Lesson summary
Video transcript
If you know just 100 words in English, you will know more than 50% of the English words that you see and hear. That’s why in today’s video, I am going to show you the 100 most common words in English.
For each word, I will show you the pronunciation, the meaning and an example sentence. When I pronounce each word, I want you to repeat after me so you can practise your English speaking skills.
Get out your notebooks because today you are going to learn a lot of useful vocabulary. Are you ready? Let’s look at word number one.
Word #1
Number one. The. The word ‘the’ is normally used before a noun to talk about people or things that are known to the speaker and the listener. We use ‘the’ to talk about specific things. For example, ‘Give me the pen.’ ‘The pen’ means that you know which pen and I know which pen – it’s a specific pen.
Word #2
Number two. Of. ‘Of’ has many uses but the main use is to talk about possession, when we want to show the owner of something. For example, ‘He is a friend of mine.’
Word #3
Number three. And. ‘And’ is used when we want to join two or more phrases or words together. For example, ‘I like apples and oranges.’
Word #4
Number four. A. We use the word ‘a’ before a noun which we have not talked about before, when we’re talking about something that is not specific. For example, ‘I bought a new car.’ ‘A new car’ means you don’t know which car. It’s not specific.
Word #5
Number five. To. The word ‘to’ has many uses. One of the main uses of ‘to’ is when we’re talking about movement. For example, ‘He went to the train station.’ The second main use of ‘to’ is to show that a verb is the infinitive. For example, ‘I promise to eat that.’
Word #6
Number six. In. ‘In’ means inside a container, a place or an area. For example, ‘The cat is in the house.’
Word #7
Number seven. Is. The word ‘is’ is the he, she and it form of the verb ‘to be’ which we will talk more about at word number twenty-two. The word ‘is’ normally talks about the present and we can use it for many things such as talking about things that are normally true, characteristics and peoples’ jobs. For example, ‘There is your room.’
Word #8
Number eight. You. The word ‘you’ is used to talk about the person who is being spoken to or written to. You. You. For example, ‘Are you ready?’
Word #9
Number nine. That. The word ‘that’ is used to talk about a person or a thing that the speaker cannot touch. We use the word ‘that’ to talk about one thing. For example, ‘I like that pen.’
Word #10
Number ten. It. We use the word ‘it’ to talk about a subject, an object or a thing that has already been talked about. For example, ‘The company lost money so it had to close down.’
Word #11
Number eleven. He. We use the word ‘he’ to talk about the subject of a sentence that is a man, a boy or a male thing. For example, ‘Fred is very nice but he is not very smart.’
Word #12
Number twelve. Was. ‘Was’ is a past simple form of the verb ‘to be’ which we will talk more about at number twenty-two. This means we normally use ‘was’ when we’re talking about the past. ‘Was’ is normally used with singular subjects. For example, ‘The man was at the bar.’
Word #13
Number thirteen. For. The word ‘for’ has many uses. One of the main uses of ‘for’ is to show when something is intended to be given to something or someone. For example, ‘The flowers are for you.’ The second main use of ‘for’ is to talk about a purpose or reason for something. For example, ‘Come to my house for dinner tonight.’
Word #14
Number fourteen. On. The word ‘on’ is used to show that one thing is above another thing and those two things are touching. For example, ‘The laptop is on the table.’
Word #15
Number fifteen. Are. The word ‘are’ is the we, you and they form of the verb ‘to be’. The word ‘are’ is normally used to talk about the present tense. For example, ‘Where are your friends?’
Word #16
Number sixteen. As. The word ‘as’ has many uses. One of the main uses of ‘as’ is to talk about the purpose or to describe something or someone. For example, ‘He works as a doctor.’ The second main use of ‘as’ is when we’re talking about comparisons or comparing things. For example, ‘She is not as tall as her mother.’
Word #17
Number seventeen. With. ‘With’ is used to show that people or things are together or they are doing something together. For example, ‘Did you go with him?’
