Learning a language, whether in the classroom or on your own, is a rewarding and fun experience. It allows you to watch movies and understand lyrics in another language, and it can even help you make new friends. When you reach an advanced level, however, a world of opportunities opens.

If you’re dreaming of an academic or professional career in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country, you’re already aware that it can be the pathway to a brilliant future. More than 500 million people around the planet speak the language—just imagine the possibilities! 

Need a little help getting there? Here are some advanced Spanish phrases that can put you on track. Also, stick around for some bonus everyday Spanish idioms that will make you sound like a native. Enjoy!

Here’s to a brilliant career doing business in Spanish!

Table of Contents

1. Useful Phrases for Academic Writing
2. Power Phrases for Your Cover Letter
3. Smart Phrases for Business and Meetings
4. Bonus: Advanced Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage
5. Final Thoughts

1. Useful Phrases for Academic Writing

Academic writing is one of the most formal ways to express yourself. Once you’ve reached an advanced level in Spanish, you’ll be able to produce fluid and coherent texts for the academic sphere. Here are some advanced Spanish phrases for essays that will make your work look great:

En este ensayo… / En esta redacción… “In this essay…”

In Spanish, “essay” can be translated as either ensayo or redacción, the latter being less formal and more commonly used in school. Ensayo, then, is often used in higher education and research. En este ensayo, voy a demostrar la existencia de sirenas en el mar Mediterráneo.  “In this essay, I’m going to prove the existence of mermaids in the Mediterranean Sea.”

En referencia a… / En cuanto a…  “In reference to…”

En cuanto a las teorías de Isaac Newton, la manzana es una fruta importante en la ciencia. “In reference to Isaac Newton’s theories, the apple is an important fruit in science.”

De acuerdo con… / Según…  “According to…”

You can use either of these two expressions when citing other authors in your work. Según Miguel de Cervantes, el Quijote se volvió loco porque leía muchas novelas.  “According to Miguel de Cervantes, Quixote went mad because he read too many novels.”

En mi opinión… / Según mi punto de vista… / A mi parecer…  “In my opinion…”

Great academic writing does not prohibit you from expressing your mind on the matter. However, don’t forget to make it clear when a statement is your own opinion by including these useful expressions. A mi parecer, España tiene una buena calidad de vida.  “In my opinion, Spain has a good quality of life.”

Por una parte… “On the one hand…”

Por una parte, la tortilla española es un plato típico.  “On the one hand, the Spanish omelet is a typical dish.”

Por otra parte…  “On the other hand…”

Por otra parte, la tortilla también es muy nutritiva.  “On the other hand, the omelet is also very nutritious.”

Por el contrario…  “On the contrary…”

Por el contrario, las patatas fritas no son muy sanas.  “On the contrary, fries are not very healthy.”

Tal y como está indicado…  “As stated…”

To better structure your essay, it’s important to use expressions that point out the data or argument you think is most relevant. You can use variations of the expression above, such as: Tal y como demuestran los datos… (“As the data show…”)  Tal y como ha sido previamente mencionado… (“As it has been previously mentioned…”) Tal y como está indicado en el gráfico 1, las ganas de celebrar la Navidad crecen cada año. “As stated in Chart 1, the desire to celebrate Christmas grows every year.”

Cabe destacar que…  “It should be noted that…”

Cabe destacar que el Papa Francisco es originario de Argentina.  “It should be noted that Pope Francis is from Argentina.”

En resumen…  “To sum up…”

En resumen, todas las canciones de Shakira hablan de amor.  “To sum up, all of Shakira’s songs talk about love.”

En conclusión…  “In conclusion…”

En conclusión, hacer yoga por la mañana es mejor que por la noche.  “In conclusion, doing yoga in the morning is better than at night.”

➜ Would you like additional words and phrases to use in your essays and in the classroom? Then check out the lesson Academia on SpanishPod101.com!

Ace your essay in Spanish!

2. Power Phrases for Your Cover Letter

In Spain, a cover letter goes a long way when applying for a job. Now that so many people have a good education and are well-experienced, showing who you really are in a few paragraphs can turn the tables in your favor. However, try to maintain a formal structure and use sophisticated vocabulary with these advanced Spanish phrases:

Entre mis competencias, cabe destacar…  “Among my competencies, it should be noted…”

Cuento con una dilatada experiencia en…  “I have extensive experience in…”

Uno de mis puntos fuertes es… “One of my main strong points is…”

A very common question in Spanish job interviews is: ¿Cuáles son tus puntos fuertes y cuáles son tus puntos débiles? (“Which are your strong points and weak points?”) Be prepared to give a good answer!

Trabajo bien bajo presión.  “I work well under pressure.”

Trabajo bien… (“I work well…”) is a handy expression for any type of situation in the workplace. Trabajo bien en equipo. → “I work well in a team.” / “I’m a team ”Trabajo bien en grupos reducidos. → “I work well with small teams.”

Me especializo en el campo de…  “I specialize in the field of…”

Estoy realmente interesado en esta oportunidad.  “I’m really interested in this opportunity.”

Admiro la cultura de trabajo de su empresa.  “I admire your company’s culture.”

There are different things you might admire about a company that you can pinpoint in an interview or in your cover letter: Admiro la trayectoria de su empresa. → “I admire your company’s trajectory.” Admiro los logros de su empresa. → “I admire your company’s achievements.” Admiro el impacto de su empresa en el sector. → “I admire your company’s impact on the sector.”

Espero que les interese mi perfil.  “I hope you’re interested in my profile.”

Estoy disponible para aclarar cualquier duda.  “I’m available to clarify any doubts.”

Showing interest in continuing the conversation with your potential interviewer is always a good idea.  An alternative phrase would be: No duden en contactarme para cualquier cuestión. (“Don’t hesitate contacting me for any inquiries.”)

Espero aprender más sobre su proyecto.  “Looking forward to learning more about your project.”

➜ Are you looking for a job in Spain? Don’t miss this blog post from SpanishPod101, where we give you the best advice, insight, and tips.

A good cover letter can get you your dream interview.

3. Smart Phrases for Business and Meetings

The business world has its own expressions and slang. Learning how to properly communicate in the workplace can make all the difference when trying to succeed in business. With these advanced Spanish phrases, you’ll learn how to express yourself in a meeting and also how to address others in a professional manner.

Gracias por asistir a esta reunión.  “Thank you for coming to this meeting.”

After the greetings, it’s polite to thank your coworkers, superiors, or clients for making time for the meeting.

En mi presentación, hablaré de…  “In my presentation, I will talk about…”

➜ Check out SpanishPod101’s guide to giving business presentations for more useful expressions and ideas!

Me gustaría añadir que…  “I’d like to add that…”

Cumpliremos todos los términos del acuerdo.  “We’ll fulfill all the agreement’s terms.”

Nos estamos retrasando con este tema.  “We’re lagging behind with this issue.”

Tenemos que cerrar este proyecto.  “We have to come to a close with this project.”

In order to succeed with your business endeavors, it’s important to be assertive so that everyone is on the same page when talking about work.

Tu aportación es muy interesante.  “Your insight is very interesting.”

Es una idea brillante.  “It’s a brilliant idea.”

Encouraging words always go a long way, even in the business world. Another way to celebrate someone’s good ideas is by saying: ¡Qué buena idea! (“What a good idea!”) Further, you can congratulate them for a job well done with: ¡Buen trabajo!

¿Podrías resumir tu argumento?  “Could you sum up your point?”

Gracias por su tiempo.  “Thank you for your time.”

Te contestaré lo antes posible.  “I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

➜ Do you want to learn some more advanced phrases in Spanish for the workplace? Then visit the lesson Spanish Business Phrases on SpanishPod101.com!

Thank your coworkers for coming to your meeting!

4. Bonus: Advanced Idioms, Sayings, and Proverbs for Everyday Usage

Spanish idioms are very present in everyday conversations. Do you want to know what your teacher means when (s)he tells you to “put on the batteries”? Or maybe what the young people mean when they say “molar”?

Fear not! We’re here to help you master advanced Spanish phrases, idioms, and slang expressions.

Ponerse las pilas  “To get your act together” Literally: “To put on the batteries”

Si quiere aprobar el curso, tiene que ponerse las pilas. “If he wants to pass his classes, he has to get his act together.”

¡Es la caña! “He / She / It rocks!” Literally: “It’s the cane!”

Marta me cae muy bien, ¡es la caña! “I like Marta a lot. She rocks!”

Estar en las nubes  “To be in the clouds”

Estás en las nubes, no has escuchado nada de lo que he dicho. “You’re in the clouds; you haven’t listened to anything I’ve said.”

Hablar por los codos  “To talk up a storm” Literally: “To talk through the elbows”

Mi abuela nunca se calla, habla por los codos. “My grandma never shuts up; she talks up a storm.”

Tirar la toalla  “To throw in the towel”

Cuando vio que se complicaba el camino, tiró la toalla y se fue. “When he saw that the path got complicated, he threw in the towel and left.”

Echar una mano  “To give a hand”

Miguel me echó una mano para estudiar el temario. “Miguel gave me a hand studying the syllabus.”

No me importa ni un pimiento  “I don’t care at all” Literally: “I care less than a pepper”

No me importan ni un pimiento sus excusas. “I don’t care at all about her excuses.”

Dejar plantado  “To stand (someone) up”

Su pareja le dejó plantado. “His partner stood him up.”

En un abrir y cerrar de ojos  “In a split second” Literally: “In an opening and closing eyes time”

Me comí el pastel en un abrir y cerrar de ojos. “I ate the cake in a split second.”

Otro gallo cantaría  “Things would be different” Literally: “Another rooster would sing”

Si hubieras estudiado, otro gallo cantaría. “If you had studied, things would be different.”

Tener mala leche  “To be nasty” Literally: “To have bad milk”

Antonia me da miedo, tiene muy mala leche. “Antonia frightens me; she’s very nasty.”

Molar mucho  “To be cool”

¡Esta fiesta mola mucho! “This party is very cool!”

➜ Spanish is a rich language, and idioms play an important role in how we communicate each day. Don’t miss the lesson Spanish Idioms on SpanishPod101.com to learn more.

Otro gallo cantaría… (“Things would be very different…”)

5. Final Thoughts

In this guide to advanced Spanish phrases, you learned a variety of expressions that will help you improve your speaking and writing for the academic and business worlds. You even picked up several Spanish idioms! 

Studying and working in a Spanish-speaking country is possible for an advanced student such as yourself. However, it’s best to keep on learning and to memorize even more advanced phrases in Spanish. You can continue your studies with the variety of advanced Spanish lessons available on SpanishPod101.com, each one designed with both progress and fun in mind! In fact, we have advanced pathways for different varieties of Spanish: 

• Level 5 Mexican Spanish
• Level 5 European Spanish
• Level 5 Peruvian Spanish

And don’t forget to check out the free vocabulary lists and other useful tools on SpanishPod101.com. They will make your path to mastery both fun and convenient. Create your free lifetime account to get started! 

¡Que te diviertas! (Have fun!)

Once you’ve mastered the basics of a language, you’re ready to move on to the next level and start handling more complex interactions. Learning intermediate Spanish phrases will allow you to have everyday conversations, get around with confidence in a Spanish-speaking environment, and make new friends!

However, even if you’ve studied the grammar and memorized long vocabulary lists, sometimes it’s difficult to actually put your skills to the test. Have you ever found yourself having a conversation in Spanish and going completely blank, forgetting every lesson you’ve learned? If the answer is yes, don’t worry. SpanishPod101 is here to help.

