From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below are two estimates of the most common words in Modern Spanish. Each estimate comes from an analysis of a different text corpus. A text corpus is a large collection of samples of written and/or spoken language, that has been carefully prepared for linguistic analysis. To determine which words are the most common, researchers create a database of all the words found in the corpus, and categorise them based on the context in which they are used.
The first table lists the 100 most common word forms from the Corpus de Referencia del Español Actual (CREA), a text corpus compiled by the Real Academia Española (RAE). The RAE is Spain’s official institution for documenting, planning, and standardising the Spanish language. A word form is any of the grammatical variations of a word.
The second table is a list of 100 most common lemmas found in a text corpus compiled by Mark Davies and other language researchers at Brigham Young University in the United States. A lemma is the primary form of a word—the one that would appear in a dictionary. The Spanish infinitive tener («to have») is a lemma, while tiene («has»)—which is a conjugation of tener—is a word form.
Real Academia Española[edit]
The list below comes from «1000 formas más frecuentes» (transl. 1000 most frequent word forms)», a list published by the Real Academia Española (RAE) from analysis of more than 160 million word forms found in the Corpus de Referencia del Español Actual (transl. Reference Corpus of Current Spanish), or CREA. CREA is a computerised corpus of texts written in Spanish, and of transcripts of spoken Spanish. It includes books, magazines, and newspapers with a wide variety of content, as well as transcripts of spoken language from radio and television broadcasts and other sources. All the works in the collection are from 1975 to 2004. CREA includes samples from all Spanish-speaking countries.[1]
The list of «2000 most frequent word forms» comes from an analysis of CREA version 3.2.[2] Plurals, verb conjugations, and other inflections are ranked separately. Homonyms, however, are not distinguished from one another. CREA 3.2 was published in June 2008.[1]
Rank | Word form | Occurrences | Part of speech | Translation |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | de | 9,999,518 | preposition | of; from |
2 | la | 6,277,560 | article, pronoun | the; third person feminine singular pronoun |
3 | que | 4,681,839 | conjunction | that, which |
4 | el | 4,569,652 | article | the |
5 | en | 4,234,281 | preposition | in, on |
6 | y | 4,180,279 | conjunction | and |
7 | a | 3,260,939 | preposition | to, at |
8 | los | 2,618,657 | article, pronoun | the; third person masculine direct object |
9 | se | 2,022,514 | pronoun | -self, oneself (reflexive) |
10 | del | 1,857,225 | preposition | from the |
11 | las | 1,686,741 | article, pronoun | the; third person feminine direct object |
12 | un | 1,659,827 | article | a, an |
13 | por | 1,561,904 | preposition | by, for, through |
14 | con | 1,481,607 | preposition | with |
15 | no | 1,465,503 | adverb | no; not |
16 | una | 1,347,603 | article | a, an, one |
17 | su | 1,103,617 | possessive | his/her/its/your |
18 | para | 1,062,152 | preposition | for, to, in order to |
19 | es | 1,019,669 | verb | is |
20 | al | 951,054 | preposition | to the |
21 | lo | 866,955 | article, pronoun | the; third person masculine direct object |
22 | como | 773,465 | conjunction | like, as |
23 | más | 661,696 | adjective | more |
24 | o | 542,284 | conjunction | or |
25 | pero | 450,512 | conjunction | but |
26 | sus | 449,870 | possessive | your |
27 | le | 413,241 | pronoun | third person indirect object |
28 | ha | 380,339 | verb | he/she/it has [done something]; you (formal) have [done something] |
29 | me | 374,368 | pronoun | me |
30 | si | 327,480 | conjunction | if, whether |
31 | sin | 298,383 | preposition | without |
32 | sobre | 289,704 | preposition | on top of, over, about |
33 | este | 285,461 | adjective | this |
34 | ya | 274,177 | adverb | already; still |
35 | entre | 267,493 | preposition | between |
36 | cuando | 257,272 | conjunction | when |
37 | todo | 247,340 | adjective | all, every |
38 | esta | 238,841 | adjective | this |
39 | ser | 232,924 | verb | to be |
40 | son | 232,415 | verb | they are, you (pl.) are |
41 | dos | 228,439 | number | two |
42 | también | 227,411 | adverb | too, also, as well |
43 | fue | 223,791 | verb | was |
44 | había | 223,430 | verb | I/he/she/it/there was (or used to be) |
45 | era | 219,933 | verb | was |
46 | muy | 208,540 | adverb | very |
47 | años | 203,027 | noun (masculine) |
years |
48 | hasta | 202,935 | preposition | until |
49 | desde | 198,647 | preposition | from; since |
50 | está | 194,168 | verb | is |
51 | mi | 186,360 | possessive | my |
52 | porque | 185,700 | conjunction | because |
53 | qué | 184,956 | pronoun | what?; which?; how adjective |
54 | sólo | 170,552 | adverb | only, solely |
55 | han | 169,718 | verb | they/you (pl.) have [done something] |
56 | yo | 167,684 | pronoun | I |
57 | hay | 164,940 | verb | there is/are |
58 | vez | 163,538 | noun (feminine) |
time, instance |
59 | puede | 161,219 | verb | can |
60 | todos | 158,168 | adjective | all; every |
61 | así | 155,645 | adverb | like that |
62 | nos | 154,412 | pronoun | us |
63 | ni | 153,451 | conjunction, adverb | neither; nor; no even |
64 | parte | 148,750 | noun (masculine / feminine) |
part; message |
65 | tiene | 147,274 | verb | has |
66 | él | 139,080 | pronoun (masculine) |
he, it |
67 | uno | 136,020 | number | one |
68 | donde | 132,077 | preposition | where |
69 | bien | 130,957 | adjective | fine, well |
70 | tiempo | 130,896 | noun (masculine) |
time; weather |
71 | mismo | 130,746 | adjective | same |
72 | ese | 127,976 | pronoun | that |
