Must Know Verbs
I am going to start Spanish 2 and I wanted to know what are some important verbs I should know to strengthen and expand my knowledge in Spanish? Thanks
5 Answers
The absolute best way to determine what are the Absolute Most Important Verbs ....to you...is to pay close attention to how you speak your native language and what verbs you use in your native language. Learn those verbs first. Your pattern of speech will not change much until you are comfortable speaking and hearing Spanish. Then you can begin to substitute the verbs that natives use in the types of sentences that you normally form in English.
There are a lot of different verbs used to express ideas in the two languages but trying to get it all right at the beginning with only confuse and tongue-tie you. Now to scare you a little. You know that book 501 Spanish verbs? Well after living in Mexico for eight years I probably have never used half of those verbs. That is the good news. The bad news is that I probably have learned 500 verbs that are not in that book.
Everyone uses language differently. You should customize your learning to your manner of speaking.
One last point. There are some very over used verbs in Spanish. You need to study them in depth. Not just the conjugation and not just the basic translation but the sometimes two full pages of usages. Examples: echar, llevar, dejar, quitar, andar, quedar, dar, and many more.
Welcome to SpanishDict. You will find many verbs to study here and much more.
Welcome to the forum. What is your level of Spanish? Is Spanish 2 something in the American school system [Im from the UK] Can you add your language level to your profile - it helps when we answer a question.
Obviously there are some basic irregular verbs which it is worth knowing like estar/ser/hacer/ir. Haber is useful as it is used in composite tenses and in the third person for there are. Katy dew has games on the forum to help your knowledge of verbs I took ages to differentiate between pedir.perder,poder, poner.
Here is a list of 55 important verbs with flashcards - obviously words to explain thoughts and actions are necessary. Quizlet.com
Years ago I bought 501 verbs - it not only has all the conjugations but at the back exercises and grammar.
I don't know 501 verbs yet but it is easy to add one which has a similar root to another you know eg ones ending in tener.
This is a little vague because I do not know what level Spanish 2 is. If you do some reading and practice speaking you will soon work out what verbs you need,
Here is a thread if you would like to practice the present, past, past imperfect, future and conditional tenses of the list of verbs.
For the benefit of new members to Spanishdict, especially those who are beginners to the Spanish language, these important verbs mentioned by the questioner, neelrocks, are often referred to, at least in English, as 'High Frequency verbs' and include the most important, regularly used verbs in common usage today....verbs you really have to learn and know how to use well if you want to hold a basic conversation in Spanish!
These include verbs that end in all of the 3 regular conjugations: ar, er, and ir as well as verbs that do not follow the usual pattern and so are called irregular verbs.
1.Ser = to be (irreg)
2.Estar = to be
3.tener = to have, hold, possess (irreg)
4.haber = to have (auxiliary verb used to form compound tenses eg I have spoken = He hablado
5.querer = to want, to lovel
6.hablar = to speak, to talk (reg)
7.saber = to know a fact, to know how to do something eg to read
8.conocer = to know or be acquainted with a person/place
9.decir = to say/tell
10.dar = to give
