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It’s hard to learn Spanish from zero. You need a foundation of basic Spanish vocabulary in order to say anything. Plus, when you travel to a Spanish-speaking country you need to understand the basics of what native Spanish speakers are saying to you. We shared our tips to increase your Spanish vocabulary before. Now it’s time to dig into survival Spanish. Here are 100 Spanish words you need to know.

Top 20 most common words in Spanish

We wrote about the top 20 most spoken words in Spanish before. Check the link for more detailed definitions and pronunciation tips for native English speakers. Do a quick review of these before moving onto the full list of 100.

  1. de – of/from
  2. la – the (feminine singular article)
  3. que – that/which
  4. el – the 
  5. en – in/on 
  6. y – and 
  7. a – to/at 
  8. los – the (masculine plural article)
  9. se – oneself 
  10. del – from the 
  11. las – the (feminine plural article)
  12. un – a/an
  13. por – by/for/through
  14. con – with
  15. no – no/not 
  16. una – a/an/one 
  17. su – his/her/its/your 
  18. para – for/to/in order to 
  19. es – is 
  20. al – to the 

20 basic Spanish words for travelling

The basic Spanish you need for travel isn’t the same stuff as you learn in online Spanish lessons when you learn Spanish from home. Classes are focused on linguistics and grammar. This is focused on survival Spanish and being polite. Here are the first 25 words and phrases you need for a trip to Málaga, Spain for example. 

  1. Hola – hello
  2. Por favor – please
  3. Gracias – thank you
  4. De nada – you’re welcome
  5. Sí – yes
  6. No – no
  7. Buenos días – good morning
  8. Buenas tardes – good afternoon
  9. Buenas noches – good evening/night
  10. Amiga/o – friend (-a ending means female, -o ending is male following the traditional rule about gendered nouns in Spanish grammar basics)
  11. Antes – before
  12. Ahora – now
  13. Después – later
  14. Momento – one moment
  15. Me gusta – I like ___
  16. No me gusta – I don’t like ___
  17. Muy – very
  18. Nunca – never
  19. Mismo – same
  20. Igual – the same

20 basic verbs in Spanish

Verbs are a huge part of the Spanish language. Review your basic verb conjugation in Spanish to know how to use them properly. This list will help you to recognize verbs in basic Spanish conversation. 

  1. Ser – to be (permanently)
  2. Ester – to be (temporarily)
  3. Ir – to go
  4. Hacer – to do/make
  5. Haber – to have (in existence)
  6. Tener – to have (in posession)
  7. Poner – to put
  8. Entender – to understand
  9. Deber – to owe
  10. Pagar – to pay
  11. Costar – to cost
  12. Comer – to eat
  13. Beber – to drink
  14. Tomar – to take/drink
  15. Hablar – to speak
  16. Decir – to say
  17. Escuchar – to listen
  18. Mirar – to watch
  19. Ver – to see
  20. Llegar – to arrive

20 common Spanish adjectives

Adjectives are description words. Here are 20 common Spanish adjectives.

  1. Nuevo – new
  2. Viejo – old
  3. Feliz – happy
  4. Triste – sad
  5. Enfermo – sick
  6. Bien – well 
  7. Grande – big
  8. Chico – small (Latin America)
  9. Pequeño – small (Spain)
  10. Buena – good
  11. Malo – bad
  12. Sin – without ___
  13. Con – with ___
  14. Mucho – a lot
  15. Poco – a little bit
  16. Hermosa – beautiful
  17. Feo – ugly
  18. Fácil – easy
  19. Fantástico – fantastic
  20. Automático – automatic

20 Spanish cognates

We talked about English-Spanish cognates in the office before. A cognate is a word that sounds identical or nearly the same in English and Spanish. These are the easiest Spanish vocabulary words to remember. In fact, these are Spanish words you already know.

