What is the word for these in spanish

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WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2023:

Principal Translations
Inglés Español
these adj (plural of this) estos/as adj
  These shoes are my favourites.
  Estos zapatos son mis favoritos.
these pron (plural of this) estos, estas pron
  These are the ones I like best.
  Estos son los que más me gustan.

WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2023:

Compound Forms:
these
Inglés Español
along these lines expr (in this way) de esta manera expr
along these lines,
along similar lines expr		 ([sth]: of this kind) de esta manera expr
one day,
one of these days adv		 (someday: an unspecified day in the future) algún día loc adv
  One day I hope to travel to South America. I would like to have children one day.
  Algún día pienso viajar a Sudamérica. Me gustaría tener hijos algún día.
    un día loc adv
  Un día espero viajar a Sudamérica. Me gustaría tener hijos un día.
    alguna vez loc adv
  Alguna vez pienso viajar a Sudamérica. Me gustaría tener hijos alguna vez.
these days adv (in modern times) hoy en día loc adv
    en estos días loc adv
    en la actualidad loc adv
  No one can afford to go to the movies these days. Times are tough these days.
  Hoy en día nadie se puede permitir ir al cine.

‘these‘ aparece también en las siguientes entradas:

In the English description:

Spanish:

Источник

these [ðiːz]

demonstrative adjective

estosestas;estas

it’s not these chocolates but those ones I like no son estos bombones los que me gustan sino aquellos; these ones over here estos/estas de aquí; estos/estas que están aquí; how are you getting on these days? ¿cómo le va últimamente?

demonstrative pronoun

estosestas;estas éstoséstas;éstas

In the past the standard spelling for [estos/estas] as pronouns was with an accent ([éstos/éstas]). Nowadays the [Real Academia Española] advises that the accented forms are only required where there might otherwise be confusion with the adjectives [estos/estas].

I’m looking for some sandals, can I try these? quiero unas sandalias, ¿puedo probarme estas?; what are these? ¿qué son estos?; these are my friends/my books estos son mis amigos/mis libros; I prefer these to those prefiero estos a aquellos

Источник

spanish demonstratives featured image

By
Last updated:

March 28, 2023

Spanish demonstratives—words like this, that, these and those—are used in nearly every conversation and are extremely helpful for Spanish learners.

Knowing them won’t just help you get around in Spain or Latin America without resorting to hand gestures and pointing, but they’re also key to understanding countless conversations.

In this post, you’ll learn all six Spanish demonstrative adjectives and pronouns and how to use them like a native speaker.

Contents

  • What Are Demonstratives?
  • Spanish Demonstratives: Adjectives vs. Pronouns
    • Spanish Demonstrative Adjectives
    • Spanish Demonstrative Pronouns
  • Spanish Demonstrative Practice Quiz


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What Are Demonstratives?

Demonstratives are words like “this,” “that” and “that over there.” And when plural, they become “these,” “those” and “those over there.”

Demonstratives are always either pronouns or adjectives.

A demonstrative is an adjective when it describes a noun. An example of an English demonstrative adjective would be:

That house is beautiful.

This dress is expensive.

A demonstrative pronoun replaces the noun and should only be used when it’s already clear what you’re talking about (either from what you’ve previously said or from a gesture, like pointing at something). For example:

That is beautiful. (Referring to the house)

This is expensive. (Referring to the dress)

Spanish Demonstratives: Adjectives vs. Pronouns

Understanding the difference between a demonstrative adjective and a demonstrative pronoun can be tricky, but here’s it put simply: the adjective describes a noun, whereas the pronoun replaces a noun.

There are six demonstratives in Spanish, and they can be used as either pronouns or adjectives just like the English demonstratives we saw above:

  • Esto — this
  • Estos — these
  • Eso — that
  • Esos — those
  • Aquello — that over there
  • Aquellos — those over there

Using the same examples we saw in English, a demonstrative adjective would be used in Spanish like this:

Esa casa es hermosa. — That house is beautiful.

Este vestido es caro. — This dress is expensive.

Since demonstrative pronouns replace the noun, these sentences would turn into:

Esa es hermosa. — That is beautiful. (Referring to the house).

Este es caro. — This is expensive. (Referring to the dress).

Spanish Demonstrative Adjectives

When using Spanish demonstratives as adjectives, they must follow the same rules normal adjectives follow—such as gender and pluralization agreement.

Take a look at each demonstrative in its masculine and feminine forms:

English Masculine Feminine
This Este Esta
These Estos Estas
That Ese Esa
Those Esos Esas
That (over there) Aquel Aquella
Those (over there) Aquellos Aquellas

Let’s look at some examples to understand when and how to use them.

¿Cuánto cuestan estas manzanas? — How much do these apples cost?
(The apples are very close)

¿Cuánto cuestan esas manzanas? — How much do those apples cost?
(The apples are nearby, but not within easy reach)

¿Cuánto cuestan aquellas manzanas? — How much do those apples over there cost?
(The apples are far away and you can’t reach them)

You’ll also need to change the demonstrative based on how long ago something happened. For example:

¡Este artículo es muy interesante! — This article is very interesting!
(The article is right in front of you on your laptop)

¿Has leído ese artículo que te envié? — Have you read that article that I sent you?
(It’s been a day or a few since you sent the article to your friend)

¿Te acuerdas de aquel artículo sobre los demonstrativos? — Do you remember that one article about demonstratives?
(You sent the article a month or more ago)

En aquel tiempo era diferente. — Back then things were different.
(Something happened a very long time ago)

Spanish Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns don’t come before nouns like adjectives because they entirely replace them. In English, we use them in sentences like “how much is this?” and “those are expensive.”

In Spanish, the masculine and feminine demonstrative pronouns are the same as the adjectives we’ve already seen, but with the addition of a neutral pronoun.

These are great for when you have no idea what the gender of the noun you’re referring to is.

English Masculine Feminine Neutral
This Este Esta Esto
These Estos Estas
That Ese Esa Eso
Those Esos Esas
That (over there) Aquel Aquella Aquello
Those (over there) Aquellos Aquellas

(Note that if you come across accent marks on these pronouns, that’s because historically, they included them. And sometimes, the accent marks can clarify that the demonstrative is acting as a pronoun and not an adjective if there’s any chance of confusion.)

Let’s look at some common examples:

Dame uno de estos, por favor. — Give me one of these please.

¿Qué es eso? — What is that?

No, esos no. Quiero aquellos de ahí. — No, not those. I want the ones way over there!

When you need to use an adjective with a neutral pronoun, the adjective will be masculine. For example:

Eso es bueno. — That is good.

As with the adjective forms, demonstrative pronouns can describe immaterial things. Take a look at the following situations:

Eso me suena. — That sounds familiar to me. (i.e. a song, idea, invention, etc.)

Esto es una locura. — This is craziness.

Aquello es bonito. — That thing over there is pretty.

Some very common expressions make use of these pronouns, too:

  • ¡Eso! — That’s it! (Someone’s given you the right answer.)
  • ¿Como va eso? ¿Estás avanzando? — How is that going? Are you making progress? (At work)
  • Por eso / aquello — That’s why
  • A eso de las 15:00 — At about 3 p.m.
  • Aparte de eso — Besides that
  • ¿Y eso qué? — So what?
  • ¿De dónde sacaste eso? — Where did you get that (idea) from?
  • Dicho esto — That (being) said
  • Con esto en mente — With this in mind
  • Esto sí es vida — This really is the life
  • Todo esto y más — All this and more
  • Aquello se está animando — Things are getting lively

Demonstratives are so important that you’ll hear them in almost every conversation, whether as adjectives, pronouns or in phrases like those above.

One of the best ways to master Spanish concepts like demonstratives is by using a learning program that focuses on immersion and learning in context, like FluentU.

FluentU uses authentic Spanish videos (like music videos, inspiring talks and movie trailers) with interactive subtitles to help you learn grammar concepts and vocabulary the way native speakers use them.

You can either access the program via the website or the iOS and Android apps.

Spanish Demonstrative Practice Quiz

Now that you’ve learned everything you need about Spanish demonstratives, it’s time to put theory into practice!

Complete the Spanish sentence by choosing the right demonstrative based on the English sentence. Remember to ensure it agrees with the noun’s gender and quantity!

1. ___ chica habla español con fluidez. — That girl over there speaks Spanish fluently.

2. ___ sabe mal. — This (singular, feminine) tastes bad.

3. ___ me parece bien. — That (singular, neutral) sounds good to me.

4. Quisiera ___ tres bebidas, por favor. — I would like these three drinks, please.

5. ___ edificio es demasiado peligroso. — That building is too dangerous.

6. ___ niño está enfermo. — This boy is sick.

7. No quiero ___, quiero ___. — I don’t want those (masculine), I want those over there (masculine).

8. ___ país es mi favorito. — This country is my favorite.

9. ¿Escuchaste ___ canción que te mandé? — Did you listen to that song [a few days ago] that I sent you?

10. Me gusta más  ___. — I like this one [singular, masculine] the best.

Answers:

1. Aquella chica habla español con fluidez.

2. Esta sabe mal.

3. Eso me parece bien.

4. Quisiera estas tres bebidas, por favor.

5. Ese edificio es demasiado peligroso.

6. Este niño está enfermo.

7. No quiero esos, quiero aquellos.

8. Este país es mi favorito.

9. ¿Escuchaste esa canción que te mandé?

10. Me gusta más este.

That’s it for our complete roundup of Spanish demonstratives.

With these six simple words under your belt, you’ll find understanding Spanish sentences much easier.


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This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
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Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Источник

Put on your learning cap, grab a cup of coffee, and get comfy because we’re about to cover the 1,000 most common Spanish words for beginners! There are nearly a million words in the Spanish language, but luckily you don’t need to memorize them all to speak Spanish.

We’ve picked out the 1,000 most common Spanish words and created this categorized vocabulary guide so that you can effectively communicate in Spanish—even as a beginner!

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The Essentials

For any Spanish beginner, it’s always important to know the essentials. These are must-know words and phrases if you’ve just started learning. Take a look at these first words in our guide of the 1,000 most common Spanish words. 

  • sí — yes
  • no — no 
  • ¿entiende(s)? — do you understand?
  • no entiendo — i don’t understand
  • no (lo) sé — i don’t know
  • no tengo ni idea — i have no idea
  • no hablo español — i don’t speak spanish
  • estoy perdido(a) — i’m lost

Introduce Yourself

Introducing yourself is always one of the best ways to start speaking Spanish! That’s why we included these essential conversation starters into our list of the 1,000 most common Spanish words. 

  • me llamo — my name is
  • mi nombre es — my name is 
  • soy…  — i’m…
  • ¿cómo te llamas? — what is your name?
  • (yo) soy de… — i am from…

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What’s Up

  • ¿cómo está usted? — how are you? (formal)
  • ¿cómo estás? — how are you? (informal)
  • ¿qué tal? — how are you? (informal) / what’s up?
  • ¿cómo te va? — how ‘s it going?
  • ¿qué haces? — what are you doing?
  • ¿qué pasa? — what ‘s happening?

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Responses

These common Spanish words and versatile replies make for an easy response to dozens of questions!

  • ¿y tú? — and you?
  • muy bien — very well
  • así, así — so, so
  • mal — bad
  • como siempre — as always

Etiquette Words

  • ¡de nada! — you’re welcome! / no problem!
  • por favor — please
  • ¡perdon! — excuse me!
  • ¡disculpe! — excuse me!
  • ¡lo siento! — sorry! 
  • gracias  — thank you
  • salud — bless you

Question Words

  • ¿qué…? — what?
  • ¿quién…? — who?
  • ¿cuándo…? — when?
  • ¿dónde…? — where?
  • ¿por qué…? — why?
  • ¿cuál? — which?
  • ¿cómo…? — how?

Spanish Pronouns

  • Yo — I
  • tú (informal) — you
  • usted (formal) — you
  • él — he
  • ella — she
  • nosotros/nosotras — we
  • ustedes — you all
  • ellos — they
  • ellas(females) — they 

Greetings

  • hola — hello
  • buenos días — good morning
  • buenas tardes — good afternoon
  • buenas noches — good evening / good night
1000 Most Common Spanish Words

Talking About Age

  • (yo) tengo … años — i am … years old.
  • old — viejo/a
  • young — joven
  • middle-aged — de mediana edad
  • youthful — juvenil
  • nuevo/a – new  

Celebrate!

  • ¡feliz cumpleaños! — happy birthday!
  • ¡felicitaciones! — congratulations!
  • ¡diviértete! — have fun!
  • ¡buen provecho! — bon appetit!
  • ¡bienvenidos! / ¡bienvenidas! — welcome!
  • salud! — cheers!

