por favor.	Give me water, please.	Very useful in requests and expressions.

Everyday Actions You’ll Hear All The Time

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
comer	koh-MEHR	to eat	Comemos en casa.	We eat at home.	Regular -er verb.
beber	beh-BEHR	to drink	Bebo agua todos los días.	I drink water every day.	Used for drinks in general.
tomar	toh-MAHR	to take, to drink	Tomo café por la tarde.	I drink coffee in the afternoon.	In Latin America, tomar is very common for “to drink.”
lavar	lah-VAHR	to wash	Lavo los platos.	I wash the dishes.	Can be reflexive: lavarse.
limpiar	leem-PEE-ahr	to clean	Limpiamos la cocina.	We clean the kitchen.	Great household verb.
abrir	ah-BREER	to open	Abro la ventana.	I open the window.	Useful for doors, apps, bottles, and more.
cerrar	seh-RAHR	to close	Cierra la puerta, por favor.	Please close the door.	Notice the double r sound in the middle.
comprar	kohm-PRAHR	to buy	Compré pan en la tienda.	I bought bread at the store.	Very useful for shopping.
vender	behn-DEHR	to sell	Venden frutas aquí.	They sell fruit here.	Handy in markets and stores.
pagar	pah-GAHR	to pay	Pago con tarjeta.	I pay with a card.	Important in restaurants and shops.
costar	kohs-TAHR	to cost	¿Cuánto cuesta?	How much does it cost?	Very common for prices.
buscar	boos-KAHR	to look for	Busco mi llave.	I’m looking for my key.	Not the same as “buscar” = “search.”
encontrar	ehn-kohn-TRAHR	to find	Encontré mi mochila.	I found my backpack.	Often used after searching.
llevar	yeh-VAHR	to take, to carry, to wear	Llevo una chaqueta azul.	I’m wearing a blue jacket.	Can mean “wear” in context.
traer	trah-EHR	to bring	Trae agua, por favor.	Bring water, please.	Opposite idea of llevar.

Social And Communication Verbs

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
hablar	ah-BLAHR	to speak, to talk	Hablo español un poco.	I speak a little Spanish.	One of the first verbs to learn.
escuchar	ehs-koo-CHAHR	to listen	Escucho música en el bus.	I listen to music on the bus.	Often used for actively listening.
oír	oh-EER	to hear	No oigo bien.	I can’t hear well.	More about hearing than listening.
preguntar	preh-goon-TAHR	to ask	Pregunto por el horario.	I ask about the schedule.	Useful for questions and information.
responder	rehs-pon-DEHR	to answer	Respondo por mensaje.	I answer by message.	Very common in texting and email.
contestar	kohn-tehs-TAHR	to answer, to reply	Contesta rápido.	Reply quickly.	Often interchangeable with responder.
llamar	yah-MAHR	to call, to name	Te llamo más tarde.	I’ll call you later.	Can also mean “to be called.”
invitar	een-bee-TAHR	to invite	La invito a cenar.	I invite her to dinner.	Handy in social situations.
conocer	koh-noh-SEHR	to know, to be familiar with, to meet	Conozco esa canción.	I know that song.	See Spanish irregular verbs for more on patterns like this.
saludar	sah-loo-DAHR	to greet	Saluda a tu mamá.	Say hi to your mom.	Friendly and common.

Movement Verbs For Getting Around

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
caminar	kah-mee-NAHR	to walk	Camino al trabajo.	I walk to work.	Very useful in travel and city life.
correr	koh-REHR	to run	Corro en el parque.	I run in the park.	The double r is rolled/trilled more strongly.
subir	soo-BEER	to go up, to upload	Subimos las escaleras.	We go up the stairs.	Also used for uploading files or photos.
bajar	bah-HAHR	to go down, to get off	Bajo del autobús aquí.	I get off the bus here.	Very common in transport.
entrar	ehn-TRAHR	to enter	Entro por esa puerta.	I enter through that door.	Simple and useful.
salir	sah-LEER	to leave, to go out	Salgo a las ocho.	I leave at eight.	Also common in nightlife talk.
llegar	yeh-GAHR	to arrive	Llegamos tarde.	We arrive late.	Very useful for travel plans.
volver	bohl-VEHR	to return, to come back	Vuelvo mañana.	I come back tomorrow.	Often irregular in the present tense.
seguir	seh-GEER	to follow, to continue	Sigo recto.	I keep going straight.	Also means “continue.”
pasar	pah-SAHR	to pass, to spend time, to happen	Pasamos por el centro.	We pass through downtown.	Super flexible verb.

Thinking, Feeling, And Daily Life Verbs

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
pensar	pehn-SAHR	to think	Pienso en ti.	I’m thinking about you.	Very common; often used with en.
creer	kreh-EHR	to believe, to think	Creo que sí.	I think so.	Useful for opinions and beliefs.
sentir	sehn-TEER	to feel, to regret	Me siento bien.	I feel good.	Often reflexive when talking about feelings.
gustar	goos-TAHR	to like	Me gusta la sopa.	I like the soup.	Works differently from English: literally “it pleases me.”
amar	ah-MAHR	to love	Amo el chocolate.	I love chocolate.	Stronger than gustar.
odiar	oh-dee-AHR	to hate	Odio esperar.	I hate waiting.	Strong emotion word.
necesitar	neh-seh-see-TAHR	to need	Necesito ayuda.	I need help.	Essential everyday verb.
preferir	preh-feh-REER	to prefer	Prefiero té.	I prefer tea.	Common in food, travel, and choices.
esperar	ehs-peh-RAHR	to wait, to hope	Espero el autobús.	I wait for the bus.	Can also mean “to hope.”
recordar	reh-kor-DAHR	to remember	Recuerdo tu nombre.	I remember your name.	Common and useful in conversation.

Work, Study, And Home Verbs

Spanish	Pronunciation	Meaning	Example Sentence	Translation	Learner Note
trabajar	trah-bah-HAHR	to work	Trabajo desde casa.	I work from home.	Very common in work talk.
estudiar	ehs-too-dee-AHR	to study	Estudio español.	I study Spanish.	One of the first classroom verbs.
aprender	ah-pren-DEHR	to learn	Aprendo nuevas palabras.	I learn new words.	Great for language learning sentences.
enseñar	ehn-seh-NYAHR	to teach	Mi profesora enseña bien.	My teacher teaches well.	Notice the ñ sound.
escribir	ehs-kree-BEER	to write	Escribo un mensaje.	I write a message.	Used for notes, emails, and texts.
leer	leh-EHR	to read	Leo por la noche.	I read at night.	Easy-looking, but two vowels in a row.
dibujar	dee-boo-HAHR	to draw	Mi hijo dibuja carros.	My son draws cars.	Useful with kids and hobbies.
cocinar	koh-see-NAHR	to cook	Cocino arroz hoy.	I cook rice today.	Great home verb.
cortar	kor-TAHR	to cut	Corto las verduras.	I cut the vegetables.	Very practical in kitchens.
usar	oo-SAHR	to use	Uso esta app todos los días.	I use this app every day.	Extremely common and simple.

Reflexive Verbs You’ll Meet Early

Some common Spanish verbs are reflexive, which means they usually use a little pronoun like