The 20 Most Common French Verbs (Conjugated for You)
The 20 most frequent French verbs after être and avoir - pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, faire, aller and more - each with present-tense conjugation and an example.
Beyond être and avoir, the most common French verbs include pouvoir (can), vouloir (want), devoir (must), faire (do/make), aller (go), voir (see), dire (say), prendre (take) and mettre (put) - each irregular in the present tense and essential for everyday conversation.
Quick answer
Beyond être and avoir, the most common French verbs include pouvoir (can), vouloir (want), devoir (must), faire (do/make), aller (go), voir (see), dire (say), prendre (take) and mettre (put) - each irregular in the present tense and essential for everyday conversation.
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For être and avoir specifically, see être conjugation and avoir conjugation.
The modal-ish essentials (pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, savoir)
| Verb | je | tu | il | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pouvoir | peux | peux | peut | can, to be able to |
| vouloir | veux | veux | veut | want |
| devoir | dois | dois | doit | must, have to |
| savoir | sais | sais | sait | know |
These four take a verb infinitive directly after them: je peux venir, je veux partir.
The movement and action verbs (aller, venir, faire, prendre, mettre)
| Verb | je | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| aller | vais | go |
| venir | viens | come |
| faire | fais | do/make |
| prendre | prends | take |
| mettre | mets | put |
The perception and communication verbs (voir, dire, croire, parler, donner)
voir (je vois), dire (je dis), croire (je crois), parler (je parle - regular), donner (je donne - regular).
The everyday extras (trouver, passer, arriver, aimer, falloir)
trouver (find), passer (pass/spend time), arriver (arrive), aimer (like/love), and falloir, which exists ONLY in its impersonal form: il faut (it’s necessary).
Using this list
Learn conjugated forms inside context sentences, not as isolated lists - see spaced repetition for French vocabulary.
The 20 verbs you'll use constantly
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Questions about this note
What are the most important French verbs to learn first?
être, avoir, then pouvoir, vouloir, devoir, faire, aller.
How is pouvoir conjugated in the present?
je peux, tu peux, il peut, nous pouvons, vous pouvez, ils peuvent.
What's the difference between vouloir and devoir?
vouloir = want, devoir = must/have to - both take an infinitive directly.
How do you conjugate faire in the present?
je fais, tu fais, il fait, nous faisons, vous faites, ils font.
Is falloir only used in one form?
Yes - il faut, an impersonal verb with no other subject forms.