Common Verbs פעלים נפוצים

18 Hebrew words on common verbs — with pictures, native audio and example sentences. Basic verbs in the infinitive form. Full conjugations can be practiced in the conjugation marathon.

English	Hebrew	Note
to speak	לדבר	🔗 Rootד-ב-ר — also דָּבָר (a thing, a word) and דיבור (speech). Present: מדבר / מדברת.
to eat	לאכול	🔗 Rootא-כ-ל — also אוכל (food) and מאכל (a dish). The present אוכל is spelled exactly like the noun אוכל (food); context decides.
to drink	לשתות	🔗 Rootש-ת-ה — also שתייה (a drink, drinking). The present שותה is written the same for a man and a woman.
to live	לחיות	🔗 Rootח-י-ה — also חיים (life) and חיה (an animal). Two verbs where English has one: לגור = reside somewhere, לחיות = be alive.
to go	ללכת	🔗 Rootה-ל-ך — also הליכה (walking) and מהלך (a move). ללכת is on foot; going by vehicle is לנסוע.
to have	להחזיק	🔗 Rootח-ז-ק — also חזק (strong) and חוזק (strength). Hebrew has no verb 'to have': say יש לי, literally 'there is to me'.
to do	לעשות	Covers both 'do' and 'make'. The shrug idiom מה לעשות — 'what can you do'.
to want / to love	לרצות	🔗 Rootר-צ-ה — also רצון (a wish, will). Present: רוצה. אני רוצה = I want. לאהוב is 'to love' and also 'to like' — Hebrew keeps that apart from wanting.
can	יכול	⚠️ IrregularNot an infinitive — it inflects like an adjective: יכול / יכולה / יכולים / יכולות.
to see	לראות	🔗 Rootר-א-ה — also ראייה (sight) and מראה (a mirror, a sight). להתראות (goodbye) is the same root — literally 'to see one another'.
to give	לתת	🔗 Rootנ-ת-ן — also מתנה (a present) and נתון (a datum). ⚠️ IrregularBoth nuns drop in the infinitive לתת; the past is נתן.
to know (information)	לדעת	🔗 Rootי-ד-ע — also ידע (knowledge) and מדע (science). Facts and skills. For knowing a person use להכיר — English 'know' covers both.
to know (people)	להכיר	🔗 Rootנ-כ-ר — also היכרות (acquaintance). Also 'to get acquainted': נעים להכיר = nice to meet you.
to say	לומר	⚠️ IrregularEveryday speech uses להגיד instead, but the past of both is אמר.
to come	לבוא	The imperative בוא / בואי also means 'come on, let's': בוא נלך = let's go.
to think	לחשוב	🔗 Rootח-ש-ב — also מחשבה (a thought) and מחשב (a computer).
to work	לעבוד	🔗 Rootע-ב-ד — also עבודה (work, a job) and עובד (a worker).
to study	ללמוד	🔗 Rootל-מ-ד — also ללמד (to teach), תלמיד (a pupil) and לימוד (study). One verb for both 'study' and 'learn'.