The 100 Most Used Spanish Verbs

When I was learning English, I would always see long lists of verbs in the last pages of my language books.

I must admit that those lists were very helpful, so I wanted to create something similar for you, a list with the most used verbs in Spanish. 

After doing some research, I realized that RAE recently published a document that I could use to accurately pinpoint the most used verbs in Spanish. So, here they are!

Interesting Fact: I used CORPES XXI to create the list of verbs below. CORPES XXI is the most current corpus available in the Spanish language. Actually, it was last updated in September, 2020.

A corpus is a collection of texts (plays, film scripts, press releases, essays, transcripts of radio or television news, transcripts of conversations, and speeches), and they can be used to identify the most used words in a language. 

Spanish Verb List: Sorted by Frequency of Use

So, here you have the most used verbs in the Spanish language in text format. I sorted them by frequency of use. “Ser” is the most used verb in Spanish. “Responder” is the least used in this list.

1. ser (be)
2. estar (be)
3. tener (have)
4. hacer (do, make)
5. poder (can, be able to)
6. decir (say)
7. haber (have [aux. verb], there is/are)
8. ir (go)
9. dar (give)
10. ver (see)
11. saber (know)
12. pasar (walk by, pass)
13. deber (must, have to)
14. querer (want, love)
15. llegar (arrive)
16. dejar (leave)
17. llevar (carry)
18. encontrar (find)
19. seguir (follow)
20. poner (put)
21. quedar (stay)
22. parecer (seem)
23. hablar (speak)
24. pensar (think)
25. volver (return)
26. conocer (know)
27. salir (go out)
28. realizar (do, realize)
29. tomar (take, drink)
30. tratar (try, deal with)
31. contar (count, tell)
32. llamar (call, name)
33. venir (come, arrive)
34. mirar (see, look)
35. presentar (present, show)
36. permitir (allow)
37. esperar (wait)
38. sentir (feel)
39. vivir (live)
40. buscar (look for)
41. creer (believe)
42. crear (create)
43. perder (lose)
44. existir (exist)
45. considerar (consider)
46. abrir (open)
47. trabajar (work)
48. recibir (receive)
49. mantener (maintain)
50. explicar (explain)
51. lograr (achieve)
52. empezar (begin)
53. recordar (remember)
54. comenzar (start)
55. pedir (ask for)
56. preguntar (ask)
57. producir (produce)
58. convertir (convert, change)
59. entrar (enter)
60. mostrar (show)
61. señalar (point)
62. escribir (write)
63. utilizar (use)
64. entender (understand)
65. terminar (end)
66. ganar (win, earn)
67. incluir (include)
68. morir (die)
69. asegurar (ensure, secure)
70. ocurrir (occur)
71. ofrecer (offer)
72. jugar (play)
73. gustar (like)
74. escuchar (listen to)
75. sentar (sit)
76. cambiar (change)
77. aparecer (appear)
78. acabar (finish, end)
79. decidir (decide)
80. resultar (result, prove)
81. caer (fall)
82. desarrollar (develop)
83. necesitar (need)
84. sacar (remove)
85. establecer (establish, set)
86. conseguir (get)
87. indicar (indicate)
88. formar (form)
89. reconocer (recognize)
90. dirigir (lead)
91. servir (serve)
92. alcanzar (reach)
93. intentar (try)
94. cumplir (accomplish)
95. leer (read)
96. obtener (get)
97. ayudar (help)
98. usar (use)
99. observar (observe)
100. responder (answer)

How to Use Spanish Verbs

When my friends ask me for tips on how to learn verbs in Spanish, I usually give them the same pieces of advice.

1. Learn their meaning, pronunciation, and spelling.

2. Creating a story or meaningful examples will help you learn their use.

3. If it is hard for you to memorize them, organize them into categories. For example, you could organize them into their endings or conjugation patterns.

I grouped more than 1000 verbs into a few categories. Would you like to check that out? Click here.