  1. Celular – cell phone (Latin America)
  2. Móvil – mobile phone (Spain)
  3. Agenda – meeting agenda
  4. Documento – document
  5. Máquina – machine
  6. Día – day
  7. Segundo – second
  8. Minuto – minute
  9. Hora – hour
  10. Usar – to use
  11. Difícil – difficult
  12. Carro – car
  13. Persona – person
  14. Familia – family
  15. Alcohol – alcohol
  16. Animal – animal
  17. Romántico – romantic
  18. Pánico – panic
  19. Plástico – plastic
  20. Cómico – comical/funny

Take the 20 most common Spanish words, add basic Spanish vocabulary for travel, Spanish verbs, Spanish adjectives, and Spanish-English cognates. Now you have 100 common Spanish words to survive in your new language. Off to a great start!

Ready to move beyond the first 100 basic Spanish words? Register for a 7-day free trial with Lingoda and take your first Spanish class today. 

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Obviously, you’re not going to be able to say everything you want to say with only 100 Spanish words — although you could do surprisingly well with fewer than 1,000. But if you can learn these 100 words and understand how they’re used, you’ll be a long way toward being able to communicate freely in Spanish.

Definitions below are for quick reference; all the words can be translated in additional ways.

Top 100 Spanish Words

1. gracias (thanks)
2. ser (be)
3. a (to)
4. ir (to go)
5. estar (to be)
6. bueno (good)
7. de (of, from)
8. su (your, her, his, their)
9. hacer (to do, to make)
10. amigo (friend)
11. por favor (please)
12. no (no)
13. en (on, in)
14. haber («to have» as an auxiliary verb)
15. tener (to have, to possess)
16. un, uno, una (a, one)
17. ahora (now)
18. y (and)
19. que, qué (that, what)
20. por (for, by)
21. amar (to love)
22. quién (who)
23. para (for, to)
24. venir (to come)
25. porque (because)
26. el, la, los, las (the)
27. antes (before)
28. más (more)
29. bien («well» as an adverb)
30. aquí, allí (here, there)
31. querer (to want, to love)
32. hola (hello)
33. tú (you)
34. poder (to be able)
35. gustar (to be pleasing)
36. poner (to put)
37. casi (almost)
38. saber (to know)
39. como (like, as)
40. donde (where)
41. dar (to give)
42. pero (but)
43. se (itself, herself, himself, themselves)
44. mucho (much)
45. nuevo (new)
46. cuando (when)
47. chico, chica (boy, girl)
48. entender (to understand)
49. si (if)
50. o (or)
51. feliz (happy)
52. todo (all, every)
53. mismo (same)
54. muy (very)
55. nunca (never)
56. yo, me (I, me)
57. sí (yes)
58. grande, gran (big, great)
59. deber (to owe, should)
60. usted (you)
61. bajo (low, under)
62. otro (other)
63. salir (to leave)
64. hora (hour; see also lesson on telling time)
65. desde (from)
66. ver (to see)
67. malo, mal (bad)
68. pensar (to think)
69. hasta (until)
70. tanto, tan (used in making comparisons)
71. entre (between, among)
72. durante (during)
73. llevar (to wear, to carry)
74. siempre (always)
75. empezar (to begin)
76. él, ella, ellos, ellas (he, she, they)
77. leer (to read)
78. cosa (thing)
79. sacar (to take out, to remove)
80. conocer (to know)
81. primero (first)
82. andar (to walk)
83. sobre (over, about)
84. echar (to throw)
85. sin (without)
86. decir (to say)
87. trabajar (to work)
88. nosotros (we, us)
89. también (also)
90. adiós (goodbye)
91. comer (to eat)
92. triste (sad)
93. país (country)
94. escuchar (to listen, to listen to)
95. hombre (man)
96. mujer (woman)
97. le (indirect-object pronoun)
98. creer (to believe, to think)
99. encontrar (to find)
100. beber (to drink)

And a Few More

Here are some other words that very well could have made the list:

