Do you want to visit Spain or a Spanish-speaking country and need to figure out where to start learning the language? Learn the fundamental words you need to know in Spanish and discover the gems Spain has for you. This guide is designed for the adventurous who want to embark on an exciting journey of learning the Spanish language. Learn the fundamental vocabulary and familiarize yourself with the most straightforward grammatical structures.
🫱🏽🫲🏻 Common Spanish Greetings and Expressions
We couldn't just give you people phrases in Spanish without introducing you to a few phrases to break the ice. In any Spanish class for beginners, you will always learn the phrases to greet and introduce yourself to people. More than just the crucial questions and words, the ability to greet someone correctly in Spanish allows you to start conversations and make friends easily. Let's look at some of them below:
👋 Greetings in Spanish
- Buenos días (Good morning)
- Buenas tardes (Good afternoon)
- Buenas noches (Good evening / Good night)
- ¿Cómo estás? - informal (How are you?)
- ¿Cómo está? - formal (How are you?)
- ¿Qué tal? - informal (What's up?)
👋 How to say Goodbye
- Goodbye (Adiós)
- See you soon (Hasta pronto)
- See you later (Hasta luego)
- Have a good day (Que tengas buen día)
You will find that in most places, from 12:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., you can say "Good afternoon", and after 7:00 p.m., you can say "Good evening" or "Good night". To better guide you and help you understand this difference, we've provided the following equivalencies:
🇨🇦 English
- in the morning
- in the afternoon
- at night
- at noon
- at midnight
🇪🇸 Spanish
- de la mañana
- de la tarde
- de la noche
- al mediodía
- a medianoche
🙋🏻♀️ How to introduce yourself in Spanish
- Hola, me llamo Maria. (Hello, my name is Maria.)
- Yo vivo en Toronto en Canadá. (I live in Toronto, Canada.)
- Es la primera vez que visito España. (This is the first time I visit Spain.)
- Hola, encantado de conocerle. (Hi, nice to meet you.)
- Mi viaje va a durar dos semanas. (My trip will last two weeks.).
🙏🏻 Polite expressions
- "Por favor" (Please)
- "Gracias" (Thank you)
- “Con permiso”, “Disculpe”, “Perdón” (Excuse me)
- “¿Puedo…?” (Can I…?)
- “¿Podrías…? (Could you…?)
- "De nada" (You're welcome)
In English, there's only "You", but the first thing you should do when addressing someone in Spanish is assess the context to know if you need to use "Tu" or "Usted. "Tu" is used for family members, friends, or children, although you'll also hear it with a work colleague or classmates in an informal setting. "Usted," on the other hand, is used for older people, when you want to express respect or formality, with someone you've just met, or with colleagues in a formal situation.
📍 Essential Spanish Verbs
The foundation of Spanish lies in the verbs "ser" and "estar", which can be a bit tricky since English only has "To be" with that meaning. And you should be prepared, because a similar situation will arise when you have to learn that "for" in Spanish can be "por" or "para", and "hacer" can be "to do" or "to make".
The following table shows examples of when to use each verb; with practice, you will gradually be able to identify which situations require each one.
| Verb | Example (Spanish / English) | Why to chose "ser" or "estar"? |
|---|---|---|
| Ser | "Yo soy estudiante" / I am a student | Ser is used for identity or profession (something permanent). |
| Ser | "Ella es alta" / She is tall | Ser describes a permanent physical characteristic. |
| Ser | "Somos de Canadá" / We are from Canada | Ser is used for origin or where someone is from. |
| Ser | "Hoy es lunes" / Today is Monday | Ser is used for dates and days of the week. |
| Ser | "El perro es negro" / The dog is black | Ser describes permanent characteristics like color. |
| Estar | "Estoy cansado" / I am tired | Estar is used for temporary states or feelings. |
| Estar | "Ella está feliz" / She is happy | Estar describes emotions or moods (they can change). |
| Estar | "Estamos en casa" / We are at home | Estar is used for location (where someone or something is). |
| Estar | "El café está caliente" / The coffee is hot. | Estar describes a temporary condition. |
| Estar | "Los libros están en la mesa" / The books are on the table. | Estar is used for physical location. |
Now, let's say you want to talk about what you study, what you're going to study next year, where you work, or where you'll go on your next vacation. For that, you need the following verbs.
🛁 Common Spanish Nouns
In Spanish, nouns can be masculine or feminine, which immediately adds a new challenge, but it's much easier to learn them than you might think (the same applies to articles and plurals). A simple way to start learning is to remember that most nouns ending in "o" are masculine, and those ending in "a" are feminine. These will be extremely useful for you to start putting together basic phrases while travelling or if you're at the beginning of your language journey.