Word #18
Number eighteen. His. ‘His’ shows that a boy, a man or a male thing owns something. For example, ‘Did you see his new car?’
Word #19
Number nineteen. They. We use the word ‘they’ as the subject of a sentence to talk about two or more people or things. For example, ‘They live in America.’
Word #20
Number twenty. I. ‘I’ is used to talk about the person who is speaking or writing. For example, ‘I work here.’
Word #21
Number twenty-one. At. The word ‘at’ is used to describe an exact position or place. For example ‘My dog is at the park.’
Word #22
Number twenty-two. Be. The word ‘be’ has many many many uses. But the main uses of ‘be’ are to say something about someone or something and to show that something exists. The word ‘be’ has eight forms. Be. Is. Am. Are. Was. Were. Being and been. For example, ‘He wants to be a pilot when he finishes university.’
Word #23
Number twenty-three. This. The word ‘this’ is normally used to talk about something or someone that the speaker can touch. Something or someone that is close to the speaker. We use the word ‘this’ to talk about one thing. For example, ‘Do you like this lamp?’
Word #24
Number twenty-four. Had. The word ‘have’ means to possess or to own. For example, ‘I have a phone.’ We can also use ‘have’ when using perfect tenses in English. For example, ‘Have you been to China?’ In this sentence, ‘have’ does not mean to own.
Word #25
Number twenty-five. From. The word ‘from’ means where something or someone started. For example, ‘Did you come from over there?’
Word #26
Number twenty-six. Or. We use the word ‘or’ to connect two or more different possibilities. For example, ‘I don’t know if I want pizza or a burger tonight.’
Word #27
Number twenty-seven. One. The word ‘one’ means the number one or a single thing. So something that is not more than two. For example, ‘I had one piece of cake.’
Word #28
Number twenty-eight. Had. The word ‘had’ is the past tense form of the word ‘have’. So that means ‘had’ normally talks about the past. For example, ‘I had a dog when I was 10 years old.’
Word #29
Number twenty-nine. By. ‘By’ has many uses. The main use is that if something is done by a person or by a thing, that means that person or that thing did it. For example, ‘The food was cooked by their mother.’ Another use of ‘by’ is to show how to do something. For example, ‘You can improve your English by reading books.’
Word #30
Number thirty. Word. The word ‘word’ means a single part or element of speech which is used to make a sentence. For example, ‘I like this word.’
Word #31
Number thirty-one. But. We use the word ‘but’ to show that two or more ideas or phrases are different. For example, ‘I like coffee but I don’t like tea.’
Word #32
Number thirty-two. Not. We use the word ‘not’ to make negative phrases or words. When we use the word ‘not’, it gives the phrase or the word the opposite meaning. For example, ‘He is not fat.’
Word #33
Number thirty-three. What. ‘What’ is a question word which we use when we want to get information about a person, an idea or a thing. For example, ‘What color is your hair?’
Word #34
Number thirty-four. All. The word ‘all’ means everything that is spoken or written about. For example, ‘All students like to learn English.’
Word #35
Number thirty-five. Were. The word ‘were’ is the past simple form of the verb ‘to be’ which we talked about at number twenty-two. The word ‘were’ normally talks about the past and we normally use ‘were’ with plural subjects and ‘you’. For example, ‘They were working at 6pm.’
Word #36
Number thirty-six. We. The word ‘we’ is used to talk about two or more people including the speaker. For example, ‘We were doctors.’
Word #37
Number thirty-seven. When. ‘When’ is also another question word which we use to ask about what time or what date. For example, ‘When do you start work?’
Word #38
Number thirty-eight. Your. The word ‘your’ shows that you, the person I am speaking to, owns something. For example, ‘I like your new watch.’
Word #39
Number thirty-nine. Can. ‘Can’ means to be able to do something or that something is possible. For example, ‘He can speak English.’
