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CEFR A1 · Beginner
At A1 you meet the two verbs Spanish never lets go of, ser and estar, and learn which one says who you are and which one says where you are or how you feel. You pick up the present tense of the thirty most common verbs, including the e-to-ie change in querer and tener, the gendered articles el and la, and enough everyday nouns to introduce yourself, order a coffee and tell the time. Every sentence is short and pronounced as it is written, because Spanish spelling is almost perfectly phonetic.
106 words · 3 units · 12 grammar points
Say hello, give your name, ask someone else's, and where they're from.
Closing conversation: introducing yourself to someone new at a language exchange
Count, talk about days and months, give the time, and handle numbers in real situations.
Closing conversation: agreeing a day and a time to meet, and reading the number back to check
Order at a café or restaurant, ask for the bill, and talk about basic food and drink.
Closing conversation: ordering lunch at a busy café and asking what is in a dish
All 106 words, in frequency order.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el | the (m. sg.) | el librothe book |
| la | the (f. sg.) | la mesathe table |
| los | the (m. pl.) | los amigosthe friends |
| las | the (f. pl.) | las casasthe houses |
| un | a, an (m.) | un libroa book |
| una | a, an (f.) | una ideaan idea |
| yo | I | Yo soy María.I am María. |
| tú | you (informal sg.) | ¿Tú hablas español?Do you speak Spanish? |
| usted | you (formal sg.) | ¿Cómo se llama usted?What is your name? |
| él | he | Él es mi hermano.He is my brother. |
| ella | she | Ella es mi madre.She is my mother. |
| nosotros | we | Nosotros vivimos en Madrid.We live in Madrid. |
| ellos | they (m. or mixed) | Ellos son estudiantes.They are students. |
| ser | to be (essence, identity) | Quiero ser médico.I want to be a doctor. |
| estar | to be (state, location) | Me gusta estar en casa.I like being at home. |
| tener | to have | Quiero tener un perro.I want to have a dog. |
| hacer | to do, to make | Voy a hacer la cena.I'm going to make dinner. |
| ir | to go | Quiero ir al cine.I want to go to the cinema. |
| venir | to come | ¿Puedes venir a mi casa?Can you come to my house? |
| ver | to see, to watch | Quiero ver una película.I want to watch a movie. |
| decir | to say, to tell | No sé qué decir.I don't know what to say. |
| saber | to know (a fact) | Quiero saber la verdad.I want to know the truth. |
| conocer | to know (a person, place) | Me gustaría conocer a tu hermana.I'd like to meet your sister. |
| querer | to want, to love | Queremos dos cafés, por favor.We'd like two coffees, please. |
| poder | to be able to, can | Espero poder ayudarte.I hope I can help you. |
| dar | to give | Quiero dar un paseo.I want to take a walk. |
| hablar | to speak | Hablo dos idiomas.I speak two languages. |
| comer | to eat | Vamos a comer a las dos.We're going to eat at two. |
| beber | to drink | Necesito beber agua.I need to drink water. |
| vivir | to live | Me gusta vivir en Barcelona.I like living in Barcelona. |
| trabajar | to work | Trabajo en una oficina.I work in an office. |
| estudiar | to study | Estudio español.I study Spanish. |
| leer | to read | Me gusta leer el periódico.I like reading the newspaper. |
| escribir | to write | Escribo un correo.I'm writing an email. |
| comprar | to buy | Compro pan.I'm buying bread. |
| necesitar | to need | Necesito ayuda.I need help. |
| gustar | to be pleasing (to like) | Me gusta el café.I like coffee. |
| llamar | to call, to be called | Me llamo Ana.My name is Ana. |
| casa | house, home | Estoy en casa.I'm at home. |
| agua | water | Un vaso de agua, por favor.A glass of water, please. |