101. hablar (to speak)
102. ese, esa (demonstrative «that»; also see the demonstrative pronouns)
103. baño (bathroom)
104. después (afterwards, later)
105. gente (people)
106. ciudad (city)
106. sentir (to feel)
107. llegar (to arrive)
108. pequeño (small)
109. escribir (to write)
110. año (year)
111. menos (minus, except)
112. lo (various uses)
113. cual (that, which)
114. este, esta (this)
115. dejar (to leave)
116. parte (part)
117. nada (nothing)
118. cada (each)
119. seguir (to continue, to follow)
120. partir (to divide)
121. ya (still, already)
122. parecer (to seem)

Источник

Do you want to learn Spanish?

Or perhaps you’re planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country?

In order to get started and have your first basic conversations in Spanish, you’re going to need to learn some vocabulary!

In this post, you’ll learn 71 common Spanish phrases. And to make it easier for you, I’ve divided the phrases up into the main sections that form the building blocks of conversation:  

  1. Greetings
  2. Small Talk
  3. Being Polite
  4. Dealing with Problems
  5. Question Words
  6. Important Answers
  7. Special Occasions
  8. Saying Goodbye

Whether you’re going to Mexico or Medellín chances are you’ll find some of the locals can speak a bit of English. But if you speak some Spanish, you’ll be able to have much more enjoyable and authentic experiences when you travel.

Having a few common Spanish phrases up your sleeve when you’re starting out in the language allows you to experience local culture and hospitality in a completely different way.

You never know, maybe learning these phrases will motivate you to learn Spanish to fluency! 

By the way, if you want to learn Spanish through stories, not rules, my top recommendation for language learners is my Uncovered courses, which teach you through StoryLearning®. Click here to find out more and try out the method for free.

If you prefer watching videos, then you can check out these phrases in the video below. Or just keep scrolling to read the full post.

To make it as easy as possible for you to practice these phrases in your Spanish conversations, I’ve created a special Spanish Vocab Power Pack that include all of these phrases, plus a TONNE of other essential Spanish vocabulary. You can grab a copy for free!

Click here to download your copy now. (It’s FREE!)

Common Spanish Phrases Cheatsheet

For a quick overview of these basic Spanish phrases, check out the cheatsheet below. Consider this you own visual Spanish phrasebook.

But make sure you read the rest of the post though for details on the pronunciation of these Spanish phrases, including audio for the tricky words and sounds. And one or two other bonus bits of information about Spanish language and culture.

71 common Spanish phrases part 1

Spanish Greetings

spanish greetings barcelona

Understanding what you should say when you meet and greet people is the least you can do if you want to make a good impression.

After all, you’re going to be using greetings every time you have a conversation in Spanish!

These phrases are simple, easy to remember and will go a long way to help you make friends and have your first conversations in the language.

  • #1 ¡Hola! – Hello
    • (O-la)
  • #2 ¡Buenos días! – Good morning!
    • (BWAY-nos DEE-as)
  • #3 ¡Buenas tardes! – Good evening!
    • (BWAY-nas TAR-des)
  • #4 ¡Bienvenido! – Welcome!
    • (bee-en-ben-EE-doh)

I’ve included tips for pronouncing each phrase in brackets, but it’s always best to listen to how native speakers talk if you really want to master pronunciation.

If you’re confused about how to pronounce any of these phrases, you can look them up on Forvo (an online pronunciation dictionary) and hear them spoken by native speakers.

Keeping The Conversation Going: Small Talk In Spanish

barcelona spanish people conversation

Making small talk is something you’re going to do a lot of. So there’s every reason to know how to do it properly.

Besides, small talk is the gateway to real communication; you need to be able to do it in order to really speak to a person.

Making small talk is not something most of us enjoy in our own language, so doing it in a foreign language can be a bit daunting. But trust me, being able to engage in small talk will allow you to get a conversation started.

