Learn Basic Spanish Words
If you are a beginner, here is some simple Spanish vocabulary to get you started.
Perhaps you want to learn some basic greetings, or some survival Spanish words for your vacation, like directions, time, numbers, shopping, the weather, food, the days and months, your country and nationality, how to travel to places and some simple words for getting around when you're there...
If you’re traveling to a Spanish-speaking country or you're in a Spanish-speaking environment, you need to know some basic everyday Spanish words for those times when you’ve got something to say or questions to ask and the people around you speak only Spanish!
Being surrounded by a foreign language can be challenging, but learning some basics - such as this simple vocabulary – will make a huge difference to your experience. It's a fast and easy way to start interacting with Spanish-speaking people, who will be delighted by your attempts and help you build on the Spanish you already know.
I hope you find these free resources helpful. If you enjoy learning these basic Spanish words, you'll be blown away by how much Spanish you can learn in a short time with my Rocket Spanish course. Get the full story here...
Basic Spanish Word Lists
Greetings and words for basic conversations in Spanish
Numbers in Spanish
Words for telling the time in Spanish
Spanish words for seasons, days of the week and periods of time
Nationalities and countries in Spanish
How to describe people in Spanish
Directions in Spanish
Spanish words for the weather
Spanish words for places
Some basic Spanish words to know on vacation
Spanish words for colors
Basic Spanish words to know when shopping
Spanish words for food
Greetings and words for basic conversations in Spanish
| adiós | goodbye |
| bien, gracias / muy bien | well, thanks / very well |
| bienvenidos | welcome |
| buenas noches | good evening, good night |
| buenas tardes | good afternoon |
| buenos días | good morning |
| chao | goodbye |
| ¿cómo está Ud.? | how are you? (formal) |
| ¿cómo estás? | how are you? (familiar) |
| ¿cómo se llama Ud.? | what’s your name? (formal) |
| ¿cómo te llamas? | what’s your name? (familiar) |
| con permiso | pardon me, excuse me |
| conversación (la) | conversation |
| ¿de dónde eres? | where are you from? (familiar) |
| ¿de dónde es Ud.? | where are you from? (formal) |
| de nada | you’re welcome |
| el gusto es mío | the pleasure is mine |
| encantado | pleased to meet you |
| gracias / muchas gracias | thank you / thank you very much |
| hasta la vista | see you later, until we see one another again |
| hasta luego | see you later |
| hasta mañana | see you tomorrow |
| hasta pronto | see you soon |
| hola | hello, hi |
| igualmente | likewise |
| le presento a— | I would like to introduce you to— (formal) |
| lo siento | I’m sorry |
| me llamo | my name is |
| mucho gusto | pleased to meet you |
| no hay de qué | no worries, nothing to worry about |
| no muy bien | not very well |
| nos vemos | see you |
| perdón | pardon me, excuse me |
| ¿qué hay de nuevo? | what’s new? |
| ¿qué hora es? | what time is it? |
| ¿qué pasa? | what’s happening? |
| ¿qué tal? | what’s going on? how’s it going? |
| saludos | greetings |
| señor, Sr. (el) | gentleman, sir, Mr. |
| señora, Sra. (la) | lady, adult woman, Mrs. |
| señorita, Srta. (la) | young lady, Miss |
| soy de— | I’m from— |
| te presento a— | I would like to introduce to you to (familiar) |
| ¿y tú? | and you? (familiar) |
| ¿y Ud.? | and you? (formal) |
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Numbers in Spanish - Part 1
