English, a member of the West Germanic branch of the Germanic family of languages within the Indo-European language family, is primarily used as a verb. As a part of speech, verbs are used to express actions or states. In English, verbs can be classified into two main categories based on their function and usage: finite verbs and non-finite verbs.

English originated from the language spoken by the Germanic tribes, namely the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, who migrated from the European continent to the British Isles in ancient times. Through the colonial activities of England, the language spread to different parts of the world.