Basic Spanish Words Every Beginner Should Learn (Organized by Category)
Master 200+ essential Spanish words organized by category: greetings, food, travel, and emergency phrases. Includes example sentences for each word. Perfect for beginners building vocabulary.
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Basic Spanish Words Every Beginner Should Learn
Most beginners waste time memorizing obscure vocabulary they'll never use. This guide focuses on the 200+ most common Spanish words - the ones that appear in 80% of everyday conversations.
Each word includes pronunciation, meaning, and example sentences so you can use them immediately.
Greetings & Politeness
These are the first words you'll use in any conversation. Master them first.
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Hola | Hello | "Hola, ¿cómo estás?" (Hello, how are you?) |
| Buenos días | Good morning | "Buenos días, ¿qué tal?" (Good morning, how's it going?) |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon | "Buenas tardes, señor." (Good afternoon, sir.) |
| Buenas noches | Good evening/night | "Buenas noches, que descanses." (Good night, rest well.) |
| Gracias | Thank you | "Gracias por tu ayuda." (Thank you for your help.) |
| De nada | You're welcome | "De nada, fue un placer." (You're welcome, it was a pleasure.) |
| Por favor | Please | "Un café, por favor." (A coffee, please.) |
| Disculpe | Excuse me | "Disculpe, ¿dónde está la estación?" (Excuse me, where is the station?) |
| Lo siento | I'm sorry | "Lo siento, fue un error." (I'm sorry, it was a mistake.) |
| Mucho gusto | Nice to meet you | "Mucho gusto, me llamo Carlos." (Nice to meet you, my name is Carlos.) |
Food & Drink
You'll use these words constantly when eating out or shopping for groceries.
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Agua | Water | "Un vaso de agua, por favor." (A glass of water, please.) |
| Pan | Bread | "El pan está delicioso." (The bread is delicious.) |
| Carne | Meat | "Quiero carne de res." (I want beef.) |
| Pollo | Chicken | "El pollo está muy bueno." (The chicken is very good.) |
| Pescado | Fish | "¿Tienes pescado fresco?" (Do you have fresh fish?) |
| Verduras | Vegetables | "Las verduras son saludables." (Vegetables are healthy.) |
| Frutas | Fruits | "Me encanta comer frutas." (I love eating fruits.) |
| Café | Coffee | "Un café con leche, por favor." (A coffee with milk, please.) |
| Cerveza | Beer | "¿Quieres una cerveza?" (Do you want a beer?) |
| Vino | Wine | "Este vino es excelente." (This wine is excellent.) |
| Leche | Milk | "La leche está fría." (The milk is cold.) |
| Queso | Cheese | "¿Tienes queso?" (Do you have cheese?) |
| Hambre | Hunger | "Tengo mucha hambre." (I'm very hungry.) |
| Sed | Thirst | "Tengo sed, necesito agua." (I'm thirsty, I need water.) |
| Delicioso | Delicious | "La comida está deliciosa." (The food is delicious.) |
Travel & Directions
Essential words for getting around and finding places.
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel | Hotel | "¿Dónde está el hotel?" (Where is the hotel?) |
| Calle | Street | "La calle está llena de gente." (The street is full of people.) |
| Plaza | Square | "Nos encontramos en la plaza." (We meet in the square.) |
| Estación | Station | "¿Dónde está la estación de tren?" (Where is the train station?) |
| Aeropuerto | Airport | "El aeropuerto está lejos." (The airport is far.) |
| Baño | Bathroom | "¿Dónde está el baño?" (Where is the bathroom?) |
| Farmacia | Pharmacy | "Necesito ir a la farmacia." (I need to go to the pharmacy.) |
| Izquierda | Left | "Gira a la izquierda." (Turn left.) |
| Derecha | Right | "Gira a la derecha." (Turn right.) |
| Recto | Straight | "Sigue recto." (Go straight.) |
| Cerca | Near | "El hotel está cerca." (The hotel is near.) |
| Lejos | Far | "La estación está lejos." (The station is far.) |
| Coche | Car | "Mi coche es rojo." (My car is red.) |
| Autobús | Bus | "¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?" (Where is the bus stop?) |
| Billete | Ticket | "Un billete a Madrid, por favor." (A ticket to Madrid, please.) |
Emergency & Important Phrases
Know these words in case you need help.
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Ayuda | Help | "¡Necesito ayuda!" (I need help!) |
| Policía | Police | "Llama a la policía." (Call the police.) |
| Doctor | Doctor | "Necesito un doctor." (I need a doctor.) |
| Hospital | Hospital | "¿Dónde está el hospital?" (Where is the hospital?) |
| Dinero | Money | "No tengo dinero." (I don't have money.) |
| Pasaporte | Passport | "¿Dónde está mi pasaporte?" (Where is my passport?) |
| Peligro | Danger | "¡Peligro!" (Danger!) |
| Fuego | Fire | "¡Hay fuego!" (There's a fire!) |
Common Nouns & Objects
Words for everyday objects you'll encounter.
