1. Some Basic Phrases
¡Buenos días!
bway-nohs dee-ahs
Hello! / Good morning! |
¡Buenas tardes!
bway-nahs tard-ays
Good afternoon! |
¡Buenas noches!
bway-nahs noh-chays
Good evening! / Good night! |
¡Hola! / ¡Chao!
oh-lah / chow
Hi! / Bye! |
Adiós.
ah-dee-ohs
Good bye. |
Por favor.
por fah-bor
Please. |
Hasta la vista / Hasta luego.
ah-stah lah vees-tah / ah-stah loo-ay-go
See you / See you later. |
Hasta pronto.
ah-stah prohn-toh
See you soon. |
Hasta mañana.
ah-stah mahn-yahn-ah
See you tomorrow. |
(Muchas) Gracias.
(moo-chahs) grah-see-ahs
Thank you (very much). |
De nada.
day nah-dah
You're welcome. |
Bienvenidos
byen-veh-nee-dohs
Welcome |
Lo siento
loh see-ehn-toh
I'm sorry |
Con permiso / Perdón
kohn pehr-mee-soh / pehr-dohn
Excuse me / Pardon |
¡Vamos!
bah-mohs
Let's go! |
¿Cómo está usted?
koh-moh ay-stah oo-sted
How are you? (formal) |
¿Cómo estás?
koh-moh ay-stahs
How are you? (informal) |
¿Qué tal?
kay tahl
How's it going? |
Bien / Muy bien
bee-ehn / moy bee-ehn
Good / Very good |
Mal / Muy mal / Más o menos
mahl / moy mahl / mahs oh may-nohs
Bad / Very bad / OK |
Sí / No
see / noh
Yes / No |
¿Cómo se llama usted?
koh-moh say yah-mah oo-sted
What is your name? (formal) |
¿Cómo te llamas?
koh-moh tay yah-mahs
What is your name? (informal) |
Me llamo...
may yah-moh
My name is... |
Mucho gusto. / Encantado.
moo-choh goo-stoh / en-cahn-tah-doh
Nice to meet you. |
Igualmente.
ee-guahl-mehn-tay
Same here. |
Señor / Señora / Señorita
sayn-yor / sayn-yor-ah / sayn-yor-ee-tah
Mister / Mrs. / Miss |
¿De dónde es usted?
day dohn-day ehs oo-sted
Where are you from? (formal) |
¿De dónde eres?
day dohn-day eh-rehs
Where are you from? (informal) |
Yo soy de...
yoh soy day
I'm from... |
¿Cuántos años tiene usted?
quahn-tohs ahn-yohs tee-ay-nay oo-sted
How old are you? (formal) |
¿Cuántos años tienes?
quahn-tohs ahn-yohs tee-ayn-ays
How old are you? (informal) |
Yo tengo _____ años.
yoh tayn-goh _____ ahn-yohs
I am _____ years old. |
¿Habla usted español?
ah-blah oo-sted eh-spahn-yol
Do you speak Spanish? (formal) |
¿Hablas ingles?
ah-blahs een-glehs
Do you speak English? (informal) |
(No) Hablo...
noh ah-bloh
I (don't) speak... |
¿Entiende usted? / ¿Entiendes?
ehn-tyen-deh oo-sted / ehn-tyen-dehs
Do you understand? (formal / informal) |
(No) Entiendo.
noh ehn-tyen-doh
I (don't) understand. |
Yo (no lo) se.
yoh noh loh seh
I (don't) know. |
¿Puede ayudarme?
pweh-deh ah-yoo-dar-meh
Can you help me? |
Claro que sí
klah-roh keh see
Of course
|
¿Cómo?
koh-moh
What? Pardon me? |
¿Dónde está / Dónde están... ?
dohn-deh eh-stah / dohn-deh eh-stahn
Where is ... / Where are ... ? |
Aquí
ah-kee
Here. |
Hay / Había...
eye / ah-bee-ah
There is / are... / There was / were... |
¿Cómo se dice ____ en español?
