🧺Everyday actions
Eat, drink, work, wait, open, carry — what fills a day.
38 concepts
Columns follow the languages switched on at the top. Gender after the word (m/f/n); IPA beneath; notes, alternatives and origins underneath — nothing is hidden.
| Concept | English | Français | Español |
|---|---|---|---|
to eat verb | to eat Irregular: ate (/eɪt/ UK also /ɛt/), eaten. 'Have' is the everyday verb for meals: have lunch, have a sandwich. | manger Keeps the e before a and o: nous mangeons. Familiar: bouffer. | comer In Spain comer alone means 'have lunch', the main meal of the day (around 2–3 pm). |
to drink verb | to drink Alone it means alcohol: 'Do you drink?' Irregular: drank, drunk. | boire Irregular: je bois, nous buvons, j'ai bu. Prendre un verre = have a drink. | beber also: tomar (everyday, esp. Latin America) Tomar is the everyday 'have' for drinks: ¿qué quieres tomar? In much of Latin America tomar alone means drink alcohol. |
to work verb | to work Also of machines: 'it doesn't work'. The vowel is the one in 'bird' — not 'walk'. | travailler also: bosser (familiar) A machine doesn't travailler — it marche or fonctionne. | trabajar also: currar (Spain, familiar), chambear (Mexico, Peru, familiar) A machine funciona, it doesn't trabaja. |
to play (games, sport) verb | to play One verb for games, sport AND instruments (play football, play the guitar). | jouer Jouer À a game or sport (jouer au foot), jouer DE an instrument (jouer de la guitare). | jugar Games and sport only. An instrument is tocar: tocar la guitarra — 'jugar la guitarra' is a classic learner slip. |
to wait verb | to wait Wait FOR someone. 'Await' takes the object directly and is formal. | attendre Takes its object directly: j'attends le bus — no 'pour'. False friend: 'to attend' is assister à. | esperar Also means 'to hope' and 'to expect' — espero que vengas = I hope you come. |
to clean verb | to clean Clean up = tidy after a mess. Do the cleaning = housework. | nettoyer Faire le ménage = do the housework. Laver = wash. | limpiar Hacer la limpieza = do the cleaning. |
to open verb | to open | ouvrir Conjugates like an -er verb in the present: j'ouvre. Past participle ouvert. | abrir Past participle abierto (irregular). |
to close verb | to close also: to shut The verb ends in /z/; the adjective 'close' (near) ends in /s/. | fermer Fermer à clé = to lock. Ferme-la ! = shut up (rude). | cerrar /seˈrar/ in Latin America. Cerrar con llave = to lock. |
to use verb | to use Verb /juːz/, noun /juːs/. 'Used to' (habit) is /juːst/. | utiliser also: se servir de (everyday, reflexive) In speech 'je me sers de…' is just as common. User = to wear out. | usar also: utilizar Usar is the everyday one; utilizar is a touch more formal. |
to carry verb | to carry Carry is about holding it while you move. Bring = towards here; take = away. | porter Also 'to wear' (porter une veste). Apporter = bring; emporter = take away (à emporter = takeaway). | llevar also: cargar (a heavy load) Also 'to wear' and 'to take someone somewhere'. Cargar = carry something heavy (and charge a phone). |
to bathe (have a bath, go in the water) verb | to have a bath also: to bathe, to have a swim (in the sea) British English says 'have a bath'; 'to bathe' /beɪð/ sounds old-fashioned for a swim, and is the US word for the tub. 'To bath' /bɑːθ/ = to wash a baby. | se baigner Reflexive. Covers the tub AND the sea or the pool: on va se baigner = let's go for a swim. Prendre un bain = have a bath, specifically. | bañarse Reflexive: me baño. In the sea or the tub — and in much of Latin America it is simply 'to shower'. Bañar (no -se) = to bath someone else. |
to rest verb | to rest also: to have a rest, to take a break 'Have a rest' is the British everyday phrase. 'The rest' (noun) = what's left. | se reposer Reflexive: je me repose. Rester is a false friend — it means to stay, not to rest. | descansar NOT reflexive: descanso. ¡Que descanses! = sleep well / have a good rest. |