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Casa | House | "Mi casa es grande." (My house is big.) |
| Puerta | Door | "Abre la puerta." (Open the door.) |
| Ventana | Window | "La ventana está abierta." (The window is open.) |
| Cama | Bed | "La cama es cómoda." (The bed is comfortable.) |
| Mesa | Table | "La mesa está en la cocina." (The table is in the kitchen.) |
| Silla | Chair | "Siéntate en la silla." (Sit in the chair.) |
| Libro | Book | "Estoy leyendo un libro." (I'm reading a book.) |
| Teléfono | Phone | "Mi teléfono está aquí." (My phone is here.) |
| Ropa | Clothes | "La ropa está sucia." (The clothes are dirty.) |
| Zapatos | Shoes | "Mis zapatos son nuevos." (My shoes are new.) |
Time & Days
Essential for scheduling and planning.
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Día | Day | "Hoy es un buen día." (Today is a good day.) |
| Noche | Night | "La noche es oscura." (The night is dark.) |
| Mañana | Tomorrow | "Mañana es lunes." (Tomorrow is Monday.) |
| Ayer | Yesterday | "Ayer fue un día especial." (Yesterday was a special day.) |
| Hora | Hour | "¿Qué hora es?" (What time is it?) |
| Lunes | Monday | "El lunes trabajo." (I work on Monday.) |
| Martes | Tuesday | "El martes tengo una reunión." (I have a meeting on Tuesday.) |
| Miércoles | Wednesday | "El miércoles es mi día libre." (Wednesday is my day off.) |
| Jueves | Thursday | "El jueves voy al cine." (I go to the movies on Thursday.) |
| Viernes | Friday | "El viernes es mi día favorito." (Friday is my favorite day.) |
| Sábado | Saturday | "El sábado duermo hasta tarde." (I sleep in on Saturday.) |
| Domingo | Sunday | "El domingo voy a la iglesia." (I go to church on Sunday.) |
Adjectives & Descriptions
Words to describe people, things, and situations.
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Grande | Big | "La casa es grande." (The house is big.) |
| Pequeño | Small | "El gato es pequeño." (The cat is small.) |
| Bueno | Good | "Es un buen día." (It's a good day.) |
| Malo | Bad | "Fue un mal día." (It was a bad day.) |
| Nuevo | New | "Tengo un coche nuevo." (I have a new car.) |
| Viejo | Old | "La casa es vieja." (The house is old.) |
| Rápido | Fast | "El coche es muy rápido." (The car is very fast.) |
| Lento | Slow | "El autobús es lento." (The bus is slow.) |
| Fácil | Easy | "El español es fácil." (Spanish is easy.) |
| Difícil | Difficult | "La gramática es difícil." (Grammar is difficult.) |
| Hermoso | Beautiful | "El paisaje es hermoso." (The landscape is beautiful.) |
| Feo | Ugly | "No me gusta ese color, es feo." (I don't like that color, it's ugly.) |
| Caliente | Hot | "El café está caliente." (The coffee is hot.) |
| Frío | Cold | "El agua está fría." (The water is cold.) |
Common Verbs
For detailed conjugations of these verbs, see our essential verbs guide and conjugation guide.
| Spanish (Infinitive) | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Ser | To be (permanent) | "Yo soy ingeniero." (I am an engineer.) |
| Estar | To be (location) | "Estoy en la casa." (I am at home.) |
| Tener | To have | "Tengo un gato." (I have a cat.) |
| Ir | To go | "Voy al cine." (I go to the movies.) |
| Hacer | To do/make | "Hago la comida." (I make the food.) |
| Hablar | To speak | "Hablo español." (I speak Spanish.) |
| Comer | To eat | "Como pan todos los días." (I eat bread every day.) |
| Beber | To drink | "Bebo agua." (I drink water.) |
| Vivir | To live | "Vivo en Madrid." (I live in Madrid.) |
| Trabajar | To work | "Trabajo en una oficina." (I work in an office.) |
| Estudiar | To study | "Estudio español." (I study Spanish.) |
| Gustar | To like | "Me gusta el chocolate." (I like chocolate.) |
How to Learn These Words Effectively
1. Focus on categories. Learn words by theme (food, travel, greetings) rather than random words. Your brain remembers words better when they're grouped.
2. Use example sentences. Don't just memorize the word - learn it in context. The example sentences show you how to use each word in real conversations.
3. Speak out loud. Pronunciation matters. Say each word 5-10 times. Your mouth needs to learn the muscle movements.
4. Use spaced repetition. Review words multiple times over several days. Apps like Anki help with this automatically.
5. Use them in sentences. Don't just memorize isolated words. Create sentences using each word. This is how you'll actually use them in conversations.
Beginner Phrases to Learn Next
Once you've learned these vocabulary words, practice using them in real phrases:
- How to Say Hello in Spanish - Master greetings and variations
- How to Say Good Morning in Spanish - Learn time-specific greetings
- How to Say Goodbye in Spanish - Formal and informal farewells
Related Learning Resources
For more vocabulary and grammar resources:
- Spanish Numbers 1-100 Guide - Master numbers for prices, times, and dates
- Essential Spanish Verbs - Learn how to conjugate the most important verbs
- Present Tense Conjugation Guide - Learn verb patterns for AR/ER/IR verbs
- Complete Beginner Roadmap - Learn the 6-step system for fast progress
The Bottom Line
You don't need to memorize thousands of words to speak Spanish. Master these 200+ basic words, learn how to use them in sentences, and you'll be able to handle most beginner conversations. Focus on high-frequency words, use them in context, and practice daily. That's the formula for building a strong vocabulary foundation.
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