Basic words in Spanish
305 words Spanish words on the topic “basic words”: sí — yes, no — no, bien — well, mal — badly. 305 words can be played from recordings.
305 words on the topic
- síyesSí with the accent mark means 'yes'; si without it means 'if'. Only the written stress separates them
- nonoOne word serves as both 'no' and as the verb negator: no entiendo means 'I don't understand'
- bienwellAn adverb — it answers 'how?'. The adjective 'good' is a different word, bueno
- malbadlyThe partner of bien, also an adverb. 'Bad' as in a bad thing or person is a different word, malo
- muy bienvery wellMuy means 'very' and always stands right before the word it strengthens
- más o menosso-soLiterally 'more or less'. The same phrase also means 'about': más o menos veinte — about twenty
- la mitadhalfHalf of some whole. Half a kilo is said differently: medio kilo
- otro másone moreLiterally another more. About a feminine thing: otra más
- suficienteenoughIt doesn't change for gender. In conversation people cut it shorter: ya está or basta
- en totalin totalThe till total: son doce euros en total. Merely, just only — that's a different word, solo
- másmoreMore and again. In comparisons it asks for que: más grande que — bigger than
- menoslessThe pair of más. Menos mal is a set phrase for thank goodness
- pesadoheavyFrom pesar, to weigh. About a person pesado means a bore, a pain
- ligerolight (not heavy)Light in weight. Light as in easy is fácil
- nuevonewSounded NOO-eh-voh — a cousin of English new. De nuevo means again
- viejooldThe j is a throaty h: VYEH-hoh
- rotobrokenThe participle of romper, to break, and it's irregular. Está roto — it's broken
- todo en ordenall in orderThe answer to the repairman or a neighbor: everything as it should be. Todo bien is about how you feel and how things go
- todo bieneverything's fineThe short answer to ¿qué tal? and to worried bystanders
- onceelevenEleven and twelve are their own words in Spanish, not 'ten and one': once, doce. Careful: this once has nothing to do with English once
- docetwelveA dozen is una docena — the same root: una docena de huevos, a dozen eggs
- trecethirteenThe unlucky date in Spain is not Friday the thirteenth but Tuesday: martes trece
- catorcefourteenYou can hear cuatro inside it, though it's spelled ca-, with no u
- quincefifteenthe qu is just a hard k: KEEN-seh
- dieciséissixteenFrom sixteen on, Spanish adds: diez y seis fused into one word. The accent on é is a leftover from the stress in seis
- diecisieteseventeenDiez plus siete in one word, and no accent mark needed — the stress already falls where the rules want it
- dieciochoeighteenThe age of majority in Spain: at a los dieciocho you get a driver's license and the vote
- diecinuevenineteenThe last compound number: after twenty the pattern changes again — veintiuno is fused, but thirty-one is already three words: treinta y uno
- veintetwentyFrom twenty-one through twenty-nine the numbers are written as one word: veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés — and only there
- treintathirtyFrom thirty on, tens join units with y: treinta y uno, treinta y dos — three words each
- cuarentafortyFrom cuatro, with the u kept and the o lost. La cuarentena — quarantine — is a forty-day isolation
- cincuentafiftyc before i is the soft th of Spain (plain s in Latin America): seen-KWEN-tah
- sesentasixtyFrom seis, but the i vanished: sesenta, not seisenta. Setenta does the same to siete
- setentaseventyFrom siete, which lost its i. Don't mix it up with sesenta — one letter separates them
- ochentaeightyFrom ocho. Los ochenta is the eighties, the decade
- noventaninetyFrom nueve, with the root regularized: nov-, as in noviembre
- cienone hundredExactly one hundred is cien; with anything added it becomes ciento: ciento uno, ciento veinte. From two hundred up the hundreds agree in gender: doscientas casas
- milone thousandNo article and no un: a thousand euros is mil euros. In the plural, miles de personas — thousands of people
- un millónone millionUnlike mil, it needs un and the preposition de before the thing counted: un millón de euros. The plural is dos millones
- cerozeroThe number and the score in a game: dos a cero. Bajo cero is below zero
- primerofirstBefore a masculine noun it drops the o: el primer día, but la primera vez. The same word already means 'first, at first' elsewhere in the course
- segundosecondThe same word is 'a second' of time: espera un segundo. This ordinal never shortens: el segundo día
- tercerothirdLike primero, it drops the o before a masculine noun: el tercer piso, but la tercera puerta
- últimolaststress on the first syllable: OOL-tee-moh
- cuántohow muchIn a question it carries the accent: ¿cuánto cuesta? Before a noun it agrees: ¿cuántos años?, ¿cuántas veces?
- el parpairA pair as in two of something: un par de zapatos, un par de días. A couple of people is another word, la pareja
- la unidaditem (per piece)On a price tag, dos euros la unidad is two euros apiece. In speech it's simpler: ¿cuántos quieres?