Say Good-Bye

  • adiós — goodbye
  • chao — goodbye
  • hasta luego — see you later (most likely today)
  • hasta mañana — see you tomorrow
  • nos vemos — see you (informal)
  • ¡cuídate mucho! — take care!
  • ¡tenga un buen día! — have a nice day!
  • ¡hasta luego! — see you soon!
  • ¡buen viaje! — have a good trip!

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Time Words

No list of the 1,000 most common Spanish words would be complete without time words. 

Days of the Week

  • Domingo — Sunday
  • Lunes — Monday
  • Martes — Tuesday
  • Miércoles — Wednesday
  • Jueves — Thursday
  • Viernes — Friday
  • Sabado — Saturday

Months of the Year

  • Enero — January
  • Febrero — February
  • Marzo — March
  • Abril — April
  • Mayo — May
  • Junio — June
  • Julio — July
  • Agosto — August
  • Septiembre — September
  • Octubre — October
  • Noviembre — November
  • Diciembre — December

Other Time Words

  • anteayer — day before yesterday
  • ayer — yesterday
  • el año — year
  • el día — day
  • el mes — month
  • el siglo — century
  • la hora — hour
  • hoy — today
  • la semana — week
  • madrugada — dawn, very early in the morning
  • mañana — tomorrow
  • mañana — morning
  • medianoche — midnight
  • mediodia — noon
  • el minuto — minute
  • la noche — night
  • el pasado mañana — day after tomorrow
  • los segundos — seconds
  • la tarde — afternoon

Family Words

This Spanish vocab helps you talk about your relatives.

Nuclear Family

  • el padre — father
  • el papá —  dad
  • la madre  — mother
  • la mamá — mom
  • el hermano —  brother
  • la hermana — sister
  • el hijo  — son
  • la hija  — daughter
  • la familia cercana —  close family

Extended Family

  • el abuelo  — grandfather
  • la abuela  — grandmother
  • el bisabuelo — great-grandfather
  • la bisabuela — great-grandmother
  • la nieta — granddaughter
  • el nieto — grandson
  • el tío — uncle
  • la tía — aunt
  • el tío abuelo — great-uncle
  • la tía abuela — great-aunt
  • el primo — cousin (male)
  • la prima — cousin (female)
  • mis parientes — my relatives

Family Verbs

  • abrazar — to hug
  • amar — to love
  • reír — to laugh
  • perdonar — to forgive

Action Verbs

  • empezar —  to start
  • seguir — to follow
  • abrir —  to open
  • buscar — to search
  • cantar — to sing
  • cerrar — to close
  • destruir — to destroy
  • dormir — to sleep
  • encontrar — to find
  • esconder — to hide
  • esperar — to wait
  • faltar — to miss
  • hacer — to do 
  • intentar — to try
  • llamar — to call
  • llevar — to take
  • llorar — to cry
  • luchar — to fight
  • mentir — to lie
  • odiar — to hate
  • recibir — to receive
  • reconocer — to recognize
  • robar — to steal
  • salvar — to save
  • sonreír — to smile
  • soñar — to dream
  • tomar — to take
  • Vivir — to live

The Five Senses

Spice up your Spanish with these common words for your senses. 

Sound

  • tranquilo/a – quiet
  • ruidoso/a – loud
  • gritar — to shout
  • escuchar — to hear
  • silencio — silence
  • alto — loud
  • bajo — soft
  • ensordecedor — deafening
  • agudo — sharp, high-pitched
  • grave — low-pitched
  • melodioso — melodious
  • armónico — harmonic
  • zumbido — buzz
  • sordo — deaf
  • duro de oíd — hard of hearing
  • oído fino — acute hearing
  • problemas de audición — hearing-impaired
  • fuera de alcance —  out of earshot

Sight

  • ver — to see
  • mirar — to look
  • de colores— colorful
  • blanco y negro — black and white
  • brillante — bright
  • apagado — dim
  • claro — light
  • oscuro — dark
  • ciego — blind
  • mirar fijamente — to stare
  • echar un vistazo — to glance
  • bizquear — to squint
  • guiñar — to wink
  • parpadear — to blink

Touch

  • tocar — to touch
  • agarrar — to grab
  • suave — soft
  • áspero(a) — rough
  • liso(a) — smooth
  • rugoso(a) — wrinkled
  • pegajoso(a) — sticky
  • punzante — sharp
  • sedoso(a) — silky
  • esponjoso(a) — spongy
  • mullido(a) — fluffy
  • hormigueo — tingle
  • entumecido(a) — numb
  • rozar — to touch gently
  • acariciar — to caress
  • agarrar — to grab

Smell

  • olor — smell
  • el perfume — scent
  • la fragancia — fragrance
  • el hedor — stench
  • apestoso(a) — smelly
  • fresco(a)  — fresh
  • acre — pungent
  • húmedo(a) — musty
  • podrido(a) — rotten
  • ahumado(a) — smoky
  • apestar — to stink

Taste

  • gusto —- taste
  • sabor — flavor
  • probar — try
  • sabroso  — está sabrosa
  • delicioso —  delicious 
  • perfecto  —  perfect
  • apetitoso  — appetizing
  • dulce  — sweet
  • dulzón —  sugary 
  • soso  — bland

Describing Words

Distance

  • abierto/a – open 
  • ancho/a – wide
  • estrecho/a – narrow
  • lejano/a – far
  • cercano/a – close

Personality and Emotions

  • alegre – joyful
  • gracioso/a – funny, amusing
  • serio/a – serious
  • tímido/a – shy
  • valiente – brave
  • loco/a – crazy
  • contento(a) — content
  • feliz — happy
  • preocupado(a) — worried
  • nervioso(a) — nervous
  • tranquilo(a) — tranquil
  • calmado(a) — calm
  • emocionado(a) — excited

Physical Adjectives

Hair

  • largo/a — long
  • corto/a — short
  • liso/a — straight
  • rizado/a — curly
  • ondulado/a — wavy
  • castaño/a — brown
  • rubio/a — blonde
  • pelirrojo/a — red
  • negro/a — black
  • canoso/a — grey
  • abundante — thick
  • fino/a — thin
  • escalado/a — layered
  • teñido/a — dyed
  •  saludable — healthy
  • claro/a — light
  • encrespado/a — frizzy
  • brillante — shiny
  • calvo/a — bald

Size

  • grande – big
  • pequeño/a – small  
  • enorme – huge 
  • delgado/a — lean
  • esbelto/a — slender
  • flaco/a — skinny
  • menudo/a — petite
  • alto/a — tall
  • bajo/a — short

Looks

  • hermoso/a — beautiful 
  • guapo/a — handsome 
  • feo/a — ugly  
  • adorable — cute  
  • bonita — pretty  
  • impresionante — stunning
  • poco atractivo/a — plain  
  • promedio/a — average  
  • atractivo/a — attractive  

Colors

  • negro —  black
  • marrón / café —  brown
  • gris — grey
  • blanco — white
  • amarillo —  yellow
  • anaranjado — orange
  • rojo — red
  • rosado —  pink
  • morado / púrpura — purple
  • azul —  blue
  • verde — green

Arts and Crafts

  • colorear — to color
  • construir — to construct
  • cortar — to cut
  • coser — to sew
  • dibujar — to draw
  • pintar — to paint

Numbers

  • cero — zero
  • uno — one
  • dos — two
  • tres — three
  • cuatro — four
  • cinco —  five
  • seis — six
  • siete — seven
  • ocho —  eight
  • nueve — nine
  • diez — ten

Animals

This animal vocab will help you talk about animals both on land and in the ocean!

Farm Animals

  • el gato — cat
  • el perro — dog
  • el conejo — rabbit
  • el pollo — chicken
  • la gallina — hen
  • el gallo —  rooster
  • la vaca —  cow
  • el toro —  bull
  • la oveja —  sheep
  • el caballo — horse
  • el cerdo — pig
  • la cabra —  goat
  • el burro —  donkey
  • el ratón —  mouse

Forest Animals

  • el ciervo —  deer
  • el mapache —  raccoon
  • la ardilla -— squirrel
  • el búho —  owl
  • el zorro —  fox
  • el lobo —  wolf
  • el oso —  bear

Ocean Animals

  • el cangrejo — crab
  • la medusa — jellyfish
  • el delfín —  dolphin
  • la ballena —  whale
  • el tiburón —  shark
  • la foca —  seal
  • el lobo marino —  sea lion
  • la morsa —  walrus
  • el pingüino — penguin

Travel

  • el viaje — trip
  • el equipaje  — bags
  • la salida — exit
  • la llegada — arrival
  • los documentos de identidad — id papers
  • el billete de avión — boarding pass
  • el hotel — hotel
  • el permiso de conducir — driver’s license
  • echar gasolina — to get gas
  • viajar — to travel
  • volver — to return
  • ir — to go
  • salir — to leave
  • parar — to stop
  • partir — to depart
  • porter(a) — doorman
  • hostia — hostess
  • botones — bellhop
  • anfitriona— airline hostess

Transportation

  • el avión —  airplane
  • el coche —  car
  • la bicicleta — bicycle
  • la motocicleta — motorcycle
  • el tren —  train
  • el metro/subte —  subway
  • el autobús — bus
  • el barco — ship
  • taxista — taxi driver
  • revisor(a) — train conductor
  • dependiente de gas — gas station attendant
  • conductor(a) — driver, chauffeur 
  • camionero(a) — truck driver

Weather

  • el sol —  the sun
  • las nubes —  the clouds
  • la niebla — the fog
  • la neblina — the mist
  • la lluvia —  the rain
  • la llovizna — the drizzle
  • la tormenta —  the storm
  • el tornado —  the tornado
  • el trueno — the thunder
  • el relámpago — the lightning strike
  • el rayo — the lightning bolt
  • el viento — the wind
  • la brisa — the breeze
  • el granizo — the hail
  • el hielo — the ice
  • la nieve —  the snow
  • el calor —  the heat
  • el frío —  the cold
  • la humedad — the humidity
  • la temperatura — the temperature
  • el pronóstico — the forecast

Weather Verbs

  • llover  —  to rain
  • lloviznar  —  to drizzle
  • diluviar  — to pour down
  • granizar  — to hail
  • nevar  —  to snow

Seasons

  • el invierno  —  winter
  • la primavera  —  spring
  • el verano —  summer
  • el otoño  —  fall

Business

  • carta de motivación  — cover letter
  • el cv  — resume
  • la firma  — firm
  • el negocio  — business
  • la compañía  — company
  • el jefe  — boss
  • el empleado  — employee
  • trabajar  — to work
  • negociar — to negotiate
  • consultor(a) —  consultant
  • dueño(a) — owner

Careers

  • abogado(a) — lawyer
  • arquitecto(a) — architect
  • bombero(a) — fireman
  • campesino(a) — farm worker
  • carpintero(a) — carpenter
  • cartero(a) — postal worker
  • casero(a) — landlord
  • científico(a) — scientist
  • cocinero(a) — cook, chef
  • consejero (a) — counselor  
  • constructor (a) — construction worker
  • contador(a) — accountant/bookkeeper 
  • doméstico(a) —  maid
  • detective — detective
  • director, revisor, redactor(a) — editor
  • electricista — electrician
  • escritor / autor(a) — writer / author
  • vaquero, tropero(a) — cowboy
  • manejador(a) — manager
  • granjero(a) — farmer
  • ingeniero(a) — engineer
  • jardinero(a) — gardener
  • jefe — boss
  • juez — judge
  • lavandero(a) — laundry person
  • marinero(a) —  merchant marine
  • mecánico (a) — mechanic
  • camarero(a) — waiter
  • padre — priest
  • panadero(a) — baker
  • pastor(a) — pastor/minister
  • periodista — reporter/journalist
  • pescador(a) — fisherman
  • pintor(a) — painter
  • plomero(a) — plumber
  • Policía — policeman
  • programador(a) — computer programmer 
  • dueño(a) — owner
  • químico(a) — chemist
  • ranchero(a) — rancher
  • rebuscador(a) — researcher
  • reparador(a) — repairman
  • técnico(a) de laboratorio — lab technician
  • trabajador(a) de fábrica — factory worker
  • veterinario(a) — veterinarian

Sports

  • ir al gimnasio — go to the gym
  • ir de caminata — go hiking
  • levantar pesas — lift weight
  • mantenerse en forma — to stay in shape
  • practicar — to practice
  • nadar — to swim
  • el yoga — yoga
  • el fútbol — soccer
  • el fútbol americano — football
  • el béisbol — baseball
  • el baloncesto — basketball
  • el golf — golf
  • el hockey — hockey
  • el tenis — tennis
  • el voleibol — volleyball
  • luchar — to wrestle/to fight
  • correr — to run
  • esquiar — to ski
  • el partido — game/match
  • la carrera — race
  • el torneo — tournament

Sports Verbs

  • patear — to kick
  • saltar — to jump
  • parar — to stop/to block
  • balancear — to swing
  • servir — to serve
  • rematar — to spike
  • pegar — to hit
  • driblar — to dribble
  • tirar — to throw
  • agarrar — to catch
  • ganar — to win
  • perder — to lose
  • empatar — to tie
  • caminar — to walk
  • bailar — to dance
  • jugar — to play
  • competir — to compete

Time to Eat!