In this guide, you’ll find a list of intermediate Spanish phrases for everyday conversations. Using these structures and expressions will help you navigate conversations about what you did last weekend, react to shocking information, and even give good restaurant recommendations.

Learn how to invite new friends to brunch!

Table of Contents

1. Talking About Past Events
2. Making and Changing Plans
3. Explaining and Listing Reasons
4. Making Recommendations and Complaints
5. Reaction Phrases for Everyday Conversations
6. Etiquette Phrases for Social and Business Settings
7. Final Thoughts

1. Talking About Past Events

Meeting new people often involves talking about past events. Whether you’re just making some chitchat about the weekend or talking about your childhood memories, what you did in the past will surely be a topic of conversation.

To talk about the past, of course, it’s crucial that you learn how to use the past tenses. You should quickly get the hang of it, though, as we use the preterit tense very often in Spanish. 

These intermediate Spanish phrases will help you kickstart a conversation about past events:

Llegué a España el mes pasado.

I arrived in Spain last month.

El fin de semana pasado lo pasé genial.	Last weekend, I had so much fun.
The Spanish expression pasarlo bien (or pasarlo genial) is a common way to say that you had a great time at a past event. If you wanted to say you didn’t have a good time, then you would just have to change bien or genial to mal or one of its synonyms. Cuando tuve la gripe lo pasé muy mal. → When I had the flu, I had a very hard time.

Ayer por la noche no pude dormir.	Last night, I couldn’t sleep.
Crecí en un pueblo muy pequeño.	I grew up in a very small town.
María y yo nos conocimos en Madrid.	María and I met in Madrid.

Terminé la carrera hace dos años.	I finished my degree two years ago.
Remember that the Spanish word carrera means both “professional career” and “educational degree.” It’s actually one of the most common false friends for native Spanish speakers! Oh, and it also means “race” in the context of sports!

Cuando era joven tenía una moto roja.	When I was young, I had a red motorcycle.
Mi padre me enseñó a tocar el piano.	My father taught me how to play the piano.

➜ SpanishPod101’s verb conjugation series is the perfect tool for mastering verb tenses in Spanish. Don’t miss it!

Llegué a España el mes pasado. (“I arrived in Spain last month.”)

2. Making and Changing Plans

Once you’ve started to make new friends with your newly acquired intermediate Spanish skills, it’s time to make plans with them. 

Apart from learning the future tense, it’s important that you learn to use some courtesy expressions; this will help you ask politely about your friends’ availability or their interest in planning things together. These expressions would also be helpful in a business environment or even when making an appointment with the doctor.

Here are some common phrases in intermediate Spanish to get you started:

¿Qué planes tienes este fin de semana?	What are your plans for the weekend?
Podríamos cenar comida mexicana.	We could have Mexican food for dinner.

Espero que puedas venir a mi fiesta.	I hope you can make it to my party.
This is a polite expression you can use when you invite someone to an event. It’s a way to express that you really want them to be there. Here’s an example: El viernes estrenamos mi nueva película. Espero que puedas venir, ¡me encantaría verte!  → Next Friday is the preview of my new film. I hope you can make it; I’d love to see you!

¿Quieres venir conmigo a la playa?	Do you want to come with me to the beach?
Necesito cambiar la hora de la visita.	I need to change the appointment time.
¿Podrás llegar a tiempo a la reunión?	Will you make it on time for the meeting?
Llámame mañana por la tarde para hablarlo.	Call me tomorrow afternoon to discuss it.

➜ If you want to learn more about making plans in Spanish, check out this useful lesson on SpanishPod101.com.

3. Explaining and Listing Reasons

If you want to start having more interesting conversations, a big step forward is learning to express your opinions and the motivations behind your actions. This way, once you’ve described the things you’ve done, you can also explain why so the other party can understand and get to know you better.

Don’t forget that, when dealing with a whole new language and culture, you’re probably going to make some errores de novato (“beginner mistakes”). So if a Spanish person ever tells you that you’re putting too much water into the paella, you can always try to explain yourself. 

Below are a few intermediate Spanish words and phrases you can use to give reasons and explain your actions.

Pensé que sería buena idea.	I thought it’d be a good idea.
Creo que deberíamos hacerlo.	I think we should do it.

En mi opinión, he hecho lo correcto.	In my opinion, I did the right thing.
There are several other ways to state your opinion in everyday Spanish: Opino que… → I think that… / I believe that…  Creo que… → I believe that…  Pienso que… → I think that…

Decidí probar tu recomendación.

I decided to try what you recommended.

Lo escogí por tres razones:  En primer lugar…  En segundo lugar…  Por último…

I chose it because of these three reasons: First of all… Secondly… Last but not least…

Pensé que sería buena idea poner más agua en la paella. 
(“I thought it’d be a good idea to put more water in the paella.”)

4. Making Recommendations and Complaints

When you learn a new language, you’re bound to discover a whole new world, sometimes even physically. Learning Spanish allows you to travel to beautiful places, including Spain and many Latin American countries. Once you know how to recommend the hottest spots in town (and how to advise your friends to avoid tourist scams), you’ll be one step closer to mastering everyday Spanish conversations!

Here are just a few useful Spanish phrases for intermediate learners who are ready to explore—and review—their new surroundings.

No te pierdas las vistas desde el castillo.	Don’t miss the view from the castle.
Tienes que probar el salmorejo de mi abuela, es el mejor del mundo.	You should eat my grandma’s salmorejo. It’s the best.
Nos encantó el hotel, te lo recomiendo.	We loved the hotel; I recommend it.
No me gustó nada el museo.	I didn’t like the museum at all.
Barcelona es muy bonita, pero es muy cara.	Barcelona is very beautiful but very expensive.

¡Deberías aprender español!	You should learn Spanish!
Of course, if you encourage a friend to start learning Spanish, don’t forget to show them all the amazing beginner resources at SpanishPod101.com!

No me gustó nada el museo. (“I didn’t like the museum at all.”)

5. Reaction Phrases for Everyday Conversations

Maybe, while you’re going through the intermediate Spanish phrases in this guide, you’re wondering: What about when it’s the other person who’s explaining something? How do I respond to them?

It’s common to freeze when a conversation doesn’t exactly follow the script we had memorized. But actually, that’s what makes it a real conversation!

These Spanish phrases for intermediate speakers will be useful for those times when you need to react to what someone else is saying:

1 – Great!

A: El fin de semana pasado lo pasé genial. – Last weekend, I had so much fun.
B: Qué bien, ¡me alegro por ti! – Great, I’m happy for you!

2 – Sorry.

A: Ayer por la noche no pude dormir. – Last night, I couldn’t sleep.
B: ¡No me digas! Cuanto lo siento. – You don’t say! I’m so sorry.

3 – Interesting.

A: Crecí en un pueblo muy pequeño. – I grew up in a very small town.
B: Qué interesante. – How interesting.

4 – I can’t believe it.

A: Cuando era joven tenía una moto roja. – When I was young, I had a red motorcycle.
B: ¿De verdad? No me lo puedo creer. – Really? I can’t believe it.

5 – Cool!

A: Mi padre me enseñó a tocar el piano. – My father taught me how to play the piano.
B: ¡Qué guay! – How cool!

Mind that guay is a very colloquial word. Other colloquial expressions that also mean “How cool!” include ¡Cómo mola! and ¡Qué pasada!

➜ With SpanishPod101, you can learn the one hack for speaking real-life Spanish in every conversation.

6. Etiquette Phrases for Social and Business Settings

Even though Spaniards are known to be pretty easygoing, they do value good manners and expect you to use the most common courtesy expressions. Of course, por favor (“please”) and gracias (“thank you”) go a long way, but it’s wise to learn some other intermediate Spanish phrases in order to work on your politeness.

Also, you’ll quickly realize that Spanish people love to be hosts and will try to make you feel at home all the time. It’s only fair that you learn the most common Spanish phrases for being polite so that you can do the same for them when they visit you!

Buen provecho.

Enjoy your meal. / Bon appetit.

Perdona que te interrumpa. [Informal] Perdone que le interrumpa. [Formal]	Sorry for the interruption.
Although both expressions are polite, the use of the formal version will always sound even more well-mannered. ➜ Are you still struggling with how and when to use formal Spanish? Don’t miss SpanishPod101’s lesson on the topic.

Bienvenido a mi hogar. Bienvenido a mi casa.	Welcome to my home.
Siéntete como en casa.	Make yourself at home.
Llámame si necesitas cualquier cosa.	Call me if you need anything.
Bienvenido a mi hogar. / Bienvenido a mi casa.	Welcome to my home.
Disfruta de tu estancia.	Enjoy your stay.
Espero noticias tuyas.	I hope to hear from you.

Saluda a tus padres de mi parte.

Send my regards to your parents.

In Spain, it’s a courtesy to ask the person you’re talking to about their loved ones.  When you say your goodbyes, you can take the opportunity to send them your regards. Another (less formal and more affectionate) way to do this is to send hugs or kisses on your behalf, similar to the English expression “Give them my love.” A: ¿Cómo se encuentra tu mujer después de la operación? – How’s your wife doing after her surgery? B: Ay, mucho mejor, ¡gracias! – Oh, she’s much better, thank you! A: Por favor, dile que le mando un abrazo. – Please, tell her I send her a hug.  B: Claro, ¡de tu parte! – Of course, on your behalf!

¡Que tengas buen viaje!

Have a nice trip!

¡Bienvenidos a nuestro hogar! (“Welcome to our home!”)

7. Final Thoughts

In this guide, you have learned the most common Spanish phrases for intermediate speakers. These examples will help you ace your everyday conversations about past events, future plans, recommendations and complaints, and much more. They’ll also be useful for reacting to what someone else says and following Spanish etiquette.

If you want to take your Spanish learning journey further, don’t forget to check out SpanishPod101.com. We have plenty of free vocabulary lists to expand your intermediate Spanish vocabulary, as well as useful lessons for intermediate-level and upper intermediate-level students.

Happy learning!

Speaking Spanish in casual conversations is a rewarding experience. Sure, native Spanish speakers converse at a really fast pace. But, if you ask them to slow down, they will—and they will probably try to help you understand and be part of the conversation.

At the end of the day, there’s a reason why Spanish-speaking countries are said to have some of the friendliest people!

But what happens when, instead of an informal chat over some wine and tapas, you have to face a doctor’s appointment or a super important business meeting? Formal situations will call for advanced Spanish words, which might be scary for those who are still learning.

Namely, you’ll have to step up your game in order to succeed in conversations related to higher education, business, the law, and even medicine. 

Don’t worry, though! You can be prepared for all those kinds of situations! SpanishPod101 is here to help with this guide to the advanced Spanish words you’ll need to thrive in a variety of contexts. Also, stick around for some bonus expressions that will help you ace your next Spanish essay.

¡Que lo disfrutes! (“Enjoy!”)

Do business in Spanish like a pro!

Table of Contents

1. Advanced Academic Words
2. Advanced Business Words
3. Advanced Medical Words
4. Advanced Legal Words
5. Bonus: Alternative Words for Acing a Spanish Essay
6. Final Thoughts

1. Advanced Academic Words

One of the reasons people move to Spain is to study, whether that means studying the Spanish language itself or pursuing another subject of interest. However, one must keep in mind that the academic environment is much more formal than everyday Spanish life. 

Especially if you have to write essays, compose a thesis, or discuss a topic in class, you’ll need to master some advanced Spanish vocabulary related to the academic world. Of course, if you forget some of the most common classroom phrases in Spanish, you can always head over to SpanishPod101.com to review them!