koh-moh seh dee-ceh ___ on eh-spahn-yol
How do you say ____ in Spanish? |
¿Qué es esto?
keh ehs ehs-toh
What is that? |
¿Qué te pasa?
keh teh pah-sah
What's the matter (with you)?
|
No importa.
noh eem-por-tah
It doesn't matter. |
¿Qué pasa?
keh pah-sah
What's happening? |
No tengo ninguna idea.
noh tehn-goh neen-goo-nah ee-deh-ah
I have no idea. |
Estoy cansado / enfermo.
eh-stoy kahn-sah-doh / ehn-fehr-moh
I'm tired / sick. |
Tengo hambre / sed.
tehn-goh ahm-breh / sed
I'm hungry / thirsty. |
Tengo calor / frío.
tehn-goh kah-lohr / free-oh
I'm hot / cold. |
Estoy aburrido.
eh-stoy ah-boo-ree-doh
I'm bored. |
No me importa.
noh meh eem-por-tah
I don't care. |
No se preocupe.
noh seh preh-oh-koo-peh
Don't worry |
Está bien.
ehs-tah bee-ehn
That's alright. |
Me olvidé.
meh ohl-vee-deh
I forgot. |
Tengo que ir ahora.
tehn-goh keh eer ah-oh-rah
I must go now. |
¡Salud!
sah-lood
Bless you! |
¡Felicitaciones!
feh-lee-see-tah-see-oh-nehs
Congratulations! |
¡Buena suerte!
bweh-nah swehr-teh
Good luck! |
Te toca a ti.
teh toh-kah ah tee
It's your turn. (informal) |
¡Callate!
kah-yah-teh
Shut up! |
Te amo.
tay ah-moh
I love you. (informal and singular) |
Notice that Spanish has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in Spanish (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.) There are also two ways to say you in the plural, used when speaking to more than one person.
Encantado, cansado, enfermo, and aburrido are the masculine forms of the words. If the words refer to a woman or are spoken by a woman, then the o changes to a.
2. Pronunciation
| Spanish Letter |
English Sound |
| a |
ah |
| e |
ay |
| i |
ee |
| o |
oh |
| u |
oo |
| ll |
y |
| v |
b at beginning of word, real soft b between 2 vowels |
| ñ |
ny (as in canyon) |
| r |
almost like a d when in between 2 vowels |
| rr |
r w/ a roll of the tongue |
| d |
almost like a th when in between 2 vowels |
| j |
hard h |
| g |
g, sometimes a h |
| qu |
k |
| ai / all / ay |
eye |
| z |
s |
| z, ce, ci |
th (in most parts of Spain) |
Stress: Just as in English, Spanish stresses a certain syllable in a word. If a word ends in a consonant, except s or n, the stress is on the last syllable. If a word ends in a vowel, or s or n, the stress is on the second-to-last syllable. For words that do no follow these rules, an accent is written over the vowel so that you will know to stress that syllable, as in el pájaro (bird).
3. Alphabet
| a |
ah |
j |
hoh-tah |
r |
air-ay |
| b |
bay |
k |
kah |
rr |
airr-ay |
| c |
say |
l |
ay-lay |
s |
ay-say |
| ch |
chay |
ll |
ay-yay |
t |
tay |
| d |
day |
m |
ay-may |
u |
oo |
| e |
ay |
n |
ay-nay |
v |
oo-bay |
| f |
ay-fay |
ñ |
ayn-yay |
w |
doh-blay-bay |
| g |
hey |
o |
oh |
x |
ah-kees |
| h |
ah-chay |
p |
pay |
y |
ee-gree-ay-gah |
| i |
ee |
q |
koo |
z |
say-tah |
Note: The Spanish language academy no longer considers the ch, ll or rr to be separate letters of the alphabet.
