Cross-Linguistic Verb Frequency

A verb is listed here if it is among the twenty most frequent verbs in a language.

apologize
- 18th: Polish: przepraszać
appear
- 18th: Esperanto: aperi
be
- 1st: Ancient Greek: εἰμί
- 1st: English: be
- 1st: Esperanto: esti
- 1st: Latin: sum
- 1st: Polish: być
- 1st & 2nd: Spanish: ser, estar
be made
- 14th: Esperanto: fariĝi
become
- 3rd: Ancient Greek: γίγνομαι
beget
- 17th: Ancient Greek: φύω
believe
- 19th: Latin: credo
- 11th: Spanish: creer
bid
- 13th: Latin: iubeo
call
- 13th: Ancient Greek: καλέω
can
- 16th: Ancient Greek: δύναμαι
- 6th: English: can
- 2nd: Esperanto: povi
- 2nd: Latin: possum
- 3rd: Polish: móc
- 6th: Spanish: poder
carry
- 8th: Latin: fero
come
- 12th: English: come
- 10th: Esperanto: veni
- 9th: Latin: venio
- 20th: Spanish: venir
conquer
- 15th: Latin: vinco
do
- 2nd: English: do
- 5th: Esperanto: fari
- 11th: Latin: ago
- 9th & 12th: Polish: zrobić, robić
- 5th: Spanish: hacer
exist
- 19th: Esperanto: ekzisti
feel
- 16th: Spanish: sentir
find
- 15th: Esperanto: trovi
follow
- 18th: Latin: sequor
get
- 7th: English: get
- 17th: Esperanto: ricevi
- 20th: Latin: accipio
give
- 15th: Ancient Greek: δίδωμι
- 12th: Esperanto: doni
- 3rd: Latin: do
- 15th: Polish: dać
- 14th: Spanish: dar
go
- 4th: English: go
- 14th: Latin: eo
- 14th & 16th: Polish: chodzić, iść
- 13th: Spanish: ir
happen
- 11th: Esperanto: okazi
- 15th: Spanish: pasar
have
- 4th: Ancient Greek: ἔχω
- 3rd: English: have
- 4th: Esperanto: havi
- 7th: Latin: habeo
- 2nd: Polish: mieć
- 3rd & 4th: Spanish: tener, haber
hold
- 17th: Latin: teneo
know
- 19th: Ancient Greek: οἶδα
- 5th: English: know
- 9th: Esperanto: scii
- 4th: Polish: wiedzieć
- 9th: Spanish: saber
lack
- 9th: Ancient Greek: δέω
let
- 19th: English: let
like
- 11th: English: like
look
- 16th: English: look
- 20th: Esperanto: rigardi
- 19th: Spanish: mirar
make
- 18th: English: make
- 5th: Latin: facio
mean
- 17th: English: mean
must
- 14th: Ancient Greek: δεῖ
- 6th: Esperanto: devi
- 6th: Polish: musieć
- 12th: Spanish: deber
need
- 18th: Ancient Greek: χράομαι
- 17th: Spanish: necesitar
put
- 16th: Latin: pono
reply
- 16th: Esperanto: respondi
release
- 8th: Ancient Greek: ἵημι
request
- 11th: Polish: prosić
say
- 2nd & 7th: Ancient Greek: λέγω, εἶπον
- 13th: English: say
- 3rd: Esperanto: diri
- 6th: Latin: dico
- 7th & 8th: Polish: powiedzieć, mówić
- 7th: Spanish: decir
see
- 10th: Ancient Greek: ὁράω
- 14th: English: see
- 7th: Esperanto: vidi
- 4th: Latin: video
- 13th: Polish: widzieć
- 10th: Spanish: ver
seek
- 12th: Latin: peto
should
- 19th: Polish: powinien
speak
- 5th: Ancient Greek: φημί
- 13th: Esperanto: paroli
stay
- 17th: Polish: zostać
take
- 11th: Ancient Greek: λαμβάνω
- 20th: English: take
tell
- 15th: English: tell
thank
- 20th: Polish: dziękować
think
- 12th: Ancient Greek: δοκέω
- 9th: English: think
- 10th: Polish: myśleć
- 18th: Spanish: pensar
want
- 20th: Ancient Greek: βούλομαι
- 10th: English: want
- 8th: Esperanto: voli
- 10th: Latin: volo
- 5th: Polish: chcieć
- 8th: Spanish: want
will
- 8th: English: will

Ranking

Appearing in six Languages
1. avg. 1.0: be
2. avg. 3.83: have
3. avg. 5.83: can
4. avg. 6.33: say
5. avg. 9.67: see
6. avg. 10.17: want
Appearing in five Languages
1. avg. 6.4: do
2. avg. 9.2: know
3. avg. 11.8: give
Appearing in four Languages
1. avg. 9.50: must
2. avg. 11.00: give
3. avg. 11.25: go
4. avg. 12.25: think
5. avg. 12.75: come

Sources

Ancient Greek: Wiktionary
English: compiled from Wiktionary
Esperanto: Wiktionary
Latin: Wiktionary
Polish: compiled from Wiktionary
Spanish: compiled from Wiktionary

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