Here you’ll find the essential words related to studies and training, so you’ll be prepared for everything from exams to seminars. We have also included a section on advanced Spanish words that’ll help you defend your work or thesis.

You’ll notice that many words are similar to their English counterparts, as formal or niche words tend to evolve less in languages. This means you’re one step ahead in mastering advanced Spanish!

1 – Studies and Training

Estudios

Studies

Formación

Training / Studies

Formación is a common word used to describe one’s academic curriculum in formal situations (i.e., a job interview). It’s more generic than estudios, as it applies to both formal and informal training/education. Se formó como mecánico pero acabó yendo a la universidad para completar sus estudios en ingeniería. → “He was trained as a mechanic, but he ended up going to university to finish his engineering studies.”

Curso	Training course
Conferencia	Conference
Seminario	Seminar
Examen	Exam
Redacción	Essay
Trabajo	Paper
Avaluación	Assessment

Carrera	Degree
False friend alert!  The word carrera, very similar to the word “career,” does mean the same as its English counterpart in work-related contexts. However, in the academic world, carrera also means “degree”! Estudió la carrera de Enfermería y luego tuvo una carrera meteórica en el hospital. → “She studied a nursing degree and she later had a meteoric career in the hospital.”

Graduado	Graduate
Doctorado	PhD
Competencias	Competences
Plan de estudios	Syllabus

¿Cuál es el plan de estudios de tu carrera? (“What’s the syllabus of your degree?”)

2 – Defending Your Thesis

Investigación	Research
Investigador	Researcher
Autor / Autora	Author
Sujeto	Subject / Exhibit
Muestra	Sample
Análisis	Analysis
Experimento	Experiment
Demostración	Demonstration / Proof
Comprobación / Verificación	Verification
Resultado	Result
Campo	Field
Método	Method
Justificación	Justification
Reflexión / Consideración	Consideration
Opinión	Opinion

Argumento	Argument
Take into account that the Spanish word argumento never refers to a quarrel.  Instead, if you wanted to indicate that two scholars are having “a heated argument,” you would say they’re having una discusión acalorada.

Ambiguo	Ambiguous
Polémica / Controversia	Controversy

Los investigadores (“The researchers”)

2. Advanced Business Words

Similar to entering the Spanish academic world, finding a job that requires you to speak fluent Spanish is a challenging opportunity. First things first: You need to learn all the essential words related to the workplace.

You already know the basics, of course. But if you need to review, you can refer to the Spanish Job Vocabulary lesson on SpanishPod101.com.

Here are the advanced words in Spanish that will help you handle business like a pro!

Empresa	Business / Company
Empresa is the most common word used to refer to a business or company. However, you will hear the word compañía more and more frequently due to influence from the English language.

Multinacional	Multinational company
Asesoría	Consulting
Reunión	Meeting
Convención	Convention
Fiscalidad	Taxation
Factura	Bill
Tesorería	Treasury
Contabilidad	Finances / Accounting
Oferta	Offer
Contraoferta	Counteroffer
Estrategia	Strategy
Campaña	Campaign
Informe	Report
Salario	Salary / Wage

Convenio	Collective bargaining
In Spain, there are hundreds of convenios that apply to all kinds of different jobs. They establish a minimum wage, acceptable job conditions, and workers’ rights for each profession.  Don’t forget to check out your convenio if you’re looking for a job in Spain!

Contrato

Contract

¡Estás contratado! (“You’re hired!”)

Producto	Product
Suministro	Supply
Servicio	Service
Venta	Sale
Ganancias	Profit
Pérdidas	Loss
Auditoría	Audit
Declaración de la renta	Tax return
Trabajador asalariado	Worker (of a company)

Trabajador autónomo	Self-employed worker / Freelancer
From a fiscal point of view, there are two main types of workers in Spain: those who are employed by a company (trabajador asalariado) and those who are self-employed (trabajador autónomo).

Mercado

Job market

→ Want to learn more advanced Spanish for business or review the basics? SpanishPod101 has plenty of lessons that can help you prepare for the Spanish workplace.

3. Advanced Medical Words

Some of the most important advanced Spanish words are those related to the field of medicine. You never really think about these words until you urgently need to use them!

Having to visit the doctor is normally an unpleasant (and often unexpected) situation that can make us feel vulnerable, especially if we don’t understand the words he or she is saying. “Radiografía? What’s that supposed to mean? It sounds bad…!”

Don’t panic. Here is an advanced Spanish vocabulary word list that will prepare you for any medical situation!

Knowing medical vocabulary in Spanish will definitely help you feel more at ease!

Visita	Appointment
Radiografía	X-ray test
Biopsia	Biopsy
Ecografía	Sonogram
Médico general	General practitioner

Médico de cabecera / Médico de familia	Family doctor
Médico de cabecera or médico de familia refer to general practitioners who are assigned to the different users of the public healthcare system. As they know each of their patients and their background, they deal with most of the issues that don’t require a specialist. It’s important to have your own médico de cabecera if you live in Spain.

Médico especialista

Specialist

Médico residente	Resident doctor
This term applies to doctors who, after graduating medical school and passing a very demanding entry exam, specialize in their field of choice for four years.

Enfermero/a	Nurse
Auxiliar de enfermería	Nursing assistant
Dentista / Odontólogo/a	Dentist / Odontologist
Dermatólogo/a	Dermatologist
Cardiólogo/a	Cardiologist
Traumatólogo/a	Orthopedic surgeon
Ginecólogo/a	Gynecologist
Urólogo/a	Urologist
Ambulancia	Ambulance
Gripe	Flu

Tengo la gripe… (“I got the flu…”)

Gastroenteritis / Virus estomacal	Stomach flu
Infección de orina / Cistitis	Urinary tract infection / Cystitis
Insolación	Sunstroke
Intoxicación alimentaria	Food poisoning
Embolia	Stroke
Ataque al corazón / Infarto	Heart attack
Ataque de ansiedad	Panic attack
Demencia	Dementia
Coma	Coma

Receta médica	Medical prescription
Don’t forget your receta when going to the pharmacy! In Spain, many common drugs cannot be bought without a medical prescription.

Medicamento	Drug / Medication
Tratamiento	Treatment

→ Did something go wrong during your medical appointment? Here’s how you can complain about it in Spanish!

4. Advanced Legal Words 

Dealing with legal or bureaucratic situations is a classic example of when you would need to know advanced words in Spanish. Legal vocabulary is highly formal and technical, and it’s easy to feel frustrated if, for example, you can’t tell the difference between the abogado and the procurador.

With this advanced Spanish words list, you’ll learn the most important concepts of the legal world. Knowing these words will prepare you to face any situation involving the public administration or the court system.

Don’t forget to get yourself a good attorney, too!

¡Silencio en la sala! (“Order in the court!”)

Denuncia	Report
Demanda	Lawsuit
Solicitud	Request
Representante legal	Legal representative
Abogado	Attorney

Abogado de oficio	Public defender
In Spain, you have the right to have a defense attorney (abogado de oficio) assigned to you free of charge.

Procurador	Lawyer
Testigo	Witness
Acusado	Defendant
Denunciante	Accuser
Fiscal	Prosecutor
Juez	Judge
Tribunal	Court
Jurado	Jury
Juicio	Trial
Sentencia / Condena	Sentence

Recurso / Apelación	Appeal
Depending on the legal or bureaucratic process, the appeal will be called a recurso or an apelación.

Aprobación	Approval
Denegación	Rejection
Burocracia	Bureaucracy
Administración pública	Public administration
Funcionario	Public worker

5. Bonus: Alternative Words for Acing a Spanish Essay 

As promised, here is a bonus list of advanced Spanish words you can use to surprise your Spanish teacher! 

You already know how to describe objects, people, and feelings, and how to maintain a coherent and fluent discourse. The next step is to start introducing some “high-end” words (including helpful connectors) into your vocabulary that can substitute basic everyday words. Using them well can help you score higher on your writing tests.

Connectors can definitely help you seem more clever!

1 – Adjectives

For “big” and “long”:

Mayúsculo	Enormous / Tremendous
Considerable	Noteworthy
Prolongado	Extended
Extenso	Extensive
Vasto	Vast

For “important”:

Notable	Notable / Prominent
Destacado	Prominent
Significativo	Significant
Trascendental	Very, very important

For “small”:

Diminuto	Tiny
Reducido	Limited / Reduced
Insignificante	Insignificant
Minúsculo	Minuscule

¡Mira estos diminutos pollitos! (“Look at these tiny chickens!”)

2 – Adverbs

For “only” and “just”:

Solamente	Solely
Exclusivamente	Exclusively

Únicamente

Uniquely

Única y exclusivamente is a phrase that combines two of the words mentioned here. It means basically the same thing but helps reinforce the idea of “only.” Note: In Spanish, when using an adverb ending in -mente after another, you can ditch the -mente in all adverbs except the last one. Here’s an example: Está durmiendo tranquila, sosegada y pacíficamente. → “She’s sleeping calmly, serenely, and peacefully.”

Positive reinforcers:

Completamente	Completely
Totalmente	Totally
Íntegramente	Entirely
Obviamente	Obviously
Efectivamente	Indeed
Evidentemente	Evidently
Sin duda	Without a doubt
Por supuesto	Of course

Negative reinforcers:

Difícilmente	Hardly
Ligeramente	Slightly
Insuficientemente	Insufficiently
Levemente	Slightly
Pobremente	Poorly
Con dificultad	With difficulty

→ Move to the next level with these 100 Spanish adverbs!

3 – Connectors

For “likewise”:

También	Too / Also
Igualmente	Equally
Asimismo	Additionally

For “so”:

Así pues	So
Justamente	Precisely
Precisamente	Precisely
De este modo / De esta forma	Thus

For “however”:

Sin embargo	Nevertheless
Aunque	Although
Aun	Even if
Si bien	Albeit
No obstante	Despite
Pese a que	In spite of

For “moreover”:

Además	In addition
Es más	Moreover / Furthermore

For “regarding”:

En cuanto a	With regard to
Respecto a	Regarding / With respect to
En relación a	In relation to
A propósito de	Concerning

For “to sum up”:

En conclusión	In conclusion
En definitiva	Ultimately
En resumen	To sum up

¡Qué buen discurso! (“What a great speech!”)

6. Final Thoughts

In this guide to advanced Spanish words, you have learned the most important words in the academic, business, medical, and legal worlds. Also, the bonus section gave you a handful of tools you can use to ace your written exams or essays in Spanish class. You’re now prepared to face any type of formal situation! 

Did you know any of these words already? Which ones? 

Of course, you can still continue your journey of learning advanced Spanish! SpanishPod101.com has plenty of advanced Spanish lessons to help you gain knowledge, skills, and confidence. We will help you dive deeper into Spanish culture and flex your fluency in any situation. And don’t forget to check out the free vocabulary lists and other useful tools on SpanishPod101.com. They will make the path super fun!

¡Hasta pronto! (“See you soon!”)

If you’re here, it’s because you succeeded in mastering Spanish at the beginner level. Enhorabuena! (“Congratulations!”) Now it’s time to take it a step further by picking up some intermediate Spanish words. 

Jumping from beginner to intermediate level can be a scary move. It means that you have to get out there and try out your newly acquired skills…and actually speak Spanish to people!! But that’s why we’re here, right?

Intermediate Spanish lessons are very exciting because they allow you to start expressing yourself more freely and having more fluent conversations. At this stage, you can master everyday vocabulary and actually start making friends within the native Spanish-speaking community.

