Essential Verbs

Essential Verbs

The 20 most important German verbs for absolute beginners: haben, machen, gehen, kommen, sehen, and more. You need these verbs in every everyday situation.

This A1 vocabulary set covers the 20 most essential German verbs for absolute beginners – including haben (to have), sein (to be), machen (to do), gehen (to go), kommen (to come), sagen (to say), and sprechen (to speak). Study with flashcards, hear native pronunciation, and practise with real-life example sentences. Perfect preparation for the Start Deutsch 1 exam and an indispensable foundation for anyone starting to learn German from scratch.

The Essential Verbs set teaches 20 German vocabulary items at CEFR A1, focused on Common Verbs.

Word list (20) — audio and IPA

  • haben ˈhaːbn̩ — hat — hatte — gehabt · to havehaben
  • machen ˈmaxn̩ — to domachen
  • gehen ˈɡeːən — ging — gegangen · to gogehen
  • kommen ˈkɔmən — kam — gekommen · to comekommen
  • sehen ˈzeːən — sieht — sah — gesehen · to seesehen
  • wissen ˈvɪsn̩ — weiß — wusste — gewusst · to know (a fact)wissen
  • geben ˈɡeːbn̩ — gibt — gab — gegeben · to givegeben
  • nehmen ˈneːmən — nimmt — nahm — genommen · to takenehmen
  • finden ˈfɪndn̩ — fand — gefunden · to findfinden
  • denken ˈdɛŋkn̩ — dachte — gedacht · to thinkdenken
  • sagen ˈzaːɡn̩ — to saysagen
  • heißen ˈhaɪ̯sn̩ — hieß — geheißen · to be calledheißen
  • wohnen ˈvoːnən — to live (reside)wohnen
  • spielen ˈʃpiːlən — to playspielen
  • das lesen ˈleːzn̩ — liest — las — gelesen · to readdas lesen
  • schreiben ˈʃʁaɪ̯bn̩ — schrieb — geschrieben · to writeschreiben
  • sprechen ˈʃpʁɛçn̩ — spricht — sprach — gesprochen · to speaksprechen
  • fahren ˈfaːʁən — fährt — fuhr — gefahren · to drivefahren
  • kaufen ˈkaʊ̯fn̩ — to buykaufen
  • helfen ˈhɛlfn̩ — hilft — half — geholfen · to helphelfen

Frequently asked questions

What CEFR level is “Essential Verbs”?

“Essential Verbs” is a CEFR A1 set. It targets learners at the A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

How many words does “Essential Verbs” contain?

The set contains 20 German vocabulary items with translations in five languages. Most words include native-speaker audio and IPA transcription.

Is Cefra free to use?

Yes. Cefra is completely free and requires no account or signup. You can browse and practise every vocabulary set without creating an account.

More sets

  • Household Verbs A2 (A2)
  • Modal Verbs & Movement (A1)
  • Everyday Verbs (A1)
  • More Everyday Verbs (A1)
  • Everyday Verbs IV (A1)
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