List of Spanish words
Developing a list of Spanish words that are used regularly in daily life is a great way to improve your Spanish vocabulary. A good technique for improving vocabulary is to group new words together according to the situations where they would be used, and then try to practice using them in realistic scenarios. Once you have learnt one set of new words, then you can prepare a new list and gradually expand your Spanish vocabulary.
Greetings, Introductions and Farewells
Many people learn a new language so that they can communicate and develop relationships with other people from different cultures. The first list of Spanish words that you will need to learn is associated with meeting people, politely introducing yourself and then saying goodbye. The most basic Spanish words that you will need to learn to deal with these situations are:
Greetings:
Hola – Hello
Buenos dias – Good morning
Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
Buenos noches – Good evening
Como está? – How are you? (formal)
Como estás? – How are you? (informal)
Muy bien, gracias – Very well, thank you
Introductions:
Soy Peter – I’m Peter
Me llamo Peter – I’m called Peter
Me nombre es Peter – My name is Peter
Como se llama? – What is your name?
Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you
Farewells:
Adios – Goodbye
Hasta luego – See you later
Hasta pronto – See you soon
Ciao – Bye
List of Spanish words for Travelling
If you are learning Spanish for the purpose of travelling in a Spanish speaking country, then there are particular words that will make your experience much easier. Getting around, asking for directions, finding accommodation will be much easier if you have the right Spanish language tools. Here are some useful words and phrases to get you started:
Directions:
Donde esta…? – Where is…?
El museo – The museum
El banco – The bank
El baño – The bathroom
Izquierda – Left
Derecha – Right
Recto – Straight
Accommodation:
Hay habitactiones libres? – Are there any rooms available?
Cuento cuesta? – How much is it?
Puedo verlo? – May I see it?
List of Spanish words to be careful with
There are some Spanish words that always seem to create a lot of confusion for native English speakers. The main reason why these particular words cause problems is that, although they look and sound a lot like common English words, they have very different meanings. Using these words in the incorrect situations can lead to puzzling and potentially embarrassing situations.
One example of one of these words is “larga”. Many native English speakers will often assume that “larga” means “large” because of the obvious similarities. In fact, in Spanish “larga” means “long”. The correct word for “large” in Spanish is “grande”.
Another addition to the list of Spanish words to use carefully is “embarazada”. As you can see, this word looks and sounds a lot like the English word for embarrassed, however the real meaning of this word is “pregnant”. Many English speakers have experienced strange looks when they say “estoy embarazada” thinking that they are saying “I’m embarrassed” only to find that everyone thinks that they are announcing that they are pregnant!
Inspired to properly learn the Spanish language? Then we recommend you start right here with this Spanish lessons online course.