4. Definite and Indefinite Articles and Demonstratives
| |
Masc. Singular |
Fem. Singular |
|
|
Masc. Plural |
Fem. Plural |
| the |
el (ail) |
la (lah) |
|
the |
los (lohs) |
las (lahs) |
| a, an |
un (oon) |
una (oon-ah) |
|
some |
unos (oon-ohs) |
unas (oon-ahs) |
| this |
este |
esta |
|
these |
estos |
estas |
| that |
ese |
esa |
|
those |
esos |
esas |
| that |
aquel |
aquella |
|
those |
aquellos |
aquellas |
El is also used with feminine nouns beginning with a or ha when the accent is on the first syllable. Words that end in -o and -or are generally masculine, with a few exceptions: la mano (hand), la foto (photo). Words that end in -a are generally feminine, with a few exceptions: el mapa (map), el problema (problem). Other feminine words end in -ción, -tad, -dad, or -tud.
Use the ese forms to mean that when what you are talking about is near the person you are addressing. Use the aquel forms when what you are talking about is far from both you and the person you are addressing. Esto and eso are the neuter forms of this and that. They can be used in general and abstract ways. Demonstrative adjectives (listed above) are used before a noun; if you want to use the demonstrative pronouns, which are used before a verb, add an accent on all of the first e's: éste, ésta, éstos, éstas, ése, ésa, ésos, ésas, aquél, aquélla, aquéllos, aquéllas.
5. Subject Pronouns
| yo |
yoh |
I |
nosotros(as) |
noh-soh-trohs |
we |
| tú |
too |
you (informal) |
vosotros(as) |
boh-soh-trohs |
you all |
él / ella /
usted |
ail / ay-yah /
oo-sted |
he / she /
you (formal) |
ellos / ellas /
ustedes |
ay-yohs / ay-yahs /
oo-sted-ays |
they / they /
you (plural) |
Note: Vosotros is used only in Spain when speaking to more than one person with whom you know well. Nosotras and vosotras refer to a group of all females, as well as ellas. Ustedes is almost always used for saying "you all" in all Spanish speaking countries. Usted can be abbreviated to Ud. Ustedes can also be abbreviated to Uds. Please note that the subject pronouns are rarely used before verbs.
6. To Be and to Have
|
ser - to be
|
|
present
|
past
|
future
|
| soy |
I am |
fuí |
I was |
seré |
I will be |
| eres |
you are |
fuiste |
you were |
serás |
you will be |
| es |
he/she/it is |
fué |
he/she/it was |
será |
he/she/it will be |
| somos |
we are |
fuimos |
we were |
seremos |
we will be |
| sois |
you are |
fuisteis |
you were |
seréis |
you will be |
| son |
they are |
fueron |
they were |
serán |
they will be |
|
estar - to be
|
|
present
|
past
|
future
|
| estoy |
I am |
estuve |
I was |
estaré |
I will be |
| estás |
you are |
estuviste |
you were |
estarás |
you will be |
| está |
he/she/it is |
estuvo |
he/she/it was |
estará |
he/she/it will be |
| estamos |
we are |
estuvimos |
we were |
estaremos |
we will be |
| estáis |
you are |
estuvisteis |
you were |
estaréis |
you will be |
| están |
they are |
estuvieron |
they were |
estarán |
they will be |
|
tener - to have
|
|
present
|
|
past
|
future
|
| tengo |
I have |
tuve |
I had |
tendré |
I will have |
| tienes |
you have |
tuviste |
you had |
tendrás |
you will have |
| tiene |
he/she/it has |
tuvo |
he/she/it had |
tendrá |
he/she/it will have |
| tenemos |
we have |
tuvimos |
we had |
tendremos |
we will have |
| tenéis |
you have |
tuvisteis |
you had |
tendréis |
you will have |
| tienen |
they have |
tuvieron |
they had |
tendrán |
they will have |
Ser is used to identify or describe. It tells what something is, its basic characteristics, or its origin. Estar is used to tell the location of something or how someone feels.
Uses of Ser
Identify person/object
Inherent characteristics
or qualities
Nationality/Occupation
Telling time
Express ownership
Impersonal expressions
Passive voice |
El edificio es un templo.
