Review of basic Spanish verbs
In this lesson, we will go through the essential Spanish verbs which you should already know as s student who are ready to head for more intermediate topics.
Many of the following verbs were highlighted in previous sections already. Where appropriate, links to previous lessons will be provided.
hacer
One of the most essential Spanish verbs is hacer, which we did not bring into spotlight before. The primary meaning of “hacer” is to do or to make
For example;
- ¿qué haces? what are you doing?
- hacer deporte to do sport
- hacer deberes to do homework
- hacer amigos to make friends
On the other hand, hacer has other application areas. One of the most important ones is its use to describe weather.
- ¿qué tiempo hace? What is the weather like?
When answering this question you will use hacer again;
- hace frío it’s cold
Similary, you can say hace sol (it’s sunny), hace viento (it’s windy), hace calor (it’s warm).
Learn also the following verbs in the context of weather:
llover: to rain
nevar: to snow
tronar: to thunder
To express that it’s raining/snowing/thundering, you simply use the corresponding verbs in the third person singular form: llueve, nieva, truena.
ser, estar
The two important verbs ser and estar were handled in the previous lessons in detail so that we will not cover them anymore in this lesson. You should refer to lesson ser and estar so that you can start from a good point for learning them.
tener
The primary meaning of tener is to have.
- ¿tienes dinero? Do you have money?
On the other hand, it is used in many other cases as well. For example, it can be used to describe people physically, which is covered in the corresponding lesson.
Another important application of tener is to express the age
- tengo 30 años I’m 30 years old
Tener is used to express obligations in Spanish when it is used with que. It has also many fixed expressions. For example “tener ganas de” means to feel like. You may find other common expression in lesson expressing necessities in Spanish.
verbs related to meals
desayunar: to have breakfast
almorzar: to have lunch
merendar: to have snack
cenar: to have dinner
Spanish verbs similar to English verbs
The two languages have many verbs in common. Most of them was handled in lesson English-Spanish cognates. Some of the Spanish verbs which looks like some English verbs are not true cognates. They were handled in lesson false friends.
Other essential Spanish verbs
trabajar: to work
querer: to want
desear: to desire
enseñar: to teach
estudiar: to study
aprender: to learn
probarse: to try on
probar: to taste
leer: to read
escribir: to write
descansar: to rest
ducharse: to take a shower
creer: to think
paracer: to seem
enojarse: to get angry
gastar: to spend money
asistir: to attend
conocer: to know
preferir: to prefer
saber: to know
ver: to see
ir: to go
salir: to leave
quitar: to remove
sentir: to feel
venir: to come
vender: to sell
comprar: to buy
regresar: to return
explicar: to explain
encontrar: to find
entender: to understand
esperar: to hope, to wait for
secar: to dry
ayudar: to help
terminar: to finish
hablar: to speak
practicar: to practice
estacionar: to park
volver: to turn
estornudar: to sneeze
toser: to cough
fumar: to smoke
preguntar: to ask
poner: to put
poder: to be able to
comer: to eat
parar: to stop
manejar: to drive
mirar: to look, to watch
llamarse: to be named
llamar: to call
interesar: to interest
gustar: to appeal
caminar: to walk
comenzar: to start
pagar: to pay
levantarse: to get up
contester: to answer
comprender: to understand
cerrar: to close
odiar: to hate
cocinar: to cook
encantar: to love
limpiar: to clean
jugar: to play
olvidar: to forget
beber: to drink
llegar: to arrive
llorar: to cry
besar: to kiss
llevar: to bring
levantar: to raise
funcionar: to function
lastimarse: to hurt
decir: to say
bailar: to dance
ganar: to win, to earn
cortar: to cut
abrir: to open
escuchar: to listen
acostarse: to go to bed
despertarse: to wake up
dar: to give
calentar: to heat up
añadir: to add
afeitarse: to shave
prestart: to borrow
cambiar: to change
conducer: to drive
llenar: to fill
volar: to fly
vivir: to live