CEFR B1 · Conversational threshold

B1 French verbs: 100 essentials

Narrate connected events, explain opinions, make polite requests, and speak with growing independence.

A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2

What to do with verbs at B1

The list is cumulative: these 100 verbs include the foundations from every earlier level. At B1, aim to produce the common forms in context, not merely recognize each infinitive.

Choose between background description and completed past events.
Explain and support an opinion with connected sentences.
Make polite requests and discuss hypothetical situations.

Tense focus

imparfait · conditionnel présent · passé composé · futur simple. Earlier-level tenses remain active and should become progressively more automatic.

B1 worked examples

Quand j'étais enfant, je passais mes étés ici, mais l'an dernier j'ai déménagé.

When I was a child, I spent my summers here, but last year I moved.

Imparfait for background and habit; passé composé for the completed event.

Je voudrais changer de travail si je trouvais une meilleure occasion.

I would like to change jobs if I found a better opportunity.

Conditionnel présent for a wish and hypothesis.

Preparing for certification rather than general French? See the separate DELF B1 exam guide and strict-accent drill.

Prefer paper practice? Create a printable B1 French conjugation worksheet with a separate answer key.

New verbs from the previous level

This stage adds 50 verbs to the previous cumulative list. Here are the first 12 additions by frequency.

ouvrir oublier travailler porter écouter manger répondre entrer paraître tomber commencer payer

Complete B1 French verbs list

#	Infinitive	English	Group	Aux.
1	être irregular	to be	3^rd	avoir
2	avoir irregular	to have	3^rd	avoir
3	aller irregular	to go	3^rd	être
4	faire irregular	to do	3^rd	avoir
5	dire irregular	to say	3^rd	avoir
6	pouvoir irregular	can	3^rd	avoir
7	vouloir irregular	to want	3^rd	avoir
8	savoir irregular	to know	3^rd	avoir
9	voir irregular	to see	3^rd	avoir
10	devoir irregular	must	3^rd	avoir
11	venir irregular	to come	3^rd	être
12	suivre irregular	to follow	3^rd	avoir
13	parler	to speak	1^st	avoir
14	prendre irregular	to take	3^rd	avoir
15	croire irregular	to believe	3^rd	avoir
16	aimer	to love	1^st	avoir
17	falloir irregular	to be necessary	3^rd	avoir
18	passer	to pass	1^st	both
19	penser	to think	1^st	avoir
20	attendre	to wait	3^rd	avoir
21	laisser	to leave behind	1^st	avoir
22	arriver	to arrive	1^st	être
23	donner	to give	1^st	avoir
24	regarder	to watch	1^st	avoir
25	appeler	to call	1^st	avoir
26	partir irregular	to depart	3^rd	être
27	mettre irregular	to put	3^rd	avoir
28	rester	to stay	1^st	être
29	arrêter	to stop	1^st	avoir
30	demander	to ask	1^st	avoir
31	connaître irregular	to know	3^rd	avoir
32	tuer	to kill	1^st	avoir
33	mourir irregular	to die	3^rd	être
34	comprendre irregular	to understand	3^rd	avoir
35	sortir irregular	to go out	3^rd	être
36	tenir irregular	to hold	3^rd	avoir
37	entendre	to hear	3^rd	avoir
38	sentir irregular	to feel	3^rd	avoir
39	chercher	to look for	1^st	avoir
40	aider	to help	1^st	avoir
41	essayer	to try	1^st	avoir
42	revenir irregular	to come back	3^rd	être
43	plaire irregular	to please	3^rd	avoir
44	sembler	to seem	1^st	avoir
45	jouer	to play	1^st	avoir
46	finir	to finish	2^nd	avoir
47	perdre	to lose	3^rd	avoir
48	devenir irregular	to become	3^rd	être
49	rentrer	to go home	1^st	both
50	vivre irregular	to live	3^rd	avoir
51	ouvrir irregular	to open	3^rd	avoir
52	oublier	to forget	1^st	avoir
53	travailler	to work	1^st	avoir
54	porter	to wear	1^st	avoir
55	écouter	to listen	1^st	avoir
56	manger	to eat	1^st	avoir
57	répondre	to answer	3^rd	avoir
58	entrer	to enter	1^st	être
59	paraître irregular	to appear	3^rd	avoir
60	tomber	to fall	1^st	être
61	commencer	to begin	1^st	avoir
62	payer	to pay	1^st	avoir
63	retrouver	to find again	1^st	avoir
64	tirer	to pull	1^st	avoir
65	changer	to change	1^st	avoir
66	poser	to put down	1^st	avoir
67	monter	to go up	1^st	both
68	excuser	to excuse	1^st	avoir
69	dormir irregular	to sleep	3^rd	avoir
70	tourner	to turn	1^st	avoir
71	occuper	to occupy	1^st	avoir
72	marcher	to walk	1^st	avoir
73	envoyer	to send	1^st	avoir
74	apprendre irregular	to learn	3^rd	avoir
75	écrire irregular	to write	3^rd	avoir
76	reprendre irregular	to resume	3^rd	avoir
77	boire irregular	to drink	3^rd	avoir
78	garder	to keep	1^st	avoir
79	jeter	to throw	1^st	avoir
80	montrer	to show	1^st	avoir
81	lire irregular	to read	3^rd	avoir
82	rire irregular	to laugh	3^rd	avoir
83	quitter	to leave (a place)	1^st	avoir
84	prier	to pray	1^st	avoir
85	servir irregular	to serve	3^rd	avoir
86	descendre	to go down	3^rd	both
87	espérer	to hope	1^st	avoir
88	désoler	to be sorry	1^st	avoir
89	gagner	to win	1^st	avoir
90	retourner	to return	1^st	both
91	acheter	to buy	1^st	avoir
92	pousser	to push	1^st	avoir
93	continuer	to continue	1^st	avoir
94	emmener	to take away	1^st	avoir
95	toucher	to touch	1^st	avoir
96	courir irregular	to run	3^rd	avoir
97	sourire irregular	to smile	3^rd	avoir
98	raconter	to tell	1^st	avoir
99	importer	to matter	1^st	avoir
100	habiter	to live	1^st	avoir

Common questions

Is there an official B1 French verb list?

No. CEFR defines what learners can do at each level, not a mandatory vocabulary list. This is a practical Bonjour Verbs sequence combining communicative usefulness, corpus frequency, and the tense control expected around B1.

How many French verbs should I know at B1?

Use 100 verbs as a practical working target, not a certification rule. Reliable production matters more than recognizing a much longer list.

Which French tenses should I know at B1?

The main B1 verb focus in this sequence is: imparfait, conditionnel présent, passé composé, futur simple. Earlier-level tenses remain part of the cumulative skill set.