- el porcentajepercentageThe number itself is said differently: el veinte por ciento is twenty percent. El porcentaje is the share as a concept
- cadaeachInvariable for both gender and number: cada día, cada casa. Cada uno is 'each one' of a group of people
- quiénwhoThe qu is just a k, the u stays silent: KYEN
- por quéwhyTwo words and an accent make the question. The merged porque is already in the course and means because
- para quéwhat forPor qué asks about the cause, para qué about the purpose. The merged para que in the course means so that
- cuálwhichOne syllable: kwahl — the ua glides together
- de quiénwhoseThere is no standalone whose in Spanish: you ask whose is this — de quién es? Many owners: de quiénes son?
- nadieno oneAfter the verb it demands a second negative: no viene nadie. Before the verb it manages without: nadie viene
- algosomethingAbout a thing, not a person: something is algo, someone is alguien. The negative is nada
- ambosbothFor the feminine there is ambas. In conversation people usually just say los dos, las dos
- no séI don't knowFrom saber, to know. The accent separates sé (I know) from the unstressed se. No lo sé sounds a shade softer
- verto seeTo see with your eyes; to look on purpose is mirar. Irregular in the present: yo veo. Nos vemos — see you
- oírto hearTwo syllables, oh-EER: the accent splits the oi
- dormirto sleepThe stem's o turns to ue: duermo, duermes. Dormirse is to fall asleep
- llevarto carryThe ll sounds like y in yes: yeh-VAR
- ponerto putPut, place, set — one verb for all of it. Irregular: yo pongo. Poner la mesa already means to set the table in the course
- romperto breakIts participle is the irregular roto, already in the course as broken. Romperse — to break on its own
- construirto buildkohn-stroo-EER — stress at the end
- muchoa lotBefore a noun it agrees: muchos años, muchas veces. After a verb it stays put: trabaja mucho
- pocolittle (few)Careful: poco is little, but un poco is a little. One word of difference, the opposite mood
- blandosoftSoft to the press of a finger: a pillow, bread, cheese. Soft and smooth to the stroke is suave
- durohardThe pair of blando. About life and work the same word means tough: un día duro
- mojadowetThe j is a throaty h: moh-HAH-doh
- secodryThe pair of mojado. The same word about wine and climate: vino seco, clima seco
- finothinA thin layer, fabric, slice. About a thin person the course already has delgado — different words
- profundodeepAbout water, holes and sleep. About the sea in conversation people often say hondo
- redondoroundRound like a circle and like a ball. The circle itself is el círculo, the ball la bola
- adóndewhere toah-DON-deh — stress where the accent mark sits
- en todas parteseverywhereLiterally in all the places: there is no single word for it. Latin America says por todos lados
- en ninguna partenowhereDemands a second negative with the verb: no está en ninguna parte. Without the no the sentence collapses
- el riesgoriskCorrer un riesgo is to run a risk — literally. The verb arriesgar and its reflexive arriesgarse say the same. On a policy, a todo riesgo means fully comprehensive
- el plan Bthe backup planA living conversational formula: siempre hay que tener un plan B. More bookish is un plan alternativo, but hardly anyone says it
- el contratiemposetbackA small hitch that derails the plans — not a disaster and not grief: hemos tenido un contratiempo. A real misfortune is una desgracia, and a problem in general is un problema
- la causacauseSpanish splits this idea three ways. La causa is the objective cause, from a report: la causa del incendio. El motivo is what moved a person: el motivo del viaje. La razón is an argument in a dispute — and also being right: tienes razón
- el resultadoresultWorks in two frames: el resultado de algo and como resultado — as a result. Also a match score and a test result: los resultados del análisis
- por esothat's whyOpens the second half of the sentence, after a comma: Llovía, por eso no salimos. It links consequence, not cause: the cause stays on the left, the consequence follows on the right
- porqueasWritten as one word and stands only inside a sentence — you cannot start one with it, that is what como is for. Nearby live ¿por qué? (the question) and el porqué (the noun): three spellings, three jobs
- debido a esobecause of thatA bookish and neutral consequence link, fine for a letter or a complaint. When someone is to blame, they say por culpa de eso; when the cause is pleasant — gracias a eso
- depender deto depend onThe preposition de is obligatory: depende del tiempo, depende de ti. A bare depende is a full answer on its own — exactly like 'it depends'
- explicar el motivoto explain the reasonTo explain to someone is explicarle a alguien: the pronoun glues onto the infinitive. Explícame el motivo — explain the reason to me
- el objetivoobjectiveA goal as a task: nuestro objetivo es… La meta is the finish line, the end of the road; el fin is the high purpose behind it all (el fin justifica los medios). Objetivo is also a camera lens
- el sentidomeaningLives in three expressions worth learning whole: no tiene sentido — it makes no sense, en cierto sentido — in a sense, el sentido del humor — a sense of humor. The same word also means direction: sentido único
- la conclusiónconclusionTo draw a conclusion is llegar a una conclusión — literally to arrive at it; there is no verb 'to make' here. En conclusión at the start of a sentence is 'in sum'
- la oportunidadopportunityA chance that comes and goes: tener la oportunidad de hacer algo, aprovechar la oportunidad, perder la oportunidad. Possibility as a scenario is a different word, la posibilidad: hay pocas posibilidades
- tal vezpossiblyOpens the sentence and pulls the subjunctive when the doubt is real: tal vez venga mañana. With the indicative, tal vez viene, it sounds more confident. Its synonym quizás behaves the same
- imposiblenot possibleWorks through es: es imposible llegar a tiempo — with the infinitive when it is about life in general; es imposible que llegues a tiempo — with the subjunctive about a specific person. Es posible and es necesario behave the same
- la necesidadnecessityMost often heard in the negative: no hay necesidad de gritar — there is no need to shout. It also means hardship, want: pasar necesidad
- sin faltawithout failA promise, not a rule: te llamo mañana sin falta. It goes at the end of the sentence. Obligation as a rule is expressed by an adjective: el casco es obligatorio
- tendré queI will have toIt is the future of tener que: tendré que madrugar. In speech people more often say voy a tener que. The past 'had to' is tuve que
- permitidoallowedA participle of permitir that works without ser on signs: permitido el paso. In speech people prefer se puede: ¿aquí se puede fumar? — livelier than ¿está permitido fumar?
