Los 50 verbos más usados en inglés (con pasado y ejemplos)
Los lingüistas lo confirman una y otra vez: con los 50 verbos más frecuentes cubres la gran mayoría de lo que se dice en inglés a diario. Antes de memorizar listas interminables, domina estos.
Los 20 verbos vitales
Estos son innegociables. Aparecen en prácticamente cada conversación:
| Verbo | Pasado | Significado | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | ser, estar | She is my sister |
| have | had | tener, haber | I have two brothers |
| do | did | hacer | I do my homework |
| say | said | decir | He said yes |
| get | got | obtener, conseguir | I got a new job |
| make | made | hacer, crear | She made dinner |
| go | went | ir | We went to the beach |
| know | knew | saber, conocer | I know the answer |
| take | took | tomar, llevar | Take your umbrella |
| see | saw | ver | I saw that movie |
| come | came | venir | Come here, please |
| think | thought | pensar | I think you’re right |
| want | wanted | querer | I want coffee |
| give | gave | dar | He gave me a gift |
| use | used | usar | I use my phone a lot |
| find | found | encontrar | I found my keys |
| tell | told | contar, decir | Tell me the truth |
| ask | asked | preguntar | Can I ask something? |
| work | worked | trabajar | She works from home |
| feel | felt | sentir | I feel great today |
Los siguientes 30
| Verbo | Pasado | Significado | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| try | tried | intentar | Try again |
| leave | left | salir, dejar | She left early |
| call | called | llamar | Call me tonight |
| need | needed | necesitar | I need help |
| become | became | convertirse | He became a doctor |
| mean | meant | significar | What does it mean? |
| keep | kept | mantener, guardar | Keep the change |
| let | let | dejar, permitir | Let me try |
| begin | began | empezar | The class began late |
| seem | seemed | parecer | You seem tired |
| help | helped | ayudar | Can you help me? |
| talk | talked | hablar | We talked for hours |
| turn | turned | girar, convertir | Turn left here |
| start | started | empezar | The movie starts at 8 |
| show | showed | mostrar | Show me your photos |
| hear | heard | oír | I heard a noise |
| play | played | jugar, tocar | The kids play outside |
| run | ran | correr | I run every morning |
| move | moved | mover, mudarse | We moved to Texas |
| like | liked | gustar | I like this song |
| live | lived | vivir | They live nearby |
| believe | believed | creer | I believe you |
| bring | brought | traer | Bring your laptop |
| happen | happened | suceder | What happened? |
| write | wrote | escribir | She wrote a book |
| sit | sat | sentarse | Sit down, please |
| stand | stood | pararse | Stand up |
| lose | lost | perder | I lost my wallet |
| pay | paid | pagar | I’ll pay for lunch |
| meet | met | conocer, reunirse | Nice to meet you |
Cómo estudiarlos (el tratamiento)
No los estudies en orden alfabético ni de la lista completa. Haz esto:
- Semana 1: los primeros 10, con una frase propia por verbo. No copies el ejemplo: inventa el tuyo.
- Semana 2: siguientes 10, y repasa los anteriores usándolos en pasado.
- Semanas 3–5: los 30 restantes al mismo ritmo.
Truco clínico: los verbos irregulares de esta lista (be, have, get, go, know…) son los más frecuentes del idioma. Es más rentable memorizar estos 30 irregulares comunes que una lista de 200 donde la mitad casi no se usa.
Ponte a prueba
Cubre la columna de significados e intenta traducir. Luego al revés: cubre los verbos y tradúcelos desde el español. Cuando aciertes más de 45, estás listo para el siguiente nivel: los phrasal verbs.