Making conversation in whatever way you can as a beginner will allow you to grow in confidence and figure out what you need to learn next in Spanish.

Here are some phrases you can use to get the conversation going:

  • #5 ¿Cómo estás? – How are you?
    • (KOH-moh eh-STAHS)
  • #6 ¿Cómo te va? – How’s it going?
    • (KOH-moh te BAH)
  • #7 ¿Cómo te ha ido? – How’ve you been?
    • (KOH-moh te ah EE-doh)
  • #8 Estoy bien ¡Gracias! – I’m fine, thanks
    • (eh-STOY bee-en GRA-thee-as/GRA-see-as)
  • #9 ¿Y tú? – And you?
    • (ee too)
  • #10 Bien/ Así así. – Good/ So-so
    • (bee-en / a-SEE a-SEE)
  • #11 ¿Qué tal? – How are you?
    • (kay tal)
  • #12 ¿Qué pasa? – What’s happening?
    • (kay PA-sa)
  • #13 ¿Qué haces? – What are you doing?
    • (kay AH-says)

Did you notice anything strange about the pronunciation of the phrase ¿Cómo te va?

The ‘v’ in va is pronounced almost like a ‘b’.

In English, the letter’s ‘b’ and ‘v’ represent different sounds, but in Spanish, they represent the same sound.

This sound is different from anything we have in English. It’s like a B, but softer. Listen to how I pronounce the word ¡Vale! (‘ok’) in this recording to see how it sounds:

To find out more, check out my complete guide to the difference between ‘b’ and ‘v’ in Spanish. 

Being Polite In Spanish

polite spanish restaurant córdoba

Of course, no matter what language you’re speaking, politeness goes a long way. Whether you need to make an apology or just want to thank someone, you’re going to use these phrases a lot!:

  • #14 ¡Gracias! – Thank you!
    • (GRA-thee-as/GRA-see-as)
  • #15 Por favor – Please
    • (por fah-BOR)
  • #16 ¡De nada! – You’re welcome!
    • (de NA-da)
  • #17 ¡Perdone! / ¡Oiga! – Excuse me (to ask for something)!
    • (per-DON-ay/ OY-ga)
  • #18 ¡Perdone! / Disculpe! – Excuse me (to get past)!
    • (per-DON-ay/ dis-KUL-pay)
  • #19 ¡Disculpe! – Sorry!
    • (if you didn’t hear something) (dis-KUL-pay)
  • #20 ¡Lo siento! – Sorry! (for a mistake)
    • (lo see-EN-to)

Dealing With Problems In Spanish

travel map directions

Of course, not every conversation or language exchange will go smoothly.

What should you do when you don’t understand something? Or if you need to ask someone for help?

It’s important to know some basic Spanish phrases you can use for dealing with problems when they arise. If you need someone to speak more slowly or to repeat something, the best thing to do is just ask them!

  • #22 ¿Podría ayudarle? – Can I help you?
    • (poh-DREE-a ay-oo-DAR-le)
  • #22 ¿Puede ayudarme? – Can you help me?
    • (PWE-day ay-oo-DAR-may)
  • #23 ¡Sin problema! – No problem!
    • (sin prob-LAME-ah)
  • #24 ¿Puede repetirlo? – Can you say that again?
    • (PWE-day re-pet-EER-lo)
  • #25 No entiendo – I don’t understand!
    • (no en-tee-EN-do)
  • #26 No (lo) sé – I don’t know!
    • (no lo say)
  • #27 No tengo ni idea – I have no idea!
    • (no TEN-go nee ee-DAY-ah)
  • #28 No hablo español – I don’t speak Spanish
    • (no AB-lo es-pan-YOL)
  • #29 Estoy perdido – I’m lost
    • (eh-STOY per-DEE-do)
  • #30 ¿Qué significa …? – What does … mean?
    • (kay sig-nif-EE-ka)
  • #31 Mi español es malo – My Spanish is bad
    • (mi es-pan-YOL es MA-lo)
  • #32 ¿Puedes hablar más despacio? – Can you speak more slowly?
    • (PWE-des ab-LAR mas des-PATH-ee-o)

The word despacio in the last phrase is interesting. Notice that the ‘c’ is pronounced like ‘th’ in this context.