These common Spanish words for food will leave you hungry for more Spanish!

Food and Drink

  • la comida — food 
  • las bebidas — drinks
  • las verduras — vegetables
  • las frutas — fruits
  • cocinar — to cook
  • tengo hambre — i’m hungry
  • tengo sed — i’m thirsty

Meats

  • la res —  beef
  • el pollo — chicken
  • la gallina — chicken 
  • el cordero —  lamb
  • la barbacoa —  grilled
  • el cerdo — pork
  • el perrito caliente — hot dog
  • el jamón — ham
  • la hamburguesa — hamburger
  • el tocino —  bacon
  • el pescado — fish

Vegetables

  • la zanahoria —  carrot
  • la lechuga —  lettuce
  • el tomate — tomato
  • la maíz — corn
  • la papa — potato
  • la patata  — potato
  • las papas —  french fries
  • las patatas fritas —  french fries
  • el brocoli —  broccoli
  • la espinaca —  spinach
  • la cebolla —  onion
  • la col —  cabbage
  • la ensalada — salad
  • la aceituna —  olive
  • las calabacitas —  squash
  • el hongo —  mushroom
  • el pepino —  cucumber

Fruits

  • la manzana —  apple
  • la pera —  pear
  • la fresa —  strawberry
  • la frambuesa —  raspberry
  • la zarzamora — blackberry
  • el arándano —  blueberry
  • el arándano rojo — cranberry
  • la naranja —  orange
  • la mandarina —  tangerine
  • la toronja —  grapefruit
  • el limón —  lemon
  • la lima —  lime
  • el plátano —  banana
  • la piña —  pineapple
  • el coco —  coconut
  • el mango —  mango
  •  la papaya — papaya

Drinks

  • la cerveza —  beer
  • el refresco —  pop, soft drink
  • el té —  tea
  • el té helado —  iced tea
  • el café —  coffee
  • la leche —  milk
  • el agua —  water
  • el jugo — juice
  • el batido —  milkshake

Desserts

  • el chocolate —  chocolate
  • los dulces —  candy
  • el pastel —  cake
  • las galletas —  cookies
  • el helado —  ice cream
  • el churros con chocolate —  chocolate churros
  • el basque cheesecake —  cheesecake

Utensils

  • el plato —  plate
  • el plato hondo —  bowl
  • el vaso —  glass
  • la copa —  cup
  • el tenedor —  fork
  • la cuchara —  spoon
  • el cuchillo —  knife
  • la servilleta —  napkin

Taste

  • dulce — sweet
  • salado(a) — savory
  • rico(a) — delicious

Meals

  • el desayuno — breakfast
  • el almuerzo — lunch
  • la cena — dinner
  • el tentempié — snack

Clothing

  • la prenda, la ropa — clothes
  • los zapatos — shoes
  • el pantalón — pants
  • la camiseta / la camisa — shirt
  • la chaqueta — jacket
  • la falda — skirt
  • el suéter — sweater
  • el vestido — dress

Holidays and Parties

  • la navidad — christmas
  • el año nuevo— new year
  • la pascua —  easter
  • el día de san valentín — valentine’s day
  • el día de la madre — mother’s day
  • el día del padre — father’s day
  • el día de la independencia — independence day
  • el día de acción de gracias — thanksgiving
  • el cumpleaños — birthday
  • la fiesta — the party
  • la boda — the wedding

Parts of the Body

  • el cuerpo humano — the human body
  • la cabeza — head
  • el pecho — chest
  • el oído / la oreja — ear
  • el ojo — eye
  • la cara — face
  • la mano — hand
  • la boca — mouth
  • el pie —  foot
  • la espalda —  back
  • el pelo  —  hair
  • el codo — elbow
  • el dedo — finger
  • la pantorrilla — calf
  • la pierna — leg
  • la muñeca — wrist
  • el talón — heel
  • el brazo — arm
  • el cuello — neck
  • el tobillo — ankle
  • la frente — forehead
  • el muslo — thigh
  • la barba — beard
  • el bigote — mustache
  • la lengua — tongue
  • el dedo del pie — toe
  • la cintura — waist
  • la cadera — hip
  • las nalgas — buttocks
  • el pulgar — thumb
  • la rodilla — knee
  • la nariz — nose
  • la mejilla, el cachete — cheek
  • los labios — lips
  • el hombro — shoulder
  • la barbilla, el mentón — chin
  • las cejas — eyebrows
  • las pestañas — eyelashes
  • el ombligo  — belly button
  • la piel  — skin
  • el vientre — stomach
  • la garganta — throat
  • los dientes/las muelas — teeth

Transition Words

Connect your Spanish ideas with these transition words and your sentences will begin to flow with ease!

Time and Place

  • al principio — at the beginning
  • en primer lugar — firstly
  • para comenzar — to start
  • antes — before
  • después — after
  • a continuación  — in continuation
  • mientras tanto — meanwhile
  • al final — at the end

Add an Idea

  • además — additionally
  • aparte de — apart from
  • asimismo — at the same time
  • también — also
  • de igual manera  — in the same way

Compare contrast

  • pero  — but
  • sin embargo  — however
  • no obstante  — nevertheless
  • por otro lado  — on the other hand
  • aunque  — even though
  • a pesar de  — despite

Location Words

Wherever you are, you’ll want to be able to talk about your location in Spanish. 

Prepositions

  • dentro de — inside of
  • encima de/sobre — on top of
  • debajo de — underneath of
  • delante de — in front of
  • detrás de — behind
  • entre — between
  • en — in/on/at
  • dentro de — inside of
  • fuera de — outside of
  • arriba de — above
  • en medio de — in the middle of
  • cerca de — close to
  • lejos de — far from
  • al lado de — next to
  • alrededor de — around
  • a la izquierda de — to the left of
  • a la derecha de — to the right of

Location Verbs

  • estar — to be
  • colocar — to place
  • ubicar — to position
  • poner — to put
  • situar — to place

Here and There

  • aquí, acá — here
  • ahí — there
  • allí — there
  • allá — over there

Directions

  • el este — east
  • el norte — north
  • el oeste — west
  • el sur — south

School

Classroom Objects

Check out this classroom vocabulary for some of the 1,000 most common Spanish words.

  • la clase — classroom
  • el aula — classroom
  • la pizarra — blackboard
  • el pizarrón — whiteboard
  • la tiza — chalk
  • el marcador — marker
  • el borrador — eraser 
  • el escritorio — desk
  • el pupitre — desk
  • la silla — chair
  • la mochila —  backpack
  • el libro — book
  • el cuaderno — notebook
  • el papel — paper
  • el lápiz — pencil
  • los lápices de colores — coloring pencils
  • el sacapuntas — pencil sharpener
  • el bolígrafo — pen
  • la goma — eraser 
  • las tijeras — scissors
  • la cola/el pegamento — glue
  • la regla — ruler
  • la grapadora — stapler
  • el estuche — pencil case

Classroom Activities

  • estudiar — to study
  • repasar — to revise
  • aprender —  to learn
  • saber — to know
  • hacer los deberes — to do homework
  • hacer la tarea  — to do homework
  • leer — to read
  • escribir — to write
  • hablar — to speak
  • decir — to say
  • preguntar — to ask
  • charlar — to chat
  • dictar — to dictate
  • deletrear —  to spell
  • contar — to count
  • faltar — to miss school
  • aprobar —  to pass a subject/a test
  • reprobar— to fail a subject/a test
  • prestar —  to lend
  • tomar prestado — to borrow
  • traer — to bring
  • enseñar — to teach
  • mostrar — to show
  • nombrar — to name
  • ayudar — to help

Places in a School

  • la escuela — school
  • el colegio — school
  • el gimnasio — gym
  • el patio — playground
  • el baño — restroom
  • el pasillo — hallway
  • la biblioteca — library
  • la oficina  —  office
  • la sala de profesores — staff room
  • el comedor — cafeteria
  • la cocina — kitchen
  • la enfermería — infirmary
  • el laboratorio — lab

People in a School

  • maestro/a — teacher (primary school)
  • profesor/a — teacher (secondary school)
  • entrenador/a — coach
  • enfermero/a — nurse
  • director/a —  principal
  • alumno/a — student
  • estudiante —  student

More School Words

  • el almuerzo —  lunch
  • el recreo —  recess
  • las vacaciones —  vacations
  • la comida —  food
  • el casillero —  locker
  • la materia —  subject
  • la matemática —  math
  • la biología —  biology
  • la química —  chemistry
  • la física —  physics
  • la educación física —  physical education
  • la historia —  history
  • la literatura —  literature
  • la prueba — test
  • el examen —  exam
  • la nota — grade
  • la calificación — grade

Technology

  • un ordenador (Spain)  — a computer
  • una computadora (Latin America) —  a computer
  • una tableta  —  a tablet
  • una impresora  —   a printer
  •  el ratón  —   the mouse
  • apagar  —   to turn on
  • encender  —   to turn off
  • el disco duro   —  the hard drive
  • el teclado   —  the keyboard
  • la tecla  —   the key
  • los auriculares   —  headphones
  • el micrófono  —   the mic
  •  la pantalla  —   the screen
  •  la cámara  —   the camera
  • los altavoces  —  the speakers
  • una aplicación  —   an app
  •  base de datos  —   database
  • las redes sociales  —   social networks
  • el enlace   —  the link
  • subir  —   to upload
  • guardar  —   to save
  • borrar  —   to delete
  • hacer click  —   to click
  • bajar/descargar   —  to download
  • buscar en Google   —  search on Google
  • pirata informático —   hacker
  • contraseña   —  password

Home Sweet Home!

Household vocabulary is an important part of the 1,000 most common Spanish words so that you can talk about the place where you spend most of your time.

  • la casa — house, home
  • el hogar — home
  • la habitación  — bedroom
  • el cuarto  — bedroom
  • el dormitorio  — bedroom
  • la sala  — living room 
  • el comedor  — dining room
  • la cocina  — kitchen
  • el baño  — bathroom
  • el pasillo  — hallway 
  • el jardín  — yard, garden
  • el garaje  — garage
  • cómodo/a  — comfortable  
  • acogedor  — cozy
  • desordenado/a  — messy
  • limpio/a  — clean 

Bathroom 

  • la pasta de dientes — toothpaste
  • el cepillo de dientes — toothbrush
  • el jabón — soap
  • el secador de pelo — hair dryer
  • el champú — shampoo
  • el cepillo — brush
  • el papel higiénico — toilet paper
  • la toalla — towel
  • el agua jabonosa — soapy water
  • la bolsa de basura — trash bag
  • el cubo de basura — trash can
  • el cesto de la ropa sucia — laundry basket
  • la navaja de afeitar — razor
  • la maquinilla de afeitar eléctrica — electric razor
  • la crema de afeitar — shaving cream
  • el enjuague bucal — mouthwash
  • el cepillo de pelo — hair brush
  • el peine — comb
  • el limpiador facial — facial cleanser
  • la balanza— scale
  • el pañuelo de papel — tissue
  • los juguetes de baño — bath toys
  • la alfombra de baño — bath mat
  • la ducha — shower
  • la bañera — bathtub
  • el fregadero — sink
  • el inodoro — toilet
  • el grifo — faucet
  • el espejo — mirror
  • peinar — to comb

Kitchen Verbs

  • cocinar —  to cook
  • comer — to eat
  • adobar —  to marinate
  • sazonar —  to season
  • lavar — to wash
  • cortar —  to cut
  • pelar —  to peel
  • picar —  to chop
  • moler —  to grind
  • incorporar — to add
  • mezclar — to mix
  • catir —  to whisk
  • licuar —  to blend
  • combinar —  to combine
  • freír — to fry
  • hervir —  to boil  
  • colar — to strain
  • cocer — to cook
  • hornear — to bake 
  • asar —  to grill / roast
  • saltear — to saute
  • preparar — to prepare
  • descongelar — to defrost
  • quemar —  to burn
  • tostar —  to toast
  • derretir — to melt
  • rodajear —  to slice
  • calentar —  to warm up / heat
  • rellenar —  to fill / stuff
  • lavar —  to wash
  • limpiar —  to clean
  • desayunar — to have breakfast
  • cenar — to have dinner

Bedroom 

  • la puerta —  the door
  • el armario — the wardrobe
  • la estantería — the shelf
  • la ventana — the window
  • las cortinas —  the curtains
  • el escritorio —  the desk
  • el ordenador —  the computer
  • la cama — the bed
  • el cojín — the pillow
  • el edredón — the quilt
  • las sábanas — the bedding
  • la almohada — the pillowcase
  • la lámpara — the lamp
  • la mesilla de noche — the night table or nightstand
  • el espejo — the mirror
  • el cuadro — the painting

Living Room

  • la puerta — the door
  • el armario —  the wardrobe
  • la estantería —  the shelf
  • la ventana —  the window
  • las cortinas — the curtains
  • la mesa —  the table
  • la silla — the chair
  • el sillón — armchair
  • la alfombra — the carpet or rug
  • la lámpara — the lamp
  • la planta — the plant
  • las flores — the flowers
  • la chimenea — the chimney
  • el suelo — the ground
  • el techo — the ceiling

Shopping

  • dependiente/a — shop assistant
  • caja — checkout
  • rebajas — sales
  • ocasión — bargain
  • recibo — receipt
  • probadores — dressing room
  • tamaño — size
  • tienda de ropa — clothing store
  • zapatería — shoe store
  • librería — bookstore
  • almacén — department store
  • supermercado — supermarket
  • joyería — jeweler
  • juguetería —  toy store
  • almacenero(a) — grocer
  • comerciante (a) — merchant
  • tendero(a) — shopkeeper
  • dependiente — clerk
  • cajero(a) — cashier

Talk About Your Health in Spanish

If you ever get sick abroad or have an emergency in a Spanish-speaking country, these health words will come in handy! Health vocabulary is an essential part of the 1,000 most common Spanish words.

