100 Common Spanish -ER Verbs: Meanings, Conjugations, and Examples

Key takeaways

• Spanish -ER verbs share one regular conjugation pattern, making a large group of verbs learnable at once.
• Grouping verbs by theme (movement, perception, communication) helps vocabulary stick faster.
• Several of the most common -ER verbs (poder, querer, saber) are irregular and require extra attention.
• Knowing 100 -ER verbs gives you broad coverage of everyday Spanish conversation.

Vocabulary lists rarely feel useful until the words appear in real sentences.

You can memorize 50 Spanish verbs, then freeze the moment someone asks you a question you did not see coming. italki connects learners with Spanish teachers who embed new vocabulary into conversation immediately, so the words move from your list into your mouth.

This guide covers the 100 most common Spanish -ER verbs grouped by theme, example sentences for the highest-priority verbs in each group, conjugation notes for the most useful irregular verbs, and tips for adding these words to your active vocabulary.

How to use this list

The verbs below are organized by semantic theme rather than alphabetical order. Thematic grouping creates mental hooks that help words stick together. Start with the group most relevant to your current goals: a traveler benefits from physical action and bodily needs verbs first, while a student prioritizes communication and cognition verbs.

For each thematic group, the highest-frequency verbs include an example sentence to show them in natural context. For the full list of all 100 verbs, see the table at the end of this article.

To understand how these verbs are conjugated across all major tenses, see the full Spanish -ER verb conjugation guide.

Movement and physical action verbs

These verbs describe physical movement, activity, and interaction with objects.

Verb	Meaning	Example sentence
correr	To run	Corro cinco kilómetros cada mañana. (I run five kilometers every morning.)
romper	To break	El niño rompió el vaso. (The child broke the glass.)
morder	To bite	El perro mordió mi zapato. (The dog bit my shoe.)
coser	To sew	Mi abuela cose toda la ropa de la familia. (My grandmother sews all the family’s clothes.)
esconder	To hide	Escondí las llaves debajo del cojín. (I hid the keys under the cushion.)
meter	To put (into)	Mete la ropa en la maleta. (Put the clothes in the suitcase.)
torcer	To twist	Se torció el tobillo durante el partido. (He twisted his ankle during the match.)
mover	To move	Mueve la silla más cerca de la mesa. (Move the chair closer to the table.)
recoger	To pick up / collect	Recojo a los niños a las tres. (I pick up the kids at three.)
coger	To take / grab	Coge el autobús número cuatro. (Take bus number four.)

Practice tip: Spanish tutors online can put these into dialogue drills where you practice movement verbs in the context of giving directions or narrating a story.

Perception and mental state verbs

These verbs relate to the senses and internal experiences.

Verb	Meaning	Example sentence
ver	To see	No veo bien sin mis gafas. (I cannot see well without my glasses.)
leer	To read	Leo el periódico cada mañana. (I read the newspaper every morning.)
creer	To believe	No creo que eso sea verdad. (I do not believe that is true.)
temer	To fear	Temo hablar en público. (I fear speaking in public.)
sorprender	To surprise	Me sorprende su respuesta. (His answer surprises me.)
oler	To smell	Huele a café recién hecho. (It smells like freshly brewed coffee.)
parecer	To seem / appear	Parece cansado hoy. (He seems tired today.)
reconocer	To recognize	Reconocí su voz inmediatamente. (I recognized his voice immediately.)
notar	To notice	Noté un cambio en su actitud. (I noticed a change in her attitude.)
sentir	To feel / sense*	Siento que algo va a cambiar. (I feel that something is going to change.)

*Note: Sentir is technically an -IR verb but is listed here for comparison with perception vocabulary.

Communication and social verbs

These verbs describe speaking, responding, and interacting with others.

