Have you decided to learn Spanish? Congratulations! It will be a very exciting and rewarding journey.

However, as you set out to learn this new language, you might not know where to begin. The sheer number of Spanish vocabulary words you have to learn can be overwhelming!

Keep in mind that you don’t need to rush into lessons that are above your level. It’s better to start from the basics and build a foundation that will help you reach your desired level of proficiency in Spanish!

To give you a boost, SpanishPod101 has compiled this guide to basic Spanish words for beginners. We’ve listed over 200 common Spanish words in different categories, providing additional information where necessary. 

Have fun!

You’re one step closer to your first conversation in Spanish!

Table of Contents

1. Pronouns
2. Articles
3. Numbers
4. Nouns
5. Verbs
6. Adjectives
7. Conjunctions
8. Prepositions
9. Final Thoughts

1. Pronouns

Pronouns are some of the most important basic Spanish words for beginners. You’ll use them often in regular conversations!

However, when you start learning Spanish, you might be overwhelmed by how complex the pronoun system is. Don’t worry! We’ll start with the basics.

1 – Personal Subject Pronouns

Personal subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence. You can use them to talk about a previously mentioned noun, whether it’s a person, an animal, or an object. In addition, you can use them to talk about yourself or to address other people.

• Yo hablo español. → “I speak Spanish.”
• Vosotros habláis inglés. → “You speak English.”

Person	Spanish	English
1st person sg.	yo	I
2nd person sg.	tú	you
3rd person sg.	él, ella	he, she
1st person pl.	nosotros	we
2nd person pl.	vosotros	you
3rd person pl.	ellos, ellas	they

You might be surprised to learn that most native speakers won’t use personal subject pronouns to begin a sentence. The subject is often omitted unless it’s not obvious who or what we’re talking about.

• Hablo español. → “(I) speak Spanish.”
• Habláis inglés. → “(You) speak English.”

Apart from subject pronouns, other personal pronouns include direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, and prepositional pronouns. In Spanish, personal pronouns change form depending on their function and position in the sentence. Want to learn more? Check out SpanishPod101’s lesson on personal pronouns.

2 – Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Spanish (such as ese, este, and aquel) are quite easy for English speakers to grasp, as they work similarly to their English equivalents. You can use them to identify a person, an animal, or a thing, as well as its distance from you. These are some of the basic beginner Spanish words you need to learn early on!

In English, there are only four demonstrative pronouns: this and that and their plural forms these and those. However, in Spanish, there are fifteen! Why is that?

First of all, Spanish demonstrative pronouns correspond to the three different adverbs used to express distance: aquí (“here”), allá (“there”), and ahí (expresses something between here and there).

• Este de aquí es mi perro. → “This is my dog.”
• Esos de ahí son mis amigos. → “Those are my friends.”
• Aquel de allá es mi coche. → “That is my school.”

The other main difference between Spanish and English demonstrative pronouns is the gender distinction, which applies to both singular and plural pronouns. Spanish has different forms for masculine, feminine, and neuter gender.

Person		Spanish			English
		aquí	ahí	allí	here	–	there
masculine	sg.	este	ese	aquel	this	–	that
	pl.	estos	esos	aquellos	these	–	those
feminine	sg.	esta	esa	aquella	this	–	that
	pl.	estas	esas	aquellas	these	–	those
neuter		esto	eso	aquello	this	–	that

3 – Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are crucial in any language, making them some of the most important Spanish words for beginners to learn. Asking is the best way to learn, after all!

And here’s some good news: They’re very easy for English speakers to learn, as they work just like their English equivalents! 

• Qué → “What”
  ¿Qué quieres comer? → “What do you want to eat?”

• Cuál → “Which”
  ¿Cuál de ellos es tu hijo? → “Which one is your son?”

• Por qué → “Why”
  ¿Por qué dejaste tu trabajo? → “Why did you quit your job?”

• Quién → “Who”
  ¿Quién vas a invitar a tu cumpleaños? → “Who will you invite to your birthday?”

• Dónde → “Where”
  ¿Dónde vas a ir de vacaciones? → “Where will you go on your vacation?”

• Cuánto → “How much”
  ¿Cuánto pagaste por esta chaqueta? → “How much did you pay for this jacket?”

• Cuántos / Cuántas → “How many”
  ¿Cuántos días te vas a quedar? → “How many days will you stay?”
  ¿Cuántas manzanas quieres comprar? → “How many apples do you want to buy?”

• Cuándo → “When”
  ¿Cuándo vas a tener el bebé? → “When will you have the baby?”

Of course, it will be helpful to learn a few full questions by heart if you’re planning to visit Spain or have a conversation with a Spanish speaker. Fortunately, SpanishPod101 always has your back! Check out the Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations.