73 | ahora | 125,661 | adverb | now |
74 | cada | 124,558 | determiner | each; every |
75 | e | 123,729 | conjunction | and |
76 | vida | 123,491 | noun (feminine) |
life |
77 | otro | 121,983 | adjective | other, another |
78 | después | 121,746 | preposition | after |
79 | te | 120,052 | pronoun | to you, for you; yourself |
80 | otros | 119,500 | pronoun | others |
81 | aunque | 115,556 | conjunction | though, although, even though |
82 | esa | 115,377 | adjective | that |
83 | eso | 114,523 | pronoun | that |
84 | hace | 114,507 | verb | he/she/it does/makes |
85 | otra | 113,982 | adjective, pronoun | other; another |
86 | gobierno | 113,011 | noun (masculine) |
government |
87 | tan | 112,471 | adverb | so |
88 | durante | 112,020 | preposition | during |
89 | siempre | 111,557 | adverb | always |
90 | día | 110,921 | noun (masculine) |
day |
91 | tanto | 110,679 | adjective, adverb | so much |
92 | ella | 110,620 | pronoun | she, her; it |
93 | tres | 109,542 | number | three |
94 | sí | 108,631 | noun, pronoun | yes; reflexive pronoun |
95 | dijo | 108,471 | verb | said; told |
96 | sido | 107,352 | past participle | been |
97 | gran | 106,991 | adjective | large, great, big |
98 | país | 104,568 | noun (masculine) |
country |
99 | según | 104,204 | preposition | as; according to |
100 | menos | 103,498 | adjective | less; fewer |
Mark Davies[edit]
In 2006, Mark Davies, an associate professor of linguistics at Brigham Young University, published his estimate of the 5000 most common words in Modern Spanish. To make this list, he compiled samples only from 20th-century sources—especially from the years 1970 to 2000. Most of the sources are from the 1990s. Of the 20 million words in the corpus, about one-third (~6,750,000 words) come from transcripts of spoken Spanish: conversations, interviews, lectures, sermons, press conferences, sports broadcasts, and so on. Among the written sources are novels, plays, short stories, letters, essays, newspapers, and the encyclopedia Encarta. The samples, written and spoken, come from Spain and at least 10 Latin American countries. Most of the samples were previously compiled for the Corpus del Español (2001), a 100 million-word corpus that includes works from the 13th century through the 20th.[3][4]
The 5000 words in Davies’ list are lemmas.[5] A lemma is the form of the word as it would appear in a dictionary.[6] Singular nouns and plurals, for example, are treated as the same word, as are infinitives and verb conjugations. The table below includes the top 100 words from Davies’ list of 5000.[7][8] This list distinguishes between the definite articles lo and la and the pronouns lo and la; all are ranked individually. The adjectives ese and esa are ranked together (as are este and esta) ), but the pronoun eso is separate. All conjugations of a verb are ranked together.
A highlighted row indicates that the word was found to occur especially frequently in samples of spoken Spanish.[9]
Rank | Lemma | Occurrences | Part of speech | Translation |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | el / la | 2,037,803 | article | the |
2 | de | 1,319,834 | preposition | of, from |
3 | que | 662,653 | conjunction | that, which |
4 | y | 562,162 | conjunction | and |
5 | a | 529,899 | preposition | to, at |
6 | en | 507,233 | preposition | in, on |
7 | un | 434,022 | article | a, an |
8 | ser | 374,194 | verb | to be |
9 | se | 329,012 | pronoun | -self, oneself (reflexive) |
10 | no | 257,365 | adverb | no |
11 | haber | 196,962 | verb | to have |
12 | por | 190,975 | preposition | by, for, through |
13 | con | 184,597 | preposition | with |
14 | su | 187,810 | adjective | his, her, their, your |
15 | para | 126,061 | preposition | for, to, in order to |
16 | como | 106,840 | conjunction | like, as |
17 | estar | 106,429 | verb | to be |
18 | tener | 106,642 | verb | to have |
19 | le | 98,211 | pronoun | third person indirect object |
20 | lo | 91,035 | article | the |
21 | lo | 92,519 | pronoun | third person masculine direct object |
22 | todo | 88,057 | adjective | all, every |
23 | pero | 82,435 | conjunction | but, yet, except |
24 | más | 92,352 | adjective | more |
25 | hacer | 81,619 | verb | to do; to make |
26 | o | 82,444 | conjunction | or |
27 | poder | 76,738 | verb | to be able to, can |
28 | decir | 79,343 | verb | to tell, say |
29 | este / esta | 80,544 | adjective | this |
30 | ir | 70,352 | verb | to go |
31 | otro | 61,726 | adjective | other, another |
32 | ese / esa | 60,989 | adjective | that |
33 | la | 55,523 | pronoun | third person feminine direct object |
34 | si | 53,608 | conjunction | if, whether |
35 | me | 95,577 | pronoun | me |
36 | ya | 46,778 | adverb | already, still |
37 | ver | 45,854 | verb | to see |
38 | porque | 44,500 | conjunction | because |
39 | dar | 40,233 | verb | to give |
40 | cuando | 39,726 | conjunction | when |
41 | él | 38,597 | pronoun | he |
42 | muy | 39,558 | adverb | very, really |
43 | sin | 40,432 | preposition | without |
44 | vez | 35,286 | noun (feminine) |
time, occurrence |
45 | mucho | 36,391 | adjective | much, many, a lot |
46 | saber | 37,092 | verb | to know |
47 | qué | 42,000 | pronoun | what?; which?; how adjective |
48 | sobre | 35,038 | preposition | on top of, over, about |
49 | mi | 45,636 | adjective | my |
50 | alguno | 30,485 | adjective / pronoun | some; someone |
51 | mismo | 29,569 | adjective | same |
52 | yo | 54,635 | pronoun | I |
53 | también | 33,348 | adverb | also |
54 | hasta | 29,506 | preposition / adverb | until, up to; even |
55 | año | 33,053 | noun (masculine) |
year |
56 | dos | 27,733 | number | two |
57 | querer | 28,696 | verb | to want, love |
58 | entre | 30,756 | preposition | between |
59 | así | 24,832 | adverb | like that |
60 | primero | 26,553 | adjective | first |