La casa es grande.
Carlos es pobre.
Es carpintero.
Son las tres.
Los libros son de Juan.
Es necesario.
El teléfono fue inventado por Bell. |
The building is a temple.
The house is large.
Charles is poor.
He is a carpenter.
It's three o'clock.
The books are John's.
It is necessary.
The telephone was invented by Bell. |
Uses of Estar
Location/position
Temporary condition/state
State of health
Form progressive tense |
El libro está en la mesa.
La ventana está abierta.
Juan está enfermo.
Miguel está estudiando. |
The book is on the table.
The window is open.
John is sick.
Michael is studying. |
Sometimes changing the verb can completely change the meaning: ser aburrido means to be boring, while estar aburrido means to be bored. Others include: ser bueno - to be nice, estar bueno - to be in good health; ser callado - to be discrete, estar callado - to be silent; ser moreno - to have brown hair, estar moreno - to be tan.
Common Expressions with "to be"
to be afraid - tener miedo
to be against - estar en contra
to be at fault - tener la culpa
to be careful - tener cuidado
to be cold - tener frío
to be curious - ser curioso (a)
to be happy - estar contento (a)
to be hot - tener calor
to be hungry - tener hambre
to be in a hurry - tener prisa, estar de prisa
to be jealous - tener celos
to be lucky - tener suerte
to be patient - tener paciencia
to be successful - tener éxito
to be thirsty - tener sed
to be tired - estar cansado (a)
7. Question Words
| what |
qué |
|
which |
cuál(es) |
| who |
quién(es) |
|
how much |
cuánto (-a) |
| how |
cómo |
|
how many |
cuántos (-as) |
| when |
cuándo |
|
whom |
a quién(es) |
| where |
dónde |
|
whose |
de quién(es) |
| why |
por qué |
|
|
|
8. Numbers / Ordinals
| 0 |
cero |
say-roh |
|
|
| 1 |
uno |
oo-noh |
first |
primero |
| 2 |
dos |
dohs |
second |
segundo |
| 3 |
tres |
trays |
third |
tercero |
| 4 |
cuatro |
kuah-troh |
fourth |
cuarto |
| 5 |
cinco |
seen-koh |
fifth |
quinto |
| 6 |
seis |
says |
sixth |
sexto |
| 7 |
siete |
see-ay-tay |
seventh |
séptimo |
| 8 |
ocho |
oh-choh |
eighth |
octavo |
| 9 |
nueve |
new-ay-vay |
ninth |
noveno |
| 10 |
diez |
dee-ays |
tenth |
décimo |
| 11 |
once |
ohn-say |
eleventh |
undécimo |
| 12 |
doce |
doh-say |
twelfth |
duodécimo |
| 13 |
trece |
tray-say |
thirteenth |
décimo tercero |
| 14 |
catorce |
kah-tor-say |
fourteenth |
décimo cuarto |
| 15 |
quince |
keen-say |
fifteenth |
décimo quinto |
| 16 |
diez y seis |
dee-ays ee says |
sixteenth |
décimo sexto |
| 17 |
diez y siete |
dee-ays ee see-ay-tay |
seventeenth |
décimo séptimo |
| 18 |
diez y ocho |
dee-ays ee oh-choh |
eighteenth |
décimo octavo |
| 19 |
diez y nueve |
dee-ays ee new-ay-vay |
nineteenth |
décimo noveno |
| 20 |
veinte |
bayn-tay |
twentieth |
vigésimo |
| 21 |
veinte y uno |
bayn-tay ee oo-noh |
twenty-first |
vigésimo primero |
| 22 |
veinte y dos |
bayn-tay ee dohs |
twenty-second |
vigésimo segundo |
| 30 |
treinta |
trayn-tah |
thirtieth |
trigésimo |
| 40 |
cuarenta |
kuar-ain-tah |
fortieth |
cuadragésimo |
| 50 |
cincuenta |
seen-kuain-tah |
fiftieth |
quincuagésimo |
| 60 |
sesenta |
say-sain-tah |
sixtieth |
sexagésimo |
| 70 |
setenta |
say-tain-tah |
seventieth |
septuagésimo |
| 80 |
ochenta |
oh-chain-tah |
eightieth |
octogésimo |
| 90 |
noventa |
noh-bain-tah |
ninetieth |
nonagésimo |
| 100 |
cien(to) |
see-ain-(toh) |
hundredth |
centésimo |
| 1000 |
mil |
meel |
thousandth |
milésimo |
Note: If you are just saying 100, you use cien. If it's over 100, you use ciento. So 101 is ciento uno. And 156 would be ciento cincuenta y seis. Also you can also use dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, and diecinueve for 16, 17, 18, and 19, respectively. They are pronounced the same but are combined into one word. Additionally, 21-29 can be written as one word (veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés, etc.), but you need to use y for the rest of the numbers.