- prohibidoforbiddenThe most frequent word on Spanish signs, always without a verb: prohibido fumar, prohibido el paso. The verb is prohibir, and after it comes the subjunctive: me prohibieron que entrara
- la elecciónchoiceSingular la elección is a choice, plural las elecciones is a national election: one word, two different things. No me queda otra elección — I have no other choice
- la opciónoptionAn option to choose from: hay dos opciones. La variante exists in Spanish but means a variant of a language or a virus — asked what the options are, a Spaniard says ¿qué opciones hay?
- la dudadoubtIn class and at a desk una duda is also a question: tengo una duda means 'I have a question', not 'I doubt it'. Sin duda — no doubt; no cabe duda — there is no doubt
- dudarto doubtTo doubt something is dudar de algo; to doubt that… is dudar que plus the obligatory subjunctive: dudo que venga. A short lo dudo is a polite 'hardly'
- segurosureWith estar it is about a person: estoy seguro de que sí — and the de is obligatory. With ser it is about a thing: es seguro — it is safe. And el seguro with an article is altogether a noun, insurance
- no creo queI doubt itThe main way to say 'hardly', and it always drags the subjunctive: no creo que venga. Affirmative creo que is the other way round, with a plain verb: creo que viene. Negation switches the mood — that is the B1 rule
- a lo mejorprobablyA colloquial 'probably, might well be' — and, unlike tal vez, always with a plain verb form: a lo mejor viene, not venga. It opens the sentence
- sin dudadefinitelyA confident 'definitely, no doubt', usually at the end of a sentence or as a reply of its own. 'Exactly', in the sense of precisely, is another word, exactamente; 'just the same' is igual
- me parece queit seems to meA soft opinion: me parece que es caro. The verb agrees with the thing, not with you: me parecen caros. In the negative the subjunctive switches on: no me parece que sea caro
- en realidadactuallyIntroduces a correction to what was said: parece caro, pero en realidad no lo es. It goes at the start or after pero, set off by commas. Realmente is closer to 'really' and strengthens rather than corrects
- suponerto supposeSupongo que sí — 'I suppose so', the most common way to agree without confidence. Supongamos que… — let us suppose that…. It also means to amount to: eso supone más gastos — that means extra costs
- no estoy seguroI am not sureA ready-made formula for polite disagreement and excuses. It continues with de: no estoy seguro de eso, no estoy seguro de que sea buena idea — and after de que comes the subjunctive
- la experienciaexperienceExperience as a track record — tengo experiencia en ventas — and experience as something lived through — fue una experiencia horrible. A scientific experiment is un experimento
- el casocaseTravels in set phrases: en ese caso — in that case, en cualquier caso — in any case, por si acaso — just in case. And hacer caso a alguien is to listen to someone
- el ejemploexampleTo give an example is poner un ejemplo — literally to put one forward; the verb dar does not fit. Dar ejemplo exists but means setting an example yourself
- por ejemplofor exampleStands before the example, set off by commas on both sides: Muchas ciudades, por ejemplo Sevilla, tienen…. In writing it is shortened to p. ej.