Verb	Meaning	Example sentence
responder	To respond	Respondió a todos los correos. (She responded to all the emails.)
prometer	To promise	Te prometo que llegaré a tiempo. (I promise you I will arrive on time.)
depender	To depend	Depende de muchos factores. (It depends on many factors.)
vender	To sell	Venden ropa de segunda mano. (They sell secondhand clothes.)
defender	To defend	Siempre defiendo mis ideas con argumentos. (I always defend my ideas with arguments.)
discutir	To argue / discuss*	Discutieron toda la tarde sobre política. (They argued all afternoon about politics.)
convencer	To convince	No me convence su explicación. (His explanation does not convince me.)
retener	To retain / hold	No pudo retener la información. (She could not retain the information.)
proponer	To propose	Propongo una reunión el lunes. (I propose a meeting on Monday.)
ceder	To yield / give in	Al final cedió y aceptó el trato. (In the end he gave in and accepted the deal.)

Cognition and learning verbs

These verbs relate to thinking, knowing, understanding, and learning.

Verb	Meaning	Example sentence
comprender	To understand	No comprendo esta explicación. (I do not understand this explanation.)
aprender	To learn	Aprende dos idiomas al mismo tiempo. (She is learning two languages at the same time.)
saber	To know (facts)*	Sé hablar español y portugués. (I know how to speak Spanish and Portuguese.)
poder	To be able to*	Puedo ayudarte si quieres. (I can help you if you want.)
querer	To want / love*	Quiero mejorar mi pronunciación. (I want to improve my pronunciation.)
conocer	To know (people/places)*	Conozco a varios profesores de español. (I know several Spanish teachers.)
resolver	To solve	Resolvió el problema en cinco minutos. (He solved the problem in five minutes.)
suponer	To suppose	Supongo que tiene razón. (I suppose he is right.)
percibir	To perceive	Percibo cierta tensión en el ambiente. (I perceive some tension in the atmosphere.)
pretender	To intend / claim	Pretende hablar con fluidez en seis meses. (She intends to speak fluently in six months.)

Working with a Spanish tutor gives you the opportunity to use these verbs in genuine dialogue, where the meaning differences between saber and conocer or poder and querer become clear through context.

Bodily needs and states verbs

These verbs describe physical needs, health, and bodily processes.

Verb	Meaning	Example sentence
comer	To eat	Comemos juntos todos los domingos. (We eat together every Sunday.)
beber	To drink	Bebe mucha agua después de correr. (He drinks a lot of water after running.)
correr	To run	Corro para mantenerme en forma. (I run to stay in shape.)
doler	To hurt*	Me duele la cabeza desde esta mañana. (My head has been hurting since this morning.)
toser	To cough	Tose mucho cuando hace frío. (She coughs a lot when it is cold.)
enfermar	To get sick*	Enfermó después de salir bajo la lluvia. (He got sick after going out in the rain.)
padecer	To suffer (from)	Padece de alergias en primavera. (She suffers from allergies in spring.)
establecer	To establish	Estableció una rutina de ejercicio. (She established an exercise routine.)
restablecer	To restore / recover	Se restableció rápidamente tras la operación. (He recovered quickly after the surgery.)
carecer	To lack	Carece de experiencia suficiente. (He lacks sufficient experience.)

Ownership, obligation, and exchange verbs

These verbs relate to having, giving, owing, and receiving.

Verb	Meaning	Example sentence
deber	To owe / must	Debo estudiar más esta semana. (I must study more this week.)
tener*	To have	Tengo tres hermanos. (I have three brothers.)
poseer	To possess	Posee una colección impresionante de libros. (He possesses an impressive book collection.)
obtener	To obtain*	Obtuvo el primer puesto en el concurso. (She obtained first place in the competition.)
perder	To lose*	Perdí mi cartera en el metro. (I lost my wallet on the subway.)
coger	To take / grab	Coge lo que necesites. (Take what you need.)
devolver	To return (something)*	Devolvió el libro a la biblioteca. (He returned the book to the library.)
ceder	To hand over / yield	Le cedió su turno a la señora mayor. (He gave his turn to the elderly woman.)
merecer	To deserve	Merece un descanso después de tanto trabajo. (She deserves a rest after so much work.)
corresponder	To correspond / belong	Esta tarea le corresponde al equipo de ventas. (This task belongs to the sales team.)

