22 Essential French Verbs with Examples, A to V (Free Illustrated Poster)

22 Essential French Verbs, From A to V

These 22 verbs cover the actions a beginner needs every day: aimer, boire, courir, danser, écouter, faire, gagner, habiter, inviter, jouer, klaxonner, lire, manger, nager, ouvrir, penser, quitter, regarder, sauter, travailler, utiliser and visiter. Sixteen of them are regular -er verbs, so learning one conjugation pattern unlocks most of the list.

By Camille, native French teacherUpdated 2 August 2026Free, no account required

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One verb per letter of the alphabet, from A to V. The alphabetical constraint is a memory device, not a filter: every verb here is one my students genuinely use in their first months.

The poster illustrates each verb with a scene. The full list, with translations and example sentences, is below.

The 22 verbs

French	English	Example
aimer	to love	Elle aime sa famille et ses amis.
boire	to drink	Il boit un verre d'eau.
courir	to run	Il court très vite dans le parc.
danser	to dance	Elle danse sur la musique.
écouter	to listen	Elle écoute une nouvelle chanson.
faire	to make, to do	Il fait de la peinture.
gagner	to win	Il gagne un trophée.
habiter	to live	Elle habite à la campagne.
inviter	to invite	Elle invite ses amis.
jouer	to play	Ils jouent à un jeu de société.
klaxonner	to honk	Il klaxonne la voiture devant.
lire	to read	Il lit un livre intéressant.
manger	to eat	Elle mange un bon repas.
nager	to swim	Il nage dans la piscine.
ouvrir	to open	Elle ouvre un joli cadeau.
penser	to think	Il pense à ses vacances.
quitter	to leave	Elle quitte la maison.
regarder	to watch	Il regarde la télévision.
sauter	to jump	Elle saute de joie.
travailler	to work	Il travaille sur son projet.
utiliser	to use	Elle utilise son ordinateur.
visiter	to visit	Ils visitent un musée.

Which ones are irregular

Sixteen of the 22 are regular -er verbs. Only six need to be learned as blocks, and manger and nager are regular with one spelling adjustment.

Verb	Group	What to watch
boire	Irregular	je bois, nous buvons, ils boivent. The stem changes twice.
courir	Irregular (-ir)	je cours, nous courons. Two r in the futur: je courrai.
faire	Irregular	vous faites, ils font. Two of the most irregular forms in French.
lire	Irregular	je lis, nous lisons. Past participle: lu.
ouvrir	Irregular (-ir)	Conjugates like an -er verb in the présent: j'ouvre.
manger, nager	Regular -er	Keep the e before the o: nous mangeons, nous nageons.

How to use the list

Learn a little every day and put each verb into your own sentences. A verb you have used once about your own life is worth ten you have only read.

A starting point: J'aime lire et écouter de la musique. Le week-end, je cours au parc et je passe du temps avec mes amis. Rewrite that with your own habits and you have already used four of the 22.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important French verbs for beginners?

Être, avoir, aller and faire come first because they carry the whole grammar system. Immediately after them come the everyday action verbs on this list: manger, boire, habiter, travailler, regarder, écouter, lire and jouer.

Why do nous mangeons and nous nageons keep the e?

Without it, the g would be pronounced as a hard g before the o. The e keeps the soft "zh" sound. The same happens with commencer, where the c takes a cedilla: nous commençons.

What is the difference between visiter and rendre visite à?

Visiter is for places: je visite un musée. For people you use rendre visite à: je rends visite à ma grand-mère. Saying je visite ma grand-mère is a common and immediately noticeable mistake.

Is habiter followed by à or en?

It depends on the place, not the verb: j'habite à Paris for a city, j'habite en France for a feminine country, j'habite au Canada for a masculine one. Habiter can also drop the preposition entirely: j'habite Paris.