It’s hard to learn Spanish from zero. You need a foundation of basic Spanish vocabulary in order to say anything. Plus, when you travel to a Spanish-speaking country you need to understand the basics of what native Spanish speakers are saying to you. We shared our tips to increase your Spanish vocabulary before. Now it’s time to dig into survival Spanish. Here are 100 Spanish words you need to know.
Top 20 most common words in Spanish
We wrote about the top 20 most spoken words in Spanish before. Check the link for more detailed definitions and pronunciation tips for native English speakers. Do a quick review of these before moving onto the full list of 100.
- de – of/from
- la – the (feminine singular article)
- que – that/which
- el – the
- en – in/on
- y – and
- a – to/at
- los – the (masculine plural article)
- se – oneself
- del – from the
- las – the (feminine plural article)
- un – a/an
- por – by/for/through
- con – with
- no – no/not
- una – a/an/one
- su – his/her/its/your
- para – for/to/in order to
- es – is
- al – to the
20 basic Spanish words for travelling
The basic Spanish you need for travel isn’t the same stuff as you learn in online Spanish lessons when you learn Spanish from home. Classes are focused on linguistics and grammar. This is focused on survival Spanish and being polite. Here are the first 25 words and phrases you need for a trip to Málaga, Spain for example.
- Hola – hello
- Por favor – please
- Gracias – thank you
- De nada – you’re welcome
- Sí – yes
- No – no
- Buenos días – good morning
- Buenas tardes – good afternoon
- Buenas noches – good evening/night
- Amiga/o – friend (-a ending means female, -o ending is male following the traditional rule about gendered nouns in Spanish grammar basics)
- Antes – before
- Ahora – now
- Después – later
- Momento – one moment
- Me gusta – I like ___
- No me gusta – I don’t like ___
- Muy – very
- Nunca – never
- Mismo – same
- Igual – the same
20 basic verbs in Spanish
Verbs are a huge part of the Spanish language. Review your basic verb conjugation in Spanish to know how to use them properly. This list will help you to recognize verbs in basic Spanish conversation.
- Ser – to be (permanently)
- Ester – to be (temporarily)
- Ir – to go
- Hacer – to do/make
- Haber – to have (in existence)
- Tener – to have (in posession)
- Poner – to put
- Entender – to understand
- Deber – to owe
- Pagar – to pay
- Costar – to cost
- Comer – to eat
- Beber – to drink
- Tomar – to take/drink
- Hablar – to speak
- Decir – to say
- Escuchar – to listen
- Mirar – to watch
- Ver – to see
- Llegar – to arrive
20 common Spanish adjectives
Adjectives are description words. Here are 20 common Spanish adjectives.
- Nuevo – new
- Viejo – old
- Feliz – happy
- Triste – sad
- Enfermo – sick
- Bien – well
- Grande – big
- Chico – small (Latin America)
- Pequeño – small (Spain)
- Buena – good
- Malo – bad
- Sin – without ___
- Con – with ___
- Mucho – a lot
- Poco – a little bit
- Hermosa – beautiful
- Feo – ugly
- Fácil – easy
- Fantástico – fantastic
- Automático – automatic
20 Spanish cognates
We talked about English-Spanish cognates in the office before. A cognate is a word that sounds identical or nearly the same in English and Spanish. These are the easiest Spanish vocabulary words to remember. In fact, these are Spanish words you already know.
- Celular – cell phone (Latin America)
- Móvil – mobile phone (Spain)
- Agenda – meeting agenda
- Documento – document
- Máquina – machine
- Día – day
- Segundo – second
- Minuto – minute
- Hora – hour
- Usar – to use
- Difícil – difficult
- Carro – car
- Persona – person
- Familia – family
- Alcohol – alcohol
- Animal – animal
- Romántico – romantic
- Pánico – panic
- Plástico – plastic
- Cómico – comical/funny
Take the 20 most common Spanish words, add basic Spanish vocabulary for travel, Spanish verbs, Spanish adjectives, and Spanish-English cognates. Now you have 100 common Spanish words to survive in your new language. Off to a great start!
Ready to move beyond the first 100 basic Spanish words? Register for a 7-day free trial with Lingoda and take your first Spanish class today.
