Spanish: 40 essential words
The 40 Spanish (español) words you will hear and use most: greetings, people, places, everyday things and common verbs.
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Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 10 Oct 2026
Source: Wiktionary (Spanish)
Preview
Hello
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Hola
Learn more: The h is always silent in Spanish. This greeting works at any time of day, with anyone.
Goodbye
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Adiós
Learn more: From a Dios, 'to God', like French adieu. Hasta luego, 'see you later', is more casual.
Please
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Por favor
Learn more: It usually follows a request: un café, por favor.
Thank you
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Gracias
Learn more: Muchas gracias means 'thank you very much'; the reply is de nada, 'it's nothing'.
Yes
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Sí
Learn more: The accent tells sí, 'yes', apart from si, 'if'. Both sound the same.
About this topic
Spanish is the native language of nearly 500 million people, in Spain and across most of the Americas, and the second most spoken native language in the world. These forty words are the everyday core: greetings, people, time, places and the verbs you need to start talking.
For English speakers it is one of the friendliest languages to begin with. Its spelling is close to its sound, so once you know the rules you can read any word aloud, and many words share Latin roots with English: tiempo and tempo, libro and library, nocturnal and noche. The hints point to those links.
Two habits make it easier. Learn every noun with its article, el or la, since gender changes the words around it; each Why line names it, and flags exceptions like el día. And watch the small marks: the tilde of año and the accent of sí change the meaning of a word.
All 40 cards
Hello
Hola
Learn more: The h is always silent in Spanish. This greeting works at any time of day, with anyone.
Goodbye
Adiós
Learn more: From a Dios, 'to God', like French adieu. Hasta luego, 'see you later', is more casual.
Please
Por favor
Learn more: It usually follows a request: un café, por favor.
Thank you
Gracias
Learn more: Muchas gracias means 'thank you very much'; the reply is de nada, 'it's nothing'.
Yes
Sí
Learn more: The accent tells sí, 'yes', apart from si, 'if'. Both sound the same.
No
No
Learn more: Placed before a verb, it also makes it negative: no sé, 'I don't know'.
Water
Agua
Learn more: Agua is feminine but takes el: el agua, because it starts with a stressed a. Plural: las aguas.
Food
Comida
Learn more: Comida is feminine: la comida. It also means 'lunch', the main meal of the day in Spain.
House
Casa
Learn more: Casa is feminine: la casa. 'At home' is en casa, as in mi casa es su casa.
Friend
Amigo / Amiga
Learn more: El amigo is a male friend, la amiga a female one. A mixed group is los amigos.
Man
Hombre
Learn more: Hombre is masculine: el hombre. Like French homme, it comes from Latin homo.
Woman
Mujer
Learn more: Mujer is feminine: la mujer. It also means 'wife': mi mujer.
Child
Niño / Niña
Learn more: El niño is a boy, la niña a girl. The weather pattern El Niño is named after the Christ child.
Day
Día
Learn more: Día ends in -a but is masculine: el día, buenos días. A classic exception.
Night
Noche
Learn more: Noche is feminine: la noche. 'Good night' is buenas noches; 'tonight' is esta noche.
Time
Tiempo
Learn more: Tiempo is masculine: el tiempo. Like French temps, it means both 'time' and 'weather'.
Year
Año
Learn more: Año is masculine: el año. Keep the tilde: without it, the word means something rude.
Work
Trabajo
Learn more: Trabajo is masculine: el trabajo. It means both 'work' and 'a job'.
Life
Vida
Learn more: Vida is feminine: la vida. ¡Así es la vida! means 'that's life!'
Love
Amor
Learn more: Amor is masculine: el amor. Mi amor, 'my love', is a common pet name.
City
Ciudad
Learn more: Ciudad is feminine, like most nouns in -dad: la ciudad. Mexico City is Ciudad de México.
Country
País
Learn more: País is masculine: el país. The accent splits it into two syllables: pa-ís.
School
Escuela
Learn more: Escuela is feminine: la escuela. Spanish puts an e before s plus a consonant, as in España.
Book
Libro
Learn more: Libro is masculine: el libro. A librería is a bookshop; a library is una biblioteca.
Dog
Perro
Learn more: Perro is masculine: el perro; a female dog is la perra.
Cat
Gato
Learn more: Gato is masculine: el gato; a female cat is la gata.
Big
Grande
Learn more: Before a singular noun it shortens to gran and means 'great': un gran hombre.
Small
Pequeño
Learn more: It changes for gender and number: pequeño, pequeña, pequeños, pequeñas.
Good
Bueno
Learn more: Before a masculine noun it drops the o: buen día. 'Good morning' is buenos días.
Bad
Malo
Learn more: Before a masculine noun it drops the o: un mal día. Feminine: mala.
Today
Hoy
Learn more: From Latin hodie. The h is silent, so it sounds like English 'oy'.
Tomorrow
Mañana
Learn more: La mañana is 'the morning'; alone, mañana is 'tomorrow'. Tomorrow morning: mañana por la mañana.
Always
Siempre
Learn more: From Latin semper, 'always'. Para siempre means 'forever'.
Never
Nunca
Learn more: Before a verb it stands alone: nunca como. After the verb, add no: no como nunca.
To be (identity, origin)
Ser
Learn more: Ser is for identity and origin: soy de Canadá. Estar is for states and places: estoy cansado.
To have
Tener
Learn more: It also gives ages: tengo treinta años, literally 'I have thirty years'.
To go
Ir
Learn more: Very irregular: voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van. ¡Vamos! means 'let's go!'
To eat
Comer
Learn more: A regular -er verb: como, comes, come. La comida, 'food', comes from it.
To drink
Beber
Learn more: A regular -er verb: bebo, bebes, bebe. A drink is una bebida.
To speak
Hablar
Learn more: A regular -ar verb: hablo, hablas, habla. ¿Habla inglés? means 'Do you speak English?'
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