If you're learning Spanish and want a quick, confidence-boosting cheat sheet, this guide gives you the essentials you’ll use every day. It keeps things simple: handy phrases, must-know question words, and easy verb conjugation tables so you can start speaking right away.
25 hi-frequency Spanish words and expressions
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello. | Hola. | oh-lah |
| Good morning. | Buenos días. | boo-eh-nohs dee-ahs |
| Good afternoon. | Buenas tardes. | boo-eh-nahs tahr-dehs |
| Good evening (night). | Buenas noches. | boo-eh-nahs noh-chehs |
| Good-bye. | Adiós. | ah-dee-ohs |
| See you later. | Hasta la vista. | ahs-tah lah bees-tah |
| See you tomorrow. | Hasta mañana. | ahs-tah mah-nyah-nah |
| Please | por favor | pohr fah-bohr |
| Thank you (very much) | (Muchas) gracias. | moo-chahs grah-see-ahs |
| You’re welcome. | De nada. | deh nah-dah |
| Don’t mention it. | No hay de qué | noh ah-ee deh keh |
| Excuse me. (I beg your pardon) | Disculpe. | dees-kool-peh |
| I’m sorry. | Lo siento. | loh see-ehn-toh |
| It doesn’t matter. | No importa. | noh eem-pohr-tah |
| Just a second. | Un momento. | oon moh-mehn-toh |
| My name is… | Me llamo… | meh yah-moh |
| I need… | Necesito | neh-seh-see-toh |
| Could you please help me? | ¿Podrías ayudarme, por favor? | poh-dree-ahs ah-yoo-dahr-meh pohr-fah-bohr |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? | ah-blah een-glehs |
| I speak a little Spanish. | Hablo un poco de español. | ah-bloh oon poh-koh deh ehs-pah-nyohl |
| I don’t speak Spanish. | No hablo español. | noh ah-bloh ehs-pah-nyohl |
| I (don’t) understand. | (No) comprendo. | noh kohm-prehn-doh |
| Please repeat. | Repita, por favor. | rreh-pee-tah pohr fah-bohr |
| Please speak more slowly. | Hable más despacio, por favor | ah-bleh mahs dehs-pah-see-oh pohr fah-bohr |
| How do you say…in Spanish? | ¿Cómo se dice…en español? | koh-moh seh dee-seh…ehn ehs-pah-nyohl |
How to ask for information in Spanish
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Who? | ¿Quién(es)? | kee-ehn (kee-eh-nehs) |
| What? | ¿Qué? | keh |
| When? | ¿Cúando? | koo-ahn-doh |
| Where? | ¿Dónde? | dohn-deh |
| How? | ¿Cómo? | koh-moh |
| Why? | ¿Por qué? | pohr keh |
| Which one(s) | ¿Cuál(es)? | koo-ahl (koo-ah-lehs) |
| How much (many)? | ¿Cuánto(s)?/¿Cuánta(s)? | koo-ahn-toh(s)/koo-ahn-tah(s) |
How to conjugate regular verbs in Spanish
-ar verbs: hablar (to speak)
| Person | Present | Preterit | Imperfect | Future | Conditional | Present Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | hablo | hablé | hablaba | hablaré | hablaría | hable |
| tú | hablas | hablaste | hablabas | hablarás | hablarías | hables |
| él, ella, Ud. | habla | habló | hablaba | hablará | hablaría | hable |
| nosotros | hablamos | hablamos | hablábamos | hablaremos | hablaríamos | hablemos |
| vosotros | habláis | hablasteis | hablábais | hablaréis | hablaríais | habléis |
| ellos, ellas, Uds. | hablan | hablaron | hablaban | hablarán | hablarían | hablen |
-er verbs: beber (to drink)
| Person | Present | Preterit | Imperfect | Future | Conditional | Present Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | bebo | bebî | bebía | beberé | bebería | beba |
| tú | bebes | bebiste | bebías | beberás ‡s | beberías | bebas |
| él, ella, Ud. | bebe | bebió | bebía | beberá | bebería | beba |
| nosotros | bebemos | bebimos | bebíamos | beberemos | beberíamos | bebamos |
| vosotros | bebéis | bebisteis | bebíais | beberéis | beberíais | bebáis |
| ellos, ellas, Uds. | beben | bebieron | bebían | beberán | beberían | beban |
-ir Verbs: subir (to go up)
| Person | Present | Preterit | Imperfect | Future | Conditional | Present Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | subo | subí | subía | subiré | subiría | suba |
| tú | subes | subiste | subías | subirás | subirías | subas |
| él, ella, Ud. | sube | subió | subía | subirá | subiría | suba |
| nosotros | subimos | subimos | subíamos | subiremos | subiríamos | subamos |
| vosotros | subís | subis | subíais | subiréis | subiríais | subáis |
| ellos, ellas, Uds. | suben | subieron | subían | subirán | subirían | suban |
About This Article
This article is from the book:
About the book author:
Gail Stein, MA, has more than 30 years’ experience teaching languages in New York City public junior and senior high schools. She is also the author of Spanish Workbook For Dummies, Spanish Essentials For Dummies, and Intermediate Spanish For Dummies.
Cecie Kraynak, MA, is a Spanish teacher, ESL coordinator, and author/editor of numerous Spanish books, including Spanish For Dummies, Spanish Verbs For Dummies, and Spanish All-in-One For Dummies. She has taught and tutored Spanish at the junior high school and college levels for more than 30 years.
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