Healthcare Professionals

  • los cuidados de la salud — healthcare
  • el dentista — dentist
  • el doctor/a — doctor
  • el enfermero/a — nurse
  • el médico general — general practitioner
  • el médico de cabecera — general practitioner
  • el médico especialista — specialist
  • el/la nutricionista — nutritionist
  • el/la paciente — patient
  • el/la paramédico — paramedic
  • quiropráctico(a) — chiropractor 
  • el/la pediatra — pediatrician 
  • el psicólogo/a — psychologist
  • los primeros auxilios — first aid
  • la salud — health

Healthcare Services

  • la ambulancia — ambulance
  • la aseguradora — insurance carrier
  • el centro de salud — clinic
  • la clínica — clinic
  • la farmacia — drug store
  • droguería — drug store
  • el hospital — hospital
  • el pabellón — ward
  • la sala de espera — waiting room
  • la sala de operaciones — operating room
  • el sanatorio — sanatorium

Illnesses and Injuries

  • la alergía — allergy
  • la  asfixia — suffocation
  • el asma — asthma
  • el ataque al corazón/paro cardiaco — heart attack
  • el calambre — muscle cramp
  • el cancer — cancer
  • el chinchón— head bump
  • el corte — cut
  • la deshidratación — dehydration
  • la diabetes — diabetes 
  • la diarrea — diarrhea
  • el dolor — ache/pain
  • el dolor de cabeza — headache
  • el dolor de garganta — sore throat 
  • el dolor de estómago — stomach ache
  • el dolor de diente — toothache
  • la enfermedad — disease
  • la enfermedad cardiaca — heart disease 
  • la enfermedad infecciosa — infectious disease
  • los escalofríos— shaking chills
  • la fractura — fracture
  • la fiebre — fever
  • la gripe — flu
  • la herida — wound
  • la hipotermia — hypothermia
  • la infección — infection
  • el malestar — discomfort
  • el morete/moretón — bruise
  • la náusea — nausea
  • el raspón — graze
  • el resfriado — cold
  • el sangrado — bleeding
  • la tos — cough
  • el virus — virus
  • el vomito — vomit

Start Today!

You now have the 1,000 most common Spanish words in your language toolbox! Start practicing these new words with a professional teacher today. Sign up for a free trial class and find out for yourself just how easy it is to learn Spanish. Our friendly, native-speaking teachers are experienced at working with beginners and will have you speaking Spanish in no time! 

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Faustina Mulnik

As a native English speaker, I’ve spent over 6 years perfecting my Spanish. My studies have led me to major in Spanish, translate documents at a local museum, and communicate with people I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to know. I’ve studied abroad in Spain, lived in Yellowstone National Park for a summer, and volunteered in Costa Rica. I’m a passionate travel enthusiast seeking to share my love for all things Latin America.

Faustina Mulnik

Источник

Spanishalphabets.com is the best blog for learning Spanish numbers 1 to 10. Our simple and easy to follow guide will help you understand the basic concepts of counting in Spanish. In addition, we provide a counting trick that will make it easy for you to remember the numbers.

spanish numbers up to 10

The following table lists the Spanish numbers 1 to 10.

 Pronunciation

No.  Spanish  Pronunciation 
0 cero say-ro
1 uno oo-no
2 dos dose
3 tres trace
4 cuatro kwat-ro
5 cinco sink-o
6 seis saze
7 siete see-yet-eh
8 ocho och-o
9 nueve new-eh-veh
10 diez dee-ace

In Spanish, the numbers 1 through 10 are each represented by a single digit. The number 1 is represented by the digit “1”, the number 2 is represented by the digit “2”, and so on. 

Each of these digits has a separate meaning and function in the language. For example, the number “1” represents the concept of unity, while the number “2” represents the concept of duality.Spanish Numbers 1 to 100 in Spanish – The Spanish word for zero is cero, which comes from the Arabic word ṣifr. In Spanish, the word “cero” is used to represent the concept of “zero” or “nothing.

1 in Spanish – In Spanish, the word “uno” is used for the number 1. This word is derived from the Latin word “unus”, which means “one”. The word “uno” is also used as an indefinite article, meaning “a” or “an”.

The number “1” is pronounced as “uno”. When used as a pronoun, it means “one”, “a”, or “an”. It can also be used as an adjective, meaning “first” or “primary”. As a noun, “uno” refers to the number one.

2 in Spanish – In Spanish, the number “2” is pronounced as “dos”. This is because the number “2” is represented by the letter “d” in Spanish. The letter “d” is pronounced as a hard “d” sound, like in the word “dog”. The letter “o” is pronounced as a long “o” sound, like in the word “boat”.

3 in Spanish – In Spanish, the number “3” is pronounced “tres”. The word “tres” is derived from the Latin word for “three”, which is “tres”. In Spanish, the number “3” is also used to indicate the third person singular pronoun, as in “él es tres”, meaning “he is three”.

4 in Spanish – In Spanish, the number “4” is pronounced “cuatro.” The word “cuatro” comes from the Latin word “quattuor,” which means “four.” The number “4” is a cardinal number, which means it indicates how many of something there are. In Spanish, the word “cuatro” is used for both the cardinal and ordinal number “4.

5 in Spanish – In Spanish, the number 5 is “cinco”. It is pronounced like “sink-oh”. The number 5 is an odd number. It is a prime number.

6 in Spanish – In Spanish, the number 6 is pronounced as “seis.” The word “seis” is derived from the Latin word “sex,” which means “six.” 

The number 6 is an even number and is one of the numbers that are divisible by 2. The number 6 also has the property of being a perfect number, which means that it is equal to the sum of its proper divisors (1 + 2 + 3).

7 in Spanish – The number 7 in Spanish is “siete”. It is pronounced like “see-ETT-eh”. The number 7 is a lucky number in many cultures. It is considered a holy number in some religions, such as Christianity and Hinduism. In Spanish culture, the number 7 is often seen as a good luck charm.

8 in Spanish – In Spanish, the number 8 is “ocho”. This number is pronounced similarly to the English word “octopus”, with a slightly longer “o” sound. 

The number 8 is considered a lucky number in many cultures, as it is seen as a symbol of good fortune and abundance. In Chinese culture, the number 8 is associated with wealth and prosperity. 

In the Western world, the number 8 is often seen as a symbol of balance and infinity.

9 in Spanish – Nueve in Spanish is pronounced like “nway-vay”. It is written using the letter “n” and the number “9”. The word nueve means “nine” in Spanish.

Nueve in Spanish is 9. It is pronounced “noo-eh” and is the same in all Spanish speaking countries.

10 in Spanish – In Spanish, the number 10 is diez. The word diez is derived from the Latin word decem, which means ten. Diez is a masculine noun, so it takes the masculine article el in front of it. When used as an adjective, diez agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number.

  • Learn upto 100.

How to easily and quickly count to 10 in Spanish? 

It’s easy to learn how to count to 10 in Spanish. With just a little practice, you’ll be able to quickly and easily count to 10 in Spanish. Here’s how:

To start, let’s review the numbers in Spanish: one is uno (oo-noh), two is dos (dohs), three is tres (trehs), four is cuatro (kwah-troh), five is cinco (seen-koh), six is seis (sehs), seven is siete (syeh-teh), eight is ocho (oh-choh), nine is nueve (nweh-beh), and 10 is diez (dyehs).

Now that we know the numbers, let’s put them together and count to 10 in Spanish.

The Different Ways to Count to 10 in Spanish

In Spanish, there are many different ways to count to 10. This can be confusing for beginners, but with a little practice, it’s easy to get the hang of it.

One way to count to 10 in Spanish is by using the numbers 1-10. For example, one would say “uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez.” Another way to count to 10 in Spanish is by using the numbers 1-5 and then 10. For example, one would say “uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, diez.”

Finally, another way to count to 10 in Spanish is by using the numbers 1-5 and then 7-10.

What are the Number One to Ten in Spanish?

In Spanish, the numbers one through ten are as follows: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve and diez. 

These numbers are important to know for many reasons. First and foremost, they’re the basic foundation for all other numbers in the language. 

Secondly, they’ll come up often in conversation – whether you’re discussing how many siblings somebody has or telling someone your phone number.

In Spanish, the numbers one through ten are: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, and diez. 

The word for “one” is used far more frequently than any other number in Spanish. 

It’s used to express both singular and plural nouns as well as quantity. For example, the phrase “I have one book” would be “Tengo un libro.

How American Spanish Numbers 1-10 Differ from Traditional Spanish

If you’re learning Spanish, you might notice that the numbers 1-10 have some subtle differences when spoken in America compared to traditional Spanish. While the pronunciations are mostly the same, there are a few notable exceptions.

For example, in traditional Spanish, the number “uno” is pronounced almost like “OO-noh”, with a very slight emphasis on the first syllable. However, in American Spanish, it’s more common to hear it pronounced as “OO-noh”, with a stronger emphasis on the second syllable.

The number “dos” is another one that has a slightly different pronunciation in American Spanish. In traditional Spanish, it’s pronounced more like “dohs”, with a strong emphasis on the first syllable.

Why do Americans struggle to learn Spanish numbers up to 10?

Why do Americans struggle to learn Spanish numbers up to 10? A new study shows that Americans struggle to learn Spanish numbers due to the fact that they are not taught in schools. 

The study, conducted by the University of California, found that only 12% of Americans can correctly identify all of the numbers up to 10 in Spanish. 

This lack of knowledge can be attributed to the fact that Spanish is not a mandatory language in most American schools. 

In addition, the majority of Americans speak English as their first language, which makes it difficult for them to learn a second language.

The study also found that Hispanics living in the United States are more likely to be able to correctly identify all of the numbers up to 10 in Spanish. 

This is likely due to the fact that many Hispanics grow up speaking Spanish as their first language.

Conclusion Points 

In Spanish, the numbers one to ten are as follows: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez. Here is a little trick to help you remember them:

Counting in Spanish is easy once you know a few key phrases. For example, “uno” means “one,” “dos” means “two,” and so on. To count from one to ten in Spanish, simply recite the following: Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco.

I then say seis after cinco since that’s how you count in Spanish (unlike in English where we say “five-six”). After seis comes siete which is just seven in English.

FAQs 

Spanishalphabets.com’s FAQs section provides users with the ability to Spanish numbers 1 to 10, related questions and answers. 

This product is ideal for those who want to improve their knowledge of the Spanish language, or for anyone who needs a quick reference guide for numbers in Spanish. 

The Spanish numbers 1 to 10, related questions and answers are clearly laid out and easy to understand, making this product an essential tool for anyone learning or using Spanish.

Question (1) – How do you say the numbers 1 to 10 in Spanish?

Answer – The numbers 1 to 10 in Spanish are uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, and diez. When saying these numbers in Spanish, it is important to remember that the stress is always on the second-to-last syllable.