to build verb | to build The u is silent: /bɪld/, like 'billed'. Irregular: built. | construire also: bâtir Past participle construit. Bâtir is a little literary; un bâtiment = a building. | construir Adds a y before a, e, o: construyo, construyes. |
to call (on the phone) verb | to call also: to ring (UK), to phone British 'I'll ring you' = I'll call you. Call someone — no 'to'. | appeler also: téléphoner (à), passer un coup de fil (familiar) Doubles the l when the ending is silent: j'appelle, nous appelons. Appeler takes the person directly; téléphoner needs à. | llamar also: llamar por teléfono Also 'to be called': me llamo Ana. Most speakers now say ll like y (/ʝaˈmaɾ/). |
to dig verb | to dig Irregular: dug. 'Dig in!' = start eating. | creuser Also to hollow out; se creuser la tête = rack your brains. | cavar also: excavar Cavar is the spade in the garden; excavar the machine or the archaeologist. |
to dive verb | to dive UK past dived, US dove. Scuba diving = plongée / buceo / tauchen / immersione. | plonger Head first into the pool AND scuba diving (faire de la plongée). Keeps the e: nous plongeons. | zambullirse also: tirarse de cabeza (head first), bucear (underwater, scuba) Reflexive: me zambullo. Bucear is swimming under the water, not the jump in. |
to fly verb | to fly Birds and people alike: I'm flying to Madrid. Irregular: flew, flown. | voler also: prendre l'avion (travel by plane) Also means to STEAL. A person going somewhere says 'je prends l'avion', not 'je vole'. | volar Stem-changing: vuelo = I fly AND a flight. Robar = to steal (no double meaning here). |
to knit verb | to knit Silent k, like knee and knife: sounds like 'nit'. | tricoter Un tricot = a jumper (and knitting). | tejer also: hacer punto (Spain) Tejer covers knitting and weaving; in Spain 'hacer punto' is the knitting. |
to make verb | to make Make = create something (a cake, a table); do = an activity (do homework). French, Spanish, German and Italian mostly have ONE verb for both. | faire also: fabriquer (manufacture, build) Faire = make AND do. Irregular: je fais, vous faites, ils font. | hacer Make AND do. Silent h; /aˈseɾ/ in Latin America. Irregular: hago, hecho. |
to meet up verb | to meet up also: to meet, to get together Meet up = an arranged meeting with friends. 'Meet' alone is also 'meet for the first time': nice to meet you. | se retrouver also: se voir, rencontrer (meet for the first time) Reflexive: on se retrouve à 8 h ? Rencontrer is meeting someone new or by chance — not the arranged meet-up. | quedar also: verse, juntarse (Latin America), encontrarse Spain: ¿quedamos a las ocho? — NOT reflexive in this sense. Quedarse = to stay. In Latin America quedar isn't used this way: say juntarse or vernos. |
to move (not keep still) verb | to move also: to move house (change home) Rhymes with 'groove', not 'love'. 'Don't move!' Move house = change home, a different verb elsewhere. | bouger also: se déplacer, déménager (move house) NOT reflexive: ne bouge pas ! Déménager = move house. Keeps the e: nous bougeons. | moverse also: mudarse (move house) Reflexive when YOU move: ¡no te muevas! Mover (no -se) = move a thing. Stem-changing: me muevo. |
to paint verb | to paint Pictures and walls alike. | peindre Irregular: je peins, nous peignons, peint. Walls and pictures alike. | pintar Walls and pictures. Also 'to matter, to fit in': ¿qué pinto yo aquí? = what am I doing here? |
to ride (a bike) verb | to ride a bike also: to ride (a horse), to cycle Ride a bike / a horse; 'ride' alone would need the bike. Irregular: rode, ridden. | faire du vélo also: monter à cheval (ride a horse), rouler (à vélo) French has no single 'ride': faire du vélo, faire du cheval / monter à cheval. | montar en bici also: montar a caballo (ride a horse), andar en bici (Latin America) Montar covers bikes and horses: en bici, a caballo. Latin America: andar en bici. |
to sew verb | to sew Sounds like 'so' — not 'sue'. Past participle sewn. | coudre Irregular: je couds, nous cousons, cousu. | coser In Latin America it sounds exactly like cocer (to cook/boil) — both /koˈseɾ/. |