| Numbers | los números |
| 0 | cero |
| 1 | uno |
| 2 | dos |
| 3 | tres |
| 4 | cuatro |
| 5 | cinco |
| 6 | seis |
| 7 | siete |
| 8 | ocho |
| 9 | nueve |
| 10 | diez |
| How many do you want? (polite) | ¿Cuántos quiere? |
| I want one. | Quiero uno. |
| How many bread rolls do you want? (polite) | ¿Cuántos panes quiere? |
| I want one bread roll. | Quiero un pan. |
| How many tickets do you want? (polite) | ¿Cuántos boletos quiere? |
| I want three tickets. | Quiero tres boletos. |
| How many siblings do you have? (polite) | ¿Cuántos hermanos tiene? |
| I have two siblings. | Tengo dos hermanos. |
| 1 + 1 = 2 (One plus one equals two. ) | Uno más uno es dos. |
| 1.5 (one point five) | uno punto cinco |
Numbers in Spanish - Part 2
| 10 | diez |
| 20 | veinte |
| 30 | treinta |
| 40 | cuarenta |
| 50 | cincuenta |
| 60 | sesenta |
| 70 | setenta |
| 80 | ochenta |
| 90 | noventa |
| 100 | cien |
| 11 | once |
| 12 | doce |
| 13 | trece |
| 14 | catorce |
| 15 | quince |
| 16 | dieciséis |
| 17 | diecisiete |
| 18 | dieciocho |
| 19 | diecinueve |
| How old are you? (polite) | ¿Cuántos años tienes? |
| I’m 21 years old. | Tengo veintiún años de edad. |
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| It costs twenty dollars. | Cuesta veinte dólares. |
| dollars | dólares |
| cents | centavos |
| It costs $19.95. | Cuesta diecinueve dólares y noventa y cinco centavos. |
| 100 | cien |
| 200 | doscientos |
| 300 | trescientos |
| 400 | cuatrocientos |
| 500 | quinientos |
| 600 | seiscientos |
| 700 | setecientos |
| 800 | ochocientos |
| 900 | novecientos |
| 1000 | mil |
| 2000 | dos mil |
| 3000 | tres mil |
| 4000 | cuatro mil |
| 5000 | cinco mil |
| 6000 | seis mil |
| 7000 | siete mil |
| 8000 | ocho mil |
| 9000 | nueve mil |
| 1,000,000 | un millón |
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Words for telling the time in Spanish
| ¿a qué hora? | at what time? |
| antes (de) | before |
| de la mañana | in the morning |
| de la noche | in the evening, at night |
| de la tarde | in the afternoon |
| después | afterwards, then |
| después de | after |
| durante | during |
| en punto | on the dot, exactly, sharp |
| entonces | then |
| es la una | it’s one o’clock |
| hora (la) | hour |
| jamás | never, not ever |
| luego | afterwards, then |
| más tarde | later |
| medianoche (la) | midnight |
| mediodía (el) | noon (literally, midday) |
| menos cuarto / menos quince | quarter to |
| nunca | never, not ever |
| por último | finally |
| ¿qué hora es? | what time is it? |
| siempre | always |
| son las— | it’s — o’clock |
| tarde | afternoon, late |
| tiempo (el) | time |
| y cuarto / y quince | quarter after |
| y media / y treinta | thirty (minutes past the hour) |
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Spanish words for seasons, days of the week and periods of time
| anoche | last night |
| anteayer | day before yesterday |
| año pasado (el) | last year |
| ayer | yesterday |
| día (el) | day |
| época (la) | period, time, season |
| estación (la) | season |
| fin de semana (el) | weekend |
| futuro (el) | future |
| hoy | today |
| hoy es | today is |
| mañana (la) | tomorrow, morning |
| mes (el) | month |
| pasado (el) | past |
| presente (el) | present |
| semana (la) | week |
| semana pasada (la) | last week |
| lunes | Monday |
| martes | Tuesday |
| miércoles | Wednesday |
| jueves | Thursday |
| viernes | Friday |
| sábado | Saturday |
| domingo | Sunday |
| primavera (la) | spring |
| otoño (el) | autumn, fall |
| verano (el) | summer |
| invierno (el) | winter |