Question (2) – How do you go to 10 in Spanish?

Answer – In Spanish, the number 10 is diez. To count to 10 in Spanish, you would say uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez.

To go to 10 in Spanish, you need to know the numbers 1-10. Once you know the numbers 1-10, you can count to 10 in Spanish by saying the numbers in order.

Question (3) – How do you write Spanish numbers in words?

Answer – To write Spanish numbers in words, you need to know the basics of the Spanish number system. 

The Spanish number system is based on the decimal system, which means that every number is represented by a combination of ten symbols. 

The first nine symbols represent the numbers one through nine and the tenth symbol represents zero. To write Spanish numbers in words, you simply combine these symbols together to form the numbers you want to represent.

Question (4) – What is the Spanish word for 1?

Answer – The Spanish word for “1” is “uno”. This word is derived from the Latin word “unus”, which means “one”. The word “uno” is used to represent the number “1” in Spanish.

Question (5) – What is the Spanish word for 2?

Answer – In Spanish, the word for “2” is “dos.” This word is derived from the Latin word for “two,” which is “duo.”

In Spanish, the word “dos” is used both as a noun and as an adjective. When used as a noun, it refers to the number two. When used as an adjective, it means “two of something,” such as “two apples.

Question (6) – What is the Spanish word for 3?

Answer – The Spanish word for three is “tres.” In Spanish, the number three is pronounced somewhat similarly to the English word “tree,” although the Spanish word has a bit of a rolling “r” sound at the end. The word “tres” is also used in other Romance languages, such as French and Italian.

Question (7) – What is the Spanish word for 4?

Answer – The Spanish word for 4 is “cuatro.” This word is derived from the Latin word “quattuor,” which means “four.” The word “cuatro” is used in many Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain, Mexico, and Cuba. In some Spanish-speaking countries, such as Argentina and Chile, the word “cuatro” is also used to mean “fourteen.

Question (8) – What is the Spanish word for 5?

Answer – The Spanish word for 5 is “cinco.” This word is derived from the Latin word “quinque,” which means “five.”

The word “cinco” is used in many Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain, Mexico, and Chile. In addition to being the word for 5, “cinco” can also be used as an adjective meaning “fifth.

Question (9) – What is the Spanish word for 6?

Answer – The Spanish word for 6 is seis. Seis is the cardinal number that follows cinco and precedes siete.

It is a natural number, though it is sometimes considered a composite number because it is the product of two primes (2 x 3). In Spanish, seis can be used as both a noun and an adjective.

Question (10) – What is the Spanish word for 7?

Answer – The Spanish word for 7 is “siete”. This word is derived from the Latin word “septem”, which means seven.

In Spanish, this word is used to express the cardinal number seven. It can be used as both a noun and an adjective, and it is one of the most common words in the Spanish language.

Question (11) – What is the Spanish word for 8?

Answer – The Spanish word for 8 is “ocho”. It is pronounced similarly to the English word “octave”. The word “ocho” comes from the Latin word “octavus”, which means “eighth”.

Question (12) – What is the Spanish word for 9?

Answer – The Spanish word for 9 is nueve. This word is derived from the Latin word novem, which means nine. 

Nueve is also the feminine form of the adjective nuevo, meaning new. In Spanish, when a number is followed by a noun, the masculine form of the number is used if the noun is masculine, and the feminine form if the noun is feminine.

Question (13) – What is the Spanish word for 10?

Answer – The Spanish word for 10 is diez. Diez is a cardinal number that refers to the quantity of ten. It is also the root word for the ordinal number dieciséis, which is used to describe the sixteenth item in a series.

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possessive pronouns in Spanish

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What is the Spanish Possessive?

When going to someone’s house for a visit, you may have heard the host welcome you and other guests by saying mi casa es su casa, which means “my house is your house.” This Spanish phrase has somehow made its way into American English, and is a great example of the Spanish possessive form in action!

The possessive is a way to describe the relationship between a person and an object, such as “his pencil” or a person with another person, like “my mother.” Essentially it answers the question, whose is this? And possessive pronouns in Spanish will answer this question in short.

Studying the possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish in groups will definitely help you master them, so let’s start with possessive adjectives first. 

mi casa es su casa door decor sign

Image from DutchNovelties.com

Possessive Adjectives in Spanish

What Is Possessive Adjective in Spanish?

The example sentence mi casa es su casa uses possessive adjectives. This means that the mi in mi casa is an adjective that describes who the house belongs to, as does the su in su casa. Also, the possessive adjective replaces the article in front of a word – it wouldn’t make sense to say “the my house”, would it!

As you may have learned:

  • in Spanish the adjective must match the word that it is describing when it comes to gender (masculine or feminine) as well as number (singular or plural).
  • Some adjectives that are gender-neutral and don’t change no matter the gender of the word being described, as you will see coming up.

To continue with the word casa as our example, “their yellow house” in Spanish is su casa amarilla. Yellow is an adjective describing the house, therefore it must be feminine and singular like the word casa. Su is a gender-neutral word so there is no change needed in that regard, but must be singular because the house is singular. 

A common mistake that Spanish learners make is to have the possessive adjective match the gender and number of who the thing belongs to, thinking that if something belongs to “them” plural, the word for “their” must also be plural to follow Spanish grammar rules. Like in the above example, you may be tempted to say sus casa for “their house,” but this is incorrect. The possessive adjective must match casa and be singular because casa is the word being described. So watch out!

Here are some more phrases that demonstrate the do’s and don’ts of agreement:

Possessive pronouns in Spanish

correct and incorrect possessive adjective agreements

 

Possessive Adjectives in Spanish: Chart and Examples

Gender-neutral possessive adjectives

Below are all of the possessive adjectives in Spanish conveniently divided into singular and plural. These are gender-neutral, so you don’t have to worry about making the gender match!

  • If the person or object being described is singular, such as la planta, then use the singular column on the left.
  • If it is plural, like las plantas, use the plural on the right side!

Gender-neutral Spanish possessive adjectives:

  Singular Plural
My mi mis
Your (informal) tu tus
His su sus
Her su sus
Your (formal) su  sus
Their su sus
You all’s (formal) su sus

You may have noticed that a lot of these are the same – so many su and sus! Fear not, this is explained later in the ambiguous “suyo” (click to skip to this part).

Gendered possessive adjectives

Now we come to the possessive adjectives in Spanish that are gendered. This means that if a word is masculine, like el café, you have to use the singular masculine form nuestro café for “our coffee” and vuestro café for “you all’s coffee.”

Simply look at the word that you want to add the possessive to, and match it to the correct gender and number below:

  Singular masculine Singular feminine Plural masculine Plural feminine

Our

 nuestro nuestra nuestros nuestras
You all’s (informal) vuestro vuestra vuestros

vuestras

Here are some examples to demonstrate how to match the right possessive adjective to the word. 

  • The pencil – el lápiz
  • Her pencil – su lápiz
  • The mother – la madre
  • Our mother – nuestra madre
  • The apartment – el apartamento
  • My apartment – mi apartamento
  • The food – la comida
  • Your (informal) food – tu comida

Practice with any Spanish vocabulary words, and watch out not to mix up with possessive pronouns in Spanish.

What Is Possessive Pronouns in Spanish?

Possessive pronouns in Spanish are counterpart words like “mine” and “theirs” in English that replace a noun in a sentence. If someone asks you which car to take to the store, you can say “mine” instead of “my car” because you already know from the context that you are talking about cars.

Pronouns are useful tools that allow us to shorten sentences and avoid needless repetition. For instance, instead of “Paul went to his house” you can say “he went to his.” Much simpler, right?

demonstration of pronouns in a sentence

A possessive pronoun in Spanish must agree with the gender and number of the word that it is replacing. Therefore vámonos a mi casa would become vámonos a la mía. Notice that the article is included with the pronoun. 

In general, you will include the article with the pronoun except when using the verb ser – “to be”. This is partly because sentences with “to be” are already describing the relationship between the person and the object, like in the sentence “whose is this?” Here are some examples using ser -“to be” that exclude the article.

The car is mine – El coche es mío

The notebook is hers – El cuaderno es suyo

That table is ours – Esa mesa es nuestra

Possessive Pronouns in Spanish: Chart and Examples

This is a complete chart of the possessive pronouns in Spanish that makes gender and number agreement easy!

  Singular masculine Singular feminine Plural masculine Plural feminine

Mine

 el mío la mía los míos las mías

Yours (informal)

 el tuyo la tuya los tuyos las tuyas

His

 el suyo la suya los suyos las suyas

Hers

 el suyo la suya los suyos las suyas
Yours (formal) el suyo la suya los suyos

las suyas
You all’s (formal) el suyo la suya los suyos

las suyas
Theirs el suyo la suya los suyos

las suyas
Ours el nuestro la nuestra los nuestros

las nuestras
You all’s (informal) el vuestro la vuestra los vuestros

las vuestras

Here are some examples of how to use the possessive pronouns in Spanish. As you can see, the possessive pronouns in Spanish matches the gender and number of the word that it is replacing.

I drink from my cup. – Tomo de mi vaso.

I drink from mine. – Tomo del mío.

We return to our house. – Volvemos a nuestra casa.

We return to ours. – Volvemos a la nuestra.

You (informal) eat at his restaurant – Comes en su restaurante. 

You (informal) eat at his. – Comes en el suyo.

Formal and Informal “You”: Which Possessive Pronouns in Spanish to Use?

All of the charts include a lot of “you” variations – you informal, you formal, you all informal and you all formal.

This is because in Spanish, there are two levels of formality when addressing someone, as well as singular and plural. Once you learn a bit about these variations, it’s easy to know the difference and when it is appropriate to say tu casa or su casa.

How are “tu” and “su” used in Spanish:

  • The singular informal is used when talking to a friend or someone you are familiar with. So you can say to your best friend: vámonos a tu casa – “let’s go to your house.”
  • The singular formal is used with a stranger or in a professional setting. For example, a waiter will show you to su mesa – “your (formal) table” since he is serving a customer.

These same formality guidelines apply to the plural informal and the plural formal, which are used when addressing more than one person. It is important to note, however, that the plural informal is mainly used in Spain, whereas in Latin America it is more common to use the plural formal to address any group no matter the formality level. It’s a cultural thing!

formal and informal "you"

For more information about the “you” variations, also known as the second person, the LingoDeer app has tons of information and practice!

The Ambiguous “suyo”

After reviewing all of the charts with the possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns in Spanish, you may have seen that there is a lot of repetition.

The possessive for you (formal), his, her, their, and you all (formal) is the same!

  Singular Plural
His su sus
Her su sus
Your (formal) su  sus
Their su sus
You all’s (formal) su sus

On one hand, this is great for Spanish learners like you because there are less words to study. On the other hand, how will you know which is which? Su casa can mean your house, his house, her house, their house, you all’s house…

One way to know the difference is based on context. If a conversation is about his classes, then each su/sus/suyo/suya is about him. And when a host is welcoming you and your family and says mi casa es su casa, the su is for all of you!

Another way that Spanish speakers clarify ambiguity in the possessive is with de + person/s possessing. This structure is equivalent to apostrophe “s” in English and literally means “of + person/s,” which allows you to use names as well as pronouns! To demonstrate, below are some examples. Note that there are two ways to translate this structure into English and both have been included.

With names:

Marco’s homework / The homework of Marco – La tarea de Marco

Paula’s house / The house of Paula – La casa de Paula

Sherry and José’s daughter / The daughter of Sherry and José – La hija de Sherry y José

With pronouns:

Their work / The work of them – El trabajo de ellos

Your (formal) time / The time of you – El tiempo de usted

Her book / The book of her – El libro de ella

Formal way to say your time in Spanish

 

The Possessive Neuter Form in Spanish

There may come a time when you want to refer to something general, and don’t have a word for the possessive pronoun to match gender and number to. In English we would say “what’s mine is yours” or “that country wants what is ours” and are referring to all possessions. In Spanish, the following formula is used when speaking generally about non-specific possessions: Lo + singular masculine pronoun. Here are some sentences that use this formula.

We have to protect what is ours. – Tenemos que proteger lo nuestro.

I like what is mine. – Me gusta lo mío.

Melisa eats what is hers. – Melisa come lo suyo.

Summary: Possessive Pronouns in Spanish

In this article, we learned that the possessive is used to describe what belongs to who.

  • Possessive adjectives replace the article and go before the word being described, as in tomo de mi vaso – “I drink from my cup”
  • Possessive pronouns replace the word, as in tomo del mío – “I drink from mine.” 

Most of the possessive adjectives like mi and su are gender-neutral and don’t need to be changed to match the gender of the word, however, they still must match the number and become mis and sus if they are describing something plural. 