Word #40
Number forty. Said. ‘Said’ is the past tense form of the word ‘say’. So when we use the word ‘said’, we are talking about the past. For example, ‘He said, “The food is delicious.”‘
Word #41
Number forty-one. There. The word ‘there’ means at, on or in a certain position, place or area. For example, ‘I am going there next winter.’ We can also use the word ‘there’ to show that something exists or something is in the world. For example, ‘There is a package for you.’
Word #42
Number forty-two. Use. The word ‘use’ means to put something to its purpose. For example, ‘Do you ever use your PlayStation?’ ‘Use’ can also mean to consume or to take. For example, ‘Don’t use all of your money tonight.’
Word #43
Number forty-three. An. This word can also be pronounced as /ʌn/ The word ‘an’ has the same meaning as ‘a’ but we use ‘an’ before words which start with a vowel sound. For example, ‘He has an interesting story.’
Word #44
Number forty-four. Each. ‘Each’ means every thing that has been spoken about or that has been written about. For example, ‘Each person must bring $10.’
Word #45
Number forty-five. Which. The word ‘which’ is a question word which we can use when there are only a certain possible number of answers. For example ‘Which party do you want to go to?’ The word ‘which’ can also be used to add extra information to a phrase or to a word. For example ‘The city is very hot which made me sweat.’
Word #46
Number forty-six. She. We use the word ‘she’ to talk about the subject of a sentence when the subject is a woman, a girl or a female thing. For example, ‘Anna is friendly but she isn’t very pretty.’
Word #47
Number forty-seven. Do. ‘Do’ means to take action in something or to perform something. For example, ‘You like to do sport, right?’
Word #48
Number forty-eight. How. ‘How’ is a question word which we use when we want to know by which method or by which way. For example, ‘How did you get here?’
Word #49
Number forty-nine. Their. The word ‘their’ is used to show ownership to two or more people or two or more things. Sometimes the word ‘their’ can show ownership to just one person or one thing. For example, ‘It’s their house.’
Word #50
Number fifty. If. We use the word ‘if’ to show that one thing can happen only if another thing happens first. For example, ‘If you go to the party tonight, I’ll come with you.’
Word #51
Number fifty-one. Will. ‘Will’ is used to talk about something that is going to happen in the future. We can also use ‘will’ to talk about decisions that we make about the future at the time of speaking. For example, ‘John will start his new job next week.’
Word #52
Number fifty-two. Up. ‘Up’ means going towards a higher point or position. For example, ‘How did you get up the ladder?’
Word #53
Number fifty-three. Other. We use the word ‘other’ to show that there is something else different than what has already been talked about. For example, ‘Can I have the other pen, please?’
Word #54
Number fifty-four. About. The word ‘about’ means related to or connected with. For example, ‘What was the book about?’ The word ‘about’ can also mean almost. For example, ‘I am about to arrive at your house.’
Word #55
Number fifty-five. Out. We use the word ‘out’ to show that something is going away from the inside of a place or a thing. For example, ‘Get out of my house.’
Word #56
Number fifty-six. Many. ‘Many’ means a large number of things. For example, ‘He has many pairs of shoes.’
Word #57
Number fifty-seven. Then. The word ‘then’ means at a certain or specific time. For example, ‘What were you doing then?’ The word ‘then’ can also mean next or after that. For example, ‘I went to the gym, then I went to the restaurant.’
Word #58
Number fifty-eight. Them. ‘Them’ is used as the object of a sentence to talk about two or more people or things that have already been talked about before. For example, ‘Have you seen them before?’
Word #59
Number fifty-nine. These. ‘These’ is the plural of the word ‘this’ and is used to talk about two or more or people or things that are close to the speaker. For example, ‘These are my friends.’
Word #60
Number sixty. So. ‘So’ can mean very. For example, ‘He is so tall.’ ‘So’ can also mean for a specific reason or ‘therefore’. For example, ‘I hurt my shoulder today so I didn’t go to the gym.’