This is the traditional Spanish pronunciation used in Spain. However, in Latin America, people pronounce the ‘c’ as an ‘s’ sound (e.g. des-PAS-ee-o).

Curious about this and other variations in Spanish in the world? This guide explains the 3 key differences in Spanish varieties that you’ll hear in different countries and regions.

Question Words In Spanish

barcelona spain

Conversation is a two-way street. So if you want to really connect with people, you need to be able to ask questions. Here are the Spanish question words you need to know:

  • ¿qué…? – what?
    • (kay)
  • ¿cómo…? – how?
    • (KOH-moh)
  • ¿cuándo…? – when?
    • (KWAN-doh)
  • ¿dónde…? – where?
    • (DON-day)
  • ¿quién…? – who?
    • (KEE-en)
  • ¿por qué…? – why?
    • (por KAY)
  • ¿cuál? – which?
    • (kwal)

It’s a good idea to just memorise these words right away. You’re going to come across them again and again so it’s important you’re comfortable with them.

Pro tip: Question words are always written with an accent and with opening/closing question marks.

There are lots of questions which we use regularly in everyday conversation but we often don’t realise how important they are.

Not having them in your repertoire will leave you tongue-tied and at a loss in many situations.

Here are some examples of questions that are useful to know:

  • #33 ¿Cómo te llamas? – What is your name?
    • (KOH-moh teh YAH-mas)
  • #34 ¿Qué hora tienes? – What time is it?
    • (kay OH-ra tee-EN-es)
  • #35 ¿Dónde puedo comprar…? – Where can I buy…?
    • (DON-day PWAY-do kom-PRAR)
  • #36 ¿Cuántos años tienes? – How old are you?
    • (KWAN-tos AN-yos tee-EN-es)
  • #37 ¿De dónde vienes? – Where are you from?
    • (de DON-day bee-EN-ays)
  • #38 ¿Dónde vives? – Where do you live?
    • (DON-day BEE-bes)
  • #39 ¿Tienes hermanos o hermanas? – Do you have brothers or sisters?
    • (tee-EN-es er-MA-nos o er-MA-nas)
  • #40 ¿Cuánto cuesta eso? – How much is that?
    • (KWAN-to KWES-ta E-so)
  • #41 ¿Qué es esto? – What is this?
    • (kay es ES-to)
  • #42 ¿Entiende? – Do you understand?
    • (en-tee-EN-day)
  • #43 ¿Comprende? – Do you understand?
    • (com-PREN-day)
  • #44 ¿Hablas inglés? – Do you speak English?
    • (AB-las in-GLAYS)
  • #45 ¿Dónde está el baño? – Where is the bathroom?
    • (DON-day es-TAH el BAN-yo)

Spanish vocab pack

Talking About Yourself & Answering Questions In Spanish

71 common Spanish phrases

Learning how to ask questions in Spanish is all good and well. But if you’re dealing with questions, you need to be able to deal with answers too!

Here’s how you can respond to some of the questions above:

  • #46 Me llamo… – My name is…
    • (me YA-mo …)
  • #47 Mi nombre es… – My name is
    • (mi NOM-bray es …)
  • #48 (Yo) tengo … años – I am … years old.
    • (yo TEN-go … AN-yos)
  • #49 (Yo) soy de… – I come from ….
    • (yo soy de …)
  • #50 Sí – Yes
    • (see)
  • #51 No – No
    • (no)
  • #52 Tal vez – Maybe
    • (tal ves)
  • #53 Siempre – Always
    • (see-EM-pray)
  • #54 Nunca – Never
    • (NUN-kah)
  • #55 A veces – Sometimes
    • (a BEH-says)
  • #56 Claro – Of course
    • (KLA-ro)

Spanish Expressions For Special Occasions

spanish seaside

There are a number of common expressions that are used regularly to denote special circumstances or for special occasions.