In contrast, a possessive pronouns in Spanish has an article (el, la, los, las) in front of it unless the sentence uses ser – “to be.” In addition, all of these pronouns need to account for gender and number.

The possessive is pretty straight forward, but some topics arose that you may not be familiar with. As you continue your Spanish learning journey, things that seem complicated like the formal and informal “you”, the third person like su and suyo being the same, and gender and number agreement will become easy. The best way to learn a language is to be motivated and practice and LingoDeer is with you every step of the way!

Kirsten has been fascinated by foreign languages since childhood and has made it her mission to inspire others with her passion for Spanish. She has a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies from Boston College and has tutored and taught students of all ages.
View all posts by Kirsten Agla

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Have you decided to learn Spanish? Congratulations! It will be a very exciting and rewarding journey.

However, as you set out to learn this new language, you might not know where to begin. The sheer number of Spanish vocabulary words you have to learn can be overwhelming!

Keep in mind that you don’t need to rush into lessons that are above your level. It’s better to start from the basics and build a foundation that will help you reach your desired level of proficiency in Spanish!

To give you a boost, SpanishPod101 has compiled this guide to basic Spanish words for beginners. We’ve listed over 200 common Spanish words in different categories, providing additional information where necessary. 

Have fun!

A Man and a Woman Chatting while Drinking Coffee

You’re one step closer to your first conversation in Spanish!

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Beginner Vocabulary in Spanish

Table of Contents

  1. Pronouns
  2. Articles
  3. Numbers
  4. Nouns
  5. Verbs
  6. Adjectives
  7. Conjunctions
  8. Prepositions
  9. Final Thoughts

1. Pronouns

Pronouns are some of the most important basic Spanish words for beginners. You’ll use them often in regular conversations!

However, when you start learning Spanish, you might be overwhelmed by how complex the pronoun system is. Don’t worry! We’ll start with the basics.

1 – Personal Subject Pronouns

Personal subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence. You can use them to talk about a previously mentioned noun, whether it’s a person, an animal, or an object. In addition, you can use them to talk about yourself or to address other people.

  • Yo hablo español. → “I speak Spanish.”
  • Vosotros habláis inglés. → “You speak English.”

Person Spanish English
1st person sg. yo I
2nd person sg. tú you
3rd person sg. él, ella he, she
1st person pl. nosotros we
2nd person pl. vosotros you
3rd person pl. ellos, ellas they

You might be surprised to learn that most native speakers won’t use personal subject pronouns to begin a sentence. The subject is often omitted unless it’s not obvious who or what we’re talking about.

  • Hablo español. → “(I) speak Spanish.”
  • Habláis inglés. → “(You) speak English.”

Apart from subject pronouns, other personal pronouns include direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, and prepositional pronouns. In Spanish, personal pronouns change form depending on their function and position in the sentence. Want to learn more? Check out SpanishPod101’s lesson on personal pronouns.

2 – Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Spanish (such as ese, este, and aquel) are quite easy for English speakers to grasp, as they work similarly to their English equivalents. You can use them to identify a person, an animal, or a thing, as well as its distance from you. These are some of the basic beginner Spanish words you need to learn early on!

In English, there are only four demonstrative pronouns: this and that and their plural forms these and those. However, in Spanish, there are fifteen! Why is that?

First of all, Spanish demonstrative pronouns correspond to the three different adverbs used to express distance: aquí (“here”), allá (“there”), and ahí (expresses something between here and there).

  • Este de aquí es mi perro. → “This is my dog.”
  • Esos de ahí son mis amigos. → “Those are my friends.”
  • Aquel de allá es mi coche. → “That is my school.”

The other main difference between Spanish and English demonstrative pronouns is the gender distinction, which applies to both singular and plural pronouns. Spanish has different forms for masculine, feminine, and neuter gender.

Person Spanish English
aquí ahí allí here – there
masculine sg. este ese aquel this – that
pl. estos esos aquellos these – those
feminine sg. esta esa aquella this – that
pl. estas esas aquellas these – those
neuter esto eso aquello this – that

3 – Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are crucial in any language, making them some of the most important Spanish words for beginners to learn. Asking is the best way to learn, after all!

And here’s some good news: They’re very easy for English speakers to learn, as they work just like their English equivalents! 

  • Qué → “What”

    ¿Qué quieres comer? → “What do you want to eat?”
  • Cuál → “Which”

    ¿Cuál de ellos es tu hijo? → “Which one is your son?”
  • Por qué → “Why”

    ¿Por qué dejaste tu trabajo? → “Why did you quit your job?”
  • Quién → “Who”

    ¿Quién vas a invitar a tu cumpleaños? → “Who will you invite to your birthday?”
  • Dónde → “Where”

    ¿Dónde vas a ir de vacaciones? → “Where will you go on your vacation?”
  • Cuánto → “How much”

    ¿Cuánto pagaste por esta chaqueta? → “How much did you pay for this jacket?”
  • Cuántos / Cuántas → “How many”

    ¿Cuántos días te vas a quedar? → “How many days will you stay?”

    ¿Cuántas manzanas quieres comprar? → “How many apples do you want to buy?”
  • Cuándo → “When”

    ¿Cuándo vas a tener el bebé? → “When will you have the baby?”

Of course, it will be helpful to learn a few full questions by heart if you’re planning to visit Spain or have a conversation with a Spanish speaker. Fortunately, SpanishPod101 always has your back! Check out the Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations.

A Woman Feeling the Stomach of a Pregnant Woman

¿Cuándo vas a tener el bebé? (“When will you have the baby?”)

2. Articles

One of the most characteristic aspects of the Spanish language is its articles. Studying these basic Spanish words for beginners is key to starting your learning journey off on the right foot.

Articles accompany nouns and can be definite (like the English word “the”) or indefinite (like the English words “a” and “an”).

  • El vaso → “The glass”
  • Un vaso → “A glass”

In Spanish, however, they also indicate gender and number. This is why there are more articles to learn than there are in English. 

Person Definite article Indefinite article
masculine sg. el un
pl. los unos
feminine sg. la una
pl. los unas

    → Struggling with the Spanish gender rules? Thanks to our lesson Using the Right Gender and Number of Spanish Nouns, understanding the basics has never been easier!

There is also the neuter article lo, which goes before adjectives, participles, and ordinal numbers that are not followed by a noun.

  • Lo mejor → “The best”
  • Lo hablado → “What was said”
  • Lo primero → “The first”

3. Numbers

When you start learning a language, you definitely have to learn how to count in it!

Let’s see the cardinal Spanish numbers from one to ten:

  • Uno → “One”
  • Dos → “Two”
  • Tres → “Three”
  • Cuatro → “Four”
  • Cinco → “Five”
  • Seis → “Six”
  • Siete → “Seven”
  • Ocho → “Eight”
  • Nueve → “Nine”
  • Diez → “Ten”

And here are the ordinal Spanish numbers from one to ten:

  • Primero → “First”
  • Segundo → “Second”
  • Tercero → “Third”
  • Cuarto → “Fourth”
  • Quinto → “Fifth”
  • Sexto → “Sixth”
  • Séptimo → “Seventh”
  • Octavo → “Eighth”
  • Noveno → “Ninth”
  • Décimo → “Tenth”

Once you’ve mastered counting from one to ten, check out SpanishPod101’s lessons on numbers to learn how to count to infinity!

4. Nouns

Nouns identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Spanish nouns can be singular or plural, and each one has a grammatical gender. 

Below is a list of nouns you can use in your daily life, whether your back hurts, you’re looking for the post office, or you’re preparing a tasty meal. These basic beginner Spanish words can help you communicate general ideas even before you learn how to form sentences, so remember as many as you can!

    → Don’t forget to check out our article The 100 Most Common Spanish Nouns, where you’ll learn how to use singular, plural, and different-gendered nouns! 

1 – Body Parts

cuerpo body
cabeza head
cara face
ojos eyes
nariz nose
boca mouth
orejas ears
pelo hair
mejillas cheeks
cuello neck
nuca back of the neck
hombros shoulders
brazos arms
manos hands
Dedos fingers
uñas nails
pecho / pechos chest / breasts
These are some tricky words! Pechos is plural for pecho (“chest”), but it actually refers to “breasts.”
barriga belly
espalda back
cadera hip
muslos thigh
piernas legs
pies feet

2 – Family

familia family
madre (Mamá) mother (Mom)
padre (Papá) father (Dad)
hijo / hija son / daughter
hermano / hermana brother / sister
abuelo / abuela grandfather / grandmother
tío / tía uncle / aunt
sobrino / sobrina nephew / niece
primo / prima cousin

A Grandfather, Father, and Son

¡Una familia unida! (“A united family!”)

3 – Occupations

maestro / maestra teacher
profesor / profesora professor
policía policeman / policewoman
médico / doctor / doctora doctor
In Spanish, médico and doctor are used often equally. However, the phrase “to go to the doctor” is often said as “ir al médico” and, when you address the doctor directly you’ll refer to him or her as “doctor” or “doctora“, sometimes followed by his or her surname.

  • ¿Es grave, doctora García? → “Is it serious, doctor García?”
enfermero / enfermera nurse
abogado / abogada lawyer 
cocinero / cocinera cook
camarero / camarera  waiter / waitress
empresario / empresaria businessman / businesswoman
oficinista office worker

4 – Places Around Town

hospital hospital
mercado / supermercado market / supermarket
escuela school
museo museum
oficina de correos post office
universidad university
comisaría police station
estación de tren train station
aeropuerto airport
centro (de la ciudad) city center / downtown
In Spanish cities and towns, it’s common to refer to the old and central areas as el centro. It’s usually where there are the most tourist attractions and where rent is most expensive.

  • La estación del tren está en el centro. → “The train station is in the city center.”
afueras (de la ciudad) outskirts
Contrary to the concept of el centro, there is the concept of las afueras, which refers to the areas of a town or city that are farther away from the urban core.

  • El aeropuerto está en las afueras. → “The airport is in the city’s outskirts.”

5 – School and Office Essentials

lápiz pencil
rotulador marker
bolígrafo pen
You’ll rarely hear a student say the word bolígrafo. The diminutive boli is much more commonly used.
ordenador computer 
(ordenador) portátil laptop
To say “the laptop,” most Spanish speakers will say el portátil, but some may say ordenador too. Nowadays, laptops are more popular than traditional computers, so some people specify ordenador de sobremesa (literally, “on-desk computer”).

  • Prefiero usar el portátil en lugar del ordenador de sobremesa. → “I prefer using the laptop instead of the computer.”
libreta notebook
folio piece of paper
carpeta folder
goma de borrar eraser
marcador highlighter
clip paperclip
pizarra blackboard / whiteboard / chalkboard / greenboard
pupitre desk 
This word is used to talk specifically about school desks.
mochila backpack

A Little Girl with a Backpack and Flower Bouquet Heading to School

Lista para la escuela (“Ready for school”)

6 – Food

verduras vegetables
tomate tomato
lechuga lettuce
pimiento pepper
berenjena eggplant
patata potato
alcachofa artichoke
fruta fruit
manzana apple
pera pear
plátano banana
cerezas cherries
sandía watermelon
melón melon
carne meat
pescado fish
leche milk
queso cheese
huevos eggs
harina flour
sal salt
azúcar sugar
aceite oil
mantequilla butter

    → If you want to expand your vocabulary with even more essential nouns, you can start by reading SpanishPod101’s article on untranslatable Spanish words! 

5. Verbs

Verbs are some of the most common and basic beginner Spanish words. Why is that? Because verbs are used to describe every action in our lives! 

Here’s a list with over 50 verbs that will prove useful when you’re starting to speak Spanish. Did you know that in Spanish there are four different verbs that mean “to eat”? Keep reading! 

    → At SpanishPod101.com, you can find free vocabulary lists to keep on learning!

1 – Basic Auxiliary Verbs

haber to have
ser to be
estar to be

The verbs ser and estar both translate to the English verb “to be,” but they serve different functions. 

Ser is used for permanent or lasting attributes, occupations, characteristics, origins, and relationships. It’s also used to give the time. 

  • Marta es una buena persona. → “Marta is a good person.”
  • Son las dos de la tarde. → “It is two in the afternoon.”

On the other hand, estar is used for positions, locations, actions, conditions, and emotions:

  • La ciudad de Moscú está en Rusia. → “The city of Moscow is in Russia.”
  • Estoy haciendo la compra. → “I’m doing the grocery shopping.”

These auxiliary verbs are some of the most important Spanish words for beginners to learn. They’re used with main verbs to express the tense or to explain the way in which the verb is understood.