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Nationalities and countries in Spanish
| alemán, alemana | German |
| canadiense | Canadian |
| chino | Chinese |
| ecuatoriano | Ecuadorian |
| español (el) | Spanish |
| estadounidense (el, la) | American (from the U.S.) |
| francés, francesa | French |
| inglés, inglesa | English |
| italiano | Italian |
| japonés, japonesa | Japanese |
| mexicano | Mexican |
| nacionalidad (la) | nationality |
| norteamericano | North American (from the U.S.) |
| puertorriqueño | Puerto Rican |
| ruso | Russian |
| Alemania | Germany |
| América del Norte | North America |
| América del Sur | South America |
| Canadá | Canada |
| Escocia | Scotland |
| España | Spain |
| Estados Unidos (Los), also EE.UU. | United States |
| Europa | Europe |
| Francia | France |
| Gran Bretaña | Great Britain |
| Inglaterra | England |
| Irlanda | Ireland |
| Italia | Italy |
| México | Mexico |
| Nueva Zelanda | New Zealand |
| país (el) | country |
| Rusia | Russia |
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How to describe people in Spanish
| alto | tall |
| amable | friendly |
| antipático | unpleasant |
| bajo | short |
| bonito | pretty |
| brillante | bright |
| casado | married |
| chistoso | funny |
| contento | happy |
| delgado | thin, slender |
| enfermo | sick |
| feo | ugly |
| fuerte | strong |
| gordo | fat |
| guapo | handsome, good-looking |
| hermoso | beautiful |
| inteligente | intelligent |
| joven | young |
| loco | crazy |
| pobre | poor |
| rico | rich |
| rubio | blond |
| saludable | healthy |
| simpático | nice, likeable |
| soltero | single |
| tonto | silly, foolish |
| viejo | old |
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Directions in Spanish
| a la derecha | to the right |
| a la izquierda | to the left |
| al lado | beside |
| atrás | behind, ago |
| cerca | near |
| debajo | below, under |
| delante de | in front of |
| desde … a | from … to |
| detrás | behind |
| ¿dónde está…? | where is? |
| en | in, on |
| encima | on top |
| entre | between, among |
| lejos | far away, distant |
| sobre | on, over |
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Spanish words for the weather
| clima (el) | climate, weather |
| ¿cómo está el tiempo/el clima? | how’s the weather? |
| contaminación | smoggy |
| está despejado | it’s clear |
| está fresco | it’s fresh/cool |
| está lloviendo | it’s raining |
| está nevando | it’s snowing |
| está nublado | it’s cloudy |
| hace buen/mal tiempo | it’s nice/bad weather |
| hace calor | it’s hot |
| hace frío | it’s cold |
| hace sol | it’s sunny |
| hace viento | it’s windy |
| helado | icy, frozen |
| hielo | ice |
| lluvia | rain |
| neblina | fog |
| nieve | snow |
| ¿qué tiempo hace? | what’s the weather like? |
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Spanish Words for Places
| la agencia de viajes | travel agency |
| el almacén | department store |
| el banco | bank |
| los baños públicos | public bathrooms |
| la cafetería | café |
| el cambio de monedas | currency exchange |
| la carnicería | butcher |
| el centro comercial | mall, shopping center |
| el centro histórico | historic district |
| el centro turístico | tourist center |
| la comisaría | police station |
| el correo | post office |
| la embajada | embassy |
| la estación de tren | train station |
| la farmacia | pharmacy |
| el hospital | hospital |
| la iglesia | church |
| la lavandería | laundromat |
| la librería | bookstore |
| el mercado | market |
| el museo | museum |
| el palacio real | royal palace |
| la panadería | bakery |
| la parada de buses | bus stop |