¿Cuándo vas a tener el bebé? (“When will you have the baby?”)

2. Articles

One of the most characteristic aspects of the Spanish language is its articles. Studying these basic Spanish words for beginners is key to starting your learning journey off on the right foot.

Articles accompany nouns and can be definite (like the English word “the”) or indefinite (like the English words “a” and “an”).

• El vaso → “The glass”
• Un vaso → “A glass”

In Spanish, however, they also indicate gender and number. This is why there are more articles to learn than there are in English. 

Person		Definite article	Indefinite article
masculine	sg.	el	un
	pl.	los	unos
feminine	sg.	la	una
	pl.	los	unas

→ Struggling with the Spanish gender rules? Thanks to our lesson Using the Right Gender and Number of Spanish Nouns, understanding the basics has never been easier!

There is also the neuter article lo, which goes before adjectives, participles, and ordinal numbers that are not followed by a noun.

• Lo mejor → “The best”
• Lo hablado → “What was said”
• Lo primero → “The first”

3. Numbers

When you start learning a language, you definitely have to learn how to count in it!

Let’s see the cardinal Spanish numbers from one to ten:

• Uno → “One”
• Dos → “Two”
• Tres → “Three”
• Cuatro → “Four”
• Cinco → “Five”
• Seis → “Six”
• Siete → “Seven”
• Ocho → “Eight”
• Nueve → “Nine”
• Diez → “Ten”

And here are the ordinal Spanish numbers from one to ten:

• Primero → “First”
• Segundo → “Second”
• Tercero → “Third”
• Cuarto → “Fourth”
• Quinto → “Fifth”
• Sexto → “Sixth”
• Séptimo → “Seventh”
• Octavo → “Eighth”
• Noveno → “Ninth”
• Décimo → “Tenth”

Once you’ve mastered counting from one to ten, check out SpanishPod101’s lessons on numbers to learn how to count to infinity!

4. Nouns

Nouns identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Spanish nouns can be singular or plural, and each one has a grammatical gender. 

Below is a list of nouns you can use in your daily life, whether your back hurts, you’re looking for the post office, or you’re preparing a tasty meal. These basic beginner Spanish words can help you communicate general ideas even before you learn how to form sentences, so remember as many as you can!

→ Don’t forget to check out our article The 100 Most Common Spanish Nouns, where you’ll learn how to use singular, plural, and different-gendered nouns! 

1 – Body Parts

cuerpo

body

cabeza

head

cara

face

ojos

eyes

nariz

nose

boca

mouth

orejas

ears

pelo

hair

mejillas

cheeks

cuello

neck

nuca	back of the neck

hombros

shoulders

brazos

arms

manos

hands

Dedos

fingers

uñas

nails

pecho / pechos	chest / breasts
These are some tricky words! Pechos is plural for pecho (“chest”), but it actually refers to “breasts.”

barriga

belly

espalda

back

cadera

hip

muslos

thigh

piernas

legs

pies

feet

2 – Family

familia

family

madre (Mamá)

mother (Mom)

padre (Papá)

father (Dad)

hijo / hija

son / daughter

hermano / hermana

brother / sister

abuelo / abuela

grandfather / grandmother

tío / tía

uncle / aunt

sobrino / sobrina

nephew / niece

primo / prima

cousin

¡Una familia unida! (“A united family!”)

3 – Occupations

maestro / maestra

teacher

profesor / profesora

professor

policía

policeman / policewoman

médico / doctor / doctora	doctor
In Spanish, médico and doctor are used often equally. However, the phrase “to go to the doctor” is often said as “ir al médico” and, when you address the doctor directly you’ll refer to him or her as “doctor” or “doctora“, sometimes followed by his or her surname. ¿Es grave, doctora García? → “Is it serious, doctor García?”

enfermero / enfermera

nurse

abogado / abogada

lawyer

cocinero / cocinera

cook

camarero / camarera

waiter / waitress

empresario / empresaria

businessman / businesswoman

oficinista

office worker

4 – Places Around Town

hospital

hospital

mercado / supermercado

market / supermarket

escuela

school

museo

museum

oficina de correos

post office

universidad

university

comisaría

police station

estación de tren

train station

aeropuerto

airport

centro (de la ciudad)	city center / downtown
In Spanish cities and towns, it’s common to refer to the old and central areas as el centro. It’s usually where there are the most tourist attractions and where rent is most expensive. La estación del tren está en el centro. → “The train station is in the city center.”

afueras (de la ciudad)	outskirts
Contrary to the concept of el centro, there is the concept of las afueras, which refers to the areas of a town or city that are farther away from the urban core. El aeropuerto está en las afueras. → “The airport is in the city’s outskirts.”