Remaining -ER verbs: the full 100

The table below completes the list of 100 common Spanish -ER verbs. Verbs already covered with example sentences above are marked with a checkmark.

#	Verb	Meaning	Notes
1	comer	To eat	Regular
2	beber	To drink	Regular
3	correr	To run	Regular
4	comprender	To understand	Regular
5	aprender	To learn	Regular
6	leer	To read	Regular
7	creer	To believe	Regular
8	vender	To sell	Regular
9	romper	To break	Irregular past participle (roto)
10	responder	To respond	Regular
11	depender	To depend	Regular
12	meter	To put into	Regular
13	prometer	To promise	Regular
14	sorprender	To surprise	Regular
15	deber	To owe / must	Regular
16	temer	To fear	Regular
17	esconder	To hide	Regular
18	ceder	To yield	Regular
19	coser	To sew	Regular
20	morder	To bite	Stem-change o to ue
21	poder	To be able to	Stem-change o to ue; irregular
22	querer	To want	Stem-change e to ie; irregular
23	saber	To know (facts)	Irregular yo: sé
24	ver	To see	Irregular yo: veo; irregular imperfect
25	conocer	To know (people/places)	Irregular yo: conozco
26	tener	To have	Highly irregular
27	hacer	To do / make	Highly irregular
28	poner	To put	Irregular yo: pongo
29	traer	To bring	Irregular yo: traigo
30	caer	To fall	Irregular yo: caigo
31	parecer	To seem	Irregular yo: parezco
32	reconocer	To recognize	Irregular yo: reconozco
33	merecer	To deserve	Irregular yo: merezco
34	obedecer	To obey	Irregular yo: obedezco
35	establecer	To establish	Irregular yo: establezco
36	pertenecer	To belong	Irregular yo: pertenezco
37	carecer	To lack	Irregular yo: carezco
38	padecer	To suffer	Irregular yo: padezco
39	aparecer	To appear	Irregular yo: aparezco
40	ofrecer	To offer	Irregular yo: ofrezco
41	mover	To move	Stem-change o to ue
42	volver	To return	Stem-change o to ue
43	resolver	To solve	Stem-change o to ue
44	doler	To hurt	Stem-change o to ue
45	devolver	To return (something)	Stem-change o to ue
46	envolver	To wrap	Stem-change o to ue
47	disolver	To dissolve	Stem-change o to ue
48	absolver	To absolve	Stem-change o to ue
49	torcer	To twist	Stem-change o to ue
50	coger	To take / grab	Regular in most regions
51	escoger	To choose	Spelling change in yo
52	recoger	To pick up	Spelling change in yo
53	proteger	To protect	Spelling change in yo
54	convencer	To convince	Spelling change in yo
55	ejercer	To practice / exercise (a skill)	Spelling change in yo
56	defender	To defend	Stem-change e to ie
57	perder	To lose	Stem-change e to ie
58	entender	To understand	Stem-change e to ie
59	encender	To light / turn on	Stem-change e to ie
60	extender	To extend / spread	Stem-change e to ie
61	pretender	To intend / claim	Regular
62	proponer	To propose	Irregular yo: propongo
63	obtener	To obtain	Irregular
64	mantener	To maintain	Irregular
65	retener	To retain	Irregular
66	contener	To contain	Irregular
67	suponer	To suppose	Irregular
68	componer	To compose	Irregular
69	imponer	To impose	Irregular
70	disponer	To arrange / have at disposal	Irregular
71	poseer	To possess	Regular
72	creer	To believe	Regular
73	leer	To read	Regular
74	percibir	To perceive	Regular
75	notar	To notice	Regular
76	corresponder	To correspond	Regular
77	proceder	To proceed	Regular
78	conceder	To grant / concede	Regular
79	exceder	To exceed	Regular
80	acceder	To access / agree	Regular
81	toser	To cough	Regular
82	restablecer	To restore	Irregular yo
83	oler	To smell	Irregular: huelo, hueles, huele
84	soler	To usually do	Stem-change o to ue; defective
85	haber	To have (auxiliary)	Highly irregular
86	ser	To be (permanent)	Highly irregular
87	nacer	To be born	Irregular yo: nazco
88	crecer	To grow	Irregular yo: crezco
89	mercer	To merit (archaic)	Irregular yo
90	tecer	To weave (archaic)	Regular
91	cocer	To cook / boil	Stem-change o to ue
92	renacer	To be reborn	Irregular yo
93	desaparecer	To disappear	Irregular yo
94	desconocer	To not know	Irregular yo
95	deshacer	To undo	Highly irregular
96	compadecer	To feel sorry for	Irregular yo
97	enloquecer	To go/drive crazy	Irregular yo
98	enriquecer	To enrich	Irregular yo
99	empobrecer	To impoverish	Irregular yo
100	envejecer	To age	Irregular yo