61 | desde | 25,288 | preposition | from, since |
62 | grande | 25,963 | adjective | large, great, big |
63 | eso | 31,636 | pronoun (neuter gender) |
that |
64 | ni | 24,261 | conjunction | not even, neither, nor |
65 | nos | 26,349 | pronoun | us |
66 | llegar | 22,878 | verb | to arrive |
67 | pasar | 22,466 | verb | to pass; to happen; to spend time |
68 | tiempo | 22,432 | noun (masculine) |
time, weather |
69 | ella(s) | 24,770 | pronoun | she; (plural) them |
70 | sí | 33,828 | adverb | yes |
71 | día | 24,715 | noun (masculine) |
day |
72 | uno | 21,407 | number | one |
73 | bien | 21,589 | adverb | well |
74 | poco | 20,986 | adjective / adverb | little, few; a little bit |
75 | deber | 22,232 | verb | should, ought to; to owe |
76 | entonces | 23,548 | adverb | so, then |
77 | poner | 20,330 | verb | to put (on); to get [adjective] |
78 | cosa | 23,943 | noun (feminine) |
thing |
79 | tanto | 20,531 | adjective | much |
80 | hombre | 20,292 | noun (masculine) |
man, mankind, husband |
81 | parecer | 19,964 | verb | to seem, to look like |
82 | nuestro | 20,666 | adjective | our |
83 | tan | 19,002 | adverb | such, a, too, so |
84 | donde | 18,852 | conjunction | where |
85 | ahora | 21,030 | adverb | now |
86 | parte | 20,319 | noun (feminine) |
part, portion |
87 | después | 20,229 | adverb | after |
88 | vida | 18,045 | noun (feminine) |
life |
89 | quedar | 18,152 | verb | to remain, to stay |
90 | siempre | 17,689 | adverb | always |
91 | creer | 21,257 | verb | to believe |
92 | hablar | 19,006 | verb | to speak, to talk |
93 | llevar | 17,062 | verb | to take, to carry |
94 | dejar | 18,185 | verb | to let, to leave |
95 | nada | 19,365 | pronoun | nothing |
96 | cada | 17,155 | adjective | each, every |
97 | seguir | 16,104 | verb | to follow |
98 | menos | 15,527 | adjective | less, fewer |
99 | nuevo | 17,381 | adjective | new |
100 | encontrar | 15,556 | verb | to find |
See also[edit]
- Longest word in Spanish
- List of English–Spanish interlingual homographs
- Most common words in English
- Word lists by frequency
- Letter frequency
- Morphology (linguistics)
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b «CREA». RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ «Corpus de Referencia del Español Actual (CREA) — Listado de frecuencias». RAE.es (in Spanish). Real Academia Española. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ Davies (2006), p. 2–3
- ^ «El Corpus del Español». corpusdelespanol.org. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ Davies (2006), pp. 4–6
- ^ Davies (2006), p. 4
- ^ Davies (2006), pp. 12–14
- ^ «Top Spanish Vocabulary». Vistawide World Languages & Cultures. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ Davies (2006), p. 9
References[edit]
- Davies, Mark (2006). A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish: Core Vocabulary for Learners. Routledge. OCLC 300359892.
External links[edit]
- Cardellino, Cristian (March 2016). «Spanish Billion Words Corpus and Embeddings». crscardellino.github.io. Cristian Cardellino.
Do you know how many words are there in Spanish?
Generally speaking, nearly one million.
So many words are not easy to memorize, let alone properly used. Most of them you won’t even need at all in everyday conversations.
According to researchers, people use only around 10% to 20% of words in their day to day life.
So, if you want to learn Spanish faster, the best solution is learning the most common Spanish words.
Now, let’s see which are the most common Spanish words that can help you learn the language faster, and participate in different conversations.
1000 Most Common Spanish Words
Studies have shown that learning 1,000 words that are used frequently covers around 88% of the vocabulary. Here, we mean words that are used every day.
Basic Spanish words are vital for every Spanish student.
If you expand your vocabulary to 2,000 most common words in Spanish, then you have 92.7% of the everyday vocabulary covered.
Who would think that with only 1,000 or 2,000 words, you would be able to speak about everyday topics?
In the following lines, find the list of most common words in Spanish, more than 100 of them. But if you wish to reach your goal of 1,000 words, you can find them
HERE.
Most Common Spanish Nouns And Pronouns
Nouns are, literally, the basics when learning a language. The good thing about nouns is that they are mostly easy to memorize and recall them when you need them.
Below, we’ve listed some of the most common Spanish nouns as well as pronouns.
Nouns
Spanish |
English |
el año |
year |
el caso |
case |
el día |
day |
el hecho |
fact |
el mundo |
world |
el estado |
state |
el gobierno |
government |
el hombre |
man |
el momento |
moment |
el país |
country |
el tiempo |
time, weather |
el trabajo |
work |
los años |
years |
la casa |
house |
la parte |
part |
la vez |
time (una vez- once) |
la vida |
life |
las cosas |
things |
España |
Spain |
los días |
days |
la política |
policy, politics |
las veces |
times |
la gente |
people |
el lugar |
place |
el ejemplo |
example |
las personas |
people |
la mujer |
woman |
Pronouns
Spanish |
English |
se |
himself, herself, itself, yourself, yourselves, themselves each other |
Yo |
I |
tu |
you |
él |
he, him |
ella |
She, her |
usted |
You |
nosotros, nosotras |
we |
ellos, elas |
they |
lo |
It, that |
me |
(to) me |
te |
(to) you |
nos |
(to) us, ourselves |
le |
(to) him, her, you |
su |
his, her, your |
sus |
his, her, your, their |
nada |
nothing |
algo |
something |
Common Spanish Adjectives
The world is not only black and white. Adjectives give color to our world.
Let’s admit that without adjectives, we can’t say or describe not even one single thing.
So, naturally, you need to know some of the most common Spanish adjectives to be able to explain your thoughts in a higher way.