These phrases are ideal for events like birthdays, meals with friends or even for ending the conversation:

  • #57 ¡Diviértete! – Have fun!
    • (di-bih-EHR-te-te)
  • #58 ¡Buen viaje! – Have a good trip!
    • (bwu-EN bih-AH-hay)
  • #59 ¡Buen provecho! – Bon appetit!
    • (bwu-EN pro-BE-choh)
  • #60 ¡Muy bien! – Well done!
    • (mwee bee-EN)
  • #61 ¡Cuídate! – Take care!
    • (kw-EE-dah-tay)
  • #62 ¡Felicitaciones! – Congratulations!
    • (fe-lis-i-ta-see-ON-es)
  • #63 ¡Bienvenidos! / ¡Bienvenidas! – Welcome!
    • (bee-en-ben-EE-dos / bee-en-ben-EE-das)
  • #64 ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! – Happy Birthday!
    • (fe-LEES kump-lay-AN-yos)
  • #65 ¡Salud! – Cheers!
    • (Sa-LOOD)

Saying Goodbye In Spanish

asturias spain evening

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially in a foreign language when you don’t know how to do it!

Whether you are bidding farewell to friends you’re going to see later or to somebody you’ll never see again, make sure you know how to say your goodbyes appropriately.

In any case, Spanish has lots of different options:

  • #66 Adiós – Goodbye
    • (ah-dee-OS)
  • #67 ¡Buenas noches! – Goodnight!
    • (BWAY-nas NO-ches)
  • #68 ¡Hasta luego! – See you later
    • (AS-ta loo-AY-go)
  • #69 ¡Hasta pronto! – See you soon
    • (AS-ta PRON-to)
  • #70 ¡Hasta mañana! – See you tomorrow
    • (AS-ta man-YAN-a)
  • #71 Nos vemos – See you
    • (nos BAY-mos)

Your Next Steps In Spanish

spanish uncovered spanish course

So there you have it: everyday common Spanish phrases to help you get started on your Spanish learning journey.

With these phrases in your back pocket, you’ll soon find yourself having your first basic conversations and looking forward to getting fluent in Spanish!

So now that you’ve learned the basics, are you ready to take the next step on your Spanish journey?

I’m a big believer in the power of story to enable you to learn a language. That’s why I’ve created an entire beginner course dedicated to learning Spanish by immersing yourself in an engaging story.

It’s my Spanish Uncovered course, and it’s designed to take you from beginner to B1 Intermediate level.

Click here for more information on the course and how it’ll help you.

Источник
woman-with-common-spanish-words

By
Last updated:

March 6, 2023

When it comes to travel, education, business situations and personal communication, common words rule the day.

Nearly any Spanish conversation calls for an understanding of basic vocabulary.

In your day-to-day interactions with friends, neighbors and co-workers, chances are that you’re using basic nouns, verbs, interrogative words and conversational phrases.

Let’s go over this list of over 140 words to start building your Spanish skills!

Contents

  • Most Common Spanish Words
  • Common Spanish Greetings and Conversational Phrases
  • Common Spanish Nouns
  • Common Spanish Verbs
  • Common Spanish Words for People and Animals
  • Common Spanish Words Related to Food
  • Spanish Question Words
  • Easy Spanish Words (Spanish-English Cognates!)
  • More Resources to Learn Spanish Vocabulary


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Most Common Spanish Words

woman-waving-at-a-camera

There are certain Spanish words that you will hear pretty much everyday. Here are ten of the most common Spanish words.