- la diferenciadifferenceThe difference between two things is la diferencia entre A y B. Also the frame a diferencia de — unlike: a diferencia de ti, yo madrugo. It is also the extra payment: pagar la diferencia
- la comparacióncomparisonThe frame en comparación con — compared with: en comparación con el año pasado. On its own the word is rare: Spanish prefers the verb comparar
- diferenciarse deto differTo differ from something is se diferencia de los demás en el precio: de brings what from, en brings what in. In speech people more often say es distinto de or no se parece a
- parecidosimilarSimilar to someone is parecido a: es muy parecido a su padre. About people the verb is more common: se parece a su padre. It agrees in gender and number: una casa parecida
- el parecidoresemblanceThe same word with an article becomes a noun: hay un parecido entre los dos — there is a resemblance between them. The bookish synonym is la semejanza; el parecido is more about looks
- el cambioa changeOne word for three ideas: a change, an exchange, and change at the shop — ¿tiene cambio? The frame en cambio means 'on the other hand': yo salgo pronto; en cambio, él trabaja hasta tarde
- en primer lugarfirst of allOpens a list and stands at the very start of the sentence, followed by a comma: En primer lugar, no tenemos dinero. The colloquial version is just primero. It does not touch the mood: the verb stays plain
- en segundo lugarsecondlyThe second step of the same list, also at the start of the sentence with a comma. Next come en tercer lugar and por último — finally, last of all
- ante todoabove allNot 'point one of the list' but 'the main thing': Ante todo, tranquilidad. It opens the sentence and takes a comma. The synonym sobre todo carries a shade of 'especially'
- ademásbesidesAdds another argument in the same direction and opens the sentence with a comma: Además, es más barato. With the preposition de it becomes 'in addition to': además del precio — besides the price
- por ciertoby the wayIntroduces a digression, opens the sentence or follows oye, always between commas: Por cierto, ¿has llamado al banco? Do not confuse with a propósito, which also means 'on purpose'
- en generalon the wholeGeneralizes: en general, la gente aquí es amable. It stands at the start or the end. If you want 'to sum it up', that is en resumen; 'actually, in fact' is en el fondo
- en resumenin shortWraps up what was said and opens the last sentence: En resumen, no nos conviene. More colloquial — total or resumiendo: total, que no fuimos
- en otras palabrasin other wordsRephrases what was just said, opens the sentence with a comma. Shorter and three times more frequent is es decir: es decir, que no viene
- lo principalthe main thingThe article lo turns an adjective into an abstract noun: lo principal, lo importante, lo malo. It continues with es que: lo principal es que estás bien
- al fin y al caboafter allNot about time but about the closing argument: al fin y al cabo, es su dinero — after all, it is his money. It opens the sentence. The temporal 'finally' is por fin
- aunquealthoughStands before its half of the sentence — at the start or in the middle. The mood decides the meaning: with the indicative it is a recognized fact (aunque llueve, salimos — it is raining, but we go out); with the subjunctive it is a concession (aunque llueva, salimos — even if it rains). One letter changes everything
- eso síbut thenIntroduces a counterpoint that balances what was said, and stands after a full stop or a semicolon, always between commas: Es pequeño; eso sí, está en el centro. The nearest bookish replacement is en cambio
- al contrarioon the contraryAnswers someone's statement as a whole: — ¿Te molesta? — Al contrario, me alegra. It stands as a reply of its own or opens the sentence. Al revés is also 'the other way round', but about order and sides: te has puesto el jersey al revés
- a pesar dein spite ofFollowed by a noun or an infinitive: a pesar del frío, a pesar de saberlo. If a full clause with a subject comes next, you need que: a pesar de que llovía. It stands at the start or in the middle
- sin embargohoweverNot a conjunction but a sentence adverb: it starts a new sentence after a full stop and always takes a comma — Sin embargo, no funcionó. Within one sentence the contrast is pero, and then sin embargo is not needed
- por un ladoon the one handOpens a pair and almost always demands its partner por otro lado. It stands at the start of the sentence with a comma: Por un lado, es cómodo…
- por otro ladoon the other handThe second half of the pair; often shortened to por otro. It works without the first half too — then it simply introduces another argument: Por otro lado, hay que pensar en los niños
- no obstanteneverthelessThe bookish twin of sin embargo: the same place at the start of the sentence and the same comma, but it sounds official — at home in letters and documents, not in conversation
- en vez de esoinsteadEn vez de on its own stands before a noun or an infinitive: en vez de discutir. With eso it becomes a link between two sentences. A full synonym is en lugar de
- de todas formasanyway'Anyway' in the sense of 'one way or another, no matter what': de todas formas voy a ir. It opens the sentence or stands before the verb. 'I don't care' is quite different: me da igual
- por casualidadby chanceBy coincidence: nos encontramos por casualidad. In a polite question it softens the request: ¿tienes por casualidad un boli? 'By accident', meaning unintentionally, is sin querer
- a propósitoon purposeDeliberately, with intent: lo ha roto a propósito. The same as adrede. Careful: at the start of a sentence a propósito means 'by the way', like por cierto — position decides the job