This intermediate Spanish wordlist will give you the tools you need to level up and gain enough confidence to live your life in Spanish.

Vamos allá! (“Let’s go!”)

Start making friends in Spanish!

Table of Contents

1. (Larger) Numbers
2. Nouns
3. Verbs
4. Adjectives
5. Adverbs
6. Prepositions
7. Conjunctions
8. Connectives
9. Possessive Pronouns
10. Final Thoughts

1. (Larger) Numbers

In our Spanish beginner words article, you learned how to count from one to ten. Ready to reach the next level? In this intermediate Spanish category, you’ll learn all of the cardinal numbers. This means that you’ll be able to count from eleven to infinity!

From 11 to 19

• once → “eleven”
• doce → “twelve”
• trece → “thirteen”
• catorce → “fourteen”
• quince → “fifteen”
• dieciséis → “sixteen”
• diecisiete → “seventeen”
• dieciocho → “eighteen”
• diecinueve → “nineteen”

From 20 to 90

• veinte → “twenty”
• treinta → “thirty”
• cuarenta → “forty”
• cincuenta → “fifty”
• sesenta → “sixty”
• setenta → “seventy”
• ochenta → “eighty”
• noventa → “ninety”

As a general pattern, you can add y and a number 1-9 to express the rest of the numbers. You can already see this pattern in, for example, diecisiete:

• diecisiete = diez + y + siete

With tens and twenties, words are written together following the pattern shown above (with some slight changes). So, if you wanted to say “twenty-three,” it would be:

• veintitrés = veinte + y + tres

Starting from the thirties, however, things get even easier and the words are written separately. Here are a few examples:

• treinta y uno → “thirty-nine” 
• sesenta y cuatro → “sixty-four”
• ochenta y uno → “eighty-one”

From 100 to 900

• cien → “one hundred”
• doscientos → “two hundred”
• trescientos → “three hundred”
• cuatrocientos → “four hundred”
• quinientos → “five hundred”
• seiscientos → “six hundred”
• setecientos → “seven hundred”
• ochocientos → “eight hundred”
• novecientos → “nine hundred”

In Spanish, numbers in the hundreds are quite easy to form. The first word is the “hundred” figure, then you leave a space and add the number that follows. Here’s an example:

• cuatrocientos setenta y tres → “four hundred seventy-three”

However, you need to remember that there is one exception to the rule! Cien becomes ciento when followed by another number. Like this:

• ciento seis → “one hundred and six”

From 1,000 to 9,000

• mil → “one thousand”
• dos mil → “two thousand”
• tres mil → “three thousand”
• cuatro mil → “four thousand”
• cinco mil → “five thousand”
• seis mil → “six thousand”
• siete mil → “seven thousand”
• ocho mil → “eight thousand”
• nueve mil → “nine thousand”

As with the hundreds, the Spanish thousands are also formed by leaving a space after the first one or two words (depending on whether it’s mil or dos mil, tres mil, etc.) and adding the number that follows. Here are a couple of examples:

• dos mil veinte → “two thousand and twenty”
• cinco mil trescientos sesenta y nueve → “five thousand three hundred seventy-nine”

Note that, even though Spanish uses the same numerals as English does, there is a tiny difference in how we write them. Starting from the thousands, instead of separating the hundreds, thousands, millions, etc., with a comma, we use a dot in Spanish. Here’s how you should do it:

• 1.000 → “1,000”
• 4.589 → “4,589”

From 1,000,000 to Infinity

• un millón → “one million”
• dos millones → “two million”
• tres millones → “three million”
• diez millones → “ten million”
• cuatrocientos millones → “four hundred million”
• siete mil millones → “seven billion”
• …

Millions are usually the last piece you need to learn in order to count to infinity. As in English, “billón” (“billion”) can also be used to say “a thousand million”. However, this expression is not widespread in Spain, and it’s still common to hear “mil millones.”

Now you can count to infinity!

2. Nouns

In our Spanish beginner words article, we already introduced you to plenty of everyday vocabulary—the essential basics you need to survive in a Spanish-speaking environment!

In this guide, we’re taking things to the next level. Memorizing the words on this list will give you a solid intermediate Spanish vocabulary base to help you manage most everyday conversations. Stay tuned for useful words related to time, home, and leisure!

→ Don’t forget that SpanishPod101.com also has plenty of free vocabulary lists to help you learn all the Spanish nouns you need!

2.1 – Time

2.1.1 – Time Units

Segundo	Second
Minuto	Minute
Hora	Hour
Día	Day
Semana	Week
Mes	Month
Trimestre	Trimester
Semestre	Semester
Año	Year
Siglo	Century

→ Don’t miss the Ultimate Guide to Telling Time in Spanish on our blog!

2.1.2 – Days of the Week

Lunes	Monday
Martes	Tuesday
Miércoles	Wednesday
Jueves	Thursday
Viernes	Friday
Sábado	Saturday
Domingo	Sunday

2.1.3 – Time of Day

Mañana	Morning
Mediodía	Midday
Tarde	Afternoon Evening
Noche	Night
Madrugada	Dawn

2.2 – Home

2.2.1 – Rooms in the House

Recibidor	Hall
Cocina	Kitchen
Comedor	Dining room
Salón	Living room
Baño Lavabo	Bathroom
Dormitorio	Bedroom
Estudio	Study
Jardín	Garden
Patio	Courtyard
Terraza	Terrace
Balcón	Balcony
Garage	Garage
Habitación	Room

¡Qué bonito balcón! (“What a nice balcony!”)

2.2.2 – House Objects

Cama	Bed
Mesa	Table
Escritorio	Desk
Silla	Chair
Váter	Toilet
Sofá	Couch
Cortinas	Curtains
Persiana	Blinds

2.2.3 – Kitchenware

Cubiertos	Cutlery
Tenedor	Fork
Cuchillo	Knife
Cuchara	Spoon
Plato	Dish
Vaso	Glass
Copa	Glass Wineglass
Olla	Pot
Sartén	Pan

2.3 – Leisure

2.3.1 – Vacations and Free Time

Viaje	Trip
Maleta	Luggage
Vacaciones	Holidays
Cine	Movie theater
Teatro	Theater
Restaurante	Restaurant
Deporte	Sport

2.3.2 – Holidays

Navidad	Christmas
Año Nuevo	New Years
Semana Santa	Easter
Día de Todos los Santos	All Saints Day

→ Curious about Spanish holidays? Don’t miss all of the interesting posts about Spanish culture and traditions on SpanishPod101’s blog!

3. Verbs 

After learning all of the useful nouns listed above, you’ll also need to pick up some more verbs to get your Spanish conversations flowing!

Verbs are always the most feared grammar category for Spanish students, but don’t worry! If you’re still struggling, don’t miss SpanishPod101’s ultimate guide to Spanish conjugation.

Here are the intermediate Spanish verbs you’ll need to master everyday conversations:

3.1 – Home

3.1.1 – Chores

Cocinar	To cook
Limpiar	To clean
Lavar	To wash
Tender (la ropa)	To hang (the clothes)
Doblar (la ropa)	To fold (the clothes)
Planchar (la ropa)	To iron (the clothes)
Hacer la cama	To make the bed
Sacar / tirar la basura	To take out the garbage

3.1.2 – Cooking

Freír	To fry
Calentar	To heat up
Enfriar	To cool down
Hervir	To boil
Asar	To roast
Batir	To beat
Pelar	To peel

3.2 – Hobbies

Bailar	To dance
Cantar	To sing
Pintar	To paint
Dibujar	To draw
Correr	To run
Nadar	To swim
Pasear	To go for a walk
Jugar a + […]	To play + [game or sport]
As in English, jugar can refer to playing games or sports. Here are some examples: Jugar a fútbol → “To play football” Jugar a balonmano → “To play handball” Jugar al Monopoly → “To play Monopoly”
Tocar + […]	To play + [instrument name]
However, to play an instrument in Spanish is not expressed with jugar. The correct verb is tocar: Tocar el piano → “To play the piano” Tocar la gaita → “To play the bagpipe” (This phrase is also a Spanish idiom that means “to be annoying.”)
Viajar	To travel

3.3 – Other Useful Expressions

Quedar	To meet with
Llamar por teléfono	To call
Mandar mensaje	To text
Llegar tarde	To be late
Estar ocupado	To be busy

“Tocar la gaita” can have two very different meanings…!

4. Adjectives

In our beginner words article, you learned the basic adjectives you need to describe objects, people, emotions, and the weather. Now it’s time to level up by learning how to describe temporary conditions, state your opinion, and more. Here are the most useful intermediate Spanish adjectives for you: 

4.1 – Opinion

Bueno	Good
Mola	Bad
Genial	Awesome
Perfecto	Perfect
Horrible	Horrible
Raro	Weird
Aburrido	Boring
Interesante	Interesting
Orgulloso	Proud
Avergonzado	Embarrassed

4.2 – Conditions

Lleno	Full
Vacío	Empty
Limpio	Clean
Sucio	Dirty
Roto	Broken
Enfermo	Sick
Sano	Healthy
Casado	Married
Soltero	Single
Vivo	Alive
Muerto	Dead

4.3 – Useful Everyday Adjectives

Barato	Cheap
Caro	Expensive
Fácil	Easy
Difícil	Difficult
Peligroso	Dangerous
Seguro	Safe
Tóxico	Toxic
Nuevo	New
Viejo	Old
Común	Common
Típico	Typical
Útil	Useful

Este mapa es muy útil. (“This map is very useful.”)

5. Adverbs

As you begin going through intermediate Spanish lessons, you’ll find that adverbs become increasingly important! These words are a crucial part of conversational Spanish and help you make your point clear. They allow you to emphasize what you’re saying, state the location of an object, locate an event at a particular moment in time…

Excited already? Well, once you finish learning these intermediate Spanish adverbs, you can graduate to our guide on the 100 most common Spanish adverbs!

5.1 – Quantity

Muy	Very
Mucho	A lot
Menos	Less
Demasiado	Too much
Poco	A little
Más	More
Suficiente	Enough

5.2 – Location

Cerca	Near
Lejos	Far
Al lado	Next to
En  Dentro de	In  Inside
En  Encima de	On  On top of
Debajo de  Bajo de	Under
Delante	In front of
Detrás	Behind
Entre	Between
A la derecha	On the right
A la izquierda	On the left

5.3 – Time

Hoy	Today
Ayer	Yesterday
Mañana	Tomorrow
Anteayer	The day before yesterday
Pasado mañana	After tomorrow

5.4 – Other Useful Adverbs

Siempre	Always
Nunca	Never
Ahora	Now
Previamente	Previously
Previamente	Currently
Ya	Already

Nunca digas nunca… (“Never say never…”)

6. Prepositions

Our next set of intermediate Spanish words consists of prepositions. These are little words that allow your speech to flow much better and help you be more precise in your conversations. 

Let’s start with the locative prepositions that, together with adverbs, help you point out the position or direction of the person/thing you’re talking about.

6.1 – Location and Direction

A	To
Al lado de	Next to
Alrededor de	Around
A través de	Through
Contra	Against
De	From
Junto	Near
Hacia	Towards
Sobre	On  Over
Tras	Behind

6.2 – Other Useful Prepositions

A favor de	In favor of
A pesar de	Despite
Excepto  Salvo	Except
Gracias a	Thanks to
Incluso	Even
Por	By
Para	For
Según	According to
Sin	Without

→ Check out SpanishPod101’s Guide to the Most Common Spanish Prepositions for more!