5 – School and Office Essentials

lápiz

pencil

rotulador

marker

bolígrafo	pen
You’ll rarely hear a student say the word bolígrafo. The diminutive boli is much more commonly used.

ordenador

computer

(ordenador) portátil	laptop
To say “the laptop,” most Spanish speakers will say el portátil, but some may say ordenador too. Nowadays, laptops are more popular than traditional computers, so some people specify ordenador de sobremesa (literally, “on-desk computer”). Prefiero usar el portátil en lugar del ordenador de sobremesa. → “I prefer using the laptop instead of the computer.”

libreta

notebook

folio

piece of paper

carpeta

folder

goma de borrar

eraser

marcador

highlighter

clip

paperclip

pizarra

blackboard / whiteboard / chalkboard / greenboard

pupitre	desk
This word is used to talk specifically about school desks.

mochila

backpack

Lista para la escuela (“Ready for school”)

6 – Food

verduras

vegetables

tomate

tomato

lechuga

lettuce

pimiento

pepper

berenjena

eggplant

patata

potato

alcachofa

artichoke

fruta

fruit

manzana

apple

pera

pear

plátano

banana

cerezas

cherries

sandía

watermelon

melón

melon

carne

meat

pescado

fish

leche

milk

queso

cheese

huevos

eggs

harina

flour

sal

salt

azúcar

sugar

aceite

oil

mantequilla

butter

→ If you want to expand your vocabulary with even more essential nouns, you can start by reading SpanishPod101’s article on untranslatable Spanish words! 

5. Verbs

Verbs are some of the most common and basic beginner Spanish words. Why is that? Because verbs are used to describe every action in our lives! 

Here’s a list with over 50 verbs that will prove useful when you’re starting to speak Spanish. Did you know that in Spanish there are four different verbs that mean “to eat”? Keep reading! 

→ At SpanishPod101.com, you can find free vocabulary lists to keep on learning!

1 – Basic Auxiliary Verbs

haber

to have

ser

to be

estar

to be

The verbs ser and estar both translate to the English verb “to be,” but they serve different functions. 

Ser is used for permanent or lasting attributes, occupations, characteristics, origins, and relationships. It’s also used to give the time. 

• Marta es una buena persona. → “Marta is a good person.”
• Son las dos de la tarde. → “It is two in the afternoon.”

On the other hand, estar is used for positions, locations, actions, conditions, and emotions:

• La ciudad de Moscú está en Rusia. → “The city of Moscow is in Russia.”
• Estoy haciendo la compra. → “I’m doing the grocery shopping.”

These auxiliary verbs are some of the most important Spanish words for beginners to learn. They’re used with main verbs to express the tense or to explain the way in which the verb is understood.

• He fregado los platos. → “I’m doing the dishes.”
• Estoy haciendo la compra. → “I’m doing the shopping.”
• La presidenta fue elegida por sus conciudadanos. → “The president was chosen by her fellow citizens.”

2 – Most Common Verbs

tener	to have
Don’t mix up tener with haber! Tener means “to have” in the sense of “to possess.”

hacer

to do / to make

poder

can

decir

to say

ir

to go

3 – The Five Senses

ver / mirar

to see / to watch

escuchar / oir

to hear / to listen

oler

to smell

degustar

to taste

tocar

to touch

¿Qué ven esos ojos? (“What do those eyes see?”)

4 – Basic Actions

caminar

to walk

correr

to run

hablar

to talk

decir

to say

contar

to tell

llamar

to call

escribir

to write

leer

to read

dar

to give

venir

to come

llegar

to arrive

marcharse

to leave

poner

to put

dejar	to leave / to put
Dejar is used in the sense of “leaving something” in a specific place.

quitar

to remove

5 – Thoughts and Feelings

saber

to know

conocer

to know

Both conocer and saber translate to the English verb “to know.” However, they’re used in very different situations. Saber is used when the speaker knows a fact, piece of information, or how to do something. Conocer, on the other hand, is used when the speaker knows a person, place, or thing. Sé cocinar una paella riquísima. → “I know how to cook very good paella.” ¿María? No la conozco. → “María? I don’t know her.”

sentir

to feel

querer / amar

to love

recordar

to remember

añorar

to miss

necesitar

to need

soñar

to dream

sufrir

to suffer

llorar

to cry

reir

to laugh

6 – Daily Routine

despertarse

to wake up

levantarse

to get up

ducharse

to shower

desayunar

to eat breakfast

almorzar

to eat lunch or second breakfast

comer

to eat (lunch)

cenar

to eat dinner

Spanish speakers use different verbs meaning “to eat,” depending on the meal they’re having. The first meal of the day is desayuno, so the verb is always desayunar. Almorzar means “to eat lunch,” but most people nowadays use it to talk about a second meal you have between breakfast and lunch (could be the Spanish equivalent to “brunch”). Comer is the generic word for eating whatever and whenever, but if you say voy a comer you mean “I’m going to have lunch.” Lastly, the final meal of the day is la cena; when you eat dinner, you’ll say cenar.

beber

to drink

trabajar

to work

estudiar

to study

conducir

to drive

dormir

to sleep

7 – Life and Death

nacer

to be born

vivir

to live

respirar

to breathe

crecer

to grow (up)

morir

to die

→ Learning the Spanish verb tenses can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, SpanishPod101 will help you master this subject in our Spanish Verb Conjugation Series.