For a full reference of how these verbs conjugate across all tenses, see the Spanish -AR, -ER, and -IR verb chart.

Irregular -ER verbs worth prioritizing

Four -ER verbs appear in virtually every Spanish conversation and have irregular forms that must be memorized:

Poder (can / to be able to): Present tense stem changes from o to ue in all forms except nosotros and vosotros (puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden). Its future and conditional stems become podr- (podré, podría).

Querer (to want / to love): Present tense stem changes from e to ie (quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren). Future and conditional stems become querr- (querré, querría).

Saber (to know facts): The only irregularity in the present tense is the yo form: sé. Future and conditional stems become sabr- (sabré, sabría).

Ver (to see): The yo form is veo. The imperfect of ver is irregular: veía, veías, veía, veíamos, veíais, veían.

How to learn these verbs efficiently

Start with regular verbs and one model. Use comer as your model. Any verb that follows the same pattern is learned by analogy. Build your list outward from there.

Group irregulars by their pattern. Verbs ending in -ecer / -ocer (parecer, conocer, nacer, crecer) all have the same irregular yo form: add -zco before the regular ending (parezco, conozco, nazco, crezco). Learning the pattern once applies to the whole group.

Use spaced repetition for vocabulary. Flashcard apps that space out review are effective for memorizing individual verb forms. However, production (speaking and writing) should accompany memorization.

Practice in context, not in isolation. A verb you have used in a real sentence sticks far better than one you have only seen on a list. A Spanish conversation tutor can create conversation scenarios that activate the verbs you are currently studying.

Practice speaking with a tutor

A list of 100 verbs is a starting point, not an ending point. The goal is to use these words automatically in conversation without searching your memory mid-sentence. italki connects you with over 30,000 expert tutors trusted by more than 10 million learners worldwide. A tutor can design sessions around exactly the verbs and tenses you need most right now. Book a Spanish trial lesson and start activating this vocabulary in real Spanish today.

FAQ

How many -ER verbs does a Spanish learner actually need at the B2 level?

Research on vocabulary and CEFR levels suggests that active knowledge of around 4,000 to 5,000 word families is associated with B2 proficiency. Within the -ER verb class, the 100 verbs in this list cover the most frequent patterns. Mastering 50 to 60 of them with confident production puts you solidly in the B1 to B2 range for verb usage specifically.

Why do so many -ER verbs have irregular yo forms ending in -zco or -go?

Many of these irregularities come from Latin roots. The -zco pattern (conozco, parezco, nazco) traces back to inchoative Latin verbs, while the -go pattern (pongo, traigo, caigo) reflects an older first-person ending that survived in Spanish but not in other Romance languages. These patterns are so consistent within their groups that learning the group rule is more efficient than memorizing each verb individually.

Can I use poder and saber interchangeably for can?

No. Poder expresses physical ability, permission, or possibility (I can come to the party / It is possible). Saber expresses learned skill or knowledge (I know how to drive / I know Spanish). Saying Sé venir a la fiesta would sound unnatural to native speakers; the correct form is Puedo venir a la fiesta.