Your first words β
Before diving into grammar, let's build a foundation of essential vocabulary. These words and phrases will let you start communicating immediately.
Greetings β
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| πβHola | Hello | Any time, informal |
| πβBuenos dΓas | Good morning | Until about noon |
| πβBuenas tardes | Good afternoon | Noon until sunset |
| πβBuenas noches | Good evening/night | After sunset |
| πβΒΏQuΓ© tal? | How's it going? | Informal |
| πβΒΏCΓ³mo estΓ‘? | How are you? | Formal |
| πβΒΏCΓ³mo estΓ‘s? | How are you? | Informal |
| πβAdiΓ³s | Goodbye | Any time |
| πβHasta luego | See you later | Common departure |
| πβHasta maΓ±ana | See you tomorrow | β |
| πβChao | Bye | Informal (Latin America) |
Polite essentials β
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| πβPor favor | Please |
| πβGracias | Thank you |
| πβMuchas gracias | Thank you very much |
| πβDe nada | You're welcome |
| πβPerdΓ³n | Sorry (excuse me) |
| πβLo siento | I'm sorry (apologising) |
| πβCon permiso | Excuse me (to pass) |
| πβDisculpe | Excuse me (to get attention) |
Yes, no, and maybe β
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| πβSΓ | Yes |
| πβNo | No |
| πβQuizΓ‘s / πβTal vez | Maybe / Perhaps |
| πβClaro | Of course |
| πβPor supuesto | Of course (stronger) |
| πβExacto | Exactly |
| πβVale | OK (Spain) |
| πβBueno | OK/Good (Latin America) |
| πβDe acuerdo | Agreed |
Asking for help β
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| πβΒΏHabla inglΓ©s? | Do you speak English? (formal) |
| πβΒΏHablas inglΓ©s? | Do you speak English? (informal) |
| πβNo entiendo | I don't understand |
| πβΒΏPuede repetir? | Can you repeat? (formal) |
| πβMΓ‘s despacio, por favor | Slower, please |
| πβΒΏCΓ³mo se dice...? | How do you say...? |
| πβΒΏQuΓ© significa...? | What does... mean? |
| πβΒΏPuede ayudarme? | Can you help me? |
Introducing yourself β
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| πβMe llamo... | My name is... (I call myself) |
| πβSoy... | I am... |
| πβMucho gusto | Nice to meet you |
| πβEncantado/a | Pleased to meet you |
| πβΒΏCΓ³mo se llama? | What is your name? (formal) |
| πβΒΏCΓ³mo te llamas? | What is your name? (informal) |
| πβΒΏDe dΓ³nde es? | Where are you from? (formal) |
| πβΒΏDe dΓ³nde eres? | Where are you from? (informal) |
| πβSoy de... | I'm from... |
Countries and nationalities β
| Country | Spanish name | Nationality (m/f) |
|---|---|---|
| England | πβInglaterra | πβinglΓ©s / inglesa |
| USA | πβEstados Unidos | πβestadounidense |
| Australia | πβAustralia | πβaustraliano/a |
| Canada | πβCanadΓ‘ | πβcanadiense |
| Ireland | πβIrlanda | πβirlandΓ©s / irlandesa |
| Scotland | πβEscocia | πβescocΓ©s / escocesa |
| Spain | πβEspaΓ±a | πβespaΓ±ol / espaΓ±ola |
| Mexico | πβMΓ©xico | πβmexicano/a |
| Argentina | πβArgentina | πβargentino/a |
Survival vocabulary β
Places β
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| πβla estaciΓ³n | station |
| πβel aeropuerto | airport |
| πβel hotel | hotel |
| πβel restaurante | restaurant |
| πβel cafΓ© | cafΓ© |
| πβel baΓ±o | bathroom |
| πβla farmacia | pharmacy |
| πβel hospital | hospital |
| πβel banco | bank |
| πβel supermercado | supermarket |
| πβla calle | street |
| πβla plaza | square |
Getting around β
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| πβΒΏDΓ³nde estΓ‘...? | Where is...? |
| πβa la izquierda | to the left |
| πβa la derecha | to the right |
| πβtodo recto | straight ahead |
| πβaquΓ | here |
| πβallΓ | there |
| πβcerca | near |
| πβlejos | far |
| πβel metro | metro/underground |
| πβel autobΓΊs | bus |
| πβel taxi | taxi |
Eating and drinking β
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| πβel agua | water |
| πβla cerveza | beer |
| πβel vino | wine |
| πβel cafΓ© | coffee |
| πβel tΓ© | tea |
| πβel pan | bread |
| πβla carne | meat |
| πβel pescado | fish |
| πβlas verduras | vegetables |
| πβla fruta | fruit |
| πβla cuenta | the bill |
Useful adjectives β
| Spanish | English | Opposite |
|---|---|---|
| πβbueno | good | πβmalo (bad) |
| πβgrande | big | πβpequeΓ±o (small) |
| πβcaliente | hot | πβfrΓo (cold) |
| πβnuevo | new | πβviejo (old) |
| πβrΓ‘pido | fast | πβlento (slow) |
| πβcaro | expensive | πβbarato (cheap) |
| πβbonito | beautiful | πβfeo (ugly) |
| πβfΓ‘cil | easy | πβdifΓcil (difficult) |
| πβabierto | open | πβcerrado (closed) |
Common expressions β
| Spanish | Literal meaning | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| πβΒΏQuΓ© tal? | What such? | How are you? / How's it going? |
| πβMuy bien | Very well | I'm fine |
| πβMΓ‘s o menos | More or less | So-so |
| πβΒ‘QuΓ© bien! | How good! | Great! |
| πβΒ‘QuΓ© lΓ‘stima! | What a pity! | That's too bad! |
| πβNo hay problema | There's no problem | No problem |
| πβΒ‘Salud! | Health! | Cheers! / Bless you! |
| πβΒ‘Buen provecho! | Good benefit! | Enjoy your meal! |
| πβΒ‘Buena suerte! | Good luck! | Good luck! |
Numbers 1β20 β
| Number | Spanish | Number | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | πβcero | 11 | πβonce |
| 1 | πβuno | 12 | πβdoce |
| 2 | πβdos | 13 | πβtrece |
| 3 | πβtres | 14 | πβcatorce |
| 4 | πβcuatro | 15 | πβquince |
| 5 | πβcinco | 16 | πβdiecisΓ©is |
| 6 | πβseis | 17 | πβdiecisiete |
| 7 | πβsiete | 18 | πβdieciocho |
| 8 | πβocho | 19 | πβdiecinueve |
| 9 | πβnueve | 20 | πβveinte |
| 10 | πβdiez |
Note: πβuno becomes πβun before masculine nouns (πβun libro) and πβuna before feminine nouns (πβuna casa).