Spanish |
English |
este |
this |
todo |
all |
esta |
this |
todos |
all, everyone |
ese |
that |
mismo |
same |
otro |
other, another |
esa |
that |
bueno |
good |
otra |
other, another |
tanto |
so much |
otros |
other, others |
poco |
little (not much) |
mucho |
much |
gran |
great, big |
estos |
these |
general |
general |
todas |
all, everyone |
mayor |
bigger, older |
mejor |
better |
toda |
all |
tal |
such |
otras |
other, others |
estas |
these |
primera |
first |
algunos |
some |
Most Used Spanish Verbs
No matter how many nouns or adjectives you know, if you don’t learn verbs, it’s all in vain.
Without a verb, there is no sentence.
Luckily for you, below you can find some of the most common verbs. Take a look and start memorizing.
Spanish |
English |
es |
is, are |
ha |
has, have |
son |
are |
está |
is, are |
hay |
there is, there are |
ser |
to be |
era |
was, were |
había |
there was, there were |
tiene |
has, have |
fue |
was. were |
puede |
can |
pueden |
can |
han |
have |
hacer |
to make, to do |
hace |
make(s), do(es) |
decir |
to say |
va |
go(es) |
estaba |
was, were |
sea |
(might) be |
ver |
to see |
están |
are |
sido |
been |
dijo |
said |
he |
I have |
tienen |
have |
tener |
to have |
tenía |
had |
creo |
I believe |
dice |
says, say |
vamos |
we go, we are going |
parece |
seems, seem |
poder |
to be able to |
Let’s Not Forget About Spanish Adverbs and Prepositions
Like adjectives, adverbs and prepositions also help you in a way that neither a noun or a verb can.
They can explain the things you have in mind better.
Here are some of the most commonly used adverbs and prepositions:
Adverbs
Spanish |
English |
no |
no, not |
sí |
yes |
más |
more |
también |
also |
muy |
very |
ya |
already, now, soon |
así |
so, like this, like that |
bien |
well |
ahora |
now |
siempre |
always |
solo (solamente) |
only |
tan |
so |
entonces |
then |
después |
after, later |
menos |
less |
aquí |
here |
antes |
before, earlier |
hoy |
today |
luego |
then, later |
casi |
almost |
nunca |
never |
además |
besides, in addition |
Prepositions
Spanish |
English |
en |
in, on, into |
con |
with |
por |
through, for (means), along, by |
para |
in order to, for (ends) |
sin |
without |
sobre |
about, above, on top of |
hasta |
until |
entre |
between, among |
desde |
from, since |
durante |
during, for (time) |
contra |
against |
hacia |
toward |
según |
according to |
What About The Spanish Conjunctions?
Adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions give colors to your thoughts and descriptions, while nouns and verbs are the basic.
But what about the
conjunctions?
They are an essential part of one language as well. Thanks to conjunctions, not only can we make longer sentences but can explain something with more details.
In the following lines, you can find some of the most frequently used conjunctions.
Spanish |
English |
y |
and |
o |
or |
como |
as, like |
que |
that, who, which, than |
si |
if |
porque |
because |
cuando |
when |
ni |
nor, neither |
donde |
where |
aunque |
although, even though |
sino |
but, except |
mientras |
while |
Final Thoughts
Now you have the most common words in Spanish in one place.
We are all different, which means that the way you learn a language might not suit someone else. So,
the best way to learn Spanish words is to find out which method suits you.
But don’t forget that practice makes the most of it. So, don’t wait any longer and start practicing with
Spanish tutors on Justlearn
Remember that small steps will take you to your
path to Spanish fluency.
There are so many Spanish words that learning vocabulary often feels like an overwhelming task. It’s confusing. It feels like finding the right book at a completely dark library.
Wouldn’t it be easier if you had a clear path you could follow? If you could just have a list of words used in everyday conversations?
That’s the purpose of this post, where you’ll find the 100 words used most often in spoken Spanish.
Why these 100 words?
Let’s imagine you want to learn how to be a bartender quickly to get a job around town. Would you start by learning about hundreds of drinks from around the world? Or would you learn and remember the most popular drinks around your area first?
Probably the second option, right? Like this, you’d get the job and learn more as you go.
The idea behind this list of words is similar. Find out what’s useful and used most often, so you can focus on that first to improve your Spanish faster. It’s classic 80/20.
By the way… Want to understand more Spoken Spanish?
Does it sound like fast mumbo jumbo to you?
Having listening materials with “audible training wheels” is an easy way to make it happen. You can practice your listening skills using your phone during the day.
It’s easy! If you are interested in practice materials to help you understand more spoken Spanish that are also easy to use, you can take a look over here: Spoken Spanish Listening Materials
.
The 80/20 Principle:
According to Entrepreneur and Author David Koch, “The 80/20 Principle asserts that a minority of causes, inputs or efforts usually lead to a majority of the results, outputs or rewards” (David Koch, The 80/20 Principle, Doubleday Publishing.)
In other words, it’s the few things that matter most.
We can use the 80/20 Principle in Spanish to prioritize moving faster. In this case, determining a subgroup of words (usually around 20%) used most often in everyday conversations.
By focusing on that 20%, you can get disproportionate results in progressing your language skills and moving faster.
.
.
Get a Copy of the List and an Downloadable Audio File so you can Practice later:
If you’d like to get a downloadable copy of this list of 100 words (with sample sentences in Spanish and English for each one of them) as well as an audio MP3 file with the pronunciation of each word and each example, sign up here to have them delivered to your inbox in less than 1 minute:
The 100 Most Common Words in Spoken Spanish
Now, it’s time to review the complete list of words. If you are just getting started, focus on the first 50 words on the list. After you memorize those, move on to the complete list. Here it is (have fun!)
