The 10 most used verbs in Spanish

In this Spanish lesson for beginners we would like to introduce you to verbs. Verbs are words that express actions, processes or states. They are a fundamental part of the Spanish language, since they are used in most sentences. The most used verbs in Spanish are those that appear most frequently in oral and written communication. These verbs tend to be in everyday use and cover a wide range of meanings. 

Let's start having fun learning Spanish with one of the most basic verbs of the language, the verb "ser", in English, the verb to be. 

We will begin with the conjugation of the present tense of the verb "ser”:

Yo soy (I am)

Tú eres (you are)

Él / ella / usted es (he / she is / formal form of you are)

Nosotros somos (We are)

Vosotros sois (You are)

Ellos son (They are)

This verb has many applications, and we are going to tell you some common ones with examples:

2. ESTAR - TO BE

The verb "estar” in Spanish is also equivalent to the verb to be, but in Spanish it has different uses and therefore meanings.

Let´s start with the conjugation of the verb "estar”:

Yo estoy (I am) 

Tú estás (you are)

Él / ella / usted está (he /she is / formal form of you are)

Nosotros estamos (we are)

Vosotros estáis (you are)

Ellos están (They are)

3. HACER - TO DO

The third most used verb in Spanish we are going to study is the verb "to do" in Spanish "hacer”. 

We will begin with the conjugation of the present tense of the verb "hacer”:

Yo hago (I do)

Tú haces (you do)

Él / ella / usted hace (he/she does / formal form of you do)

Nosotros hacemos (we do)

Vosotros hacéis (you do)

Ellos hacen (they do)

Its meaning is as follows:

To express with words, to express an opinion, to appeal we use the verb "To do” which in Spanish is translated as "decir”.

We conjugate the verb "decir” as follows:

Yo digo (I say)

Tú dices (You say)

Él / ella /usted dice (He/she says, formal form of you say)

Nosotros decimos (We say)

Vosotros decís (You say)

Ellos dicen (They say)

Eng: Javier says that when he grows up, he wants to be a painter.

Spa: Javier dice que cuando sea mayor quiere ser pintor.

Eng: She says she doesn´t like to lie.

Spa: Dice que no le gusta mentir.

We are halfway through this Spanish language course. The next verb is "to go”, "ir" in Spanish. It refers to the action of moving from one place to another. Let´s see some examples. But first let´s have a look on how to conjugate it.

Yo voy (I go)

Tú vas (you go)

Él / ella / usted va (He/she goes, formal form of you go)

Nosotros vamos (We go)

Vosotros vais (You go)

Ellos van (They go)

Eng: He is going to go shopping.

Spa: Él va a ir a comprar.

Eng: Their friends went to the pub.

Spa: Sus amigos se fueron al pub.

This "most used Spanish verb” which can save you in more than one situation is the verb "necesitar" (to need) that indicates the lack of something. 

The conjugation of "necesitar” is as follows:

Yo necesito (I need)

Tú necesitas (You need)

Él / ella / usted necesita (He/she needs / formal form of you need)

Nosotros necesitamos (we need)

Vosotros necesitáis (you need)

Ellos necesitan (They need)

Let's see some examples:

Eng: I need to buy some groceries.

Spa: Necesito comprar comida.

Eng: We need to get some money from the ATM

Spa: Necesitamos sacar dinero del cajero automático

A verb that complements the previous one is the verb "pedir" (to ask). It expresses the need or desire for something to be satisfied. Let´s see how to conjugate this verb.

Yo pido (I ask)

Tú pides (You ask)

Él / ella/ usted pide (He/she asks / formal form of you ask)

Nosotros pedimos (We ask)

Vosotros pedís (You ask)

Ellos piden (They ask)

Eng: I come to ask for water.

Spa: Vengo a pedir agua.

Eng: Is he asking for help?

Spa: ¿Está pidiendo ayuda?

This verb will also help you a lot when you need direction. The verb "llegar” (to get). It refers to the final destination of a trip. It can also mean to arrive.

We conjugate llegar as follows:

Yo llego (I arrive)

Tú llegas (You arrive)

Él / ella / usted llega (He/she arrives / Formal form of you)

Nosotros llegamos (We arrive)

Vosotros llegáis (You arrive)

Ellos llegan (They arrive)

Eng: How can I get to the center of Madrid?

Spa: ¿Cómo puedo llegar al centro de Madrid?

Eng: Has Alicia arrived to the airport?

Spa: ¿Ha llegado Alicia al aeropuerto?

A very common verb that will make you enjoy your visit to Spain is the verb "comer” (to eat).

Let´s see the conjugation of the verb "comer”.

Yo como (I eat)

Tú comes (You eat)

Él/ella/usted come (He/she eats / formal form of you eat)

Nosotros comemos (We eat)

Vosotros coméis (You eat)

Ellos comen (They eat)

Eng: Where can I eat a good paella?

Spa: ¿Dónde puedo comer una paella buena?

Eng: They like to eat Mexican food.

Esp: Les gusta comer comida mexicana.

You will be able to make great gastronomic routes!

Finally, let's get to know the verb "pagar”, to give what is owed or better known as to pay.

We conjugate the verb "pagar” as follows:

Yo pago (I pay)

Tú pagas (You pay)

Él/ella/usted paga (He/she / fromal form of you pay)

Nosotros pagamos (We pay)

Vosotros pagáis (You pay)

Ellos pagan (They pay)

Eng: I would like to pay for this t-shirt.

Spa: Me gustaría pagar esta camiseta.

Eng: Can I pay with card?

Spa: ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?

These are the 10 most used verbs in Spanish. They will be very useful in your learning and essential to be able to communicate. Remember that you can study Spanish at home and discover more content like this on our website.

See you soon!