- el fracasofailureA strong word: a failure, not a slip. A slip is un fallo, bad luck la mala suerte. The verb is fracasar
- paso a pasostep by stepEl paso is a step; the course knows el paso de peatones. Neighbors in meaning: poco a poco, little by little; uno a uno, one by one
- el orden de los pasosorder of stepsEl orden, masculine, is sequence; la orden, feminine, is a command. The course knows todo en orden
- con detallein detailBuilt with a preposition; detalladamente exists but is clunky in speech. Entrar en detalles is to go into detail
- con mis palabrasin my own wordsLiterally 'with my words'; it changes with the person: con tus palabras, con sus palabras. The course knows en otras palabras — that one is about retelling someone else
- dicho de forma sencillasimply putThree neighboring phrases, and the course knows another one: dicho de otra forma — in other words; en resumen — in short. Sencillo is uncomplicated; simple can be an insult
- pon un ejemplogive an exampleThe command of poner is irregular: pon, not pone. Formal: ponga un ejemplo. The course knows por ejemplo
- enséñame cómo se haceshow me how it's doneThe impersonal se hace — 'it is done' — is how Spanish writes any instruction. The pronoun in enséñame hangs off the end, hence the accent
- ¿se entiende?is that clear?Literally 'is it understood?' — a question about the explanation, not pressure on the listener. ¿Me explico? says the same; ¿entiendes? sounds more demanding
- ahora lo entiendonow I get itThe lo is compulsory: Spanish refuses to leave this verb without an object. Shorter: ah, vale or ya está
- me he liadoI got confusedLiarse is to get tangled — and to get roped in: me he liado a limpiar, I got stuck cleaning. The more neutral version: me he perdido, I lost the thread
- acordarseto recallAlways with de: me acuerdo de ti. Without se, acordar means to agree — a different beast. The synonym recordar takes no preposition: recuerdo tu cara
- olvidarto fail to rememberThree ways to say it: he olvidado las llaves, neutral; me he olvidado de las llaves, with de; se me han olvidado — they forgot themselves, no one's fault. Spain mostly uses the third
- la intenciónintentionTener la intención de — to mean to. Con buena intención — with the best of intentions; con segundas — with an ulterior motive
- cambiar de ideato change your mindCambiar de plus a noun without an article — swap one for another of the same kind: cambiar de idea, de casa, de tema. Without de you change the thing itself
- todo según lo previstoeverything is going as plannedLo previsto is what was foreseen; según — according to. More conversational: todo va bien or va todo como estaba pensado
- si puede serif it works outLiterally 'if it can be'. Siblings: si se puede, si sale bien. And remember: si without an accent is 'if', sí with it is 'yes'
- todavía no lo he decididoI haven't decided yetTodavía no is not yet; ya no is no longer — one word apart, opposite meanings. The lo is compulsory: the verb refuses to go without an object
- todo ha cambiadoeverything has changedCambiar without se means to change and to be changed; here it is the second. Todo cambió is a finished story; ha cambiado leaves a mark on the present
- para bienfor the betterHa cambiado para bien — changed for the better; the variant is a mejor. Para bien o para mal — either way, one way or the other
- para malfor the worseThe partner of para bien, built the same way. The variant: a peor — la cosa va a peor, things keep getting worse
- pertenecerto belongAn a follows: pertenecer a alguien. In everyday speech people simply say es de mi hermano. The yo form grows a z: pertenezco
- ajenosomeone else'sLo ajeno is what isn't yours. A stranger is un desconocido, something from abroad is extranjero — each its own word
- comúncommonstress at the end: ko-MUN
- empujarto pushSpanish doors carry two words: empujar — push, tirar — pull
- tirar deto pullBare tirar is 'to throw' in this course; without de the phrase heads for the bin — pulling is always tirar de la cuerda
- golpearto hitEl golpe is a blow. In a fight people say pegar; one knock is dar un golpe
- el metrometer (unit)The same word as the underground: the subway was named after ferrocarril metropolitano. In writing it's shortened to m, no period
- el centímetrocentimeterthe mark over the i marks the stress too: sen-TEE-me-tro
- el kilómetrokilometerstress on the o: ki-LO-me-tro
- el litroliterHalf a liter is medio litro; the big water bottle in the shop is una botella de litro y medio
- el gramogramShops rarely say grams: you ask for un cuarto — 250 g — or medio kilo. Ni un gramo — not a gram
- el pesoweightThe weight of a thing and your own: he cogido peso — I've put on weight. The same word is the name of a Latin American currency
- la longitudlengthA word for figures and drawings. In daily life length is said differently: dos metros de largo — two meters long
- la anchurawidthPairs with la longitud. In speech: de ancho — un metro de ancho. There's also el ancho, the same thing masculine
- la alturaheightThe height of a wall and the height above the sea. A person's height is la estatura, or simply mide uno ochenta
- la profundidaddepthFrom profundo. Suits a lake and a conversation: hablar con profundidad — to speak in depth
- aproximadamenteapproximatelya long one, stress on the second-to-last syllable: a-prok-see-ma-da-MEN-te
- casialmostStands right before what it modifies: casi todo, casi nunca. Casi me caigo — I nearly fell: the fresh past told in the present tense
- exactamenteexactlyExactly that amount: exactamente cien euros. But 'at three o'clock sharp' is a different phrase: a las tres en punto