…Rank… |
Word in Spanish |
Meaning in English |
1 |
que |
that |
2 |
de |
of, from |
3 |
no |
no |
4 |
a |
to |
5 |
la |
the (for singular feminine nouns) |
6 |
el |
the (for masculine singular nouns) |
7 |
es |
he is, she is, it is (for essential characteristics) |
8 |
y |
and |
9 |
en |
in, on, at |
10 |
lo |
it, him (direct-object pronoun) |
11 |
un |
a, an (for singular masculine nouns) |
12 |
por |
for, by, through |
13 |
qué |
what / how (as in “how nice!”) |
14 |
me |
me, myself |
15 |
una |
a, an (for singular feminine nouns) |
16 |
te |
you (direct-object pronoun) |
17 |
los |
the (for plural masculine nouns) |
18 |
se |
himself, herself, itself |
19 |
con |
with |
20 |
para |
for, to |
21 |
mi |
my |
22 |
está |
he is, she is, it is (non-permanent characteristics) |
23 |
si |
if |
24 |
bien |
well, good |
25 |
pero |
but |
26 |
yo |
I |
27 |
eso |
that |
28 |
las |
the (for plural feminine nouns) |
29 |
sí |
yes |
30 |
su |
his, her, its |
31 |
tu |
your |
32 |
aquí |
here |
33 |
del |
of the, from the, in the |
34 |
al |
to the |
35 |
como |
how, as, like |
36 |
le |
him, her, formal you (indirect object pronoun) |
37 |
más |
more |
38 |
esto |
this (for singular masculine nouns) |
39 |
ya |
already |
40 |
todo |
everything |
41 |
esta |
this one (for singular feminine nouns) |
42 |
vamos |
let’s go, come on |
43 |
muy |
very |
44 |
hay |
there is |
45 |
ahora |
now |
46 |
algo |
something |
47 |
estoy |
I am (non-permanent characteristics) |
48 |
tengo |
I have |
49 |
nos |
us |
50 |
tú |
you |
51 |
nada |
nothing |
52 |
cuando |
when |
53 |
ha |
he has, she has, it has (auxiliary) |
54 |
este |
this one (for singular masculine nouns) |
55 |
sé |
I know |
56 |
estás |
you are (non-permanent characteristics) |
57 |
así |
like this |
58 |
puedo |
I can |
59 |
cómo |
how |
60 |
quiero |
I want |
61 |
sólo |
only, just |
62 |
soy |
I am (for essential characteristics) |
63 |
tiene |
he has, she has, it has |
64 |
gracias |
thank you |
65 |
o |
or |
66 |
él |
he |
67 |
bueno |
good |
68 |
fue |
he was, she was, it was |
69 |
ser |
to be (for permanent characteristics) |
70 |
hacer |
to do, to make |
71 |
son |
they are (for permanent characteristics) |
72 |
todos |
all of us, all of them |
73 |
era |
he was, she was, it was (permanent characteristics) |
74 |
eres |
you are (permanent characteristics) |
75 |
vez |
time (as in “one time”) |
76 |
tienes |
you have |
77 |
creo |
I believe |
78 |
ella |
she |
79 |
he |
I have (auxiliary) |
80 |
ese |
that one |
81 |
voy |
I go |
82 |
puede |
he can, she can, it can |
83 |
sabes |
you know |
84 |
hola |
hello |
85 |
sus |
his, her (for plural nouns) |
86 |
porque |
because |
87 |
Dios |
God |
88 |
quién |
who |
89 |
nunca |
never |
90 |
dónde |
where |
91 |
quieres |
you want |
92 |
casa |
house |
93 |
favor |
favor |
94 |
esa |
that one (for singular feminine nouns) |
95 |
dos |
two |
96 |
tan |
so |
97 |
señor |
mister |
98 |
tiempo |
time |
99 |
verdad |
truth |
100 |
estaba |
I was (non-permanent characteristics) |
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These are the 1000 most used words according to CORPES XXI!
This list includes:
- Pronouns
- Nouns
- Adjectives
- Verbs
- Adverbs
- Prepositions
- Conjunctions
- Interjections
Would you rather have these 1000 Spanish words in a PDF version? Download a printable format below.
Let’s start by taking a look at the most common Spanish pronouns!
A pronoun is a word that is used instead of the name of a person, animal, thing, etc.
Some common English pronouns are I, you, he, and she.
Alright, here are the most used pronouns in Spanish!
Pronouns
- se – to him, to her | learn more
- lo – him | learn more
- le – to him, her | learn more
- me – me | learn more
- él – he | learn more
- ella – she | learn more
- te – you | learn more
- nos – us | learn more
- yo – I | learn more
- usted – you | learn more
- mí – me (after “para”)
- nosotros – we
- tú – you | learn more
- sí – oneself
- ti – you (after “para”)
- os – you (plural, used in Spain)
- conmigo – with me
- vos – you | learn more
Nouns
In the following list, you will find regular and irregular nouns.
A noun is a word that refers to a thing (pen), a person (William), an animal (dog), a place (Paris), a quality (softness), or an idea (justice).