  • He fregado los platos. → “I’m doing the dishes.”
  • Estoy haciendo la compra. → “I’m doing the shopping.”
  • La presidenta fue elegida por sus conciudadanos. → “The president was chosen by her fellow citizens.”

2 – Most Common Verbs

tener to have 
Don’t mix up tener with haber!

Tener means “to have” in the sense of “to possess.”
hacer to do / to make
poder can
decir to say
ir to go

3 – The Five Senses

ver / mirar to see / to watch
escuchar / oir to hear / to listen
oler to smell
degustar to taste
tocar to touch

Close-up of a Freckled Face and Green Eyes

¿Qué ven esos ojos? (“What do those eyes see?”)

4 – Basic Actions

caminar to walk
correr to run
hablar to talk
decir to say
contar to tell
llamar to call
escribir to write
leer to read
dar to give
venir to come
llegar to arrive
marcharse to leave
poner to put
dejar to leave / to put
Dejar is used in the sense of “leaving something” in a specific place.
quitar to remove

5 – Thoughts and Feelings

saber to know
conocer to know
Both conocer and saber translate to the English verb “to know.” However, they’re used in very different situations.

Saber is used when the speaker knows a fact, piece of information, or how to do something. Conocer, on the other hand, is used when the speaker knows a person, place, or thing.

  • Sé cocinar una paella riquísima. → “I know how to cook very good paella.”
  • ¿María? No la conozco. → “María? I don’t know her.”
sentir to feel
querer / amar to love
recordar to remember
añorar to miss
necesitar to need
soñar to dream
sufrir to suffer
llorar to cry
reir to laugh

6 – Daily Routine

despertarse to wake up
levantarse to get up
ducharse to shower
desayunar to eat breakfast
almorzar to eat lunch or second breakfast
comer to eat (lunch)
cenar to eat dinner
Spanish speakers use different verbs meaning “to eat,” depending on the meal they’re having.

The first meal of the day is desayuno, so the verb is always desayunar.

Almorzar means “to eat lunch,” but most people nowadays use it to talk about a second meal you have between breakfast and lunch (could be the Spanish equivalent to “brunch”).

Comer is the generic word for eating whatever and whenever, but if you say voy a comer you mean “I’m going to have lunch.”

Lastly, the final meal of the day is la cena; when you eat dinner, you’ll say cenar.
beber to drink
trabajar to work
estudiar to study
conducir to drive
dormir to sleep

7 – Life and Death

nacer to be born
vivir to live
respirar to breathe
crecer to grow (up)
morir to die

    → Learning the Spanish verb tenses can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, SpanishPod101 will help you master this subject in our Spanish Verb Conjugation Series.

A Newborn Baby being Held by a Doctor

¡Vivir es nacer a cada instante! -Erich Fromm (“To live is to be born every second!” -Erich Fromm)

6. Adjectives

Our next set of Spanish beginner words are adjectives. These colorful words can help you describe the world around you and strengthen the impact of your speaking or writing. 

Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. In this table, you’ll find both genders in the format [ Masculine / Feminine ]. If you see only one, it means the masculine and feminine forms are identical.

Plurals, on the other hand, are rather predictable and follow the general rules of Spanish plural formation.

    → You might want to check out a more detailed article on Spanish adjectives for more grammar information and examples.

1 – Describing Objects

The following adjectives can be used to describe the physical attributes or aspects of objects, and are sometimes used to describe people and animals too. 

grande big
pequeño / pequeña small / little
largo / larga long
pesado / pesada heavy
Beware! Most of the time, when people use pesado or pesada to describe a person, they’re using it as an insult to call them “tiresome” or “annoying.”
ligero / ligera light

2 – Describing People

These adjectives, on the other hand, are mostly used to describe people. They can also describe animals where applicable. 

guapo / guapa beautiful / pretty / handsome
atractivo / atractiva attractive
alto / alta tall
bajo / baja short
delgado / delgada thin
gordo / gorda fat
joven young
viejo / vieja old
rubio / rubia blond 
moreno / morena dark (skinned or haired)
pelirrojo / pelirroja red-haired

3 – Describing Emotions

contento / contenta happy / pleased
feliz happy
emocionado / emocionada excited / emotional
ilusionado / ilusionada hopeful / excited
triste sad
desanimado / desanimada disheartened
deprimido / deprimida depressed
ansioso / ansiosa anxious / eager
aburrido / aburrida bored
avergonzado / avergonzada embarrassed / ashamed

4 – Describing Weather

lluvioso rainy
nublado cloudy
ventoso windy
soleado sunny

7. Conjunctions

You can use conjunctions to connect words, clauses, and sentences. 

  • y → “and”

    El perro y el gato → “The dog and the cat”
  • ni → “nor”

    Ni el perro ni el gato → “Not the dog nor the cat”
  • pero → “but”

    Quiero ir pero tengo que estudiar. → “I want to go but I have to study.”
  • porque → “because”

    Me marcho porque estoy cansado. → “I’m leaving because I’m tired.”

    Many people, even native Spanish speakers, mix up porque and por qué when they write, but they mean very different things! While porque means “because,” por qué means “why.”

  • como → “like” / “as”

    Pelean como el perro y el gato. → “They fight like dogs and cats.”
  • ya que → “because” / “since”

    Dejó los estudios ya que encontró un trabajo. → “She quit her degree because she got a job.”
  • que → “that” / “who”

    Mi madre es la persona que más me quiere. → “My mother is the person who loves me the most.”

Check out SpanishPod101’s lesson Spanish Conjunctions: But You Won’t Have Time! to learn about different types of conjunctions.

A Dog and Cat Cuddling

El perro y el gato (“The dog and the cat”)

8. Prepositions

  • a → “to”

    Me voy a dormir. → “I’m going to sleep.”
  • de → “from” / “of”

    Recibí una carta de mi abuelo. → “I received a letter from my grandad.”
  • en → “in”

    Pon la ropa en la lavadora. → “Put the clothes in the washing machine.”
  • con → “with”

    Han venido con sus amigos. → “They have come with their friends.”
  • por → “by” / “for”

    Este pastel está hecho por él mismo. → “This cake was made by himself.”
  • sin → “without”

    He venido sin abrigo. → “I came without a coat.”
  • para → “for”

    Mi sobrina dibujó esto para mí. → “My niece drew this for me.”

A Little Girl Holding up a Picture She Drew

Mi sobrina dibujó esto para mí. (“My niece drew this for me.”)

9. Final Thoughts

In this guide to basic Spanish words for beginners, you’ve learned more than 200 of the most common Spanish words. These will prove useful as you get ready to handle your first conversations in Spanish! 

How many of these words did you know already? Were any of them new to you? We look forward to hearing your thoughts! 

If you want to take your Spanish learning journey further, don’t forget to check out SpanishPod101. We have plenty of free vocabulary lists to help you expand your Spanish vocabulary, as well as useful lessons ranging from Beginner Level to Advanced. 

Enjoy the ride!

Log in to Download Your Free Cheat Sheet - Beginner Vocabulary in Spanish

Источник

One of the best things about learning Spanish from English is that there are hundreds of words you already know.

As an English speaker, you have a huge advantage in learning Spanish compared to say a person trying to learn Spanish with a native language from a country such as Japan or China. You have the advantage of the same alphabet and a mile-long list of cognates. What this means is you effectively start learning Spanish with a vocabulary of almost 1000 words without even trying.

When you find words that are the same in both languages they are referred to as English-Spanish cognates.

The proper definition of cognate is reserved for words that exist in two different languages and have the same root or origin. Since Spanish and English both have Latin roots there are heaps of words that are the same or very close in both languages.

In this article, I’m going to provide a list of perfect cognates and near-perfect cognates for Spanish and English.

There are way more English-Spanish cognates than what I have provided in this article but the cognates that I have focused on are the more useful due to their frequency and practicality in both languages.

I suggest you read through the full list once over and then when you have a good feel for the patterns that start to emerge with the cognates, start to put them in a few Spanish sentences to get a feel for how they sound.

Obviously, they aren’t pronounced the same as in English but once you have the rules down for Spanish pronunciation you are free to communicate away.

Cognates Definition

In this article, I have defined perfect cognates as words that are spelt exactly the same in Spanish and English except for maybe an accent over one letter and they mean the same thing in both languages.

I have defined near perfect cognates as words that have up to 3 letters different. But you will be able to see that there are certain patterns that form with near perfect cognates that allow you to potentially predict when a near cognate is likely to exist if, of course, you don’t have this list handy.

Printable Version: Download this PDF version of the cognates list to use as a study reference.

There is also a heap of false cognates or false friends, which will be a topic for another post but note here that they are words that are spelt the same or similar but mean completely different things. For example one of the most famous Spanish-English false friends is ‘embarazada’ which doesn’t mean ‘embarrassed’ it means ‘pregnant’.

Perfect Cognates

Here is the list of perfect English-Spanish cognates that I have selected for their practicality:

Spanish English
Actor Actor
Admirable Admirable
Agenda Agenda
Alcohol Alcohol
Altar Altar
Animal Animal
Area Area
Artificial Artificial
Auto Auto
Balance Balance
Bar Bar
Base Base
Brutal Brutal
Cable Cable
Canal Canal
Cáncer Cancer
Canon Canon
Capital Capital
Carbón Carbon
Cartón Carton
Central Central
Cerebral Cerebral
Cheque Cheque
Chocolate Chocolate
Circular Circular
Civil Civil
Club Club
Collar Collar
Colonial Colonial
Coma Coma
Combustión Combustion
Conclusión Conclusion
Conductor Conductor
Confusión Confusion
Considerable Considerable
Control Control
Cordial Cordial
Criminal Criminal
Crisis Crisis
Cultural Cultural
Debate Debate
Decisión Decision
Diagonal Diagonal
Dimensión Dimension
Director Director
Disco Disco
División Division
Doctor Doctor
Drama Drama
Durable Durable
Editorial Editorial
Electoral Electoral
Elemental Elemental
Enigma Enigma
Error Error
Excursión Excursion
Experimental Experimental
Explosión Explosion
Expulsión Expulsion
Extensión Extension
Exterior Exterior
Factor Factor
Familiar Familiar
Fatal Fatal
Federal Federal
Festival Festival
Final Final
Flexible Flexible
Formal Formal
Fórmula Formula
Frontal Frontal
Fundamental Fundamental
Gala Gala
Gas Gas
General General
Génesis Genesis
Global Global
Grave Grave
Habitual Habitual
Hobby Hobby
Horizontal Horizontal
Horror Horror
Hospital Hospital
Hotel Hotel
Idea Idea
Ideal Ideal
Imperial Imperial
Implacable Implacable
Incursión Incursion
Individual Individual
Industrial Industrial
Inevitable Inevitable
Inferior Inferior
Informal Informal
Inseparable Inseparable
Inspector Inspector
Interminable Interminable
Invasión Invasion
Invisible Invisible
Irregular Irregular
Judicial Judicial
Kilo Kilo
Lateral Lateral
Legal Legal
Liberal Liberal
Literal Literal
Local Local
Macho Macho
Maestro Maestro
Mango Mango
Manía Mania
Manual Manual
Marginal Marginal
Material Material
Matrimonial Matrimonial
Medieval Medieval
Mediocre Mediocre
Melón Melon
Mental Mental
Menú Menu
Metal Metal
Miserable Miserable
Moral Moral
Mortal Mortal
Motel Motel
Motor Motor
Múltiple Multiple
Municipal Municipal
Musical Musical
Natural Natural
Noble Noble
Normal Normal
Nostalgia Nostalgia
Ópera Ópera
Oral Oral
Oriental Oriental
Original Original
Panorama Panorama
Particular Particular
Pasta Pasta
Pastor Pastor
Patio Patio
Patrón Patron
Peculiar Peculiar
Penal Penal
Perfume Perfume
Personal Personal
Peseta Peseta
Piano Piano
Plaza Plaza
Plural Plural
Popular Popular
Pretensión Pretension
Principal Principal
Probable Probable
Propaganda Propaganda
Protector Protector
Provincial Provincial
Radical Radical
Radio Radio
Región Region
Regional Regional
Regular Regular
Religión Religion
Reunión Reunion
Revisión Revision
Ritual Ritual
Rural Rural
Secular Secular
Sentimental Sentimental
Serial Serial
Sexual Sexual
Similar Similar
Simple Simple
Singular Singular
Social Social
Solar Solar
Solo Solo
Subversión Subversion
Superficial Superficial
Superior Superior
Taxi Taxi
Televisión Television
Terrible Terrible
Terror Terror
Total Total
Transcendental Transcendental
Triple Triple
Tropical Tropical
Unión Union
Universal Universal
Usual Usual
Verbal Verbal
Versión Version
Vertical Vertical
Violín Violin
Visible Visible
Visual Visual
Vital Vital
Vulgar Vulgar
Vulnerable Vulnerable

Near Perfect Cognates

Here the near perfect cognates are divided into separate lists based on their behaviour:

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for nouns ending ‘tion’ in English can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘ción’.