- de mediaon averageSpain says de media, official prose — por término medio, Latin America — en promedio. The average itself is la media
- el dobletwice as muchEl doble de caro — twice as expensive; el doble que antes — double what it was. Three times is el triple
- la cifrafigureA digit from nought to nine and a number in a report: las cifras de este año. El número is a number and a number-as-in-phone
- la cuarta partequarterLiterally 'the fourth part'. A quarter of an hour is un cuarto de hora; un cuarto at the shop is 250 grams
- pesarto weighThe same verb means to have weight: ¿cuánto pesas? — how much do you weigh. Weighing yourself is pesarse
- sobranteleftoverFrom sobrar — to be left over. In live speech people more often say de más: una silla de más — one chair too many
- vacíoemptya stressed i and three syllables: ba-SEE-o
- evitarto avoidEvitar el sol — to stay out of the sun. Evitar que plus the subjunctive — to keep something from happening
- el hechofactLiterally 'a done thing', the participle of hacer. De hecho — in fact; el hecho es que — the fact is
- la preguntaquestionA question is 'made' — hacer una pregunta — not placed. A question as a debate topic is la cuestión
- importanteimportantOne form for both genders: un tema importante, una fecha importante. Lo importante es… — what matters is…
- positivopositiveFor people and for test results alike: he dado positivo — the test came back positive
- negativonegativeThe partner of positivo. En negativo — in the negative, about grammar
- en comparación concompared toThe shorter everyday option is comparado con: comparado con el año pasado. The verb itself is comparar
- igual quethe same asIgual que — the same as; lo mismo que — the very same thing as. Me da igual is 'I don't care', a different beast
- la ventajaan advantageBoth an advantage and a head start: llevar ventaja — to be ahead
- el inconvenientea drawbackThe partner of la ventaja: ventajas e inconvenientes — pros and cons. El defecto is a flaw in a thing or in a character
- las consecuenciasconsequencesUsually plural. A consecuencia de — as a consequence of
- tener en cuentato keep in mindLiterally 'to hold in the count'. Ten en cuenta que… — bear in mind that…
- lo más probablemost likelyThe full form is lo más probable es que plus the subjunctive: lo más probable es que llueva. The short version: seguramente
- seguro quefor sureAfter seguro que the verb stays in an ordinary tense, no subjunctive: seguro que viene. The bookish option: sin duda
- la probabilidadprobabilityHay pocas probabilidades — the odds are low. La posibilidad is an opportunity, a different word
- la suposiciónan assumptionFrom suponer — to suppose: supongo que sí — I suppose so. Es solo una suposición — it's just a guess
- parece queit looks likeParece que va a llover. After a negative it demands the subjunctive: no parece que sea grave
- debe demust beDebe de estar en casa — he must be home: that's a guess. Without de, debe estar means he is obliged to be. The Academy keeps the distinction; speech often mixes them
- no puede serit can't beBoth astonishment and refusal to believe: ¡no puede ser! What follows is que plus the subjunctive
- por lo menosat leastFor quantities (por lo menos veinte) and for consolation (por lo menos no llovió). The bookish twin: al menos
- en cualquier casoin any caseIn speech you'll more often hear de todas formas or de todos modos — same thing
- por si acasojust in caseCan shrink to por si: coge el paraguas por si llueve
- siif onlyThe bare si means 'if'; the hypothetical lives in the verb form: si tuviera tiempo, iría. A real condition takes ordinary tenses: si tengo tiempo, voy
- siempre queas long asWith the subjunctive it's a condition: te lo dejo siempre que lo devuelvas. With ordinary tenses the same words mean 'every time'
- incluso sieven ifSpaniards more often reach for aunque — the course has it as 'although': with the subjunctive, aunque llueva already means 'even if it rains'
- en ese casoin that caseEn ese caso — so that's how it is. En tal caso is the same in writing
- de lo contrariootherwiseThe word of notices and letters. In speech: si no — date prisa, si no llegamos tarde
- entoncesat that momentBoth 'at that moment' (desde entonces — since then) and 'in that case' (entonces no vengas)
- para queso thatAfter para que always the subjunctive and always a different person: te lo digo para que lo sepas. Same person: just para plus the infinitive
- como sias ifAfter como si only the imperfect subjunctive: como si fuera fácil, como si no lo supiera
- en vez deinstead ofAn infinitive follows: en vez de quejarte, ayuda. En lugar de is the same thing
- principalmentemainlyAn adverb in Spanish too: principalmente por el precio. In speech they say sobre todo
- por lo generalas a ruleNext door lives the verb soler: suelo cenar tarde — I usually have dinner late. One word doing the same job
- casi todosalmost everyoneIt agrees with what is being counted: casi todas las tiendas. Casi nadie — almost nobody
- la excepciónan exceptionCon la excepción de — with the exception of. Spanish runs the same proverb as English: la excepción confirma la regla
- etcéteraand so onthe stress lands on cé: et-SEH-teh-rah
- a diferencia deunlikeA diferencia de su hermano… The difference itself is la diferencia
- exceptoexceptExcepto, menos and salvo are the same word in three coats: todos menos yo. Además de is 'except' as in 'on top of' — a different thing
- no del todonot quiteDel todo — wholly, entirely; with no in front it means not fully. No exactamente is 'not exactly', a different shade
