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Verbos esenciales

Essential verbs

The verbs you cannot speak without — want, can, know, say, think, help, find.

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querer

to want / to love

verb

In a sentence

Quiero un café, por favor.
I want a coffee, please.

«Querer» covers both 'to want' (things or actions) and 'to love' (people); context makes the meaning clear.
poder

can / to be able to

verb

In a sentence

¿Puedes ayudarme, por favor?
Can you help me, please?

Use 'poder' for physical or circumstantial ability; 'saber' means knowing how to do something — so «puedo nadar» means I am able to swim right now, while «sé nadar» means I know how to swim.
saber

to know

verb

In a sentence

Yo sé hablar español un poco.
I know how to speak Spanish a little.

Use «saber» for knowing facts or how to do something; use «conocer» for knowing people or places.
conocer

to know / to meet

verb

In a sentence

Conozco a María desde niña.
I have known María since she was a little girl.

Use «conocer» for knowing people or places; use «saber» for knowing facts or how to do something — they are not interchangeable.
pensar

to think

verb

In a sentence

¿Qué piensas tú?
What do you think?

Use «pensar en» for 'to think about someone or something', and «pensar que» to express an opinion: 'Pienso que es bueno.'
creer

to believe / to think

verb

In a sentence

Creo que mañana llueve.
I think it will rain tomorrow.

Use «creer» for both holding a belief and expressing an opinion, similar to 'I think' in English — e.g. «Creo que es buena idea».
decir

to say / to tell

verb

In a sentence

¿Qué dice ella?
What does she say?

Use «decir» for both reporting speech ('say') and conveying information to someone ('tell'); the person told is introduced with «a»: 'Le digo la verdad.'
hablar

to speak / to talk

verb

In a sentence

Ella habla español muy bien.
She speaks Spanish very well.

'Hablar' covers both 'speak' and 'talk'; use it with 'con' for 'talk to someone' — e.g. «hablar con alguien».
preguntar

to ask (a question)

verb

In a sentence

El alumno pregunta al profesor.
The student asks the teacher.

Use «preguntar» for asking questions; to ask for something (a request) uses «pedir» instead.
pedir

to ask for / to order

verb

In a sentence

Quiero pedir una pizza, por favor.
I want to order a pizza, please.

Use «pedir» when asking for something you want — food, a favour, help. Don't confuse it with «preguntar», which means to ask a question.
ayudar

to help

verb

In a sentence

¿Puedes ayudarme con esto?
Can you help me with this?

Often followed by 'a' plus an infinitive: «ayudar a hacer algo» means 'to help do something'.
buscar

to look for

verb

In a sentence

Busco mis llaves por toda la casa.
I am looking for my keys all over the house.

'Buscar' already means 'to look for', so never add a preposition — say 'busco mis llaves', not 'busco por mis llaves'.
encontrar

to find

verb

In a sentence

No puedo encontrar mis llaves.
I can't find my keys.

'Encontrar' can also mean 'to meet' or 'to encounter', but in everyday use at A1 level focus on the sense of finding a lost or sought object.
necesitar

to need

verb

In a sentence

Necesito agua, por favor.
I need water, please.

Use «necesitar» followed by an infinitive or a noun: 'Necesito agua' or 'Necesito dormir'.
dar

to give

verb

In a sentence

Te doy un regalo.
I give you a gift.

«Dar» is irregular: the yo form is «doy», and it also means 'to give' in the sense of handing something over physically or as a gift.
tomar

to take / to have (a drink)

verb

In a sentence

¿Quieres tomar un café conmigo?
Do you want to have a coffee with me?

«Tomar» is the everyday verb for consuming drinks in Spanish — say «tomar un café» rather than using «beber» in casual conversation.
poner

to put

verb

In a sentence

Pon el libro en la mesa.
Put the book on the table.

'Poner' is irregular — the yo form is 'pongo'. It is also used in many common phrases like «poner la mesa» (to set the table).
hacer

to do / to make

verb

In a sentence

Hago mi cama cada mañana.
I make my bed every morning.

«Hacer» covers both 'do' and 'make' — use context to choose: «hacer los deberes» (do homework), «hacer un pastel» (make a cake).
ir

to go

verb

In a sentence

Voy al mercado cada mañana.
I go to the market every morning.

'Ir' is highly irregular — learn the present tense forms (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van) by heart, as they look nothing like the infinitive.
venir

to come

verb

In a sentence

¿Puedes venir a mi casa esta tarde?
Can you come to my house this afternoon?

Unlike English 'go', «venir» implies movement toward the speaker or listener — use it when someone is coming to where you are.
tener

to have

verb

In a sentence

Tengo un libro en la mochila.
I have a book in my backpack.

'Tener' is used for possession and also for age — say «tengo veinte años» (I am twenty years old), not «soy veinte años».
entender

to understand

verb

In a sentence

No entiendo esta palabra.
I don't understand this word.

'Entender' and 'comprender' both mean 'to understand'; 'entender' is more common in everyday speech.
aprender

to learn

verb

In a sentence

Quiero aprender español.
I want to learn Spanish.

Use 'aprender a + infinitive' to say you are learning to do something, e.g. «aprender a nadar».
olvidar

to forget

verb

In a sentence

Siempre olvido mi contraseña.
I always forget my password.

You can also use the reflexive form «olvidarse de» — e.g. 'Me olvidé de las llaves' — which is very common in everyday speech.
recordar

to remember

verb

In a sentence

No recuerdo su nombre.
I don't remember his name.

Don't confuse «recordar» with 'grabar' (to record on tape/video) — they are false friends for English speakers.
intentar

to try

verb

In a sentence

Voy a intentar hablar español cada día.
I am going to try to speak Spanish every day.

'Intentar' is followed directly by an infinitive: «intentar hablar», not «intentar de hablar».
seguir

to continue / to follow

verb

In a sentence

Sigue recto y gira a la derecha.
Continue straight and turn right.

Use «seguir» + gerund to say you keep doing something, e.g. «sigue hablando» means 'he keeps talking'.
dejar

to leave (something) / to let

verb

In a sentence

Dejo las llaves en la mesa.
I leave the keys on the table.

'Dejar' covers both leaving something behind and allowing someone to do something — context makes it clear which sense is meant.
traer

to bring

verb

In a sentence

¿Puedes traer el agua, por favor?
Can you bring the water, please?

Unlike 'llevar' (to take away), 'traer' means bringing something toward the speaker or a central point — e.g. «trae el libro» means bring the book here.
tener que

to have to / must

expression

In a sentence

Tengo que estudiar hoy.
I have to study today.

Always followed by an infinitive: «tener que + infinitive» expresses obligation or necessity.