Examples of Spanish nouns are:
- el año – year
- el país – country
- el tiempo – time
- la parte – part
- la vida – life
- los años – years
- el día – day
- la vez – time
- la persona – person
- la mujer – woman
- el caso – case
- el hombre – man
- el momento – moment
- el mundo – world
- la casa – house
- la cosa – thing
- el gobierno – government
- el lugar – place
- el trabajo – work
- la forma – form
- el estado – state
- el grupo – group
- el punto – point
- el niño – child
- la ciudad – city
- el problema – problem
- el sistema – system
- el presidente – president
- la manera – way
- la historia – history
- el tipo – type
- los millones – millions
- el partido – party
- el mes – month
- la noche – night
- la obra – work
- el equipo – team
- el proceso – process
- las veces – times
- el cambio – change
- el hijo – son
- el centro – center
- el servicio – service
- la empresa – company
- la cuenta – account
- la mano – hand
- el nivel – level
- el proyecto – project
- la gente – people
- el agua – water
- la hora – time
- el padre – parent
- el desarrollo – development
- la semana – week
- el lado – side
- la familia – family
- la situación – situation
- la madre – mother
- la información – information
- el fin – end
- el programa – program
- la salud – health
- el cuerpo – body
- la actividad – activity
- el derecho – right
- el ejemplo – example
- el libro – book
- el medio – middle
- el tema – topic
- los días – days
- la ley – law
- el hecho – fact
- la zona – zone
- el nombre – name
- el resultado – result
- el número – number
- el final – end
- el sector – sector
- la calle – street
- el estudio – study
- la puerta – door
- la investigación – research
- el espacio – space
- la sociedad – society
- la acción – action
- el pueblo – town
- el director – director
- la realidad – reality
- la voz – voice
- el producto – product
- el amigo – friend
- el mercado – market
- la cabeza – head
- la población – population
- la muerte – death
- el minuto – minute
- la tierra – land
- la verdad – truth
- el sentido – sense
- el hermano – brother
- la medida – measure
- la seguridad – security
- la imagen – image
- la comunidad – community
- el poder – power
- la universidad – university
- el uso – use
- la razón – reason
- la organización – organization
- la idea – idea
- la educación – education
- el paso – step
- el área – area
- el siglo – century
- el objetivo – target
- el dato – data
- la posibilidad – possibility
- la producción – production
- el joven – youth
- la necesidad – need
- el policía – police
- la especie – species
- el camino – path
- el plan – plan
- el arte – art
- la atención – attention
- el ciento – hundred
- la política – policy
- la decisión – decision
- la cultura – culture
- la luz – light
- la mayoría – majority
- la mañana – morning
- la enfermedad – disease
- la relación – relationship
- el juego – game
- el campo – field
- la edad – age
- la experiencia – experience
- el riesgo – risk
- la fuerza – force
- la calidad – quality
- los ojos – eyes
- la región – region
- el amor – love
- las horas – hours
- el movimiento – movement
- la palabra – word
- la guerra – war
- el dinero – money
- la capacidad – capacity
- el autor – author
- el dólar – dollar
- el precio – price
- el acuerdo – agreement
- la cara – face
- el control – control
- el modelo – model
- el frente – front
- la tarde – afternoon
- la autoridad – authority
- la película – film
- la línea – line
- la red – network
- las condiciones – conditions
- la falta – fault
- el peso – weight
- el modo – mode
- la música – music
- el ministro – minister
- el fondo – background
- la base – base
- la orden – order
- la clase – class
- la presencia – presence
- la función – function
- la mesa – table
- el actor – actor
- la respuesta – answer
- la ocasión – occasion
- el principio – principle
- el paciente – patient
- el efecto – effect
- la diferencia – difference
- el señor – mister
- el papel – paper
- la serie – series
- las manos – hands
- la capital – capital
- la fuente – source
- la duda – doubt
- el aspecto – aspect
- el miembro – member
- la compañía – company
- el jefe – boss
- el jugador – player
- la vista – view
- la cantidad – quantity
- la dirección – address
- el valor – value
- el resto – rest
- el silencio – silence
- el / la ex – ex
- el aire – air
- el metro – metro
- el teatro – theater
- el apoyo – support
- la mirada – look
- la tecnología – technology
- el personaje – character
- la energía – energy
- el viaje – trip
- el futuro – future
- el acto – event
- el / la artista – artist
- la época – period
- el ministerio – ministry
- el sueño – dream
- el euro – euro
- la causa – cause
- el sitio – site
- la figura – figure
- el consejo – advice
- el cargo – position
- el profesor – professor
- la propuesta – proposal
- el cine – cinema
- la escuela – school
- el ojo – eye
- el público – public
- el objeto – object
- los recursos – resources
- el tratamiento – treatment
- el compañero – colleague
- la libertad – freedom
- la participación – participation
- el asunto – subject
- el interés – interest
- la unidad – unit
- el banco – bank
- la vuelta – turn
- la posición – position
- la carrera – career
- las palabras – words
- la planta – plant
- la práctica – practice
- el esfuerzo – effort
- la comunicación – communication
- la comisión – commission
- la economía – economy
- el ser – being
- el análisis – analysis
- el pie – footer
- las relaciones – relations
- el conocimiento – knowledge
- la crisis – crisis
- el premio – award
- el encuentro – meeting
- el conjunto – set
- la consecuencia – consequence
- el suelo – soil
- la década – decade
- el texto – text
- el miedo – fear
- el / la estudiante – student
- el título – title
- el origen – source
- el médico – doctor
- la formación – training
- la fecha – date
- la boca – mouth
- el sol – sun
- el éxito – success
- la entrada – entry
- la sala – room
- el crecimiento – growth
- la reunión – meeting
- el animal – animal
- el informe – report
- el hospital – hospital
- la importancia – importance
- el negocio – business
- el mar – sea
- el consumo – consumption
- el artículo – article
- la prensa – press
- la carta – letter
- el departamento – department
- el material – material
- la estrategia – strategy
- la construcción – construction
- la televisión – television
- el color – color
- la estructura – structure
- el general – general
- el cabo – cape
Woah! That was a long list! How about some practice?
