Essential Spanish Vocabulary and Phrases Every Beginner Should Know

Getting Started with Essential Spanish

When you begin learning Spanish, the fastest way to feel confident is to focus on high‑frequency words and phrases you can use every day. This guide gives you essential Spanish vocabulary with clear English translations and practical examples, so you can start speaking immediately.

1. Basic Greetings and Introductions

Common Greetings

These are the phrases you will use every single day.

Hola – Hello
Example: Hola, ¿cómo estás? – Hello, how are you?
Buenos días – Good morning
Example: Buenos días, señora. – Good morning, ma’am.
Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
Buenas noches – Good evening / Good night

Introducing Yourself

Me llamo... – My name is...
Example: Me llamo Ana. – My name is Ana.
Mi nombre es... – My name is...
Soy de... – I am from...
Example: Soy de Estados Unidos. – I am from the United States.
Tengo ... años – I am ... years old
Example: Tengo 20 años. – I am 20 years old.

Asking Someone’s Name and Origin

¿Cómo te llamas? – What is your name? (informal)
¿Cómo se llama? – What is your name? (formal)
¿De dónde eres? – Where are you from? (informal)
¿De dónde es? – Where are you from? (formal)

2. Polite Expressions and Social Basics

Being Polite

Por favor – Please
Gracias – Thank you
Muchas gracias – Thank you very much
De nada – You’re welcome
Perdón – Excuse me / Pardon (to get attention or after a small mistake)
Disculpe – Excuse me (more formal; to interrupt or ask something)
Lo siento – I’m sorry

Basic Social Phrases

¿Cómo estás? – How are you? (informal)
¿Cómo está? – How are you? (formal)
Estoy bien. – I’m fine.
Estoy cansado / cansada. – I’m tired. (masc. / fem.)
Estoy feliz. – I’m happy.
¿Y tú? – And you? (informal)
¿Y usted? – And you? (formal)
Mucho gusto. – Nice to meet you.
Igualmente. – Likewise / Nice to meet you, too.

3. Essential Verbs for Everyday Use

Learning a few key verbs lets you build many simple sentences.

Key Verbs

ser – to be (permanent characteristics, identity)
estar – to be (temporary states, locations)
tener – to have
querer – to want / to love
ir – to go
hacer – to do / to make
poder – can / to be able to

Useful Present-Tense Phrases

Yo soy estudiante. – I am a student.
Yo estoy en casa. – I am at home.
Tengo hambre. – I am hungry.
Tengo sed. – I am thirsty.
Quiero café. – I want coffee.
Quiero aprender español. – I want to learn Spanish.
Voy al trabajo. – I am going to work.
No puedo hablar muy bien. – I cannot speak very well.

4. Numbers, Days, and Time Basics

Numbers 0–10

cero – zero
uno – one
dos – two
tres – three
cuatro – four
cinco – five
seis – six
siete – seven
ocho – eight
nueve – nine
diez – ten

Days of the Week

lunes – Monday
martes – Tuesday
miércoles – Wednesday
jueves – Thursday
viernes – Friday
sábado – Saturday
domingo – Sunday

Time Expressions

hoy – today
mañana – tomorrow
ayer – yesterday
ahora – now
más tarde – later
pronto – soon

Example sentences:

Hoy es lunes. – Today is Monday.
Nos vemos mañana. – See you tomorrow.
Vuelvo más tarde. – I will come back later.

5. Survival Phrases for Travel and Daily Life

Asking for Help and Information

¿Hablas inglés? – Do you speak English? (informal)
¿Habla inglés? – Do you speak English? (formal)
No entiendo. – I don’t understand.
Más despacio, por favor. – Slower, please.
¿Puedes repetir? – Can you repeat? (informal)
¿Puede repetir? – Can you repeat? (formal)
Necesito ayuda. – I need help.

Directions and Places

¿Dónde está el baño? – Where is the bathroom?
¿Dónde está la estación? – Where is the station?
aquí – here
allí – there
a la derecha – to the right
a la izquierda – to the left
recto – straight

Example: Disculpe, ¿dónde está el baño? – Excuse me, where is the bathroom?

In Restaurants and Cafés

Quisiera... – I would like...
Para mí... – For me...
La cuenta, por favor. – The bill, please.
agua – water
café – coffee
cerveza – beer
vino – wine
desayuno – breakfast
almuerzo / comida – lunch
cena – dinner

Example sentences:

Quisiera un café, por favor. – I would like a coffee, please.
La cuenta, por favor. – The bill, please.

6. Everyday Objects and Useful Nouns

Common Places

la casa – house / home
el trabajo – work / job
la escuela – school
el supermercado – supermarket
el banco – bank
el hospital – hospital

Basic Objects

el teléfono – phone
la llave – key
el dinero – money
la tarjeta – card
la mochila – backpack
el pasaporte – passport

Example: Mi pasaporte está en la mochila. – My passport is in the backpack.

7. Describing People and Things

Common Adjectives

Remember: in Spanish, adjectives usually come after the noun and must agree in gender and number.

grande – big
pequeño / pequeña – small (masc. / fem.)
bonito / bonita – pretty / nice
caro / cara – expensive
barato / barata – cheap
nuevo / nueva – new
viejo / vieja – old

Example sentences:

Es una casa grande. – It is a big house.
El libro es caro. – The book is expensive.
La comida está muy buena. – The food is very good.

8. Building Your Own Simple Sentences

With the vocabulary above, you can already create many useful sentences. Use this simple pattern:

Subject (who?) – Yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros...
Verb (do what?) – soy, estoy, tengo, quiero, voy...
Extra information (what, where, when?) – nouns, adjectives, time words, places

Examples:

Yo soy estudiante de español. – I am a Spanish student.
Estoy en el supermercado ahora. – I am in the supermarket now.
Quiero agua, por favor. – I want water, please.
Voy a la casa de mi amigo. – I am going to my friend’s house.

Next Steps

To remember these essential Spanish words and phrases, repeat them out loud, write your own example sentences, and try to use them in real conversations. Focus on the phrases you personally need most (for work, travel, or daily life), and gradually add more vocabulary around those situations.

With these basics, you already have a strong foundation to understand and communicate in many everyday contexts in Spanish.