C’est vrai, on n’a pas trop le choix (it’s true, one doesn’t have much choice): Memorizing de nouveaux verbes (new verbs) is absolutely essential to learn, and ultimately master, la langue française.

But the one question that often challenges the new students is always the same: “Par où doit-on commencer?” (“Where should one start from?”)

One way to go is to begin with the les verbes les plus fréquemment utilisés (the most frequently used verbs) of the French language.

For that, we’ll turn to the precious 1971 “Dictionnaire des fréquences de la langue française” of the C.N.R.S., which lists amid its pages the 100 most frequently used French verbs.

The list of the 100 verbs featured here is the result of an impressive statistical linguistic study conducted by the C.N.R.S. some 40 years ago

Learn more about the C.N.R.S.: Acronym for “Centre national de la recherche scientifique” (“National Center of Scientific Research”), the largest government research organization in France

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Les verbes les plus fréquemment utilisés (the most frequently used verbs):

1. Être (to be)

2. Avoir (to have)

3. Faire (to do)

4. Dire (to say)

5. Pouvoir (to be able to)

6. Aller (to go)

7. Voir (too see)

8. Savoir (to know)

9. Vouloir (to want)

10.Venir (to come)

11. Falloir (to be necessary)

12. Devoir (must)

13. Croire (to believe)

14. Trouver (to find)

15. Donner (to give)

16. Prendre (to take)

17. Parler (to speak)

18. Aimer (to love, to like)

19. Passer (to pass)

20. Mettre (to put)

21. Demander (to ask)

22. Tenir (to hold)

23. Sembler (to seem)

24. Laisser (to let)

25. Rester (to stay)

26. Penser (to think)

27. Entendre (to hear)

28. Regarder (to look)

29. Répondre (to answer)

30. Rendre (to return)

31. Connaître (to know)

32. Paraître (to appear)

33. Arriver (to arrive)

34. Sentir (to feel)

35. Attendre (to wait)

36. Vivre (to live)

37. Chercher (to search)

38. Sentir (this time meant as “to smell”)

39. Comprendre (to understand)

40. Porter (to carry)

41. Devenir (to become)

42. Entrer (to enter)

43. Retenir (to keep)

44. Écrire (to write)

45. Appeler (to call)

46. Tomber (to fall)

47. Reprendre (to resume; to recapture)

48. Commencer (to begin)

49. Suivre (to follow)

50. Montrer (to show)

51. Partir (to leave)

52. Mourir (to die)

53. Ouvrir (to open)

54. Lire (to read)

55. Arrêter (to stop)

56. Servir (to serve)

57. Jeter (to throw)

58. Recevoir (to receive)

59. Monter (to go up)

60. Lever (to raise)

61. Agir (to act)

62. Perdre (to lose)

63. Écouter (to listen)

64. Continuer (to continue)

65. Sourire (to smile)

66. Apercevoir (to perceive)

67. Reconnaître (to recognize)

68. Ajouter (to add)

69. Jouer (to play)

70. Marcher (to walk)

71. Garder (to keep)

72. Manquer (to miss)

73. Retrouver (to retrieve)

74. Descendre (to go down)

75. Rappeler (to remind)

76. Quitter (to quit)

77. Tourner (to turn)

78. Finir (to finish)

79. Crier (to scream)

80. Courir (to run)

81. Permettre (to allow)

82. Songer (to think of sth)

83. Offrir (to offer)

84. Présenter (to present)

85. Apprendre (to learn)

86. Souffrir (to suffer)

87. Exister (to exist)

88. Envoyer (to send)

89. Expliquer (to explain)

90. Manger (to eat)

91. Valoir (to be worth sth)

92. Oublier (to forget)

93. Rentrer (to go back)

94. Pousser (to push)

95. Occuper (to occupy)

96. Compter (to count)

97. Empêcher (to prevent)

98. Plaire (to please)

99. Travailler (to work)

100. S’écrier (to exclaim)