Adjectives
- nuevo – new
- grande – big
- bueno – good
- último – last
- mayor – greater
- nacional – national
- social – social
- mejor – better
- propio – own
- importante – important
- público – public
- alto – high
- político – political
- pequeño – small
- único – unique
- largo – long
- humano – human
- económico – economic
- posible – possible
- general – general
- internacional – international
- diferente – different
- solo – only
- español – Spanish
- principal – main
- necesario – required
- próximo – next
- distinto – different
- claro – light
- siguiente – following
- malo – bad
- anterior – previous
- especial – special
- natural – natural
- cultural – cultural
- bajo – low
- actual – current
- blanco – white
- fuerte – strong
- difícil – difficult
- mundial – world-wide
- menor – lesser
- viejo – old
- real – real
- local – local
- negro – black
- europeo – European
- diverso – various
- libre – free
- seguro – safe
- común – common
- privado – private
- central – central
- popular – popular
- dicho – such
- físico – physical
- superior – top
- joven – young
- personal – personal
- capaz – capable
- antiguo – old
- histórico – historical
- cierto – certain
- técnico – technical
- presente – present
- oficial – official
- mexicano – Mexican
- fácil – easy
- militar – military
- contrario – contrary
- civil – civil
- verdadero – true
- lleno – full
- suficiente – enough
- rápido – fast
- científico – scientific
- directo – direct
- completo – complete
- interno – internal
- fundamental – fundamental
- comercial – commercial
- familiar – familiar
- amplio – extensive
- educativo – educational
- vivo – live, alive
- similar – similar
- rojo – red
- financiero – financial
- medio – medium
- enorme – huge
- total – total
- profesional – professional
- adecuado – suitable
- médico – doctor
- grave – serious
- tradicional – traditional
- electoral – electoral
- básico – basic
- igual – same
- duro – hard
- profundo – deep
- final – last
- municipal – municipal
- inmediato – immediate
- junto – together
- argentino – Argentinean
- peor – worse
- francés – French
- corto – short
- oscuro – dark
- estadounidense – American
- cercano – near
- regional – regional
- feliz – happy
- positivo – positive
- máximo – maximum
- serio – serious
- laboral – labor
- imposible – impossible
- simple – simple
- pobre – poor
- reciente – recent
- extraño – strange
- ambiental – environmental
- específico – specific
- normal – normal
- determinado – determined
- moderno – modern
- urbano – urban
- mínimo – minimum
- musical – musical
- deportivo – sporty
- federal – federal
- frío – cold
- legal – legal
- verde – green
- interesante – interesting
- artístico – artistic
- judicial – judicial
- particular – particular
- colombiano – Colombian
- previo – previous
- cubano – Cuban
- pleno – full
- eléctrico – electric
- tecnológico – technology
- abierto – open
- global – global
- infantil – childish
- absoluto – absolute
- definitivo – definitive
- complejo – complex
- estatal – statewide
- rico – rich
- raro – rare
- significativo – significant
- sencillo – simple
- perfecto – perfect
- permanente – permanent
- religioso – religious
- activo – active
- famoso – famous
- numeroso – numerous
- rural – rural
- tranquilo – quiet
- extranjero – foreign
- democrático – democratic
- azul – blue
- femenino – female
- escaso – scarce
- intenso – intense
- puro – pure
- unido – joined
- universitario – academic
- original – original
- exterior – outside
- seco – dry
- digital – digital
- alemán – German
- literario – literary
- independiente – independent
- armado – armed
- sanitario – sanitary
- electrónico – electronic
- indígena – indigenous
- concreto – concrete
- fiscal – fiscal
- clásico – classic
- evidente – clear
- individual – individual
- colectivo – collective
- negativo – negative
- productivo – productive
- doble – double
- anual – annual
- efectivo – effective
- habitual – usual
- inicial – initial
- débil – weak
Verbs
- ser – be
- estar – be
- tener – have
- hacer – make
- poder – be able to, can
- decir – say
- haber – have
- ir – go
- dar – give
- ver – see
- saber – know
- pasar – pass by
- deber – must
- querer – want
- llegar – arrive
- dejar – leave
- llevar – take
- encontrar – find
- seguir – follow
- poner – put
- quedar – stay
- parecer – seem
- hablar – speak
- pensar – think
- volver – back to
- conocer – know
- salir – exit
- realizar – make
- tomar – take
- tratar – try
- contar – count
- llamar – call
- venir – come
- mirar – see
- presentar – present
- permitir – allow
- esperar – wait
- sentir – feel
- vivir – live
- buscar – search
- creer – believe
- crear – create
- perder – lose
- existir – exist
- considerar – consider
- abrir – open
- trabajar – work
- recibir – receive
- mantener – maintain
- explicar – explain
- lograr – achieve
- empezar – start
- recordar – remember
- comenzar – start
- pedir – ask for
- preguntar – ask
- producir – produce
- convertir – convert
- entrar – enter
- mostrar – show
- señalar – point out
- escribir – write
- utilizar – use
- entender – understand
- terminar – finish
- ganar – win
- incluir – include
- morir – die
- asegurar – secure
- ocurrir – occur
- ofrecer – offer
- jugar – play
- gustar – like
- escuchar – listen to
- sentar – sit
- cambiar – change
- aparecer – appear
- acabar – end
- decidir – decide
- resultar – result
- caer – fall
- desarrollar – develop
- necesitar – need
- sacar – take out
- establecer – establish
- conseguir – get
- indicar – indicate
- formar – form
- reconocer – recognize
- dirigir – address
- servir – serve
- alcanzar – reach
- intentar – try
- cumplir – meet
- leer – read
- obtener – get
- ayudar – help
- usar – use
- observar – see
- responder – answer
- afirmar – claim
- evitar – avoid
- suponer – assume
- afectar – affect
- generar – generate
- continuar – continue
- cerrar – close
- pagar – pay
- acercar – bring over
- levantar – raise
- participar – participate
- representar – represent
- tocar – touch
- informar – inform
- destacar – highlight
- iniciar – start
- dedicar – dedicate
- oír – hear
- acompañar – accompany
- referir – refer to
- sufrir – suffer
- nacer – birth
- comer – eat
- bajar – download
- suceder – succeed
- dormir – sleep
- preparar – prepare
- agregar – add
- correr – run
- subir – go up
- publicar – publish
- traer – bring
- anunciar – announce
- descubrir – discover
- construir – build
- detener – stop
- aceptar – accept
- meter – tuck in
- ocupar – occupy
- demostrar – show
- proponer – propose
- estudiar – study
- comprar – buy
- expresar – express
- olvidar – forget
- aumentar – increase
- definir – define
- regresar – return
- añadir – add
- mover – move
- entregar – deliver
- sostener – hold
- reducir – reduce
