50 of the Most Common English Verbs: Part 1

If you’re learning English, mastering just 50 essential verbs can completely transform the way you communicate.
These verbs appear everywhere: in daily conversations, emails, movies, podcasts, and songs.

The good news?
You don’t need hundreds of verbs to sound more confident — you just need the ones native speakers use every single day.

In this article, you’ll find 50 of the most common English verbs, divided into clear categories, with short, simple example sentences.

Why These 50 Verbs Matter

• They help you build natural sentences instantly.
• They appear in almost every everyday conversation.
• They are the foundation for learning verb tenses.
• They boost your fluency right away.

Tip: Don’t learn them as a list. Use them in sentences, mini-stories, daily routines, or flashcards.

1. Action Verbs

(For movements, physical actions, and everyday activities)

1. go – I go to work at 8 o’clock every morning.
2. come – She comes home early on Fridays.
3. take – Take your jacket in case it’s cold.
4. make – He makes dinner for his family every day.
5. do – I do my homework in my bedroom.
6. give – Give me a minute please.
7. bring – Bring your laptop to the meeting.
8. get – I get a coffee every morning from the café next door.
9. run – They run in Central Park every Sunday.
10. walk – We walk to school when it isn’t raining.

2. Communication & Thinking Verbs

(Essential in conversations, work, and daily life)

11. say – She says it’s OK to use her car.
12. tell – Tell me the story from the beginning.
13. speak – We speak on Facetime every day.
14. ask – Ask him for help if you need it.
15. talk – They talk a lot when they meet up.
16. think – I think it’s true.
17. know – I know the answer to the question.
18. understand – Do you understand?
19. remember – I remember her name but not her face.
20. learn – We learn new words every lesson.

3. Verbs for States, Feelings & Possession

(Used to describe how you feel and what you have)

21. be – I am tired today.
22. have – She has a red car.
23. feel – I feel happy today.
24. like – They like pizza with peppers and sausage.
25. love – I love English.
26. want – We want more time.
27. need – You need help with that job.
28. seem – It seems difficult, buti t isn’t.
29. believe – I believe you.
30. prefer – I prefer tea to coffee.

4. Everyday Life & Work Verbs

(Perfect for emails, office conversations, and routines)

31. work – I work from home on Mondays and Wednesdays.
32. use – We use computers at school.
33. try – Try again.
34. help – Can you help me please?
35. call – Call me later when I get home.
36. open – Open the door for me please.
37. close – Close the window, it’s cold now.
38. start – We start school at 8 o’clock.
39. finish – I finish early.
40. change – Change your shoes when you get home.

5. Daily Routine & Free Time Verbs

(Useful for describing your day, habits, hobbies, and activities)

41. eat – We eat lunch at 1 o’clock most days.
42. drink – She drinks tea in the morning.
43. watch – I watch TV in the evening.
44. read – They read the news on the internet.
45. play – He plays football at weekends.
46. listen – Listen to this song!
47. sleep – I sleep very well.
48. live – They live in Rome.
49. meet – We meet in the pub every Friday evening.
50. travel – I travel a lot when I can.

How to Learn These 50 Verbs Faster

Here are five effective strategies to memorize them:

1. Use each verb in 2–3 personal sentences a day

Not generic sentences → sentences about your life.

2. Group the verbs visually (colours, diagrams, maps)

This aligns with our Graphic Grammar Book style.

3. Create micro-stories (even silly ones!)

The stranger the story → the stronger the memory.

4. Review after 1 day, 3 days, and 1 week

Spaced repetition = long-term memory.

5. Turn them into smart flashcards

Apps like Anki or Quizlet show you the right verb at the right time.

Conclusion

These 50 verbs are part of the core of everyday English.
Mastering them — with context, examples and repetition — will help you build hundreds of natural sentences and feel more confident when speaking or writing.

You don’t need to learn everything at once.
Start using these verbs daily, and your English will improve naturally.

Want more essential lists, visual explanations, and clear grammar diagrams?

Check out our Graphic Grammar Book — every tense, structure, and rule explained with colours, illustrations and easy-to-remember visuals.