Learn Spanish · For Beginners
Learn Spanish: Most Common Words and Basic Phrases
The most common Spanish words, basic phrases to know, and simple sentences you actually use - learned with spaced repetition.
Spanish is the second-most-spoken native language in the world, and the smallest investment - the first hundred or so most-common words and phrases - returns the largest share of real-world usefulness. This page is the starting point: basic Spanish phrases every beginner should know, the verbs that show up in nearly every sentence, and a clear way to commit them to memory.
Basic Spanish phrases to know
These twenty simple Spanish phrases cover greetings, basic courtesy, and the survival vocabulary you need for a first trip or first conversation. Learn them as whole units before worrying about conjugation.
- HolaHello
- Buenos díasGood morning
- Buenas tardesGood afternoon
- Buenas nochesGood evening / Good night
- AdiósGoodbye
- GraciasThank you
- Muchas graciasThank you very much
- Por favorPlease
- De nadaYou're welcome
- PerdónSorry / Excuse me
- SíYes
- NoNo
- No entiendoI don't understand
- ¿Habla inglés?Do you speak English?
- ¿Cómo está?How are you? (formal)
- Bien, graciasFine, thank you
- ¿Cuánto cuesta?How much does it cost?
- ¿Dónde está el baño?Where is the bathroom?
- La cuenta, por favorThe bill, please
- ¡Ayuda!Help!
Ten most common Spanish verbs
Spanish sentences are built on a small set of high-frequency verbs. Master these ten and you can construct most basic sentences. The famous beginner trap - ser versus estar - both translate as “to be”, but ser is for permanent qualities and estar for temporary states or location.
- serto be (essence)
- estarto be (state/location)
- tenerto have
- hacerto do / to make
- irto go
- quererto want
- podercan / to be able to
- saberto know (a fact)
- decirto say
- verto see
How Vocabingo teaches Spanish
Vocabingo gives you the 2,000 most-common Spanish words in strict frequency order, scheduled with the SM-2 spaced-repetition algorithm. Each word is reviewed at the moment your memory is about to fade - tomorrow, then a week, then two weeks, then a month - so retention compounds without you ever having to cram. Every phrase comes with an example sentence in real Spanish, not a textbook fragment.
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Frequently asked questions
How many Spanish words do I need to be a confident beginner?
Around 100 high-frequency words and phrases will carry you through most basic interactions. The first 1,000 most-common Spanish words cover roughly 85% of everyday spoken language, so a curated beginner list is the highest-leverage place to start.
What is the difference between ser and estar in Spanish?
Both translate as "to be," but ser is for permanent qualities (Soy americano - "I am American") and estar is for temporary states or location (Estoy cansado - "I am tired"). It is one of the most famous beginner pitfalls. The shortcut: estar for how you feel and where you are; ser for everything else.
What is the fastest way to learn basic Spanish phrases?
Spaced repetition. Studies (Cepeda et al., 2008) show optimally-spaced practice produces 50-100% better retention than cramming for the same total study time. Vocabingo schedules each phrase for review just before you would forget it.
Should I learn Latin American or European Spanish?
For your first 1,000 words it barely matters - the core vocabulary is shared. The differences (vosotros vs ustedes, some food words, accent) only start to matter at intermediate level. Start with whichever variety your target context uses (travel destination, family, work), and the other variety becomes easy to pick up later.