Word #61
Number sixty-one. Some. ‘Some’ means an unspecific number of something. So if we use the word ‘some’, that means we don’t know the number. We don’t know how many. For example, ‘Can I have some apples, please?’
Word #62
Number sixty-two. Her. The word ‘her’ is used as the object of a sentence to talk about a woman, a girl or a female thing that has been already been spoken about. For example, ‘I haven’t seen her before.’
Word #63
Number sixty-three. Would. The word ‘would’ has so many different meanings and I could make a whole YouTube video on just the meaning of this word. One of the main uses of the word ‘would’ is to talk about something in the future which happened in the past. For example, ‘They said they would meet me tomorrow at 7pm.’ So they said it in the past but what they are talking about is in the future because they said ‘tomorrow at 7pm’.
Word #64
Number sixty-four. Make. The word ‘make’ means to create or to produce. For example, ‘Did you make the cake yourself?’
Word #65
Number sixty-five. Like. The word ‘like’ has two main meanings. The first meaning is to enjoy something. For example, ‘She likes dogs.’ The second meaning is similar to. For example, ‘Your shoes are like mine.’ This means your shoes are similar to mine.
Word #66
Number sixty-six. Him. The word ‘him’ is used as the object of a sentence to talk about a boy, a man or a male thing which has already been talked about before. For example, ‘What did you do to him?’
Word #67
Number sixty-seven. Into. The word ‘into’ means to the inside or middle of a place, container or thing. For example, ‘Have you been into that shop before?’
Word #68
Number sixty-eight. Time. ‘Time’ is how we measure life and we can measure time by using minutes, hours, days and years. For example, ‘What time is it?’
Word #69
Number sixty-nine. Has. ‘Has’ is the he, she and it form of the word ‘have’. We normally use ‘has’ with singular subjects. For example, ‘The man has a new car.’
Word #70
Number seventy. Look. ‘Look’ means to move your eyes towards a certain thing or place. For example, ‘Look over there.’
Word #71
Number seventy-one. Two. The word ‘two’ means the number two. So the number after one and before three. For example, ‘She is two years old.’
Word #72
Number seventy-two. More. The word ‘more’ means a larger number or amount than you already have. For example, ‘Could I have some more food, please?’
Word #73
Number seventy-three. Write. ‘Write’ means to make numbers or words on something such as a computer or a piece of paper. For example, ‘Did you write that book?’
Word #74
Number seventy-four. Go. ‘Go’ means to move to another place. For example, ‘I want to go by train.’
Word #75
Number seventy-five. See. ‘See’ means when you notice what is around you by using your eyes. For example, ‘Did you see that?’
Word #76
Number seventy-six. Number. ‘Number’ is a symbol or a sign which shows us how many things or how many people we are talking about. For example, ‘500 is a number.’
Word #77
Number seventy-seven. No. ‘No’ is used to give negative answers and to show that you don’t want, like or agree with something. For example, ‘Would you like some coffee?’ ‘No, thank you.’ ‘No’ can also be used to show that there is nothing left. For example, ‘There are no vegetables.’
Word #78
Number seventy-eight. Way. ‘Way’ means a direction, a route or a path. For example, ‘Which way is it?’
Word #79
Number seventy-nine. Could. The word ‘could’ has many many many different meanings and I could make a whole YouTube video on the uses of the word ‘could’. But the main use of the word ‘could’ is when we use ‘could’ as the past tense form of the word ‘can’. For example, ‘When I was in high school, I could eat a lot of pizza.’
Word #80
Number eighty. People. ‘People’ means men, women and children. For example, ‘How many people were at the wedding?’
Word #81
Number eighty-one. My. The word ‘my’ is used to show that the person speaking owns something. For example, ‘That is my watch.’