📍 Places
- House - Casa
- School - Escuela
- Hospital - Hospital
- City - Ciudad
- Country -País
- Park - Parque
- Restaurant Restaurante
- Store - Tienda
- Work or Job -Trabajo
- Bank - Banco
👯♀️ People
- Friend - Amigo
- Family - Familia
- Mother - Madre
- Father - Padre
- Brother - Hermano
- Sister - Hermana
- Teacher - Profesor
- Student - Estudiante
- Child - Niño
- Woman - Mujer
⏰ Time
- Today - Hoy
- Tomorrow / Morning - Mañana
- Yesterday - Ayer
- Day - Día
- Night - Noche
- Week - Semana
- Month - Mes
- Here - Aquí
- There - Ahí
🪑 Objects
- Book - Libro
- Table - Mesa
- Chair - Silla
- Phone - Teléfono
- Backpack - Mochila
- Notebook - Cuaderno
- Cutlery - Cubiertos
- Key - Llave
- Door - Puerta
- Clock - Reloj
🏠 House
- Kitchen - Cocina
- Bathroom - Baño
- Bedroom - Dormitorio
- Living room - Salón
- Dining room - Comedor
- Bed - Cama
- Sofa - Sofá
- Window - Ventana
- Wall - Pared
- Floor - Piso
✈️ Travelling
- Hospital - Hospital
- Bus - Bus or Autobus
- Toilet - Lavabos or Servicios
- Doctor - Doctor
- Computer - Ordenador
- Hotel - Hotel
- Emergency - Emergencia or urgencia
- Luggage - Equipaje or maletas
- Seat - Asiento
✍🏻 Frequently Used Spanish Adjectives
As in English, adjectives are the complement to describe or give information about a noun. You can start by learning those essential Spanish words that provide detailed descriptions of the simplest actions or qualities of an object. Some good examples to begin with:
✅ good - bueno
👎🏻 bad - malo
⬆️Size:
big - grande, small - pequeño, medium - mediano
🔟 Quantity:
many (mucho), few (poco)
🙋🏻♀️ Opinions
interesting (interesante), genial (great)
While learning, you'll quickly see that there are a few - but meaningful - differences between how adjectives are used in English and Spanish.
- First, the order. In English, adjectives almost always come before the noun "a big house", while in Spanish, they usually come after: "una casa grande" (a big house). In some cases, you'll also notice that the adjectives are used before the noun; we'll see the exact case later.
- The second difference with adjectives in Spanish is the agreement. In English, they don't change. Whether you have one big house or two big houses, the adjective is the same. In Spanish, on the other hand, adjectives must agree with the noun in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural).
Now, let's focus on the most used adjectives in Spanish. We're giving you two essential tips to keep in mind: Spanish adjectives usually go after the noun and must agree in gender and number.
- "Bueno" becomes "buen" before a masculine singular noun: "un buen amigo".
- “Malo” = “mal” before a masculine singular noun, a perfect example being: “un mal profesor”.
| English adjective | Spanish (masculine singular) | Spanish (feminine singular) | Spanish (plural) |
|---|---|---|---|
| good | bueno / buen* | buena | buenos / buenas |
| bad | malo / mal* | mala | malos / malas |
| big | grande / gran* | grande | grandes |
| small | pequeño | pequeña | pequeños / pequeñas |
♾️ Essential Spanish Adverbs and Prepositions
Spanish Adverbs
The good news is that adverbs in Spanish don’t change. They do not agree with gender or number. Adverbs are usually placed after the verbs and before the adjectives/adverbs they modify.
That can be a tricky one, unless you keep this rule in mind: “muy” is used before adjectives/adverbs, and “mucho” with nouns, “muy lento” (very slow) and “mucho viento” (a lot of wind).
Spanish Prepositions
Prepositions are used to express location, position, or means of transport. Without further ado, let’s dig into the most used prepositions in Spanish and see how to use them in common phrases for your first trip to Spain.
- “En” (in/by/at): While English has many prepositions, Spanish keeps it simple with “en”. It’s so much easier when things are simple:
- “Vivo en Valencia” (I live in Valencia)
- “Voy en bus” (I go by bus)
- “Estoy en casa” (I’m at home).
- “A” (to/at): Shows direction and movement “voy a Madrid” (I go to Madrid), “vuelvo a las cinco” (I’ll be back at five). In Spanish, “a” is also used before a specific person: “Voy a ver a Jade” (I’m going to see Jade).
- “Con” (with): This preposition is often used to express company “vivo con mi novio” (I live with my boyfriend), using an object “escribo con un bolígrafo” (I write with a pen). Sometimes it’s used to introduce warnings: “Va con cuidado” (Go with care/Take care).
| English meaning | Spanish preposition | Main uses | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| in/on/at | en | location, position, transport | Estoy en la oficina (I'm at the office) |
| to/at | a | direction, time, personal “a” | Voy a Sevilla. (I'm going to Sevilla) |
| with | con | company, instrument, manner | Vivo con amigos. (I live with friends) |
One complicated case if you're beginning your language journey is the case of “Por” and “para”.
