Basic Spanish Words and Phrases for Beginners (with Pronunciation)

The basic Spanish words and phrases a beginner needs fit on one page: about a dozen greetings and polite phrases, four lines about yourself, numbers one to twenty, the days of the week and a few survival questions. Learn every noun with its el or la, follow the sounds-like hints below, and say each line out loud.

Six pronunciation rules for day one

Spanish spelling is honest: once you know these rules, you can read almost any word aloud. In the hints, the capitalized syllable is the stressed one.

Two more you will hear right away: v sounds like b, so vale is BAH-leh, and c before e or i (plus every z) sounds like s in Latin America but like the th in thing in most of Spain. English speakers tend to stretch vowels and add a glide at the end; keep every vowel short and pure, and the accent improves instantly.

Greetings and polite phrases

Tú or usted? Both mean you. Use tú with friends, kids and people your age who are already using it with you; use usted with strangers, older people and anyone in a formal setting. When in doubt, start with usted and switch when the other person does. The verb changes with it: ¿Cómo estás? for tú, ¿Cómo está usted? for usted. Our tú, usted, vosotros and ustedes guide covers the rest.

Talking about yourself (ser, estar and tener)

English uses to be for all of these. Spanish splits them, and beginners hear the difference immediately.

The short version: ser for who and what you are, estar for how and where you are. That is why it is ¿Dónde está el baño? and never ¿Dónde es el baño? for the location of a room. Adjectives also match you: a man says cansado, a woman says cansada. The full ser vs estar guide goes deeper.

Everyday nouns, always with el or la

Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine, and the article tells you which. Most words ending in o take el and most ending in a take la, but some of the most common words break the pattern, so learn the article as part of the word.

El agua is the odd one: feminine nouns that start with a stressed a sound use el in the singular, but stay feminine, so it is el agua fría, cold water.

Numbers one to twenty, plus the tens

Watch once: it is eleven (OHN-seh), not the English word. From thirty-one on, join with y: treinta y uno, cuarenta y dos. Twenty-one to twenty-nine are single words (veintiuno, veintidós), and uno shortens before a noun: tengo veintiún años.

Days of the week

Days are lowercase in Spanish, and the article does the work of on: el lunes is on Monday, los lunes is on Mondays. Hoy es viernes means today is Friday.

Mistakes English speakers make with these exact words

Our false friends guide has the longer list, including constipado and actualmente.

Spain vs Latin America: the beginner words that change

Either side understands the other. Pick the variety you will use most and stay consistent; the ordering food in Spain vs Mexico guide shows how much this matters at the table.

Say this today

1. Hola, buenos días. ¿Cómo está usted? Hello, good morning. How are you?
2. Me llamo Sam y soy de Chicago. My name is Sam and I'm from Chicago.
3. Perdón, ¿dónde está el baño? Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
4. Quisiera un café, por favor. (kee-SYEH-rah) I'd like a coffee, please.
5. No entiendo. Más despacio, por favor. (noh ehn-TYEHN-doh, mahs dehs-PAH-syoh) I don't understand. Slower, please.

Swap in your own name and city, then say all five out loud until they come out without stopping. Saying them to Polly, the PollyStop tutor, is an easy way to hear them back and fix the vowels before you need them for real.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most basic Spanish words for beginners?

Start with hola, gracias, por favor, de nada, perdón, sí and no, then the numbers one to twenty and the days of the week. Add four sentences about yourself: me llamo, soy de, estoy bien and tengo (your age) años.

How do you say nice to meet you in Spanish?

Mucho gusto works for everyone. You will also hear encantado from men and encantada from women, which means delighted.

Should a beginner learn tú or usted first?

Learn both forms of the core questions, such as cómo estás and cómo está usted. Use usted with strangers and in formal settings, and switch to tú when the other person does.

How do you say how old you are in Spanish?

Use tener, not ser: tengo treinta años means I am thirty, literally I have thirty years. To ask, say cuántos años tienes.