7. Conjunctions

Intermediate Spanish learners should make an effort to learn at least a few conjunctions, as these words help you connect words and sentences. As a beginner, you probably learned the more basic conjunctions (esto y aquello – “this and that”). But learning how to use more advanced conjunctions can help you level up your conversational skills and enrich your speech/writing. 

Let’s see some Spanish conjunctions in three different categories: 

7.1 – Causal

Porque	Because
Como	As Like
Ya que	Because  Since  As
Dado que  Visto que  Puesto que	Since  Given that
Pues	Since  As  So

7.2 – Comparison

Que	Than
Como si	As if  As though
Sin que	Without

7.3 – Concession

Aunque	Even if Although Though
Aun cuando	Even when
Si bien	If
Por más que  Por mucho que	As much as

Os quiero, aunque a veces os portáis mal. (“I love you, even though you sometimes misbehave.”)

8. Connectives

• Sin embargo → Nevertheless / However

• En efecto / Efectivamente → Indeed

• Con todo → Even so

• Por eso → That’s why

• En primer lugar → In the first place

• En segundo lugar → In the second place

• Ahora bien → However / Having said that

• En ese caso→ In that case

• A pesar de ello → In spite of that

• Por el contrario → On the contrary

9. Possessive Pronouns

Pronouns are a great tool for producing more fluent speech, as they allow you to avoid repeating clauses and nouns excessively so you can get straight to the point. SpanishPod101’s Ultimate Guide to Spanish Pronouns will help you learn how to use them properly! 

In this article, we’ll focus exclusively on possessive pronouns. We’ve included all singular/plural and masculine/feminine forms. 

		Spanish		English
		singular	plural
singular	1st	mi	mis	my
	2nd	tu	tus	your
	3rd	su	sus	his
				her
plural	1st	nuestro	nuestros	our
		nuestra	nuestras
	2nd	vuestro	vuestros	your
		vuestra	vuestras
	3rd	su	sus	their

Mi casa es tu casa. (“My house is your house.”)

10. Final Thoughts

In this guide to intermediate Spanish words, you’ve gained a handful of new tools to get your Spanish conversational skills to the next level. Apart from useful nouns, verbs, and adjectives, you’ve learned handy connective words, adverbs, and prepositions that will help you be more precise and fluent in your speech. 

Did you know any of these words already, or were they all new to you? 

Either way, don’t stop here! SpanishPod101 has plenty of intermediate Spanish lessons for you to explore. And you’ll even find that, once you graduate from that category, there’s still an entire upper intermediate lesson series that will continue guiding you on your Spanish learning journey. 

Of course, don’t forget to check out the free vocabulary lists and other useful tools on SpanishPod101.com.

Enjoy!

Learning animal names is a basic step in mastering everyday vocabulary in any language. From pets (our dearest companions) to wild animals (which may represent some danger), it’s important to know the names of animals in Spanish.

If you need some encouragement to face this task, here’s some: 

Many farm animals in Spanish are common words in the cooking niche, so if you’ve ever ordered a pollo dish, you already know how to say “chicken.” Also, the names of wild animals in Spanish are pretty easy to learn, as many of their names are similar to their English translations (for instance, elefante and hipopótamo). You already have one foot in the door!

In this guide, you’ll find a list of animals in Spanish with their English translations. You will learn which animals are popular pets in Spain, which species are native to the country, and what different animals symbolize. 

Ready to expand your vocabulary into the animal kingdom? Stick with SpanishPod101 and enjoy!

¿Quién es el mejor amigo del hombre? (“Who is man’s best friend?”)

Table of Contents

1. Pets
2. Farm Animals
3. Wild Animals
4. Sea Animals
5. Bugs
6. Birds, Reptiles & Amphibians
7. Animal Body Parts
8. Bonus: Animal Idioms and Proverbs
9. Final Thoughts

1. Pets

The Spanish word for “pet” is mascota. Spanish mascotas are important in every household, as they’re considered to be uno más de la familia (“a member of the family”). 

In Spain, as in most countries, dogs and cats are the preferred pets. Small mammals like rabbits and hamsters, or even small birds, are common children’s pets, as they’re easier to take care of. Exotic pets, such as snakes and other reptiles, have their fair share of fans; you can even see people walking their ferrets out in the street with a leash!

Here’s a list of popular pet animals in Spanish:

El perro	“Dog”
El gato	“Cat”
In Spanish, there are no specific words for “puppy” or “kitten.” They’re often referred to as cachorro, a generic word for baby mammals.
El hámster	“Hamster”
El ratón	“Mouse”
La rata	“Rat”
El conejo	“Rabbit”
La tortuga	“Turtle”
El pez	“Fish”
El periquito	“Parakeet”
Periquitos are one of the most popular pájaros (“birds”) in Spanish homes.
La cobaya	“Guinea pig”
La serpiente	“Snake”
El hurón	“Ferret”

Las mascotas (“The pets”)

2. Farm Animals

It will be useful to learn the names of farm animals in Spanish, as the animals bred in Spain are more or less the same as those in the rest of the world. On a Spanish farm, you’ll find cows, pigs, and chickens. We included rabbits in the pet section, although some people in Spain eat them too!

Get ready for your trip to la granja (“the farm”)!

La vaca	“Cow”
El toro	“Bull”
The toro is a well-known Spanish symbol. This is partly due to the bullfighting tradition of the country, but also because the popular brandy house Osborne placed 90 giant toro silhouettes all over Spain as part of a marketing campaign. This has become part of the popular Spanish imagery.
La ternera	“Calf”
El cerdo	“Pig”
El burro	“Donkey”
When burro is used to describe a person, it’s an insult that implies the person is not very bright.
El caballo	“Horse”
La mula	“Mule”
El pollo	“Chicken”
La gallina	“Hen”
Gallina is often used as a colloquial way to call someone a coward, as in the English idiom “to chicken out.” Juan no se atreve a saltar, es un gallina. – “Juan doesn’t dare to jump; he’s a coward.”
El gallo	“Rooster”
El pavo	“Turkey”
El pato	“Duck”
La oveja	“Sheep”
El carnero	“Male sheep”
El cordero	“Lamb”
La cabra	“Goat”

→ Would you like to hear the pronunciation of these animal names? Then head over to SpanishPod101’s lesson on farm animals!

Un par de burros (“A pair of donkeys ”)

3. Wild Animals

It is said that, in Roman times, a squirrel could cross the entire Iberian Peninsula by jumping from one tree to another. Unfortunately, the Spanish flora has decreased greatly in the last few centuries—and so has its wild fauna.

However, it’s not uncommon to find wild foxes and boars in the Mediterranean mountains or wolves in the northern forests. If you’re very lucky, you might even encounter a lynx!

Here’s a list of animals in Spanish that you might find out in the wild, both in Spain and abroad: 

El tigre	“Tiger”
El león	“Lion”
El elefante	“Elephant”
La jirafa	“Giraffe”
El rinoceronte	“Rhino”
El hipopótamo	“Hippopotamus”
El mono	“Monkey”
Mono, like “monkey” in English, is a generic word we use to refer to all types of primates. The more specific monkey names are often similar to their English counterparts: gorila (“gorilla”), chimpancé (“chimpanzee”) and orangután (“orangutan”).
El jabalí	“Boar”
El zorro	“Fox”
El oso	“Bear”
El ciervo	“Deer”
El reno	“Reindeer”
El lobo	“Wolf”
El lince	“Lynx”
One of the most popular native Spanish wild animals is the Iberian Lynx, a beautiful cat with a short tail and characteristic pointy beard and ears. Unfortunately, the Iberian Lynx is an endangered species and was on the verge of extinction 20 years ago. A successful reintroduction project has increased the number of cats from 94 to 855.

La mirada del lince (“The lynx’s gaze”)

4. Sea Animals

The Spanish territory has over 8000 kilometers (about 4971 miles) of coastline, which explains our strong cultural bond to the sea and its marine life. The Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts are home to a number of sea animals.

Here’s a list of animals in Spanish that you’ll find underwater:

El tiburón	“Shark”
El delfín	“Dolphin”
La ballena	“Whale”
El pulpo	“Octopus”
El caballito de mar	“Seahorse”
El calamar	“Squid”
La foca	“Seal”
El cangrejo	“Crab”
La langosta	“Lobster”
La gamba	“Shrimp”
El mejillón	“Mussel”
La medusa	“Jellyfish”
In Spanish, jellyfish share a name with the mythological Greek creature that turned people into stone by looking into their eyes.  On Spanish beaches, though, medusas are very much real and common. You don’t want to cross them, as their sting hurts a lot!

→ Want to dive deeper? Then visit our vocabulary list Marine Animals & Fish to learn even more words along with their pronunciation!

Cuidado con la medusa. (“Beware the jellyfish.”)

5. Bugs

¡Bichos! This is the Spanish word for bugs, used on occasions when you need to point out the unpleasant company of these little animals. But it’s also commonly used to describe a person who is a bit naughty, or even as an affectionate nickname in the diminutive form bichito.

• Él quiere mucho a su gato, le llama su “bichito.” – “He loves his cat very much; he calls her his bichito.”

If you visit Spain during the summer, you won’t have to worry too much about dangerous animals. However, take into account that flies and mosquitoes won’t leave you alone!

La hormiga	“Ant”
La mosca	“Fly”
El mosquito	“Mosquito”
La araña	“Spider”
In Spanish, the spider web is called a telaraña.
El grillo	“Cricket”
La abeja	“Bee”
La avispa	“Wasp”
La polilla	“Moth”
La mariquita	“Ladybug”
La mariposa	“Butterfly”
La lengua de las mariposas (“Butterfly Tongue”) is a 1999 movie by José Luis Cuerda, set in the region of Galicia during the Spanish Civil War. It explores the relationship between a pupil and his teacher.

Una mariquita (“A ladybug”)

6. Birds, Reptiles & Amphibians

There are many species of wild birds, reptiles, and amphibians in Spain. Of course, you can find frogs croaking in the many Spanish water reservoirs and swallows flying over the countryside during springtime.

Fun fact: There is a breed of little green parrots, called cotorras, that are native to Argentina. They were introduced in Spain as exotic pets, and now that some of them have escaped, there is a sizable population of them in cities such as Barcelona.

La paloma	“Pigeon” / “Dove”
Paloma can refer to both the city pigeon and the beautiful white dove.
La gaviota	“Seagull”
El águila	“Eagle”
This word is a tricky one! Although most Spanish animal names (and nouns, for that matter) ending in “a” are gendered feminine, this one is masculine.
El cuervo	“Crow”
El flamenco	“Flamingo”
The word flamenco can refer to both the traditional Spanish music genre and the pink bird. Depending on the time of year, this migratory bird resides in different wetlands of the Spanish territory, such as the Doñana National Park or the Ebro River Delta.
El loro	“Parrot”
La golondrina	“Swallow”
La rana	“Frog”
El sapo	“Toad”
El lagarto	“Lizard”
La iguana	“Iguana”
El cocodrilo	“Crocodile”
Note that cocodrilo and “crocodile” are quite similar, but take into account that the position of the “r” is different!

¿Los flamencos bailan flamenco? (“Do flamingos dance flamenco?”)

7. Animal Body Parts

Now that you know several different animal names in Spanish, it’s time to learn what to call their various body parts.