to shake verb | to shake Shake a bottle; shake hands. Irregular: shook, shaken. | secouer also: agiter (a bottle) « Agiter avant emploi » = shake before use. Shake hands = serrer la main. | agitar also: sacudir (a rug, hard) Agitar = a bottle; sacudir = a rug, a tree. Shake hands = dar la mano. |
to ski verb | to ski Skiing, skied — the i is kept. | skier also: faire du ski In speech 'faire du ski' is more common. | esquiar Spanish adds an e before s + consonant: esquí, esquiar. |
to smell (something) verb | to smell also: to sniff Both 'I smell gas' and 'it smells good'. | sentir also: renifler (sniff) One verb for smell, feel AND taste of: ça sent bon = it smells good; je me sens mal = I feel ill. | oler Irregular: huelo, hueles, huele — the h appears with the ue. Huele bien = it smells good. |
to snore verb | to snore British English drops the r: /snɔː/. | ronfler Also of an engine. Ronfler comme un sonneur (like a bell-ringer) = snore loudly. | roncar c becomes qu before e: ronqué. |
to stack verb | to stack also: to pile up | empiler Une pile = a stack (and a battery). | apilar Una pila = a stack AND a battery, as in French. |
to take verb | to take Take = away from here; bring = towards here. Irregular: took, taken. | prendre Also 'have' for food and drink: je prends un café. Irregular: je prends, nous prenons, pris. | tomar also: coger (Spain), agarrar (Latin America) Tomar is safe everywhere. Coger is the everyday Spain word (coger el autobús) — but in Mexico, Argentina and much of Latin America it is VULGAR (to have sex), so a sentence meant for everyone uses tomar. |
to text (send a message) verb | to text also: to message, to WhatsApp Text someone — no 'to'. Past texted /ˈtɛkstɪd/. | envoyer un texto also: envoyer un SMS, écrire (à quelqu'un) No single verb. In speech: je t'écris, je t'envoie un message. | mandar un mensaje also: escribir, wasapear (informal) No single verb: te escribo luego. n before m becomes /m/: un mensaje = /um menˈsaxe/. |
to throw away verb | to throw away also: to throw out, to bin (UK) The particle moves: throw it away, throw away the box. | jeter also: balancer (familiar) Doubles the t when the ending is silent: je jette. Jeter à la poubelle = in the bin. | tirar also: botar (Latin America), tirar a la basura In Spain tirar = throw away (and pull, on doors: tire). Much of Latin America says botar. |
to turn on (light, device) verb | to turn on also: to switch on, to put on (UK) Turn on the light / turn the light on. Also 'to excite' — context. | allumer also: mettre (la télé) Light AND fire: allumer une cigarette. For a machine you can also just say mettre. | encender also: prender (Latin America), poner (la tele) Stem-changing: enciendo. Latin America prefers prender. |
to turn off (light, device) verb | to turn off also: to switch off Turn off the TV / turn the TV off. | éteindre Irregular: j'éteins, nous éteignons, éteint. A fire, a light, a phone. | apagar A light, a device, a fire. g becomes gu before e: apagué. |
to cry (weep) verb | to cry Also 'to shout' in older or written English: 'a cry for help'. | pleurer False friend: crier = to shout, not to cry. | llorar Gritar = to shout. |
to laugh verb | to laugh British /lɑːf/, US /læf/. Gh = /f/, as in enough. | rire NOT reflexive in the modern language. Rire de = laugh at. Irregular: je ris, ri. | reírse also: reír Everyday use is reflexive: me río, ¡no te rías! Reírse de = laugh at. |
to dream verb | to dream Dream OF / ABOUT something. UK past dreamt /dɹɛmt/ or dreamed. | rêver Rêver DE: j'ai rêvé de toi. Rêvasser = daydream. | soñar Soñar CON — not 'de': soñé contigo. Stem-changing: sueño = I dream AND sleepiness. |
to wash (something) verb | to wash also: to do the washing-up (dishes, UK) Wash the car, wash your hands. The dishes: 'do the washing-up' (UK). | laver also: faire la vaisselle (dishes) Transitive: laver la voiture. With se it becomes washing yourself (se laver) — a different entry. | lavar also: fregar (dishes, Spain) Lavar el coche. Lavarse = wash yourself. Fregar los platos = do the dishes (Spain). |