| la parada de taxis | taxi stop |
| el parque | park |
| la piscina | swimming pool |
| el restaurante | restaurant |
| los servicios higiénicos | restrooms |
| el supermercado | supermarket |
| la tienda | store, shop |
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Some basic Spanish words to know on vacation
| acampar | to camp |
| agencia de viajes (la) | travel agency |
| agente de viajes (el, la) | travel agent |
| ascensor (el) | elevator |
| autobús (el) | bus |
| cabaña (la) | cabin |
| cama (la) | bed |
| cancelar | to cancel |
| carpa (la) | tent |
| confirmar | to confirm |
| descansar | to rest |
| empleado (el) | employee |
| equipaje (el) | luggage |
| estación (la) | station, season |
| estación de autobuses, del metro, de tren (la) | bus, subway, train station |
| estadía (la) | stay |
| estar de vacaciones | to be on vacation |
| habitación individual, doble (la) | single, double room |
| hacer las maletas | to pack one’s suitcases |
| hacer turismo | to go sightseeing |
| hacer un viaje | to take a trip |
| hacer una excursión | to go on a hike, to go on a tour |
| huésped (el, la) | guest |
| inspector de aduanas (el) | customs inspector |
| ir de compras | to go shopping |
| ir de pesca | to go fishing |
| ir de vacaciones | to go on vacation |
| ir en autobús, auto(móvil), avión, barco, motocicleta, taxi | to go by bus, car, plane, boat, motorcycle, taxi |
| jugar a las cartas | to play cards |
| llave (la) | key |
| llegada (la) | arrival |
| maleta (la) | suitcase |
| montar a caballo | to ride a horse |
| pasaje (de ida y vuelta) | (round-trip) ticket |
| pasaporte (el) | passport |
| pasar por la aduana | to go through customs |
| pescar | to fish |
| piso (el) | floor (of a building) |
| planta baja (la) | ground floor |
| recorrer | to tour an area |
| reservación | reservation |
| sacar/tomar fotos | to take photos |
| salida (la) | departure, exit |
| turístico | touristy |
| viajar | to travel |
| viajero (el) | traveler |
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Spanish words for colors
| amarillo | yellow |
| anaranjado, color tomate/naranja | orange |
| arco iris (el) | rainbow |
| azul | blue |
| blanco | white |
| claro | light |
| color (el) | color |
| gris | gray |
| marrón, color café | brown |
| morado | purple |
| negro | black |
| oscuro | dark |
| rojo | red |
| rosado | pink |
| verde | green |
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Basic Spanish words to know when shopping
| abrigo (el) | coat |
| almacén (el) | department store |
| barato | cheap |
| blusa (la) | blouse |
| bolsa (la) | purse; bag |
| bota (la) | boot |
| bueno | good |
| caja (la) | box, cash register |
| camisa (la) | shirt, blouse |
| caro | expensive |
| cartera (la) | wallet, handbag |
| centro comercial (el) | shopping mall, commercial center |
| chaqueta (la) | jacket |
| cinturón (el) | belt |
| cliente (el) | customer, client |
| comprar | to buy |
| compras (las) | shopping (the things you buy) |
| corbata (la) | tie |
| corto | short (in length) |
| costar | to cost |
| de segunda mano | secondhand |
| dinero (el) | money |
| elegante | elegant |
| falda (la) | skirt |
| gafas (las) | glasses (such as sunglasses) |
| gastar | to spend (money) |
| guantes (l0s) | gloves |
| impermeable (el) | raincoat |
| juego (el) | set (as in a set of sheets), game |
| largo | long (in length) |
| lentes (los) | glasses (such as corrective lenses) |
| lentes de contacto (los) | contact lenses |
| llevar | to wear, to carry |
| medias (las) | socks, pantyhose |
| mercado (el) | market |
| nuevo | new |
