Many people decide to learn Spanish because they come into contact with it so frequently in their daily lives. After all, Spanish is a major language in a lot of the modern music and cuisine. Others may up the language because they plan to visit or work in one of the 20 nations where Spanish is the official tongue. By being familiar with some of these fundamental Spanish terms and phrases, you can start speaking Spanish right away, whether it’s for a trip, out of curiosity, or out of necessity. It’s crucial to learn Spanish words and phrases because studying grammar alone won’t teach you how the 437 million Spanish speakers around the world use their language.
Boost your confidence by beginning to expand your Spanish word bank with some simple words:
- Hola = Hello
- Adiós = Goodbye
- Por favor = Please
- Gracias = Thank you
- Lo siento = Sorry
- Salud = Bless you (after someone sneezes)
- Sí = Yes
- No = No
- ¿Quién? = Who?
- ¿Qué? = What?
- ¿Por qué? = Why?
- ¿Dónde? = Where?
The fundamental building blocks of dialogue are an excellent place to start. In nearly every language, including Spanish, basic utterances like good morning, how are you, etc. grease the wheels of daily conversation :
- Buenos días = Good morning
- Buenas tardes = Good afternoon
- Buenas noches = Good evening
- Hola, me llamo Juan = Hello, my name is John
- Me llamo… = My name is…
- ¿Cómo te llamas? = What’s your name?
- Mucho gusto = Nice to meet you
- ¿Cómo estás? = How are you?
- Estoy bien, gracias = I’m well thank you
- Disculpa. ¿Dónde está el baño? = Excuse me. Where is the bathroom?
- ¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?
- ¿Cómo se dice ‘concert’ en español? = How do you say ‘concert’ in Spanish?
- Estoy perdido/a = I am lost
- Yo no comprendo = I do not understand
- Por favor, habla más despacio = Would you speak slower, please
- Te extraño = I miss you
- Te quiero = I love you
Similar to learning vocabulary in any other language, learning how to pronounce Spanish words and phrases requires practise.