Spanish English
Abstracción Abstraction
Acción Action
Acusación Accusation
Adaptación Adaptation
Admiración Admiration
Aplicación Application
Apreciación Appreciation
Asociación Association
Aspiración Aspiration
Atención Attention
Atracción Attraction
Autorización Authorization
Celebración Celebration
Circulación Circulation
Civilización Civilization
Clasificación Classification
Colaboración Collaboration
Colección Collection
Combinación Combination
Compensación Compensation
Composición Composition
Concentración Concentration
Concepción Conception
Condición Condition
Conservación Conservation
Consideración Consideration
Constitución Constitution
Construcción Construction
Exposición Exposition
Ficción Fiction
Formación Formation
Nación Nation
Simplificación Simplification

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English nouns ending ‘ary’ can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘ario’.

Spanish English
Adversario Adversary
Aniversario Anniversary
Arbitrario Arbitrary
Comentario Commentary
Complementario Complementary
Contrario Contrary
Diario Diary
Glosario Glossary
Estuario Estuary
Primario Primary
Rosario Rosary
Salario Salary
Secretario Secretary
Solitario Solitary
Vocabulario Vocabulary
Temporario Temporary

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English adjectives ending ‘ic’ can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘ico’.

Spanish English
Académico Academic
Alcohólico Alcoholic
Artístico Artistic
Auténtico Authentic
Automático Automatic
Básico Basic
Característico Characteristic
Clásico Classic
Cómico Comic
Democrático Democratic
Dinámico Dynamic
Diplomático Diplomatic
Doméstico Domestic
Dramático Dramatic
Económico Economic
Electrónico Electronic
Erótico Erotic
Exótico Exotic
Fantástico Fantastic
Genérico Generic
Genético Genetic
Geométrico Geometric
Heroico Heroic
Irónico Ironic
Mágico Magic
Médico Medic
Mosaico Mosaic
Orgánico Organic
Pánico Panic
Plástico Plastic
Poético Poetic
Público Public
Romántico Romantic
Sistemático Systematic
Trágico Tragic

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English adjectives ending ‘ous’ can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘oso’.

Spanish English
Curioso Curious
Delicioso Delicious
Glorioso Glorious
Misterioso Mysterious
Numeroso Numerous
Precioso Precious
Religioso Religious
Tedioso Tedious

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for nouns ending ‘ct’ in English can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ‘cto’.

Spanish English
Abstracto Abstract
Acto Act
Artefacto Artefact
Compacto Compact
Conflicto Conflict
Contacto Contact
Correcto Correct
Exacto Exact
Excepto Except
Insecto Insect
Perfecto Perfect
Producto Product

There you have it, not all, but a good summary of the most useful English-Spanish cognates.

If you enjoyed this post then make sure you check out the Spanish Conversation Hacking Guide, in there you will find the 1000 most useful Spanish words based on frequency use in the Spanish language (and that aren’t cognates!).

What have I missed? Can you think of any others?

Источник

One of the first things that a beginner Spanish language learner might be confused about is the presence in many words of what looks to be an “N” or “n” with a peculiar squiggly line over it.

This strange-looking N is actually another letter that is part of the Spanish alphabet. 

The letter Ñ is the 15th letter in the Spanish alphabet and there are

about 15,700 Spanish words that use this letter. It was a letter that was invented by Spanish speakers as it isn’t part of the Latin alphabet. 

 Ñ represents what is called a voiced palatal nasal, which is a type of consonant used in certain spoken languages. When you want to refer to Ñ, it is pronounced “eh-nyeh”, when you are using Ñ in a word, you pronounce it “ny”.

You may encounter many words that have Ñ in them, including a few words that start with Ñ. To help you learn about this particular Spanish letter, we’ve compiled a list of Spanish words that begin with Ñ for you to study.

1. Ño 

Pronunciation guide: nyoh

Meaning: Mr.

This is basically the shortened version of Señor. It is placed in front of the name of an older male. You are more likely to hear this when conversion with Spanish speakers in South America.

2. Ña 

Pronunciation guide: nyah

Meaning: Mrs.

Similar to the word above, this is the shortened version of a common form of address. In this case, it’s used in the place of Doña. Again, this is more commonly used in South America.

3. Ñaño

Pronunciation guide: nyah-nyoh

Meaning: Close Friend, Spoiled, Homosexual, Brother, Kid

This is another of those Spanish words that start with ñ that you are more likely to hear when traveling through the South American countries, and it can mean different things depending on where you are:

  • Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru – close friend

  • Colombia and Panama – spoiled child

  • Panama – homosexual

  • Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador – brother (the term
    for family member)

  • Peru — child

4. Ñoño 

Pronunciation guide: nyoh-nyoh

Meaning: Bland, Dull, Boring

This is one of those Spanish words that start with Ñ that is used as an adjective. You use it to refer to people, things, or situations that are uninteresting

5. Ñomblo

Pronunciation guide: nyohm-bloh

Meaning: Obese

This Spanish adjective is mostly used in Nicaragua. It’s the word they use to describe someone who is obese.

6. Ñato

Pronunciation guide: nyah-to 

Meaning: Pug-nosed

This is a Spanish adjective used mostly in the Latin American countries to describe someone we would refer to as “pug-nosed”. Outside of Latin America, people with this feature are described as “chato”.

If you are in Uruguay, however, this word is used to mean a boxer or someone who participates in the sport of boxing. 

7. Ñongo

Pronunciation guide: nyoh-ngo

Meaning: Intrusive

If you want to talk about someone nosy or intrusive, who tends to get involved with other people’s business, you can use this Spanish word to describe them. This is most commonly used in Cuba.

8. Ñoñería

Pronunciation guide: nyoh-nyeh-ria

Meaning: Insipid

This is a Spanish word that is used to describe someone as dull or uninteresting. It can also be used to say that someone is “spineless”. 

9. Ñangotarse

Pronunciation guide: nyan-goh-tarseh

Meaning: Squat or crouch down

This Spanish verb is mostly used by speakers of
the Caribbean Spanish dialect. It can also be used to describe someone who is discouraged or has “lost heart”. 

10. Ñáñara

Pronunciation guide: nyah-nyah-rah

Meaning: Laziness

If you are traveling in Honduras, you might encounter this Spanish word that starts with Ñ. This is what they say when they want to refer to the state of “laziness” or “pereza”.

11. Ñamería

Pronunciation guide: nyah-mer-ah

Meaning: Madness

If you are traveling in Panama, you could hear this Spanish word with an Ñ. It’s used the same way an English speaker would use “madness” to describe someone who was acting crazy or off. Other Spanish speakers might use “locura” instead.

12. Ñangué

Pronunciation guide: nyahng-ge

Meaning: Way back

This Spanish word is the equivalent of the English phrase “way back”. So, when someone who is talking about a time or an incident uses this, they are describing something that happened in the “distant past”.  

13. Ñeque

Pronunciation guide: nyeh-keh

Meaning: Strength or courage

This Spanish word is usually used to mean “strength” in Bolivia, Chile, Nicaragua, and Peru. It can also mean courage or bravery in Bolivia, Peru, and Nicaragua as well as for
Spanish-speakers in Venezuela and Ecuador. 

14. Ñafiar

Pronunciation guide: nyah-fyar

Meaning: Pilfer

This is a Spanish verb, mostly used in the Caribbean, that means to pilfer or take without permission. 

15. Ñique

Pronunciation guide: nyih-keh

Meaning: Headbutt

If you are traveling in Central American, you might hear this word used if someone is describing a fight. It can mean a headbutt or even a punch. 

16. Ñácara

Pronunciation guide: nyah-kara

Meaning: Ulcer or sore

This is a Spanish word that you’re more likely to hear in Central America. It refers to the medical condition of having an ulcer or a sore.

17. Ñangado

Pronunciation guide: nyahng-gado

Meaning: Bow-legged

This is a Spanish word that is mostly used in the Caribbean region to refer to someone who is bow-legged. 

18. Ñango

Pronunciation guide: nyah-ngo

Meaning: Wimpy 

This is a Mexican slang word used to describe someone, usually a man or boy, as weak in body and also weak-willed.  

It is also used in some Latin American countries to describe someone as being awkward or clumsy. 

19. Ñaque

Pronunciation guide: nyahke

Meaning: Junk

This is a Spanish word that can be used to describe something that is worthless or has been discarded as no longer useful.

20. Ñiquiñaque

Pronunciation guide: nyih-qwi-nyah-keh

Meaning: Worthless

This is used as another word for trash or junk, however, it can also be used as an insult to say that someone is a “worthless individual”.

21. Ñapa

Pronunciation guide: nyah-pah

Meaning: Freebie

This word that starts with a Ñ is mostly used in Latin America. It’s basically the equivalent of a “freebie” or something you got extra for no extra price. 

22. Ñangada

Pronunciation guide: nyahn-gadah

Meaning: Nip

This is a word that is mostly used in the Central American countries that means to take a nip or a small bit. 

23. Ñame

Pronunciation guide: nyah-meh

Meaning: Yam

This is the Spanish word for the root crop known in English as the yam.

24. Ñau

Pronunciation guide: nyaw

Meaning: Meow

In Latin American countries, the cat says this instead of “meow”. 

25. Ñauar

Pronunciation guide: nyaw-ar

Meaning: To meow

If you want to talk about the act of “meowing”, this is the Spanish verb for it. 

26. Ñandú

Pronunciation guide: nyahn-doo

Meaning: Rhea

This is a big flightless bird similar to an ostrich or an emu. You can find these in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Patagonia, and Uruguay. 

27. Ñu 

Pronunciation guide: nyoo

Meaning: Wildebeest, Gnu

This is the Spanish word for a species of antelope found in Eastern and Southern Africa. 

28. Ñorba

Pronunciation guide: nyohr-ba

Meaning: Passionflower

This is the Andean Spanish word for the flowering plant known as the passionflower. 

29. Ñandutí

Pronunciation guide: nyahn-du-tih

Meaning: Paraguayan lace

This is a
handicraft from Paraguay which is created by using threads of cotton or silk to draw a pattern on a piece of fabric. The word is actually Guarani, which is an indigenous language in Paraguay that refers to a “spider web”. 

30. Ñapango

Pronunciation guide: nyah-pang-oh

Meaning: Mixed race

In Columbia, this is the Spanish word for “mulatto” or “mestizo” which are the terms used to refer to someone of mixed ancestry. 

31. Ñaca

Pronunciation guide: nyah-kah

Meaning: Ha or So, there

This word is used as an exclamation, to put some emphasis or feeling on a statement of triumph. It’s like saying “ha” or “so, there” in English after you were proven right or correct.

32. Ñaco

Pronunciation guide: nyah-koh

Meaning: Popcorn

This is what Mexican Spanish speakers call “popcorn”. 

33. Ñam

Pronunciation guide: nyahm

Meaning: Yum

In Spanish, this is an informal exclamation that you can use to say that something is tasty. Similar to English, it’s usually repeated so “ñam ñam” or “yum yum”.

34. Ñutir

Pronunciation guide: nyuh-tireh

Meaning: To grunt

In the Andean Spanish dialect, this is the verb that denotes the action of grunting. 

35. Ñangara

Pronunciation guide: nyahn-gara

Meaning: Guerrila

This is another of those Spanish words that start with Ñ that is more commonly used by speakers of Caribbean Spanish. It refers to “guerrilla fighters” who engage in guerrilla warfare. 

36. Ñoco

Pronunciation guide: nyoh-ko

Meaning: Lacking a finger

This is a Spanish adjective you might hear when traveling through Latin America. It is used to describe someone who has lost a finger.

37. Ñata

Pronunciation guide: nyah-ta

Meaning: Death

In the Andean Spanish dialect, this is the word for death. 

Conclusion

As you can see from the words we listed above, many of them are region or dialect-specific. This means that you might only hear them if you are traveling to a region where a particular Spanish dialect is spoken.

These regional differences are why it’s important to make sure that, you book a few lessons with a native-speaking online tutor in the particular Spanish dialect that you want to learn. 

Sure, most Spanish dialects are largely the same, you can probably make yourself understood quite well in Peru or Valenzuela even if you speak Peninsular Spanish. But, if you really want to communicate well, it’s something of an advantage to be familiar with the particular dialect of the region. That way, you can ensure that you can better follow along with daily conversations and not end up confused when running into one of these Spanish words that start with ñ.

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