| pagar | to pay |
| pantalones (los) | pants, trousers |
| pantalones cortos (los) | shorts |
| par (el) | pair |
| precio (fijo) (el) | (fixed or set) price |
| prestar | to lend, to loan |
| rebaja (la) | sale |
| regalo (el) | gift |
| regatear | to bargain |
| ropa (la) | clothing, clothes |
| ropa interior (la) | underwear |
| sandalias (las) | sandals |
| sombrero (el) | hat |
| suéter (el) | sweater |
| tarjeta de crédito (la) | credit card |
| tienda (la) | shop, store |
| tintorería (la) | dry cleaners |
| traje (de baño) (el) | (bathing) suit |
| traje (el) | suit |
| vendedor (el) | salesperson |
| vender | to sell |
| vestido (el) | dress |
| zapatos de tenis (los) | (tennis) shoes |
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Spanish words for food
| aceite de olivo (el) | olive oil |
| agua (mineral) (el) | (mineral) water |
| ajo (el) | garlic |
| almorzar | to have lunch |
| almuerzo (el) | lunch |
| arroz (el) | rice |
| arvejas (las) | peas |
| atún (el) | tuna |
| azúcar (el) | sugar |
| beber | to drink |
| bebida (la) | drink |
| bistec (el) | steak |
| café (el) | coffee |
| camarero (el), mesero (el) | waiter |
| camarones (los) | shrimp |
| caracol del mar (el) | sea snail |
| carne (la) | meat |
| carne de res (la) | beef |
| cebolla (la) | onion |
| cena (la) | meal, dinner |
| cenar | to have dinner, to have a meal |
| cereales (los) | cereal, grains |
| cerveza (la) | beer |
| champiñón (el) | mushroom |
| chuleta (de cerdo) (la) | (pork) chop |
| comer | to eat |
| comida (la) | food, meal |
| delicioso | delicious |
| desayunar | to have breakfast |
| desayuno (el) | breakfast |
| ensalada (la) | salad |
| espárragos (los) | asparagus |
| frijoles (los) | beans |
| frutas (las) | fruits |
| hamburguesa (la) | hamburger |
| huevo (el) | egg |
| jamón (el) | ham |
| jugo (el) | juice |
| langosta (la) | lobster |
| leche (la) | milk |
| lechuga (la) | lettuce |
| limón (el) | lemon |
| maíz (el) | corn |
| mantequilla (la) | butter |
| manzana (la) | apple |
| margarina (la) | margarine |
| mariscos (los) | seafood |
| mariscos (los) | shellfish |
| mayonesa (la) | mayonnaise |
| me gustaría | I would like |
| melocotón (el) | peach |
| menú (el) | menu |
| naranja (la) | orange |
| pan (tostado) (el) | (toasted) bread |
| papas/patatas (fritas) (las) | (fried) potatoes; French fries |
| pavo (el) | turkey |
| pedir | to order (food) |
| pera (la) | pear |
| pescado (el) | fish |
| pimienta (la) | black pepper |
| plátano (el) | banana |
| plato (principal) (el) | (main) dish |
| pollo (asado) (el) | (roast) chicken |
| probar | to taste, to try |
| queso (el) | cheese |
| recomendar | to recommend |
| refresco (el) | soft drink |
| rico | delicious, yummy |
| sabroso | tasty, delicious |
| sal (la) | salt |
| salchicha (la) | sausage |
| sándwich (el) | sandwich |
| sección de fumar (la) | smoking section |
| servir | to serve |
| sopa (la) | soup |
| té (helado) (el) | (iced) tea |
| tomate (el) | tomato |
| uva (la) | grape |
| verduras (las) | vegetables |
| vinagre (el) | vinegar |
| vino (blanco/tinto) (el) | (white/red) wine |
| yogur (el) | yogurt |
| zanahoria (la) | carrot |
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I hope you've found these free resources helpful. If you enjoy learning these basic Spanish words, you'll be blown away by how much Spanish you can learn in a short time with my Rocket Spanish course. Get the full story here...
Mauricio Evlampieff
Rocket Spanish
Rocket Languages
Also by Mauricio Evlampieff: Spanish Word Lists
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