¡Vivir es nacer a cada instante! -Erich Fromm (“To live is to be born every second!” -Erich Fromm)

6. Adjectives

Our next set of Spanish beginner words are adjectives. These colorful words can help you describe the world around you and strengthen the impact of your speaking or writing. 

Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. In this table, you’ll find both genders in the format [ Masculine / Feminine ]. If you see only one, it means the masculine and feminine forms are identical.

Plurals, on the other hand, are rather predictable and follow the general rules of Spanish plural formation.

→ You might want to check out a more detailed article on Spanish adjectives for more grammar information and examples.

1 – Describing Objects

The following adjectives can be used to describe the physical attributes or aspects of objects, and are sometimes used to describe people and animals too. 

grande

big

pequeño / pequeña

small / little

largo / larga

long

pesado / pesada	heavy
Beware! Most of the time, when people use pesado or pesada to describe a person, they’re using it as an insult to call them “tiresome” or “annoying.”

ligero / ligera

light

2 – Describing People

These adjectives, on the other hand, are mostly used to describe people. They can also describe animals where applicable. 

guapo / guapa

beautiful / pretty / handsome

atractivo / atractiva

attractive

alto / alta

tall

bajo / baja

short

delgado / delgada

thin

gordo / gorda

fat

joven

young

viejo / vieja

old

rubio / rubia

blond

moreno / morena

dark (skinned or haired)

pelirrojo / pelirroja

red-haired

3 – Describing Emotions

contento / contenta

happy / pleased

feliz

happy

emocionado / emocionada

excited / emotional

ilusionado / ilusionada

hopeful / excited

triste

sad

desanimado / desanimada

disheartened

deprimido / deprimida

depressed

ansioso / ansiosa

anxious / eager

aburrido / aburrida

bored

avergonzado / avergonzada

embarrassed / ashamed

4 – Describing Weather

lluvioso

rainy

nublado

cloudy

ventoso

windy

soleado

sunny

7. Conjunctions

You can use conjunctions to connect words, clauses, and sentences. 

• y → “and”
  El perro y el gato → “The dog and the cat”

• ni → “nor”
  Ni el perro ni el gato → “Not the dog nor the cat”

• pero → “but”
  Quiero ir pero tengo que estudiar. → “I want to go but I have to study.”

• porque → “because”
  Me marcho porque estoy cansado. → “I’m leaving because I’m tired.”
  
  Many people, even native Spanish speakers, mix up porque and por qué when they write, but they mean very different things! While porque means “because,” por qué means “why.”

• como → “like” / “as”
  Pelean como el perro y el gato. → “They fight like dogs and cats.”

• ya que → “because” / “since”
  Dejó los estudios ya que encontró un trabajo. → “She quit her degree because she got a job.”

• que → “that” / “who”
  Mi madre es la persona que más me quiere. → “My mother is the person who loves me the most.”

Check out SpanishPod101’s lesson Spanish Conjunctions: But You Won’t Have Time! to learn about different types of conjunctions.

El perro y el gato (“The dog and the cat”)

8. Prepositions

• a → “to”
  Me voy a dormir. → “I’m going to sleep.”

• de → “from” / “of”
  Recibí una carta de mi abuelo. → “I received a letter from my grandad.”

• en → “in”
  Pon la ropa en la lavadora. → “Put the clothes in the washing machine.”

• con → “with”
  Han venido con sus amigos. → “They have come with their friends.”

• por → “by” / “for”
  Este pastel está hecho por él mismo. → “This cake was made by himself.”

• sin → “without”
  He venido sin abrigo. → “I came without a coat.”

• para → “for”
  Mi sobrina dibujó esto para mí. → “My niece drew this for me.”

Mi sobrina dibujó esto para mí. (“My niece drew this for me.”)

9. Final Thoughts

In this guide to basic Spanish words for beginners, you’ve learned more than 200 of the most common Spanish words. These will prove useful as you get ready to handle your first conversations in Spanish! 

How many of these words did you know already? Were any of them new to you? We look forward to hearing your thoughts! 

If you want to take your Spanish learning journey further, don’t forget to check out SpanishPod101. We have plenty of free vocabulary lists to help you expand your Spanish vocabulary, as well as useful lessons ranging from Beginner Level to Advanced. 

Enjoy the ride!