  • Hola — hello
  • Adiós — bye
  • Sí — yes
  • No — no
  • Por favor — please
  • Gracias — thank you
  • Lo siento — I’m sorry
  • Perdón — sorry/excuse me
  • ¿Cómo estás? — how are you?
  • De nada — you’re welcome

Common Spanish Greetings and Conversational Phrases

man-and-woman-enjoying-breakfast-together

If you want to start a conversation, you need to know how to greet someone properly. Then you’ll need to whip out some phrases that allow for basic communication in any situation. Learn these essentials phrases to speak with friends as well as strangers!

  • Buenos días — good morning
  • Buenas tardes — good afternoon
  • Buenas noches — good night
  • ¿Cómo te llamas? — what’s your name?
  • Me llamo… — my name is…
  • ¿Qué tal? — how are you?/how’s it going?
  • ¿Cómo te va? — how’s it going?
  • ¿Qué pasa? — what’s up?
  • ¿Cómo está usted? — how are you? (formal)
  • Bien, gracias — fine, thank you
  • ¿Y tú? — and you?
  • Estoy buscando… — I’m looking for…
  • ¿Qué haces? — what are you doing?
  • ¿Te gusta…? — do you like…?

Common Spanish Nouns

coffee-table-with-a-mug

Nouns identify people, places or things. They’re some of the most basic words and are used in nearly every sentence—so get to know a few of the most common ones!

  • La casa — the house
  • La mesa — the table
  • La ventana — the window
  • La silla — the chair
  • La puerta — the door
  • El reloj — the clock/watch
  • El piso — the floor
  • El coche /El carro  — the car
  • La calle — the street
  • La tienda — the store
  • La biblioteca — the library
  • El libro — the book
  • La playa — the beach
  • La montaña — the mountain
  • La iglesia — the church
  • El museo — the museum
  • La universidad — the university
  • El aeropuerto — the airport
  • La nariz — the nose
  • Los ojos — the eyes
  • La boca — the mouth
  • La cabeza — the head
  • El brazo — the arm
  • La pierna — the leg
  • La mano — the hand
  • El pie — the foot

Common Spanish Verbs

woman-listening-to-music-with-headphones

Verbs describe actions and are essential words when speaking any language. Of course, you’ll need to learn all their conjugations, but when memorizing new verbs it’s always best to learn the infinitive. 

  • Abrir — to open
  • Ayudar — to help
  • Bailar — to dance
  • Cambiar — to change
  • Caminar — to walk
  • Cantar — to sing
  • Comenzar — to begin
  • Contar — to count/tell
  • Comprar — to buy
  • Correr — to run
  • Creer — to think/believe
  • Dar — to give
  • Deber — to have to
  • Decir — to say
  • Entender — to understand
  • Estar — to be
  • Estudiar — to study
  • Gustar — to like
  • Haber — to have
  • Hablar — to speak/talk
  • Hacer — to do/make
  • Ir — to go
  • Jugar — to play
  • Llamar — to call
  • Pagar — to pay
  • Partir — to leave/divide
  • Pedir — to ask for
  • Poder — to be able to
  • Poner — to put
  • Preguntar — to ask
  • Querer — to want
  • Saber — to know
  • Ser — to be
  • Tener — to have
  • Viajar — to travel
  • Visitar — to visit
  • Vivir — to live

Common Spanish Words for People and Animals

little-girl-petting-a-cat-in-a-garden

Of course you’ll probably need to know some words to describe people and animals, since those are things you’ll also probably encounter every day!

  • La persona — the person
  • El hombre — the man
  • La mujer — the woman
  • El niño — the boy
  • La niña — the girl
  • La familia — the family
  • El esposo — the husband
  • La esposa — the wife
  • El padre — the father
  • La madre — the mother
  • El hijo — the son
  • La hija — the daughter
  • El hermano – the brother
  • La hermana – the sister 
  • El abuelo — the grandfather
  • La abuela — the grandmother
  • El tío — the uncle
  • La tía — the aunt
  • El primo — the cousin (m)
  • La prima — the cousin (f)
  • La mascota — the pet
  • El gato — the cat (m)
  • La gata — the cat (f)
  • El perro — the dog (m)
  • La perra — the dog (f)
  • El pájaro — the bird 

Common Spanish Words Related to Food

delicious-mexican-gordita-topped-with-onion-and-herbs

Food is a big part of Spanish culture, so here are the essential words for you to order your favorite meal!

