While speaking in Spanish, are you perhaps having trouble expressing actions and more complex situations? You are not alone! Everyone who learns a new language goes through the same problem. Your next step is to know Spanish Verbs, the most significant part of your language journey. The Verbs are precisely what you need to improve your conversational skills.
We understand that the structure of a sentence is one of the most challenging parts, not to mention the famous difficulty of conjugations. But let’s go one step at a time. Today’s article will show you the most valuable verbs (‘Verbos’) in the Spanish language that you need to learn before any other terms. During a trip or while meeting a native Spanish speaker, you will be able to express different actions, states, or occurrences.
A verb helps give meaning to the action performed by a person. They describe the action or state of the subject. When making sentences, we can add verbs and transform or modify them according to what we want to convey.
Verbs also play an essential grammatical role in determining the division between the person who did the action and the predicate. They provide a link between the meaning and the structure of our sentences. It is because of the verbs that we can establish actions between the elements of a sentence.
Consequently, for a person who is learning a new language, such as Spanish, it is crucial to focus on learning the most used verbs in order to communicate with ease in different kinds of situations.
Before going through this list of verbs, you should learn how to say in Spanish the term ‘verbs.’
Los verbos (The verbs - Plural)
El verbo (The verb - Singular)
So what common Spanish verbs will be helpful to you during your stay in Spanish-speaking countries?
Let’s understand their definitions and literal English translations. With this list of common Spanish verbs, you will learn how to use them in sentences and listen to their respective pronunciations.
Note: the pronunciations added to the following verbs are Latin American Spanish accents.
Literal translation: Be
Definition: You can use the verb 'ser' to express the subject's essential qualities or permanent characteristics.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To be
Definition: Don't get confused with the verb 'to be.' For native speakers, these two verbs are different. Use 'estar' to express transitory characteristics or states that depend on various circumstances.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To go
Definition: According to the RAE dictionary, this verb means to go from one side to the other or to go to another place.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To have
Definition: This is a crucial verb that you can use to express ownership or relationship.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To know
Definition: The verb 'saber' has different meanings, including 'taste.' For now, let's focus on its most common definition: to know something. It can also help you express the capacity that someone has to do an action.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To Want
Definition: The meaning of this verb is to have the will or determination to execute something. You can also use it if you have affection or inclination for something or someone.
Sentence examples:
Me detuve a pensar en lo que hablamos ayer. (I stopped to think about what we talked about yesterday.)
Literal translation: See
Definition: It involves perceiving or knowing through the use of sight.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: Look at
Definition: The meaning of 'mirar' is different from 'ver.' If you say this verb, you refer to someone directing their sight toward an object or focusing on something in particular.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To tell
Definition: This Spanish verb helps communicate our thoughts or beliefs. You can translate it as 'to tell' or 'to say.'
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To do
Definition: This verb means 'do or execute' something.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To eat
Definition: You can use this verb to express that someone has chewed and swallowed solid food.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: have
Definition: This verb can be confusing for beginners, but it is one of the most important Spanish verbs to learn. It means ''to exist or to occur.'
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To take/To drink
Definition: An interesting thing about Spanish is how many words can mean different things. And also how each word has different meanings depending on the country.
This Spanish verb can mean to take something, and in many countries, it can mean 'to drink' as well. Although the most used verb for drinking is 'beber.'
In addition, you can also use this verb to say that you are taking photographs.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To talk
Definition: Discuss something by talking to someone else.
Sentence examples:
Literal translation: To buy
Definition: The meaning of this verb is to obtain something for a price.
Sentence examples:
After knowing the most common Spanish verbs that I have explained to you in this post, you have a much clearer idea of communicating actions and states fluidly. Dialogues are impossible to achieve without verbs since people always talk about what we have done or what we will do.
The list of 20 essential Spanish verbs that I have compiled for you and the different verbs with their translations will help you during a trip to a Spanish-speaking country. Now you can have countless conversations with native speakers!
They are the verbs that allow you to survive. So start practicing them with your Spanish-speaking friends now!
However, what we have just seen in today's article is only the beginning of an unforgettable adventure of learning a beautiful language.
You can fill in your Spanish vocabulary knowledge with our blog. From history to culture. From interesting phrases about Christmas to food flavors or emergency survival vocab. You can even learn fun slang from different Spanish-speaking countries.
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