- más o menosmore or lessThe same phrase already means 'so-so' in the course: ¿qué tal? — más o menos. Next to a number it means 'about': más o menos veinte
- a duras penasbarelyLa pena is a burden; literally 'by hard toils'. On paper the same idea is con dificultad
- vale la pena probarit's worth a tryValer la pena — to be worth it. Merece la pena is exactly the same, and in Spain you hear it even more
- hacía faltawas neededthe h is silent and the í is stressed: ah-SEE-ah FAL-tah
- lo mejor esthe best thingThe neuter lo: lo mejor es llamar mañana. If a different person follows, the subjunctive steps in: lo mejor es que vengas
- lo peor esthe worst thingThe partner of lo mejor es. Lo peor de todo — the worst of all is that…
- lo antes posibleas soon as possibleLiterally 'the earliest possible'. The same trick in lo más barato posible — as cheap as possible
- en vanoin vainA bookish word. In speech: para nada or en balde — he venido para nada, I came for nothing
- arreglárselasto copethe stress falls on the á: ah-rreh-GLAR-seh-lahs
- el intentoan attemptAl primer intento — on the first attempt. The verb is intentar, to try
- es decirthat isLiterally 'it is to say'. In speech o sea does the same job, and you hear it every other sentence
- resultó queit turned outthe stress sits on the end: reh-sool-TOH
- como resultadoas a resultA phrase for writing and reports. In speech: al final or total, que…
- lleva aleads toLlevar a — to lead to a consequence: esto lleva a otro problema. Roads talk the same way: esta calle lleva a la plaza
- gracias athanks toOnly for the good: gracias a ti. For the bad they say por culpa de: por culpa de la lluvia
- a la primeraon the first tryLiterally 'on the first one' — the attempt is implied. A la segunda — on the second try
- doscientostwo hundredFrom two hundred up, hundreds agree in gender: doscientos euros, but doscientas casas
- trescientosthree hundredFrom tres, written as one word with no space — the numeral and 'hundred' fuse together
- cuatrocientosfour hundredThe root stays intact: cuatro plus cientos. The longest of the hundreds — six syllables
- quinientosfive hundredNot cincocientos: it has its own root, the one you see in the ordinal quinto. One of three irregular hundreds
- seiscientossix hundredFrom seis, unchanged. Sei- stays one syllable: say-SYEN-tohs
- setecientosseven hundredNot sietecientos: siete loses its i. The second irregular hundred, after quinientos
- ochocientoseight hundredFrom ocho, just as it is. The ch sounds like the ch in 'church': oh-choh-SYEN-tohs
- novecientosnine hundredNot nuevecientos: nueve drops its e. The third and last irregular hundred
- cuartofourthThe same word also means 'room' and 'quarter': el cuarto de baño is the bathroom, un cuarto de hora is a quarter of an hour
- quintofifthOnly the meaning of cinco survives: the root is the one in quinientos
- sextosixththe x reads as ks: SEKS-toh
- séptimoseventhThe accent marks stress on the third syllable from the end — a spot where Spanish wouldn't put it on its own
- octavoeighthThe root of the musical octave — the eighth step
- novenoninthFrom nueve, minus the diphthong: no-, not nue-. The same flattening as in novecientos
- décimotenthAlso a noun: un décimo is a tenth part — including a ticket share in the Christmas lottery
- centésimohundredthBookish: in speech you'd hear el número cien. But una centésima is a hundredth of a second on a stopwatch
- oorBefore a word starting with o- or ho- it changes to u: siete u ocho, mujer u hombre
- tambiénalsoOnly agrees with a positive statement. With a negative Spanish switches to tampoco: yo tampoco — 'me neither'
- sóloonlyThe same word as solo, 'alone'. The written accent kept the two apart until 2010 and still appears when a sentence could be misread
- yaalreadyIn a negation it flips the meaning completely: ya no is not 'not yet' but 'no longer'
- todavíastillIn the sense of 'still, up to now'. 'One more' is a different word entirely, otro
- demasiadotooUnchanged before an adjective, but it agrees with a noun: demasiada sal — too much salt
- juntostogetherIt agrees with the people involved: two women are juntas, a mixed group is juntos
- no se puedenot allowedLiterally 'one cannot' — a prohibition that names no one. Signs make it shorter: prohibido
- hay queone mustImpersonal: it's about what must be done, full stop. For a specific person it's tengo que, tienes que
- vidalifeMi vida — 'my life' — is an everyday term of endearment; on the street you hear it that way more often than literally
- quererto wantAlso 'to love' about a person: te quiero — 'I love you'. The stem breaks: quiero, quieres
- podercan / mayBreaks twice: puedo in the present, pude in the past. Polite requests are built on it: ¿puede...?
- palabrawordPalabra is a word in live speech; vocablo is the dictionary-unit word you only meet in textbooks
- asuntomatterA matter as something to deal with. Cosa is a thing, negocio is business, asunto is the thing that needs settling
- manerawayDe esta manera — this way, like this. The twin modo shows up more in writing than in talk
- fácilmenteeasilyThe tail -mente attaches to the feminine form of the adjective, and the adjective's own stress stays
- con dificultadwith difficultyThe adverb difícilmente is almost never said: people say es difícil or con dificultad
- para quein order thatUsed when the two clauses have different subjects, and the verb after it always goes into the subjunctive. Same subject? Just para with the infinitive
- siifNo accent means 'if'; the accented sí means 'yes'. After si, the future is spoken in the present: si puedo, te llamo — never si podré
- mientraswhileThis while is about two things happening at once. 'Bye!' as a farewell is a different word: ¡hasta luego!
