Ten ordinary French verbs do far more work than their dictionary translations suggest. Learn them inside common expressions and you gain ready-made language for needs, plans, feelings, time and conversation, while reinforcing the same high-frequency conjugations repeatedly.

The list below gives 10 useful chunks per verb. Treat each expression as a unit first. Then change the subject and tense: j'ai besoin, nous avions besoin, ils auront besoin. That is where vocabulary and conjugation start reinforcing each other.

1. Avoir: much more than “to have”

  • avoir besoin de: to need
  • avoir envie de: to feel like, to want
  • avoir peur de: to be afraid of
  • avoir faim / soif: to be hungry / thirsty
  • avoir chaud / froid: to feel hot / cold
  • avoir raison / tort: to be right / wrong
  • avoir de la chance: to be lucky
  • avoir l'habitude de: to be used to
  • avoir lieu: to take place
  • avoir du mal à: to have difficulty doing something

Example: Nous avons du mal à comprendre cette règle. See the full avoir conjugation.

2. Faire: actions, weather and reactions

  • faire attention: to pay attention, be careful
  • faire semblant de: to pretend to
  • faire confiance à: to trust
  • faire partie de: to be part of
  • faire la queue: to wait in line
  • faire une promenade: to go for a walk
  • faire connaissance: to meet, get acquainted
  • faire exprès: to do deliberately
  • faire peur à: to frighten
  • faire beau / mauvais: to have nice / bad weather

Example: Fais attention en traversant. See the full faire conjugation.

3. Prendre: decisions, transport and routines

  • prendre rendez-vous: to make an appointment
  • prendre une décision: to make a decision
  • prendre le temps de: to take the time to
  • prendre soin de: to take care of
  • prendre des nouvelles de: to check in on
  • prendre le train / bus: to take the train / bus
  • prendre un verre: to have a drink
  • prendre une photo: to take a photo
  • prendre conscience de: to become aware of
  • prendre en compte: to take into account

Example: Je prendrai rendez-vous demain. See the full prendre conjugation.

4. Mettre: putting things and taking time

  • mettre du temps à: to take time to
  • mettre en place: to set up
  • mettre au point: to develop, finalize
  • mettre à jour: to update
  • mettre fin à: to put an end to
  • mettre de côté: to put aside
  • mettre en valeur: to highlight
  • mettre la table: to set the table
  • mettre quelqu'un au courant: to inform someone
  • se mettre à: to start doing

Example: Elle s'est mise à rire. See the full mettre conjugation.

5. Passer: time, tests and movement

  • passer un examen: to take an exam
  • passer du temps: to spend time
  • passer voir quelqu'un: to stop by and see someone
  • passer à autre chose: to move on
  • passer par: to go through, via
  • passer pour: to be regarded as
  • se passer de: to do without
  • ça se passe bien: it is going well
  • passer un coup de fil: to make a phone call
  • passer la nuit: to spend the night

Example: Comment s'est passé ton examen ? See the full passer conjugation.

6. Tenir: keeping, caring and informing

  • tenir au courant: to keep informed
  • tenir compte de: to take into account
  • tenir à: to care about, insist on
  • tenir bon: to hold on, stay strong
  • tenir parole: to keep one's word
  • tenir compagnie à: to keep someone company
  • tenir lieu de: to serve as
  • tenir debout: to stand upright
  • se tenir prêt: to be ready
  • s'en tenir à: to stick to

Example: Je te tiendrai au courant. See the full tenir conjugation.

7. Rendre: making, returning and realizing

  • rendre visite à: to visit someone
  • rendre service à: to do someone a favor
  • rendre compte de: to report on
  • se rendre compte de: to realize
  • rendre possible: to make possible
  • rendre heureux / triste: to make happy / sad
  • rendre hommage à: to pay tribute to
  • rendre l'âme: to give up the ghost, stop working
  • rendre la monnaie: to give change
  • rendre quelque chose: to return something

Example: Je me suis rendu compte de mon erreur. See the full rendre conjugation.

8. Manquer: a reversed verb English speakers misread

  • manquer de temps: to lack time
  • manquer de patience: to lack patience
  • manquer à quelqu'un: to be missed by someone
  • rater / manquer le train: to miss the train
  • ne pas manquer de: to be sure to
  • manquer une occasion: to miss an opportunity
  • manquer son coup: to fail in one's attempt
  • manquer de peu: to narrowly miss
  • manquer à sa parole: to break one's word
  • faillir / manquer de tomber: to almost fall

Example: Tu me manques means “I miss you,” literally “you are missing to me.” See the full manquer conjugation.

9. Laisser: leaving, allowing and stopping

  • laisser tomber: to drop it, give up
  • laisser faire: to let it happen
  • laisser passer: to let through
  • laisser entendre: to imply
  • laisser un message: to leave a message
  • laisser quelqu'un tranquille: to leave someone alone
  • se laisser faire: to let oneself be pushed around
  • laisser de côté: to set aside
  • laisser tomber quelqu'un: to let someone down
  • laisser quelque chose ouvert: to leave something open

Example: Laisse-moi réfléchir. See the full laisser conjugation.

10. Aller: movement, wellbeing and the near future

  • aller bien / mal: to be going well / badly
  • ça va ?: how are you?, is it okay?
  • aller chercher: to go and get
  • aller voir: to go and see
  • aller ensemble: to go together, match
  • aller droit au but: to get straight to the point
  • aller trop loin: to go too far
  • s'en aller: to leave
  • y aller: to go there, get started
  • aller + infinitive: to be going to do something

Example: On va y aller means “we're going to get going.” See the full aller conjugation.

How to learn all 100 without making flashcards for all 100

Choose one verb per week. Pick 5 expressions that match your real life and write one personal sentence with each. Then change each sentence into one past and one future form. That gives 15 useful repetitions without drilling an arbitrary list.

When the chunks feel familiar, use the typed-answer practice tool to make the underlying conjugations automatic. For frequency order and full tables, browse the 100 most common French verbs.

Common questions

Which French verbs are most useful for everyday expressions?

Start with avoir, faire, prendre, mettre, passer, tenir, rendre, manquer, laisser and aller. Together they cover needs, plans, time, feelings and many daily actions.

Should I memorize expressions or individual words?

Learn useful expressions as complete chunks, then vary the subject and tense. This avoids word-for-word translation while still building flexible conjugation skill.