9. Days of the Week
| Monday |
lunes |
loo-nays |
| Tuesday |
martes |
mar-tays |
| Wednesday |
miércoles |
mee-air-coh-lays |
| Thursday |
jueves |
hway-bays |
| Friday |
viernes |
bee-air-nays |
| Saturday |
sábado |
sah-bah-doh |
| Sunday |
domingo |
doh-ming-oh |
| the day |
el día |
ail dee-ah |
| the week |
la semana |
lah say-mahn-ah |
| the weekend |
el fin de semana |
ail feen day say-mahn-ah |
| today |
hoy |
oy |
| tomorrow |
mañana |
mahn-yahn-ah |
| my birthday |
mi cumpleaños |
mee coom-play-ahn-yohs |
10. Months of the Year
| January |
enero |
ay-nair-oh |
| February |
febrero |
fay-bray-roh |
| March |
marzo |
mar-soh |
| April |
abril |
ah-breel |
| May |
mayo |
mi-oh |
| June |
junio |
hoo-nee-oh |
| July |
julio |
hoo-lee-oh |
| August |
agosto |
ah-gohs-toh |
| September |
septiembre |
sayp-tee-aim-bray |
| October |
octubre |
ohk-too-bray |
| November |
noviembre |
noh-bee-aim-bray |
| December |
diciembre |
dee-see-aim-bray |
| the month |
el mes |
ail mais |
| the first of [a month] |
el primero de [month] |
ail pree-mair-oh day _____ |
| the year |
el año |
ail ahn-yoh |
11. Seasons
| spring |
la primavera |
|
winter |
el invierno |
| summer |
el verano |
|
autumn |
el otoño |
Note: To say in the summer, spring, etc. use en and the season. En verano means in the summer.
12. Directions
| north |
el norte |
|
east |
el este |
| south |
el sur |
|
west |
el oeste |
13. Colors
| red |
rojo |
|
violet |
violeta |
| pink |
rosado |
|
brown |
marrón |
| orange |
anaranjado |
|
dark brown |
marrón oscuro |
| yellow |
amarillo |
|
black |
negro |
| green |
verde |
|
gray |
gris |
| blue |
azul |
|
white |
blanco |
| light blue |
celeste |
|
gold |
dorado |
| purple |
morado |
|
silver |
plateado |
14. Time
| Qué hora es? |
What time is it? |
| Es la una. |
It's one. |
| Son las dos/tres/cuatro... |
It's two/three/four... |
| Es mediodía. |
It's noon. |
| Es medianoche. |
It's midnight. |
| Son las cinco y cinco. |
It's 5:05 |
| Son las ocho y cuarto. |
It's 8:15 |
| Son las diez menos cuarto. |
It's 9:45 |
| Son cuarto para las diez |
It's 9:45 (common in Mexico) |
| Son las nueve menos diez. |
It's 8:50 |
| Son diez para las nueve |
It's 8:50 (common in Mexico) |
| Son las tres y media. |
It's 3:30 |
15. Weather
| Qué tiempo hace? |
What's the weather like? |
| Hace buen tiempo. |
The weather's nice. |
| Hace mal tiempo. |
The weather's bad. |
| Hace frío. |
It's cold. |
| Hace calor. |
It's hot. |
| Hace sol. |
It's sunny. |
| Hace viento. |
It's windy. |
| Llueve. |
It's raining. |
| Nieva. |
It's snowing. |
| Está nublado. |
It's cloudy. |
16. Prepositions
| a |
at, to |
|
al lado de |
beside |
| con |
with |
|
alrededor de |
around |
| contra |
against |
|
cerca de |
near |
| de |
of, from |
|
lejos de |
far from |
| en |
in, on |
|
delante de |
in front of |
| entre |
between, among |
|
debajo de |
below, under |
| hacia |
towards, about |
|
en frente de |
opposite |
| para |
for, in order, by |
|
detrás de |
behind |
| por |
for, through, along, via |
|
encima de |
above |
| sobre |
on, over |
|
hasta |
till, until |
| sin |
without |
|
desde |
from, since |
Note: There are two prepositional contractions with definite articles. A and el combine to form al, and de and el combine to form del.