  • La comida — the food
  • La bebida — the drink
  • El pan — the bread
  • El huevo — the egg
  • La fruta — the fruit
  • La verdura — the vegetable
  • El arroz — the rice 
  • El frijol — the bean
  • La carne — the meat
  • La papa /La patata  — the potato
  • El café — the coffee
  • El té — the tea
  • El vino — the wine
  • La cerveza — the beer
  • La leche — the milk
  • El agua — the water
  • El jugo /El zumo – the juice
  • El desayuno — breakfast
  • El almuerzo — lunch 
  • La cena — dinner
  • El restaurante — the restaurant

Spanish Question Words

woman-surrounded-by-question-marks

Asking questions is an important part of speaking any language. These are the words you need to ask questions in Spanish:

  • ¿Cómo? — how?
  • ¿Cuál? — which?
  • ¿Cuándo? — when?
  • ¿Dónde? — where?
  • ¿Por qué? — why?
  • ¿Qué? — what?
  • ¿Quién? — who?

Easy Spanish Words (Spanish-English Cognates!)

people-waiting-to-catch-the-train

Cognates are words that have the same origin or root word. There are hundreds of Spanish and English cognates, but start with learning these as an excellent way to effortlessly increase your vocabulary!

  • Tren — train
  • Necesario — necessary
  • Ordinario — ordinary
  • Público — public
  • Minuto — minute
  • Acción — action
  • Nación — nation
  • Organización – organization
  • Tradicional — traditional
  • Posible — possible
  • Básico — basic

More Resources to Learn Spanish Vocabulary

Common Spanish words open doors by facilitating communication. The more common vocabulary you know, the better off you’ll be. 

This list is a great spot to start building your foundational vocabulary, but there are tons of great resources out there that can get you learning and practicing even more common Spanish words!

Here are some of the best resources to find more common Spanish vocabulary words to add to your word bank and build your core vocabulary!

1000MostCommonWords

This site contains a comprehensive list of 1,000 useful Spanish words that cover a wide variety of topics.

If your intent is to grow your vocabulary and add common words to your skillset, then this is a super great resource.

FluentU

FluentU is all about learning Spanish through authentic videos that native speakers would watch.

The language learning program takes short Spanish clips from movies, TV shows, news segments and more and adds tools to help you learn the language as it’s actually used.

Each video comes with interactive subtitles that allow you to see information about different vocabulary words (such as the contextual definition and pronunciation information) in real time. There are also review tools built into the app, such as a video-based dictionary, quizzes and personalized flashcards.

SpanishVocabulary.ca

This vocabulary resource provides several lists divided into topics with some of the most common Spanish words.

Whether you’re honing your skills on greetings, body parts, shopping lingo or a number of other subjects, all of the applicable vocabulary is pre-sorted and labeled.

The website’s interface is very simple, so it’s easy to navigate and find vocabulary about whatever you want.

EnglishnSpanish.com

This resource has 1,000 common Spanish words and is more interactive than just a list of vocabulary.

The words and translations are divided into lists of 20 random words alphabetically sorted.

At the end of each list, learners are given the opportunity to take a quiz on what they’ve just learned. Each quiz asks learners to choose the correct translation of a word, so it’s a pretty straightforward, speedy process.

Quizzing yourself is a great method for gauging retention of these common words. 

Now that you have over 140 more words in your core Spanish vocabulary, you have a good basis for most conversations. 

Keep learning words and building that foundation!


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