Pata	“Paw” / “Leg”
Cola	“Tail”
Ala	“Wing”
Garra	“Claw”
Garra is the generic term for animal claws. In the case of felines, who have very special claws, theirs are called zarpas.
Cuerno	“Horn”
Pluma	“Feather”
Pico	“Beak” / “Bill”
Hocico	“Snout”
The colloquial version of hocico is morro. This word is also used to refer to human mouths in a slightly negative (but rather joking) way, especially in the plural form morros. María lleva los morros llenos de chocolate. – “María’s snout is full of chocolate.”
Caparazón	“Shell”
Aleta	“Fin”
Bigotes	“Whiskers”

Los gatos tienen zarpas. (“Cats have claws.”)

8. Bonus: Animal Idioms and Proverbs

Spanish expression	Sentir mariposas en el estómago
English equivalent	“To feel butterflies in one’s stomach”
This expression is often used to describe the nervous feeling of someone who is infatuated or in love.

Spanish expression	Tener la piel de gallina
English equivalent	“To have goosebumps”
This refers to the nervous reaction of the skin to cold or to powerful emotions.

Spanish expression	Como pez fuera del agua
English equivalent	“Like fish out of water”
It means that someone feels completely out of their comfort zone or out of place.

Spanish expression	Ser la oveja negra
English equivalent	“To be the black sheep”
This refers to a family member or another individual who does not fit in.  Marta es la oveja negra de la familia, es la única que es abogada en lugar de médico. – “Marta is the family’s black sheep; she’s the only one who’s a lawyer instead of a doctor.”

Spanish expression	Hay cuatro gatos.
This literally translates to, “There are four cats.” It’s used to describe a place that’s quite empty.

Spanish expression	Perro ladrador, poco mordedor
English equivalent	“His bark is worse than his bite.”
This describes the type of person who seems very brave when they talk but rarely takes action.

Spanish expression	A caballo regalado, no le mires el diente.
English equivalent	“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
This proverb means that one shouldn’t be too picky when gifted with something.

Spanish expression	De noche, todos los gatos son pardos.
This phrase means, “At night, all cats are black.” It advises that when it’s dark (and especially after drinking a bit too much), we often overlook other people’s defects.

Spanish expression	Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda.
English equivalent	“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
This Spanish proverb literally means: “Even when the monkey is dressed in silk, it’s still a monkey.” It means that when someone or something is ugly, there’s not much that can be done about it.

Spanish expression	Gato con guantes no caza ratones.
English equivalent	“A cat with gloves catches no mice.”
This phrase warns that it’s better to be dressed for the job at hand rather than trying to be too fancy.

Spanish expression	A perro viejo todo son pulgas.
English equivalent	“Old dogs have all the fleas.”
Usually, this expression is used in reference to all of the illnesses and various health-related problems that come with age.

9. Final Thoughts

In this article, we provided you with a list of animals in Spanish that will help you navigate situations involving anything from pets to nasty bugs! 

What’s your favorite animal? Do you remember its name in Spanish?

At SpanishPod101.com, you can continue learning the Spanish language and exploring Spanish culture. There are plenty of free resources, such as vocabulary lists and our word of the day tool, as well as lessons tailored for every level of fluency.

Happy learning on SpanishPod101.com!

Many Spanish learners have a hard time expressing themselves or understanding others over the phone. Connection problems aside, you can encounter situations where you struggle to keep up because the person on the other end is speaking too quickly. This can make you anxious, or even afraid, to speak during a phone call. 

Non-verbal communication and body language are important components of conversation. Whenever we speak to someone on the phone, we miss out on these subtle clues since we cannot see their face or posture.

But there’s good news. Learning Spanish phone conversation phrases will help you become more confident and prepared for calls!

In this guide from SpanishPod101, you’ll learn the most common Spanish phone phrases. Having these phrases down will help you crush your conversations, whether you’re arranging a brunch date with a friend or making a business call.

Remember: Practice makes perfect!

Ready for great Spanish phone conversations? Start with Hola!

Table of Contents

1. Picking up the Phone
2. Saying Who You Are
3. Stating Why You’re Calling
4. Asking to Speak to Someone
5. Asking Someone to Wait
6. Leaving a Message
7. Asking for Clarification
8. Ending the Phone Call
9. Bonus: Sample Phone Conversations
10. Final Thoughts

1. Picking up the Phone

The first set of Spanish phone phrases you need to learn are the greetings. The greeting you use may differ depending on whether you’re the caller or the receiver. 

1 – Calling

Hola.	Hello.
The well-known hola is an informal Spanish greeting used in real life and over the phone. If you know the name of the person you’re calling, you can use it in the greeting: Hola, ___.

Buenos días. / Buenas tardes.	Good morning. / Good afternoon.
Buenos días and buenas tardes sound a bit more formal, so these are safe to use during business calls.

2 – Answering

¿Sí?	Yes?
This is how most Spanish people answer the phone, especially if it’s their personal number.

¿Diga? / ¿Dígame?	Hello?
Literally meaning “Tell me,” this is an apt way to begin a Spanish phone conversation. It’s most common in formal situations and among the older Spanish-speaking population.

Hola.	Hello.
Nowadays, we often know who’s calling because their name appears on our phone screen if we’ve saved their number. If the caller is a saved contact, you can simply answer with hola.

¿Aló?	Hello?
This is a very common Spanish phone call greeting, but only in Latin America!

Bueno.	Hello.
Bueno, literally meaning “good” or “well,” is a common phone greeting used in Mexican Spanish.

→ There are many other ways to say hello in Spanish, most of which can be used to begin a phone conversation. Learn about greeting people on SpanishPod101.com!

Pick up the phone; someone’s calling you!

2. Saying Who You Are

Now that you’ve learned some useful greetings, you should become familiar with a few Spanish phone phrases for introducing yourself. 

In informal conversations, you’d say Soy (“I am”) followed by your name. Here’s an example:

A: ¿Sí?  – “Yes?”
B: ¡Hola Manuel! Soy Andrea. – “Hello, Manuel! This is Andrea.”

If you’re calling on behalf of a company or an organization, the structure of the sentence should be:

Soy [name], de [company name]. – “This is [name], from [company name].”

However, making a business phone call in Spanish can get a tad more formal:

Mi nombre es [name], de [company name]. – “My name is [name], from [company name].”

Buenos días, mi nombre es Juan. (“Good morning, my name is Juan.”)

→ Make sure to visit our lesson How to Introduce Yourself to learn about this topic in greater depth!

3. Stating Why You’re Calling

Querría hablar con alguien sobre…	I’d like to speak to someone about…
You can use this phrase to ask for assistance with something, especially if you’re contacting an institution, company, or organization. Example:  Querría hablar con alguien sobre la cancelación de mi vuelo. – “I’d like to speak to someone about the cancellation of my flight.”

Quería información sobre…	I wanted some information about…
This phrase can be used to ask for directions, schedules, timetables, etc. Quería información sobre las horas de apertura del museo. – “I wanted some information about the museum’s opening hours.”

Me gustaría preguntar si…

I’d like to ask if…

This is a polite introduction to whatever question you have. Here are a few examples: Me gustaría preguntar si dais clases de salsa en vuestra escuela. – “I’d like to ask if there are salsa classes at your school.” Me gustaría preguntar si mañana va a estar el director en la oficina. – “I’d like to ask if the director is going to be in the office tomorrow.” Me gustaría preguntar si puedo comprar billete de tren anticipado. – “I’d like to ask if I can book a train ticket in advance.”

Estoy devolviendo tu llamada.

I’m returning your call.

Llamaba para reservar una mesa.	I was calling to make a reservation.
Literally, this phrase means: “I was calling to book a table.”

→ Don’t miss our lesson Is Your Friend Answering the Phone? to learn how to properly use Spanish grammar in a phone conversation!

Lo siento, la línea está ocupada. (“I’m sorry, the line is busy.”)

4. Asking to Speak to Someone

If you’re meaning to call a specific person and someone else comes to the phone, here’s how you ask to be handed over to the right person. 

In informal conversations, you’d say the following:

• ¿Está [name]? – “Is [name] there?”

A more polite way to ask the same question would be:

• ¿Me podrías poner con [name]? – “Could you transfer me to [name]?”

And here’s a formal alternative:

• Querría hablar con [name]. – “I’d like to speak to [name].”

Open for business? Learn all about Making a Business Phone Call with SpanishPod101!

5. Asking Someone to Wait

If the conversation is going too fast and you need a second to collect your thoughts, look up information, or fetch the person they’re calling, here are a few Spanish phone conversation phrases that can help.

Un momento, déjame comprobar.

Just a moment, let me check.

Te / Le pongo en espera un momento.	I’ll put you on hold for a second.
In Spanish, your tone can come across quite differently depending on the formality level you use. In this case, the pronoun te sounds much more casual than the pronoun le.  Remember to use the formal pronoun in business conversations, when doing bureaucratic processes, when asking for professional help, etc.

→ Don’t miss our blog post Ultimate Guide to Spanish Pronouns. Reading through it will help you better understand how to use formal Spanish.  

No cuelgues / cuelgue, por favor.

Don’t hang up, please.

Ahora te lo / la paso.	I’ll put him/her on the phone.
If the caller is asking for your roommate or a coworker, this is an informal way to state that you’ll ask them to answer the phone.

Déjame transferirte / Déjeme transferirle a su oficina.	Let me transfer you to his/her office.
This is the formal and business-style way to say Ahora te lo paso.

Déjeme transferirle a su oficina.  (“Let me transfer you to her office.”)

6. Leaving a Message

Did you miss the person you were calling? Here are three Spanish phone call phrases you can use to leave a message: 

¿Puedo dejarle un mensaje?

Can I leave a message?

Por favor, dígale de mi parte que…

Please let him know that…

¿Le puede decir que me llame al [phone number]?	Can you tell him to call me back at [phone number]?
Of course, sometimes you might prefer to deliver the message yourself. This phrase is how you ask for the person to call you back.

7. Asking for Clarification

When learning a new language, phone conversations with native speakers are some of the trickiest situations we have to face.

If you don’t understand what the person on the other end is saying, don’t worry. Take a deep breath and then use one of these phone call phrases in Spanish to ask for clarification.

Perdón, ¿podrías repetirlo?

Sorry, could you say that again?

¿Podrías repetirlo, solo para comprobar que te he entendido?	Could you repeat that, just to double-check I understood?
There’s no harm in double-checking! Don’t hesitate to ask as many times as you need to make sure you understand the other person.

No te he entendido, disculpa.

I didn’t understand, I’m sorry.

Lo siento, pero me está costando entenderte.

I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time understanding you.

Creo que hay una mala conexión.	I think there’s a bad connection.
Sometimes, technology can add even more obstacles when we’re trying to understand a conversation in a foreign language.

¿Podrías deletrear tu nombre, por favor?

Could you spell your name for me, please?

Lo siento, pero me está costando entenderte. (“I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time understanding you.”)

8. Ending the Phone Call

There are many ways to end a call, depending on the kind of call you’ve had. Whether you were asking for some information, arranging a meeting, or just chatting, here are a few phone call phrases in Spanish you can use.

Me has ayudado mucho. Gracias.

You’ve been very helpful. Thank you.

Gracias por su ayuda.	Thanks for your help.
This is a formal way to end a phone call when you want to show gratitude.  You can also use the informal variation: Gracias por tu ayuda. This is more heartfelt and honest, good for when you’re speaking to a friend.

→ Feeling extra grateful? Check out SpanishPod101’s blog entry How to Say “Thank you” in Spanish.

Un placer hablar contigo / con usted.

It was a pleasure talking with you.

