Do you want to speak Spanish but you’re a beginner? Don’t worry: you don’t have to struggle to learn a lot of new words. You can speak Spanish from day one by learning the basic Spanish words for beginners and combining them. How? Let’s break it down.
Basic Spanish words for beginners
Why learn the basic Spanish words?
What is the size of the Spanish vocabulary? We would not finish on time if we counted every word in the Spanish language! However, this does not imply that you must memorize a large number of new Spanish terms in order to learn Spanish.
The truth is that most Spanish do not use all of the words they know. Instead, they select from a “selected database“ of approximately 6500 words from which they compose 98% of their conversations. There are some keywords in this database that are used every day.
They are approximately 2000 words long. This means that if you want to speak Spanish, you can learn the fundamental words and then combine them to form simple Spanish phrases and express fundamental thoughts.
How to learn new easy Spanish words?
Learning new words in a foreign language always appears to be a challenge. You try to memorize the vocabulary, use flashcards, and jot down new words, but at the end of the day, you appear to have learned nothing.
How can this be avoided? How can you maximize your study time and learn more effectively? Here are some pointers on how to remember new words in a foreign language. Each session, learn a few words.
When approaching a new language, a common mistake that beginner language learners make is attempting to learn everything at once. They want to start speaking right away, so they try to learn as many words as possible. However, this strategy is ineffective: it strains the brain and may lead to discouragement.
Consider this: if you don’t get the desired results, you may conclude that you will never speak that language and abandon your studies. Learning a large number of new words at once can be counterproductive.
Try not to go overboard. It is far better to learn five or ten simple Spanish words at a time rather than trying to learn as many as possible.
Learn the words that interest you
Assume you have a strong interest in cooking. What could be more enjoyable than learning Spanish by reading food blogs, Spanish recipes, or food-related magazines? Try to incorporate your passion or interest into your studies. It will make your learning experience much more enjoyable and smooth!
You can read an article in Spanish about a subject of interest to you. Choose articles that are suitable for beginners and lack complex phrases or grammar patterns. Underline the words or sentences that you don’t understand. Make a note of them in a notebook.
Look up their definitions in a dictionary. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to remember new words if they are related to a topic you’re interested in.
Connect similar words
Let’s suppose you want to learn five words every day. Here’s a list of some common words and phrases:
- Hola = Hello
- Adiós = Goodbye
- ¿Quién? = Who?
- ¿Qué? = What?
- ¿Por qué? = Why?
- ¿Dónde? = Where?
Alternatively, you can choose to learn some words that are related to each other.
Basic Spanish words for beginners: resources
There is no one way to learn new words in Spanish: you can use whatever method works best for you. You can also combine various methods to structure your learning process. Make learning as easy, enjoyable, and engaging as possible.
Learning grammar patterns and memorizing new words or complex phrases is far more effective than stressing out. Let’s look at some resources for learning basic Spanish words.
Read some short stories in Spanish.
Conversations and short stories describe a common occurrence in your daily life. These can include going to the doctor, ordering food at a restaurant, booking a hotel room, shopping, and so on.
Choose simple dialogues with simple grammar and vocabulary if you want to learn Spanish words through conversations or short stories. More information about Spanish short stories for beginners can be found here.
Read the latest Spanish news.
Reading the news in Spanish is a good way to learn the language while staying up to date on what’s going on in Italy. It is also a way to learn more about Spanish culture by reading about cultural facts and curiosities.
ANSA, Internazionale, and Euronews are some websites where you can learn about the latest news in Spanish. Find additional websites where you can read the news in Spanish.
Listen to some Spanish music.
Music is enjoyable to listen to, and learning a language through music can be very engaging! It is much easier to remember new words when they are linked by a melody. If you enjoy music, you can try to understand the meaning of simple Spanish songs.
Read the lyrics, write them down if it helps you understand what they mean, and highlight the words you don’t understand. Discover more about Spanish songs.
50+ basic Spanish words for beginners
If you’re just starting out, make a list of the most commonly used Spanish words. You can organize the list and divide the words based on their context: food, travel, work, and so on. Put them in a notebook that you’ll keep with you. It may be useful when communicating with Spanish speakers.
- Me llamo – My name is
- Mi Nombre es – My name is
- Hola, soy Markus – Hi, I’m Markus
- ¿Cómo te llamas?- What is your name?
- (Yo) tengo … años – I am … years old.
- (Yo) soy de… – I come from…
- Buenos días – Good morning
- Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
- Buenas noches – Good evening / Good night
- ¿Cómo está usted? – How are you? (formal)
- ¿Cómo estás? – How are you? (informal)
- ¿Qué tal? – How are you? (informal) / What’s up?
- ¿Cómo te va? – How’s it going?
- ¿Qué haces? – What are you doing?
- ¿Qué pasa? – What’s happening?
- Bien, gracias – Good, thank you
- Muy bien – Very well
- Así, así – So, so
- Como siempre – As always
- ¿Y tú? – And you?¡Gracias! – Thank you!
- ¡Muchas gracias!- Thank you very much!
- ¡De nada!- You’re welcome! / No problem!
- Por favor -Please
- ¡Perdon! – Excuse me!
- ¡Disculpe! – Excuse me!
- ¡Lo siento!- Sorry!
- ¿Qué…? =What?
- ¿Quién…? – Who?
- ¿Cuándo…? – When?
- ¿Dónde…? – ¿Dónde…?
- ¿Por qué…? – Why?
- ¿Cuál? -Which?
- ¿Cómo…? – How?
- ¿Qué hora tienes? – What time is it?
- ¿De dónde viene? – Where are you from?
- ¿Dónde vives? – Where do you live?
- ¿Puede ayudarme? – Can you help me?
- ¿Podría ayudarle? – Can I help you?
- ¿Cuánto cuesta eso? – How much does it cost?
- ¿Entiende? – Do you understand?
- ¡Puede repetirlo!- Can you say that again?
- ¿Qué significa [word]? – What does [word] mean?
- ¿Puedes hablar más despacio? – Can you speak slowly?
- ¿Dónde puedo encontrar un taxi? – Where can I find a taxi?
- ¿Dónde está [hotel’s name] hotel? – Where is [hotel’s name] hotel?
- Sí – Yes
- No- No
- Tal vez – Maybe
- Claro – Of course
Spanish words put into practice
Learning a new language entails more than just memorizing new words. You must also practice those simple Spanish words, which means that speaking is an essential component of language learning.
Take the time to practice new words when you learn them. Speaking actively is one of the best ways to put what you’ve learned into practice. You can converse with a Spanish friend or imagine a short dialogue (or story), write it down, and read it aloud.
Taking a Spanish course for beginners can help you put the words you’ve learned into practice while also providing you with additional benefits:
- It gives you some guidelines about how to link the words you’ve learned;
- It helps you put the words into context;
- It makes you aware of the mistakes you are doing in writing or speaking and how to correct them;
- It helps you master pronunciation.
If you’re just starting out, make a list of the most commonly used Spanish words. You can organize the list and divide the words based on their context: food, travel, work, and so on. Put them in a notebook that you’ll keep with you. It may be useful when communicating with Spanish speakers.
