The backbone: be, go, do
Updated
A1
to start
Fangen wir ohne ihn an?
Shall we start without him?
to answer
Bitte antworte bis Freitag.
Please answer by Friday.
to work
Sie arbeitet im Büro.
She works in an office.
to stop
Hör auf zu lachen!
Stop laughing!
to begin
Der Unterricht beginnt gleich.
The lesson is about to begin.
to get / to receive
Ich bekomme jeden Tag viele E-Mails.
I get a lot of emails every day.
to stay
Wir bleiben noch eine Stunde.
We will stay another hour.
to need
Wir brauchen mehr Stühle.
We need more chairs.
to bring
Bring mir bitte ein Glas Wasser.
Please bring me a glass of water.
to think
Ich denke oft an dich.
I often think of you.
may / to be allowed
Darf ich hier rauchen?
May I smoke here?
to end
Der Kurs endet im Juni.
The course ends in June.
to tell
Oma erzählt eine Geschichte.
Grandma is telling a story.
to eat
Wir essen um acht.
We eat at eight.
to drive / go (by vehicle)
Wir fahren nach München.
We are driving to Munich.
to find
Ich finde meinen Schlüssel nicht.
I can’t find my key.
to ask
Darf ich dich etwas fragen?
May I ask you something?
to give
Gib mir bitte das Buch.
Please give me the book.
to go
Ich gehe nach Hause.
I'm going home.
to believe
Ich glaube dir.
I believe you.
to have
Wir haben Zeit.
We have time.
to fetch
Ich hole die Kinder von der Schule.
I pick the children up from school.
to hear / listen
Ich höre gern Musik.
I like listening to music.
to buy
Ich kaufe Brot.
I'm buying bread.
to know (be familiar)
Kennst du diesen Mann?
Do you know this man?
to come
Kommst du mit?
Are you coming along?
can / to be able to
Ich kann gut schwimmen.
I can swim well.
to live
Meine Großeltern leben auf dem Land.
My grandparents live in the countryside.
to learn
Wir lernen Deutsch.
We are learning German.
to read
Ich lese ein Buch.
I'm reading a book.
to lie
Die Brille liegt auf dem Regal.
The glasses are lying on the shelf.
to do / make
Was machst du heute?
What are you doing today?
must / to have to
Ich muss jetzt gehen.
I have to go now.
to take
Ich nehme den Bus.
I take the bus.
to open
Öffne bitte das Fenster.
Please open the window.
to say
Was sagst du dazu?
What do you say to that?
to sleep
Das Baby schläft jetzt.
The baby is sleeping now.
to close
Schließ bitte das Fenster, es zieht.
Please close the window, there’s a draft.
to write
Er schreibt einen Brief.
He is writing a letter.
to see
Ich sehe dich morgen.
I'll see you tomorrow.
to be
Ich will glücklich sein.
I want to be happy.
to sit
Wir sitzen am Fenster.
We are sitting by the window.
should / ought to
Was soll ich tun?
What should I do?
to play
Die Kinder spielen im Park.
The children play in the park.
to speak
Sprichst du Deutsch?
Do you speak German?
to stand
Das Taxi steht vor der Tür.
The taxi is standing at the door.
to search
Wir suchen einen Babysitter.
We are looking for a babysitter.
to drink
Ich trinke gern Tee.
I like to drink tea.
to do
Was kann ich für Sie tun?
What can I do for you?
to forget
Ich habe seinen Namen vergessen.
I forgot his name.
to wait
Warte kurz auf mich!
Wait for me a moment!
to become
Es wird langsam dunkel.
It is slowly getting dark.
to know (a fact)
Ich weiß die Antwort nicht.
I don't know the answer.
to live (reside)
Ich wohne in Berlin.
I live in Berlin.
to want
Ich will Deutsch lernen.
I want to learn German.
to show
Zeig mir dein neues Zimmer.
Show me your new room.
A2 · Premium
to pick up
Ich hole dich am Bahnhof ab.
I will pick you up at the station.
to change
Ich möchte meine Buchung ändern.
I would like to change my booking.
to turn on
Ich mache den Computer an.
I am turning the computer on.
to open up
Machst du bitte das Fenster auf?
Would you open the window?
to pay attention, to watch out
Pass auf, das Glas ist heiß.
Watch out, the glass is hot.
to turn off
Mach bitte das Licht aus.
Please turn the light off.
to use
Ich benutze das Fahrrad jeden Tag.
I use the bike every day.
to decide
Wir entscheiden das morgen.
We will decide that tomorrow.
to remind / to remember
Erinnere mich bitte an den Termin.
Please remind me of the appointment.
to mean / to think
Ich meine das andere Hotel.
I mean the other hotel.
to bring along
Bring bitte Brot mit.
Please bring some bread along.
to take along
Nimm einen Schirm mit.
Take an umbrella along.
to ask again, to enquire
Ich frage im Büro nach.
I will enquire at the office.
to manage
Wir schaffen den Zug noch.
We can still make the train.
to try
Versuch es noch einmal.
Try it again.
to shut
Mach die Tür zu, es zieht.
Shut the door, there is a draught.
Frequently asked
72 words, each with a translation and an example sentence: A1 — 56, A2 — 16.
With the A1 list: anfangen — to start, antworten — to answer, arbeiten — to work, aufhören — to stop, beginnen — to begin, bekommen — to get / to receive, bleiben — to stay, brauchen — to need, bringen — to bring, denken — to think. The full level is on this page.
Reading the whole topic is free and needs no account. Practice is free at A1; A2 need a Premium subscription.
Every word becomes a card that comes back right before you would forget it.