Nos vemos a las [time] en [place].	See you at [time] at [place].
It doesn’t hurt to repeat the time and place you’ve set for a meeting, just to double-check that you understood.

Que tengas un buen día.

Have a great day.

Adiós.

Bye.

You might find that some Spanish people have a hard time letting go of the conversation and actually hanging up the phone. It’s because they’re very friendly! Don’t be surprised if they use all of the phrases above to say goodbye. Here’s an example: Me has ayudado mucho, Antonio. Gracias. Un placer hablar contigo. Nos vemos a las tres en la oficina. Que tengas una buena mañana. ¡Adiós! – “You’ve helped me a lot, Antonio. Thanks. It was a pleasure talking with you. See you at three in the office. Have a great morning. Bye!”

9. Bonus: Sample Phone Conversations

You now have plenty of phrases to start practicing! But how might they sound when used in a real-life phone call? 

Here, we’ve included two sample phone conversations in Spanish. The first one is an informal call, while the second one takes place in a more formal context. 

Enjoy! 

1 – Asking your friend to meet for brunch

A: ¿Sí? – “Yes?”

B: Ey Juan, soy Marta. ¿Qué tal? – “Hey Juan, it’s Marta. How’s it going?”

A: ¡Hola Marta, cuánto tiempo! Todo bien, ¿qué tal tú? – “Hello Marta, it’s been so long! All good, how about you?”

B: Pues muy bien, justo quería proponerte de vernos este fin de semana. – “I’m good, I wanted to propose that we meet up this weekend.”

A: ¡Suena genial! Pero estoy ocupado todo el sábado… – “Sounds great! But I’m busy all Saturday…”

B: ¿Y qué tal el domingo? Podríamos quedar para tomar un brunch. – “How about Sunday? We could meet up for brunch.”

A: Perfecto. ¿Quedamos a las 12 donde siempre? – “Perfect. Should we meet at 12 in the usual spot?”

B: Vale. ¡Nos vemos entonces! – “Okay. See you then!”

A: Sí, ¡qué ganas! Hasta el domingo. – “Yes, can’t wait! See you on Sunday.”

B: Que vaya bien, ¡besos! – “Take care, kisses!”

A: ¡Un beso, Marta! Adiós. – “Kisses, Marta! Bye.”

2 – Making a reservation

A: Restaurante Antojo, ¿dígame? – “Antojo Restaurant, hello?”

B: Buenos días, llamaba para ver si tenían una mesa libre esta noche. – “Good morning, I was calling to know if you have a free table this evening.”

A: ¿Para cuántas personas sería? – “How many people in your party?”

B: Somos cinco, aunque uno podría fallar a última hora. – “We’re five, but one of us could not make it last minute.”

A: No hay problema. Tenemos mesa para ustedes. – “No problem. We have a table for you.”

B: ¡Perfecto! Otra pregunta, ¿tienen opciones veganas? – “Perfect! Another question, do you have any vegan options?”

A: Sí, todo nuestro menú es adaptable para veganos y personas con alergias alimentarias. – “Yes, our whole menu can be adapted to vegans and people with food allergies.”

B: Estupendo, ¿puede reservarnos la mesa para las 9? – “Great, could we make a reservation for nine p.m.?”

A: Tendría ser a las 9 y media ya que antes tenemos lleno, lo lamento. – “It has to be for 9:30 as we’re fully booked before that, I’m sorry.”

B: Ningún problema, también nos va bien. – “No problem, it’s also okay for us.”

A: Pues les esperamos esta noche a las 9 y media. – “So we’ll expect you at 9:30.”

B: ¡Muchas gracias! Hasta luego. – “Thank you so much! See you later.”

A: A usted, hasta luego. – “You’re welcome, see you later.”

¡Mesa para cinco! (“Table for five!”)

10. Final Thoughts

In this guide, you’ve learned the basic vocabulary and expressions you’ll need to make a phone call in Spanish. We hope the phrases we lined up here will help you have a successful conversation, from picking up the phone to ending the call. 

Do you feel more confident about your next all-Spanish phone call now? Or are there still some phone phrases or situations you’d like to see covered? Let us know in the comments! 

If you’d like to continue learning and improving your Spanish, create your free lifetime account on SpanishPod101.com today! We have tons of lessons tailored for every level, free vocabulary lists, and a blog with lots of fun and interesting posts like this one. 

Happy learning!

Have you decided to learn Spanish? Congratulations! It will be a very exciting and rewarding journey.

However, as you set out to learn this new language, you might not know where to begin. The sheer number of Spanish vocabulary words you have to learn can be overwhelming!

Keep in mind that you don’t need to rush into lessons that are above your level. It’s better to start from the basics and build a foundation that will help you reach your desired level of proficiency in Spanish!

To give you a boost, SpanishPod101 has compiled this guide to basic Spanish words for beginners. We’ve listed over 200 common Spanish words in different categories, providing additional information where necessary. 

Have fun!

You’re one step closer to your first conversation in Spanish!

Table of Contents

1. Pronouns
2. Articles
3. Numbers
4. Nouns
5. Verbs
6. Adjectives
7. Conjunctions
8. Prepositions
9. Final Thoughts

1. Pronouns

Pronouns are some of the most important basic Spanish words for beginners. You’ll use them often in regular conversations!

However, when you start learning Spanish, you might be overwhelmed by how complex the pronoun system is. Don’t worry! We’ll start with the basics.

1 – Personal Subject Pronouns

Personal subject pronouns replace the subject of a sentence. You can use them to talk about a previously mentioned noun, whether it’s a person, an animal, or an object. In addition, you can use them to talk about yourself or to address other people.

• Yo hablo español. → “I speak Spanish.”
• Vosotros habláis inglés. → “You speak English.”

Person	Spanish	English
1st person sg.	yo	I
2nd person sg.	tú	you
3rd person sg.	él, ella	he, she
1st person pl.	nosotros	we
2nd person pl.	vosotros	you
3rd person pl.	ellos, ellas	they

You might be surprised to learn that most native speakers won’t use personal subject pronouns to begin a sentence. The subject is often omitted unless it’s not obvious who or what we’re talking about.

• Hablo español. → “(I) speak Spanish.”
• Habláis inglés. → “(You) speak English.”

Apart from subject pronouns, other personal pronouns include direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, and prepositional pronouns. In Spanish, personal pronouns change form depending on their function and position in the sentence. Want to learn more? Check out SpanishPod101’s lesson on personal pronouns.

2 – Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Spanish (such as ese, este, and aquel) are quite easy for English speakers to grasp, as they work similarly to their English equivalents. You can use them to identify a person, an animal, or a thing, as well as its distance from you. These are some of the basic beginner Spanish words you need to learn early on!

In English, there are only four demonstrative pronouns: this and that and their plural forms these and those. However, in Spanish, there are fifteen! Why is that?

First of all, Spanish demonstrative pronouns correspond to the three different adverbs used to express distance: aquí (“here”), allá (“there”), and ahí (expresses something between here and there).

• Este de aquí es mi perro. → “This is my dog.”
• Esos de ahí son mis amigos. → “Those are my friends.”
• Aquel de allá es mi coche. → “That is my school.”

The other main difference between Spanish and English demonstrative pronouns is the gender distinction, which applies to both singular and plural pronouns. Spanish has different forms for masculine, feminine, and neuter gender.

Person		Spanish			English
		aquí	ahí	allí	here	–	there
masculine	sg.	este	ese	aquel	this	–	that
	pl.	estos	esos	aquellos	these	–	those
feminine	sg.	esta	esa	aquella	this	–	that
	pl.	estas	esas	aquellas	these	–	those
neuter		esto	eso	aquello	this	–	that

3 – Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are crucial in any language, making them some of the most important Spanish words for beginners to learn. Asking is the best way to learn, after all!

And here’s some good news: They’re very easy for English speakers to learn, as they work just like their English equivalents! 

• Qué → “What”
  ¿Qué quieres comer? → “What do you want to eat?”

• Cuál → “Which”
  ¿Cuál de ellos es tu hijo? → “Which one is your son?”

• Por qué → “Why”
  ¿Por qué dejaste tu trabajo? → “Why did you quit your job?”

• Quién → “Who”
  ¿Quién vas a invitar a tu cumpleaños? → “Who will you invite to your birthday?”

• Dónde → “Where”
  ¿Dónde vas a ir de vacaciones? → “Where will you go on your vacation?”

• Cuánto → “How much”
  ¿Cuánto pagaste por esta chaqueta? → “How much did you pay for this jacket?”

• Cuántos / Cuántas → “How many”
  ¿Cuántos días te vas a quedar? → “How many days will you stay?”
  ¿Cuántas manzanas quieres comprar? → “How many apples do you want to buy?”

• Cuándo → “When”
  ¿Cuándo vas a tener el bebé? → “When will you have the baby?”

Of course, it will be helpful to learn a few full questions by heart if you’re planning to visit Spain or have a conversation with a Spanish speaker. Fortunately, SpanishPod101 always has your back! Check out the Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations.

¿Cuándo vas a tener el bebé? (“When will you have the baby?”)

2. Articles

One of the most characteristic aspects of the Spanish language is its articles. Studying these basic Spanish words for beginners is key to starting your learning journey off on the right foot.

Articles accompany nouns and can be definite (like the English word “the”) or indefinite (like the English words “a” and “an”).

• El vaso → “The glass”
• Un vaso → “A glass”

In Spanish, however, they also indicate gender and number. This is why there are more articles to learn than there are in English. 

Person		Definite article	Indefinite article
masculine	sg.	el	un
	pl.	los	unos
feminine	sg.	la	una
	pl.	los	unas

→ Struggling with the Spanish gender rules? Thanks to our lesson Using the Right Gender and Number of Spanish Nouns, understanding the basics has never been easier!

There is also the neuter article lo, which goes before adjectives, participles, and ordinal numbers that are not followed by a noun.

• Lo mejor → “The best”
• Lo hablado → “What was said”
• Lo primero → “The first”

3. Numbers

When you start learning a language, you definitely have to learn how to count in it!

Let’s see the cardinal Spanish numbers from one to ten:

• Uno → “One”
• Dos → “Two”
• Tres → “Three”
• Cuatro → “Four”
• Cinco → “Five”
• Seis → “Six”
• Siete → “Seven”
• Ocho → “Eight”
• Nueve → “Nine”
• Diez → “Ten”

And here are the ordinal Spanish numbers from one to ten:

• Primero → “First”
• Segundo → “Second”
• Tercero → “Third”
• Cuarto → “Fourth”
• Quinto → “Fifth”
• Sexto → “Sixth”
• Séptimo → “Seventh”
• Octavo → “Eighth”
• Noveno → “Ninth”
• Décimo → “Tenth”

Once you’ve mastered counting from one to ten, check out SpanishPod101’s lessons on numbers to learn how to count to infinity!

4. Nouns

Nouns identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Spanish nouns can be singular or plural, and each one has a grammatical gender. 

Below is a list of nouns you can use in your daily life, whether your back hurts, you’re looking for the post office, or you’re preparing a tasty meal. These basic beginner Spanish words can help you communicate general ideas even before you learn how to form sentences, so remember as many as you can!

→ Don’t forget to check out our article The 100 Most Common Spanish Nouns, where you’ll learn how to use singular, plural, and different-gendered nouns! 