| comida | food, meal | La comida está rica.The food is delicious. |
| café | coffee | Un café con leche.A coffee with milk. |
| pan | bread | Pan con tomate.Bread with tomato. |
| leche | milk | Café con leche.Coffee with milk. |
| día | day | Hoy es un día bonito.Today is a beautiful day. |
| noche | night | Esta noche vamos al cine.Tonight we're going to the cinema. |
| año | year | Este año estudio español.This year I'm studying Spanish. |
| hora | hour, time | ¿Qué hora es?What time is it? |
| tiempo | time, weather | No tengo tiempo.I don't have time. |
| hombre | man | Ese hombre es alto.That man is tall. |
| mujer | woman | Una mujer simpática.A nice woman. |
| niño | boy, child | El niño juega.The boy is playing. |
| niña | girl | La niña canta.The girl is singing. |
| madre | mother | Mi madre cocina.My mother cooks. |
| padre | father | Mi padre trabaja.My father works. |
| hermano | brother | Mi hermano mayor.My older brother. |
| hermana | sister | Mi hermana pequeña.My little sister. |
| hijo | son | Mi hijo tiene cinco años.My son is five years old. |
| amigo | friend (m.) | Mi mejor amigo.My best friend. |
| trabajo | work, job | Voy al trabajo.I'm going to work. |
| ciudad | city | Vivo en una ciudad grande.I live in a big city. |
| país | country | Es un país hermoso.It's a beautiful country. |
| calle | street | La calle está llena.The street is packed. |
| coche | car | Mi coche es nuevo.My car is new. |
| libro | book | Leo un libro.I'm reading a book. |
| bueno | good | El café está bueno.The coffee is good. |
| malo | bad | Este café es muy malo.This coffee is very bad. |
| grande | big, large | Una casa grande.A big house. |
| pequeño | small | Un perro pequeño.A small dog. |
| nuevo | new | Un coche nuevo.A new car. |
| viejo | old | Un libro viejo.An old book. |
| mucho | much, a lot | Te quiero mucho.I love you very much. |
| poco | little, few | Hablo poco español.I speak a little Spanish. |
| qué | what | ¿Qué quieres?What do you want? |
| quién | who | ¿Quién es?Who is it? |
| dónde | where | ¿Dónde vives?Where do you live? |
| cuándo | when | ¿Cuándo llega?When does it arrive? |
| cómo | how | ¿Cómo estás?How are you? |
| por qué | why | ¿Por qué no vienes?Why aren't you coming? |
| cuánto | how much | ¿Cuánto cuesta?How much does it cost? |
| hola | hello | ¡Hola, buenos días!Hello, good morning! |
| adiós | goodbye | Adiós, hasta mañana.Goodbye, see you tomorrow. |
| gracias | thank you | Muchas gracias.Thank you very much. |
| por favor | please | Un café, por favor.A coffee, please. |
| lo siento | I'm sorry | Lo siento mucho.I'm very sorry. |
| perdón | excuse me, sorry | Perdón, ¿qué hora es?Excuse me, what time is it? |
| sí | yes | Sí, claro.Yes, of course. |
| no | no, not | No me gusta.I don't like it. |
| de | of, from | Soy de Madrid.I'm from Madrid. |
| en | in, on, at | En la mesa.On the table. |
| a | to, at (direction) | Voy a casa.I'm going home. |
| con | with | Café con leche.Coffee with milk. |
| sin | without | Sin azúcar.Without sugar. |
| para | for, in order to | Es para ti.It's for you. |
| por | for, by, through | Gracias por todo.Thanks for everything. |
| y | and | Tú y yo.You and I. |
| o | or | ¿Té o café?Tea or coffee? |
| pero | but | Quiero, pero no puedo.I want to, but I can't. |
| porque | because | No vengo porque trabajo.I'm not coming because I'm working. |
| muy | very | Muy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you. |
| también | also, too | Yo también.Me too. |
| aquí | here | Estoy aquí.I'm here. |
| ahora | now | Te llamo ahora.I'll call you now. |
| hoy | today | Hoy es lunes.Today is Monday. |
| ayer | yesterday | Ayer fui al cine.Yesterday I went to the movies. |
| mañana | tomorrow; morning | Hasta mañana.See you tomorrow. |