- aprender – learn
- provocar – provoke
- mejorar – improve
- unir – join
- constituir – constitute
- compartir – share
- enfrentar – confront
- imaginar – imagine
- crecer – grow
- comprender – understand
- apoyar – support
- comentar – comment
- vender – sell
- faltar – skip
- aplicar – apply
- colocar – place
- cubrir – cover
- repetir – repeat
- disponer – arrange
- obligar – force
- celebrar – celebrate
- echar – cast out of
- relacionar – link
- marcar – mark
- desear – wish
- significar – mean
- caminar – walk
- superar – go beyond
- organizar – organize
- registrar – register
- andar – walk
- identificar – identify
- elegir – choose
- abandonar – leave
- soler – be used to
- plantear – raise
- ubicar – locate
- requerir – request
- partir – start
- reunir – gather
- actuar – act
- lanzar – launch
- importar – import
- analizar – analyze
- mencionar – mention
- sumar – add
- pretender – pretend
- enviar – send
- declarar – declare
- manifestar – manifest
- atender – attend
- basar – base
- recuperar – retrieve
- aprovechar – take advantage of
- asumir – assume
- desaparecer – disappear
- funcionar – work
- permanecer – stay
- preocupar – concern
- preferir – prefer
- confirmar – confirm
- advertir – warn
- imponer – impose
- integrar – integrate
- recoger – pick up
- parar – stop
- proteger – protect
- depender – depend
- negar – deny
- resolver – solve
- surgir – arise
- corresponder – correspond
- determinar – determine
- concluir – conclude
- visitar – visit
- exigir – demand
- contener – contain
- aprobar – approve
- romper – break
- viajar – travel
- quitar – remove
- interesar – interest
- defender – defend
- avanzar – advance
- prever – foresee
- implicar – involve
- apuntar – point out
- invitar – invite
- causar – cause
- vestir – dress
- controlar – check
- adquirir – purchase
- incorporar – incorporate
- guardar – save
- insistir – insist
- conducir – drive
- acordar – agree
- contestar – answer
- tirar – throw away
- despertar – wake up
- reír – laugh
- sorprender – surprise
- llorar – cry
- situar – locate
- garantizar – guarantee
- separar – separate
- impedir – prevent
- gritar – shout
- costar – cost
- cruzar – cross
- disfrutar – enjoy
- cantar – sing
- citar – quote
- sonreír – smile
- extender – extend
- poseer – own
- contribuir – contribute
- exponer – exhibit
- instalar – install
- notar – note
- sonar – sound
- convencer – convince
- mandar – send
- asociar – link
- aportar – provide
- acudir – go to
- asistir – attend
- firmar – sign
- pertenecer – belong to
- solicitar – request
- enseñar – show
- cortar – cut
- recorrer – tour
- fijar – post
- promover – promote
- describir – describe
- revelar – reveal
- retirar – withdraw
- contemplar – see
- elaborar – elaborate
- ordenar – order
- hallar – find
- reflejar – reflect
- limitar – limit
- rodear – go around
- transformar – transform
- interpretar – interpret
- llenar – fill out
- consistir – consist of
- cuidar – care
- someter – submit
- avisar – warn
- emplear – use
Adverbs
- no – not
- más – more
- apenas – hardly
- también – also
- ya – already
- muy – very
- básicamente – basically
- solo – only
- después – later
- ahora – now
- así – thus
- bien – well
- siempre – always
- antes – before
- tan – so
- cómo – how
- sí – yes
- hoy – today
- entonces – then
- luego – then
- además – in addition
- nunca – never
- casi – almost
- poco – sparsely
- aquí – here
- menos – least
- tanto – such
- sin embargo – however
- mucho – a lot
- aún – still
- dentro – within
- ayer – yesterday
- allí – there
- incluso – inclusive
- ahí – there
- ruidosamente – loudly
- todavía – still
- hasta – even
- tampoco – nor
- cerca – near
- allá – there
- apenas – barely
- a lo mejor – perhaps
- cuidadosamente – carefully
- pronto – soon
- normalmente – normally
- fuera – out
- atrás – behind
- encima – above
- tarde – afternoon
- finalmente – finally
- especialmente – especially
- tal vez – maybe
- lejos – far
- demasiado – too
- quizá – maybe
- mal – badly
- perfectamente – perfectly
- bastante – quite a lot
- diariamente – daily
- adelante – forward
- detrás – back
- igual – likewise
- ni siquiera – not even
- primero – first
- actualmente – currently
- así como – as well as
- precisamente – precisely
- arriba – up
- realmente – actually
- jamás – never
- quizás – maybe
- recién – just
- asimismo – also
- no obstante – however
- difícilmente – with difficulty
- alrededor – around
- solamente – only
- aun – even
- por supuesto – of course
- delante – in front
- abajo – below
- para nada – not at all
- fácilmente – easily
- simplemente – simply
- directamente – directly
- lentamente – slowly
- debajo – under
- por tanto – therefore
- principalmente – mainly
- por lo tanto – therefore
- totalmente – totally
- a menudo – often
- por lo menos – at least
- acá – here
- probablemente – probably
- prácticamente – practically
- seguramente – surely
- frecuentemente – frequently
- aproximadamente – approximately
- completamente – completely
- posteriormente – later
- nuevamente – again
- por fin – finally
- igualmente – equally
- jamás – never
- acaso – perhaps
- justo – just
- recientemente – recently
- por favor – kindly
- rápidamente – quickly
- únicamente – only
- afuera – outside
- respectivamente – respectively
- inmediatamente – immediately
- exactamente – exactly
- claramente – clearly
- generalmente – generally
- perfectamente – perfectly
- enseguida – right away
- temprano – early
- adentro – inside
Prepositions
- de – from
- en – at, in, on
- a – to
- con – with
- por – by
- para – for
- sobre – about
- entre – between
- sin – without
- desde – from
- hasta – to, until
- durante – during
- hacia – to
- ante – before
- contra – against
- según – according to
- tras – after
- bajo – under
- a través de – through
- a partir de – as of
- frente a – in front of
- además de – in addition to
- a pesar de – in spite of
- mediante – through
- junto a – together with
- debido a – due to
- gracias a – thanks to
- pese a – despite
- de acuerdo con – in accordance with
- en cuanto a – in regard to
- junto con – together with
- acerca de – about
- respecto a – with respect to
- en torno a – around
- en lugar de – instead of
- de acuerdo a – according to
Conjunctions
- y – and
- e – and
- ni…ni – neither…nor
- o – or
- u – or
- o bien…o bien – either…or
- pero – but
- mas – but
- aunque – although
- es decir – that is
- porque – because
- pues – since
- si – if
- como – as
Interjections
- guay – cool (used in Spain)
- vale – okey (used in Spain)
- órale – sure (used in Mexico)
- guau – wow
- bravo – good job
- claro – of course
- che – dude (used in Argentina and Uruguay)
- huy – oops
- ojalá – I hope so
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