1 – Body Parts

cuerpo

body

cabeza

head

cara

face

ojos

eyes

nariz

nose

boca

mouth

orejas

ears

pelo

hair

mejillas

cheeks

cuello

neck

nuca	back of the neck

hombros

shoulders

brazos

arms

manos

hands

Dedos

fingers

uñas

nails

pecho / pechos	chest / breasts
These are some tricky words! Pechos is plural for pecho (“chest”), but it actually refers to “breasts.”

barriga

belly

espalda

back

cadera

hip

muslos

thigh

piernas

legs

pies

feet

2 – Family

familia

family

madre (Mamá)

mother (Mom)

padre (Papá)

father (Dad)

hijo / hija

son / daughter

hermano / hermana

brother / sister

abuelo / abuela

grandfather / grandmother

tío / tía

uncle / aunt

sobrino / sobrina

nephew / niece

primo / prima

cousin

¡Una familia unida! (“A united family!”)

3 – Occupations

maestro / maestra

teacher

profesor / profesora

professor

policía

policeman / policewoman

médico / doctor / doctora	doctor
In Spanish, médico and doctor are used often equally. However, the phrase “to go to the doctor” is often said as “ir al médico” and, when you address the doctor directly you’ll refer to him or her as “doctor” or “doctora“, sometimes followed by his or her surname. ¿Es grave, doctora García? → “Is it serious, doctor García?”

enfermero / enfermera

nurse

abogado / abogada

lawyer

cocinero / cocinera

cook

camarero / camarera

waiter / waitress

empresario / empresaria

businessman / businesswoman

oficinista

office worker

4 – Places Around Town

hospital

hospital

mercado / supermercado

market / supermarket

escuela

school

museo

museum

oficina de correos

post office

universidad

university

comisaría

police station

estación de tren

train station

aeropuerto

airport

centro (de la ciudad)	city center / downtown
In Spanish cities and towns, it’s common to refer to the old and central areas as el centro. It’s usually where there are the most tourist attractions and where rent is most expensive. La estación del tren está en el centro. → “The train station is in the city center.”

afueras (de la ciudad)	outskirts
Contrary to the concept of el centro, there is the concept of las afueras, which refers to the areas of a town or city that are farther away from the urban core. El aeropuerto está en las afueras. → “The airport is in the city’s outskirts.”

5 – School and Office Essentials

lápiz

pencil

rotulador

marker

bolígrafo	pen
You’ll rarely hear a student say the word bolígrafo. The diminutive boli is much more commonly used.

ordenador

computer

(ordenador) portátil	laptop
To say “the laptop,” most Spanish speakers will say el portátil, but some may say ordenador too. Nowadays, laptops are more popular than traditional computers, so some people specify ordenador de sobremesa (literally, “on-desk computer”). Prefiero usar el portátil en lugar del ordenador de sobremesa. → “I prefer using the laptop instead of the computer.”

libreta

notebook

folio

piece of paper

carpeta

folder

goma de borrar

eraser

marcador

highlighter

clip

paperclip

pizarra

blackboard / whiteboard / chalkboard / greenboard

pupitre	desk
This word is used to talk specifically about school desks.

mochila

backpack

Lista para la escuela (“Ready for school”)

6 – Food

verduras

vegetables

tomate

tomato

lechuga

lettuce

pimiento

pepper

berenjena

eggplant

patata

potato

alcachofa

artichoke

fruta

fruit

manzana

apple

pera

pear

plátano

banana

cerezas

cherries

sandía

watermelon

melón

melon

carne

meat

pescado

fish

leche

milk

queso

cheese

huevos

eggs

harina

flour

sal

salt

azúcar

sugar

aceite

oil

mantequilla

butter

→ If you want to expand your vocabulary with even more essential nouns, you can start by reading SpanishPod101’s article on untranslatable Spanish words! 

5. Verbs

Verbs are some of the most common and basic beginner Spanish words. Why is that? Because verbs are used to describe every action in our lives! 

Here’s a list with over 50 verbs that will prove useful when you’re starting to speak Spanish. Did you know that in Spanish there are four different verbs that mean “to eat”? Keep reading! 

→ At SpanishPod101.com, you can find free vocabulary lists to keep on learning!

1 – Basic Auxiliary Verbs

haber

to have

ser

to be

estar

to be

The verbs ser and estar both translate to the English verb “to be,” but they serve different functions. 

Ser is used for permanent or lasting attributes, occupations, characteristics, origins, and relationships. It’s also used to give the time. 

• Marta es una buena persona. → “Marta is a good person.”
• Son las dos de la tarde. → “It is two in the afternoon.”

On the other hand, estar is used for positions, locations, actions, conditions, and emotions:

• La ciudad de Moscú está en Rusia. → “The city of Moscow is in Russia.”
• Estoy haciendo la compra. → “I’m doing the grocery shopping.”

These auxiliary verbs are some of the most important Spanish words for beginners to learn. They’re used with main verbs to express the tense or to explain the way in which the verb is understood.

• He fregado los platos. → “I’m doing the dishes.”
• Estoy haciendo la compra. → “I’m doing the shopping.”
• La presidenta fue elegida por sus conciudadanos. → “The president was chosen by her fellow citizens.”

2 – Most Common Verbs

tener	to have
Don’t mix up tener with haber! Tener means “to have” in the sense of “to possess.”

hacer

to do / to make

poder

can

decir

to say

ir

to go

3 – The Five Senses

ver / mirar

to see / to watch

escuchar / oir

to hear / to listen

oler

to smell

degustar

to taste

tocar

to touch

¿Qué ven esos ojos? (“What do those eyes see?”)

4 – Basic Actions

caminar

to walk

correr

to run

hablar

to talk

decir

to say

contar

to tell

llamar

to call

escribir

to write

leer

to read

dar

to give

venir

to come

llegar

to arrive

marcharse

to leave

poner

to put

dejar	to leave / to put
Dejar is used in the sense of “leaving something” in a specific place.

quitar

to remove

5 – Thoughts and Feelings

saber

to know

conocer

to know

Both conocer and saber translate to the English verb “to know.” However, they’re used in very different situations. Saber is used when the speaker knows a fact, piece of information, or how to do something. Conocer, on the other hand, is used when the speaker knows a person, place, or thing. Sé cocinar una paella riquísima. → “I know how to cook very good paella.” ¿María? No la conozco. → “María? I don’t know her.”

sentir

to feel

querer / amar

to love

recordar

to remember

añorar

to miss

necesitar

to need

soñar

to dream

sufrir

to suffer

llorar

to cry

reir

to laugh

6 – Daily Routine

despertarse

to wake up

levantarse

to get up

ducharse

to shower

desayunar

to eat breakfast

almorzar

to eat lunch or second breakfast

comer

to eat (lunch)

cenar

to eat dinner

Spanish speakers use different verbs meaning “to eat,” depending on the meal they’re having. The first meal of the day is desayuno, so the verb is always desayunar. Almorzar means “to eat lunch,” but most people nowadays use it to talk about a second meal you have between breakfast and lunch (could be the Spanish equivalent to “brunch”). Comer is the generic word for eating whatever and whenever, but if you say voy a comer you mean “I’m going to have lunch.” Lastly, the final meal of the day is la cena; when you eat dinner, you’ll say cenar.

beber

to drink

trabajar

to work

estudiar

to study

conducir

to drive

dormir

to sleep

7 – Life and Death

nacer

to be born

vivir

to live

respirar

to breathe

crecer

to grow (up)

morir

to die

→ Learning the Spanish verb tenses can be overwhelming. But don’t worry, SpanishPod101 will help you master this subject in our Spanish Verb Conjugation Series.

¡Vivir es nacer a cada instante! -Erich Fromm (“To live is to be born every second!” -Erich Fromm)

6. Adjectives

Our next set of Spanish beginner words are adjectives. These colorful words can help you describe the world around you and strengthen the impact of your speaking or writing. 

Spanish adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. In this table, you’ll find both genders in the format [ Masculine / Feminine ]. If you see only one, it means the masculine and feminine forms are identical.

Plurals, on the other hand, are rather predictable and follow the general rules of Spanish plural formation.

→ You might want to check out a more detailed article on Spanish adjectives for more grammar information and examples.

1 – Describing Objects

The following adjectives can be used to describe the physical attributes or aspects of objects, and are sometimes used to describe people and animals too. 

grande

big

pequeño / pequeña

small / little

largo / larga

long

pesado / pesada	heavy
Beware! Most of the time, when people use pesado or pesada to describe a person, they’re using it as an insult to call them “tiresome” or “annoying.”

ligero / ligera

light

2 – Describing People

These adjectives, on the other hand, are mostly used to describe people. They can also describe animals where applicable. 

guapo / guapa

beautiful / pretty / handsome

atractivo / atractiva

attractive

alto / alta

tall

bajo / baja

short

delgado / delgada

thin

gordo / gorda

fat

joven

young

viejo / vieja

old

rubio / rubia

blond

moreno / morena

dark (skinned or haired)

pelirrojo / pelirroja

red-haired

3 – Describing Emotions

contento / contenta

happy / pleased

feliz

happy

emocionado / emocionada

excited / emotional

ilusionado / ilusionada

hopeful / excited

triste

sad

desanimado / desanimada

disheartened

deprimido / deprimida

depressed

ansioso / ansiosa

anxious / eager

aburrido / aburrida

bored

avergonzado / avergonzada

embarrassed / ashamed

4 – Describing Weather

lluvioso

rainy

nublado

cloudy

ventoso

windy

soleado

sunny

7. Conjunctions

You can use conjunctions to connect words, clauses, and sentences. 

• y → “and”
  El perro y el gato → “The dog and the cat”

• ni → “nor”
  Ni el perro ni el gato → “Not the dog nor the cat”

• pero → “but”
  Quiero ir pero tengo que estudiar. → “I want to go but I have to study.”

• porque → “because”
  Me marcho porque estoy cansado. → “I’m leaving because I’m tired.”
  
  Many people, even native Spanish speakers, mix up porque and por qué when they write, but they mean very different things! While porque means “because,” por qué means “why.”

• como → “like” / “as”
  Pelean como el perro y el gato. → “They fight like dogs and cats.”

• ya que → “because” / “since”
  Dejó los estudios ya que encontró un trabajo. → “She quit her degree because she got a job.”

• que → “that” / “who”
  Mi madre es la persona que más me quiere. → “My mother is the person who loves me the most.”

Check out SpanishPod101’s lesson Spanish Conjunctions: But You Won’t Have Time! to learn about different types of conjunctions.

El perro y el gato (“The dog and the cat”)

8. Prepositions

• a → “to”
  Me voy a dormir. → “I’m going to sleep.”

• de → “from” / “of”
  Recibí una carta de mi abuelo. → “I received a letter from my grandad.”

• en → “in”
  Pon la ropa en la lavadora. → “Put the clothes in the washing machine.”

• con → “with”
  Han venido con sus amigos. → “They have come with their friends.”

• por → “by” / “for”
  Este pastel está hecho por él mismo. → “This cake was made by himself.”

• sin → “without”
  He venido sin abrigo. → “I came without a coat.”

• para → “for”
  Mi sobrina dibujó esto para mí. → “My niece drew this for me.”

Mi sobrina dibujó esto para mí. (“My niece drew this for me.”)

9. Final Thoughts

In this guide to basic Spanish words for beginners, you’ve learned more than 200 of the most common Spanish words. These will prove useful as you get ready to handle your first conversations in Spanish! 

How many of these words did you know already? Were any of them new to you? We look forward to hearing your thoughts! 

If you want to take your Spanish learning journey further, don’t forget to check out SpanishPod101. We have plenty of free vocabulary lists to help you expand your Spanish vocabulary, as well as useful lessons ranging from Beginner Level to Advanced. 

Enjoy the ride!