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Spanish essentials: 50 high-frequency words and phrases

The first fifty Spanish words and phrases to learn: greetings, core verbs like ser, estar and tener, and everyday nouns with their gender, each with an example sentence.

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hola

Greeting

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All 50 cards

  1. 1
    hola
    Greeting
    hello; hi
    ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? — Hi! How’s it going?
  2. 2
    buenos días
    Greeting, used in the morning
    good morning
    Buenos días, señora García. — Good morning, Mrs. García.
  3. 3
    buenas noches
    Greeting or farewell after dark
    good evening; good night
    Buenas noches, hasta mañana. — Good night, see you tomorrow.
  4. 4
    adiós
    Farewell
    goodbye
    Adiós, ¡que te vaya bien! — Goodbye, all the best!
  5. 5
    gracias
    Phrase
    thank you
    Muchas gracias por la ayuda. — Thank you very much for the help.
  6. 6
    por favor
    Phrase
    please
    Un café con leche, por favor. — A coffee with milk, please.
  7. 7
    de nada
    Reply to gracias
    you’re welcome
    De nada, es un placer. — You’re welcome, it’s a pleasure.
  8. 8
    perdón
    Interjection
    sorry; excuse me
    Perdón, ¿dónde está la estación? — Excuse me, where is the station?
  9. 9
    lo siento
    Phrase (an apology)
    I’m sorry
    Lo siento, no puedo ir mañana. — I’m sorry, I can’t go tomorrow.
  10. 10
    ¿Cómo estás?
    Informal (tú); formal: ¿Cómo está usted?
    How are you?
    ¡Hola, Marta! ¿Cómo estás? — Hi, Marta! How are you?
  11. 11
    ¿Cuánto cuesta?
    Question
    How much does it cost?
    ¿Cuánto cuesta esta camisa? — How much does this shirt cost?
  12. 12
    No entiendo
    Phrase
    I don’t understand
    No entiendo. ¿Puede repetir, por favor? — I don’t understand. Could you repeat that, please?
  13. 13
    ¿Dónde está…?
    Question; estar is used for location
    Where is…?
    ¿Dónde está el baño? — Where is the bathroom?
  14. 14
    Me llamo…
    Phrase, literally “I call myself”
    My name is…
    Me llamo Lucía. ¿Y tú? — My name is Lucía. And you?
  15. 15
    ser
    Irregular verb: soy, eres, es
    to be (identity, origin, time)
    Soy de México. — I’m from Mexico.
  16. 16
    estar
    Irregular verb: estoy, estás, está
    to be (location, states)
    Estamos muy cansados. — We’re very tired.
  17. 17
    tener
    Irregular verb: tengo; also used for age
    to have
    Tengo veinte años. — I’m twenty years old.
  18. 18
    hacer
    Irregular verb: hago; also used for weather
    to do; to make
    Hoy hace mucho calor. — It’s very hot today.
  19. 19
    ir
    Irregular verb: voy, vas, va
    to go
    Voy al trabajo en autobús. — I go to work by bus.
  20. 20
    poder
    Stem-changing verb (o → ue): puedo
    can; to be able to
    ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? — Can I pay by card?
  21. 21
    querer
    Stem-changing verb (e → ie): quiero
    to want; to love
    Quiero un vaso de agua. — I want a glass of water.
  22. 22
    saber
    Irregular verb: yo sé
    to know (facts, how to)
    No sé dónde está. — I don’t know where it is.
  23. 23
    conocer
    Verb: yo conozco
    to know (people, places); to meet
    ¿Conoces a María? — Do you know María?
  24. 24
    hablar
    Regular -ar verb
    to speak; to talk
    ¿Hablas inglés? — Do you speak English?
  25. 25
    comer
    Regular -er verb
    to eat
    Comemos a las dos. — We eat at two.
  26. 26
    vivir
    Regular -ir verb
    to live
    Vivo en Madrid con mi familia. — I live in Madrid with my family.
  27. 27
    gustar
    Verb used with me, te, le, nos, os, les
    to like (literally “to be pleasing”)
    Me gustan los perros. — I like dogs.
  28. 28
    necesitar
    Regular -ar verb
    to need
    Necesito ayuda, por favor. — I need help, please.
  29. 29
    el agua
    Feminine noun; takes el because it starts with a stressed a-
    water
    El agua está fría. — The water is cold.
  30. 30
    la casa
    Feminine noun
    house; home
    Mañana estoy en casa. — I’m at home tomorrow.
  31. 31
    el día
    Masculine noun, despite the -a
    day
    ¡Que tengas un buen día! — Have a nice day!
  32. 32
    la mano
    Feminine noun, despite the -o
    hand
    Lávate las manos antes de comer. — Wash your hands before eating.
  33. 33
    el problema
    Masculine noun, despite the -a
    problem
    No hay ningún problema. — There’s no problem at all.
  34. 34
    la ciudad
    Feminine noun (nouns in -dad are feminine)
    city
    Barcelona es una ciudad preciosa. — Barcelona is a beautiful city.
  35. 35
    el tiempo
    Masculine noun
    time; weather
    ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? — What’s the weather like today?
  36. 36
    el trabajo
    Masculine noun
    work; job
    Busco trabajo en Valencia. — I’m looking for work in Valencia.
  37. 37
    el amigo / la amiga
    Noun: -o for a man, -a for a woman
    friend
    Ana es mi mejor amiga. — Ana is my best friend.
  38. 38
    la gente
    Feminine singular noun; takes a singular verb
    people
    La gente es muy amable aquí. — People are very friendly here.
  39. 39
    la noche
    Feminine noun
    night
    Trabajo de noche. — I work at night.
  40. 40
    la comida
    Feminine noun
    food; meal
    La comida está lista. — The food is ready.
  41. 41
    el libro
    Masculine noun
    book
    Estoy leyendo un libro muy bueno. — I’m reading a really good book.
  42. 42
    bueno / buena
    Adjective; buen before a masculine singular noun
    good
    Es un buen restaurante. — It’s a good restaurant.
  43. 43
    grande
    Adjective; gran (“great”) before a singular noun
    big; large
    Vivimos en una casa grande. — We live in a big house.
  44. 44
    pequeño / pequeña
    Adjective
    small; little
    Tengo un perro pequeño. — I have a small dog.
  45. 45
    mucho
    Adverb, or an adjective that agrees: mucha, muchos, muchas
    a lot; much; many
    Hay mucha gente en la playa. — There are a lot of people on the beach.
  46. 46
    también
    Adverb
    also; too
    Yo también quiero ir. — I want to go too.
  47. 47
    siempre
    Adverb
    always
    Siempre desayuno a las siete. — I always have breakfast at seven.
  48. 48
    ahora
    Adverb
    now
    Ahora no puedo hablar. — I can’t talk right now.
  49. 49
    mañana
    Adverb (tomorrow) or feminine noun (morning)
    tomorrow; morning
    Nos vemos mañana por la mañana. — See you tomorrow morning.
  50. 50
    porque / ¿por qué?
    Conjunction / question word
    because / why?
    ¿Por qué estudias español? Porque me gusta. — Why do you study Spanish? Because I like it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ser and estar?

Both mean “to be”. Ser is for identity, origin, time and lasting traits (soy profesor); estar is for location and temporary states (estoy cansado).

Why is it el agua if agua is feminine?

Feminine nouns that start with a stressed a- or ha- take el in the singular, to avoid two a sounds running together. The noun stays feminine: el agua fría, las aguas.

Is this Latin American or European Spanish?

Both. These high-frequency words are used everywhere Spanish is spoken, and the examples use tú, which is understood in every Spanish-speaking country.

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