17. Family and Pets
| family |
la familia |
|
grandfather |
el abuelo |
|
dog |
el perro |
| parents |
los padres |
|
grandmother |
la abuela |
|
cat |
el gato |
| husband |
el esposo |
|
grandson |
el nieto |
|
bird |
el pájaro |
| wife |
la esposa |
|
granddaughter |
la nieta |
|
fish |
el pez |
| father |
el padre |
|
uncle |
el tío |
|
horse |
el caballo |
| mother |
la madre |
|
aunt |
la tía |
|
goat |
la cabra |
| son |
el hijo |
|
nephew |
el sobrino |
|
pig |
el cerdo |
| daughter |
la hija |
|
niece |
la sobrina |
|
cow |
la vaca |
| children |
los hijos |
|
cousin (m) |
el primo |
|
rabbit |
el conejo |
| sister |
la hermana |
|
cousin (f) |
la prima |
|
turtle |
la tortuga |
| brother |
el hermano |
|
relatives |
los parientes |
|
mouse |
el ratón |
18. To Know People and Facts
| conocer - to know people |
|
saber - to know facts |
| conozco |
conocemos |
|
sé |
sabemos |
| conoces |
conocéis |
|
sabes |
sabéis |
| conoce |
conocen |
|
sabe |
saben |
19. Formation of Plural Nouns
If a singular noun ends in a vowel, just add -s to make it plural: la casa / las casas. If a singular noun ends in a consonant, a vowel with an accent, or y, add -es to make it plural: el papel / los papeles. Singular nouns that end in -z change the z to c and add -es to form the plural: la luz / las luces. A few nouns that have an accent in the singular will lose it in the plural: el lápiz - los lapices.
20. Possessive Adjectives
| |
|
Initial Forms
|
|
Terminal Forms
|
| |
|
singular |
plural |
|
singular |
plural |
| my |
|
mi |
mis |
|
mío (a) |
míos (as) |
| your |
|
tu |
tus |
|
tuyo (a) |
tuyos (as) |
| your/his/her/its |
|
su |
sus |
|
suyo (a) |
suyos (as) |
| our |
|
nuestro (a) |
nuestros (as) |
|
nuestro (a) |
nuestros (as) |
| your |
|
vuestro (a) |
vuestros (as) |
|
vuestro (a) |
vuestros (as) |
| your/their |
|
su |
sus |
|
suyo (a) |
suyos (as) |
Because su and sus can have so many meanings, the definite article may be used with the definite article may be used instead of su with the following forms: de Ud., de él, de ella, de Uds., de ellos and de ellas.
los libros de ellos their books
The terminal forms are placed after the noun, and must be preceded by the definite article, except in direct address. When used with the indefinite article, it corresponds to the English "of mine, of yours," etc.
el libro mío my book
Qué haces, hijo mío? What are you doing, my son?
un amigo mío a friend of mine