Word #82
Number eighty-two. Than. The word ‘than’ is used to make comparisons or to compare things. For example, ‘He is taller than her.’
Word #83
Number eighty-three. First. ‘First’ means the person or the thing that came or happened before everything else. For example, ‘Who came first?’
Word #84
Number eighty-four. Water. ‘Water’ is a clear liquid that we as humans and plants need to survive. For example, ‘He loves drinking water.’
Word #85
Number eighty-five. Been. ‘Been’ is the past participle of the word ‘be’ and can mean visited. For example, ‘Have you been to Brazil?’
Word #86
Number eighty-six. Call. ‘Call’ means to give something or someone a name. For example, ‘What do you call this in Chinese?’ ‘Call’ can also mean when you use a mobile phone or a telephone to communicate or to talk to somebody. For example, ‘What time did she call you?’
Word #87
Number eighty-seven. Who. ‘Who’ is a question word which asks about which person. For example, ‘Who went to the party last night?’ ‘Who’ can also be used to give more information about a person. For example, ‘He is the man who works in America.’
Word #88
Number eighty-eight. Oil. ‘Oil’ is a thick liquid that we can use for cooking and that we can use to make cars and other vehicles work. For example, ‘Have you got enough oil?’
Word #89
Number eighty-nine. Its. We use the word ‘its’ to show that something we have already talked about owns something. For example, ‘Have you seen its new home?’
Word #90
Number ninety. Now. ‘Now’ means in the present time. Not in the past and not in the future. For example, ‘He is a doctor now.’
Word #91
Number ninety-one. Find. ‘Find’ means to locate or to discover something. For example, ‘Where did you find it?’
Word #92
Number ninety-two. Long. The word ‘long’ can mean a very large period of time or it can mean that the distance from two different points is a very large distance. For example, ‘The movie was very long last night.’
Word #93
Number ninety-three. Down. ‘Down’ means moving from a position to a lower position. For example, ‘Do you know when the lift will go down?’
Word #94
Number ninety-four. Day. ‘Day’ is how we measure time and a ‘day’ is 24 hours which starts at 12am or midnight. For example, ‘What day is it today?’
Word #95
Number ninety-five. Did. The word ‘did’ is the past simple tense of the word ‘do’. The word ‘did’ can be used with any subject. For example, ‘Did you eat the lasagne?’
Word #96
Number ninety-six. Get. ‘Get’ means to obtain or to receive something. For example, ‘What did you get her for her birthday?’
Word #97
Number ninety-seven. Come. ‘Come’ means to move from a position towards the speaker. For example, ‘Come over here.’
Word #98
Number ninety-eight. Made. The word ‘made’ is the past tense form of the word ‘make’. For example, ‘He made a pizza last night.’
Word #99
Number ninety-nine. May. We use ‘may’ to show that something is possible. For example, ‘I may start learning Spanish next year.’ We can also use the word ‘may’ to give permission and to ask for permission. For example, ‘May I go to the bathroom?’
Word #100
We finally got here! We’ve made it to the last word of the video. Word number one hundred is ‘part’. ‘Part’ means some but not all of something. For example, ‘Which part of the movie was your favourite?’
Congratulations
Congratulations! Now you know the 100 most common words in the English language. Try to use these words at every opportunity that you can and this will help you to remember them.
Please note that in this video, I did not give you every meaning for these words. This is because some of these words have more than 10 meanings. So today I just gave you the main meanings for these words.
Subscribe to the channel because soon we will be bringing out part two where you will learn the second most common 100 words in English. For more English, check out this video right here on 20 phrases that you are saying wrong.
If you’re having problems with pronunciation, check out our pronunciation course. You can find the link in the description below. Also, check out our eBooks because we have eBooks on vocabulary, tenses and grammar. If you’re not following us on Instagram, follow us right now and we will see you in the next video.
Number thirty-six. We. Number thirty six. The word ‘that’ is used to talk about a.
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