It's a tricky one, especially if you’re not really familiar with the particular cases these two prepositions are used in. In English, the usual translation is “for”; in Spanish, you need to choose carefully.
“Por” is used for cause, reason, duration, movement through a place: “gracias por la ayuda” (thanks for the help), “caminamos por el parque” (we walk through the park). In the case of “Para” is used for purpose, destination, deadline, or recipient. “Este coche es para ti” (This car is for you), “la tarea es para mañana”(the homework is for tomorrow).
💯 Spanish Numbers and Time Expressions
The good news for Canadians learning Spanish is that numbers are very regular; they don’t change for gender or number. But (yes, there has to be one), there is an exception: “uno/un/una”. The form changes when it qualifies a noun “un hijo” (a son), una hija (a daughter).
Worry not, after one, the other numbers are simpler: “dos”, “tres”, “cuatro”, “cinco” (two, three, four, five), “veinte”, “treinta” (twenty, thirty), “ciento uno”, “ciento diez” (a hundred and one, a hundred and ten).
What about the basic time expressions in Spanish? As we've mentioned before the differences between “ser” and “estar,” it’s a good thing to keep in mind because in Spanish you’ll need the verb “ser” to tell time:
Of course, one of the keys before your visit to Spain to navigate everyday situations or communicating with locals is the correct use and pronunciation of the days and months in Spanish... To learn it quickly, we suggest this song, known throughout Spain and sung at regional festivals and even weddings; it will help with pronunciation, and you will soon learn how to say dates and months in Spanish.
🧑🧑🧒 Spanish Words for People
Mastering the Spanish language and any new language you want to learn is never be easy, especially when you have to try to converse with native Spanish speakers or, for example, ask for directions on how to get to a particular place while visiting Spain's top cities. For these reasons, understanding and using different words to refer to people in Spanish is very important to gain confidence and engage in practical conversations. Discover some words that involve people in Spanish when travelling.
- Hombre (Man)
- Mujer (Woman)
- Señor (Mr.)
- Señora (Mrs.)
- Amigo/Amiga (Friend)
People related Phrases in Spanish to Travel
In Spanish, expressions related to the human sphere during travel facilitate communication and reflect the hospitality and cultural exchange characteristic of encounters in new destinations. From asking for directions to striking up conversations with locals, these phrases are practical and enrich the travel experience.
🌞 Spanish Words for Weather
When preparing for a visit to Spain or improving your Spanish language skills, familiarizing yourself with words related to the weather can be beneficial. And even knowing how to deal with weather conditions that may impact your trip. Below, find weather-related words and meteorological expressions in Spanish:
| English | The weather in Spanish |
|---|---|
| The weather | El tiempo / el clima |
| The weather was nice | Hacía buen tiempo |
| The weather was bad | Hacía mal tiempo |
| It’s cloudy | Está nublado |
| It’s sunny | Está soleado |
| It’s windy | Hay mucho viento |
| It’s humid | Está húmedo |
| It’s dry | Está seco |
| The weather is cold | El clima está frío |
| It is very hot | Hace mucho calor |
| It’s raining | Llueve |
| It’s snowing | Nieva |
| There’s fog | Hay niebla |
| There’s a storm | Hay una tormenta |
Weather-Related Phrases in Spanish
In Spanish, climate and weather are fundamental, everyday topics of conversation. Weather-related expressions help us describe weather conditions, enrich our daily communication, and travel more relaxed and preparedly during the day.
- ¿Sabes qué tiempo hace? (Do you know what is the weather like?)
- ¿Cómo está el clima hoy? (How's the weather today?)
- ¿Tienes un paraguas? (Do you have an umbrella?)
- ¡Qué calor hace hoy! (It's so hot today!)
- ¡Qué frío hace hoy! (It's so cold today!)
- ¡Me encanta el sol! (I love the sun!)
- No me gusta la lluvia (I don't like the rain)
- El clima es perfecto para ir a la playa. (The weather is perfect for going to the beach.)
- El clima es ideal para caminar. (The weather is ideal for walking.)
- ¿Va a llover mañana? (Will it rain tomorrow?)
🚨 Common Spanish Words for Emergencies
Knowing a few Spanish words and phrases can make a big difference in emergencies. Besides knowing that the emergency number in Spain is 112, you must know how to describe the situation; it's crucial to communicate effectively in critical moments. Below, you'll find a list of common Spanish terms that will be useful in emergencies. Familiarize yourself with these words to be better prepared for any eventuality.
- Policía (Police)
- Doctor (Doctor)
- Hospital (Hospital)
- Ambulancia (Ambulance)
- Farmacia (Pharmacy)
- Ayuda (Help)
- Urgencia (Emergency)
- Alergia alimentaria (Food allergy)
- Dolor de cabeza (Headache)
- Pedir ayuda (Ask for help)
Summarize with AI:
Did you like this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