- ya quesinceFor a reason both sides already know: ya que estás aquí — 'since you're here'. New reasons get porque, and the two don't swap
- con tal de queprovided thatThe condition you'll trade anything for — and the verb after it must be subjunctive: con tal de que llegues
- así quesoDraws the conclusion from what's already been said. Así alone means 'this way'; without que the connector falls apart
- entrebetweenOne word for both 'between two' and 'among many'. Quirk alert: after entre it's tú and yo, not ti and mí — entre tú y yo
- cerca denearThe de is obligatory: without it cerca is the plain adverb 'close by', which the course also has. For 'about ten' of something it's unos diez
- en lugar dein place ofFollowed by a noun or an infinitive: en lugar de azúcar, en lugar de discutir. Its twin en vez de means exactly the same
- contraagainstBoth against a person and pressed against a thing: apoyado contra la pared. Taking sides in an argument is estar en contra
- sinwithoutThe noun after it drops the article — café sin azúcar — or it takes an infinitive: se fue sin decir nada
- paraforHalf of Spanish's great preposition pair: para is for whom and for what purpose, por is why and in exchange for what. Un regalo para ti, but gracias por el regalo
- sobreabout'About' something: un libro sobre España. The same preposition also means 'on': sobre la mesa. As a noun, el sobre is an envelope
- después deafter (preposition)With de before the next word: después de comer. Without de it's the plain adverb 'later': después te llamo
- duranteduringCovers both 'during' and 'for' a span of time: durante la película, durante dos horas. No second preposition follows it
- a causa debecause ofA bit bookish; in speech a plain por is enough: por la lluvia. When someone is to blame, they say por culpa de
- alrededor dearoundThe de is obligatory: alrededor de la mesa. With a number the same phrase means 'about': alrededor de veinte
- dentro dein (time)For a span of time: dentro de una hora — 'in an hour'. Through a bridge or window is por: por la ventana. Without de the same word means 'inside'
- desde dentrofrom insideDesde fixes the point something comes from. But a door locked from the inside is cerrada por dentro — there it's por, and the two don't swap
- por aquí cercaaround hereLearn the whole phrase as it stands — no need to take it apart. Lone cerca just means 'close by', which the course also has
- la respuestaanswerFrom the verb responder, 'to answer', with its o-to-ue stem change. An answer to a letter and an answer in a math book are the same word
- el problemaproblemMasculine despite the -a ending: un problema grave. The course also uses this word for a school math problem — context tells which
- muyveryGoes before an adjective or adverb: muy bueno, muy bien. It never attaches to a verb — that job is mucho's: me gusta mucho
- la ayudahelpThe noun from ayudar, 'to help', a verb the course already knows. ¡Ayuda! on its own is a cry for help
- yandBefore a word starting with the 'ee' sound it becomes e: padre e hijo. Before hielo it stays y — the h there starts with 'ye', not 'ee'
- perobutAdds a qualification. It cannot correct a negation — that job is sino's: no es rojo, sino azul
- tampocome neitherThe negative twin of también: también joins a yes, tampoco joins a no. Yo tampoco — I won't either
- estarto be (place and state)The second 'to be'. ser is what you always are — soy inglés; estar is where you are and how you are right now: estoy en casa, estoy cansado
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Sí, claro que puedoYes, of course I can
- No, gracias, ya he comidoNo thanks, I've already eaten
- Estoy bien, graciasI'm fine, thank you
- Esta noche he dormido malI slept badly last night
- Todo muy bien, gracias por preguntarAll very well, thanks for asking
- ¿Qué tal el examen? — Más o menosHow was the exam? — So-so
What is worth knowing about these words
sí — yes. Sí with the accent mark means 'yes'; si without it means 'if'. Only the written stress separates them
no — no. One word serves as both 'no' and as the verb negator: no entiendo means 'I don't understand'
bien — well. An adverb — it answers 'how?'. The adjective 'good' is a different word, bueno
mal — badly. The partner of bien, also an adverb. 'Bad' as in a bad thing or person is a different word, malo
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is sí — yes.
- What is this word?
It is otro más — one more.
- What is this word?
It is nuevo — new.
- What is this word?
It is trece — thirteen.
- What is this word?
It is veinte — twenty.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “yes” in Spanish?
Sí with the accent mark means 'yes'; si without it means 'if'. Only the written stress separates them
- How do you say “one more” in Spanish?
Literally another more. About a feminine thing: otra más
- How do you say “new” in Spanish?
Sounded NOO-eh-voh — a cousin of English new. De nuevo means again
- How do you say “thirteen” in Spanish?
The unlucky date in Spain is not Friday the thirteenth but Tuesday: martes trece
- How do you say “twenty” in Spanish?
From twenty-one through twenty-nine the numbers are written as one word: veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés — and only there
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “yes” in Spanish?
«sí». Sí with the accent mark means 'yes'; si without it means 'if'. Only the written stress separates them. It is one of 305 words in the set “basic words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many basic words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 305 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 305 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.