Spanish — Basic

Spanish — Basic Level

Spanish is spoken by over 500 million people across 20 countries. It is phonetically consistent — words are pronounced as spelled — which makes it among the most accessible languages for English speakers.

Pronunciation Foundations

The vowels are pure and consistent: A (ah), E (eh), I (ee), O (oh), U (oo). Unlike English vowels, they rarely shift. "Casa" is always KAH-sah, not KAY-sah.

Key sounds: the double-R (rr) is a trill — the tongue vibrates against the roof of the mouth. The J sounds like the English H in "house." The LL is pronounced like Y in most dialects.

The Two Verbs for "To Be"

The distinction between ser and estar is the first real conceptual challenge in Spanish:

• Ser: Soy americano (I am American — permanent identity). Ella es médica (She is a doctor — profession).
• Estar: Estoy cansado (I am tired — temporary state). Estamos en la ciudad (We are in the city — location).

The rule of thumb: if you can imagine it changing tomorrow, use estar. If it defines what something fundamentally is, use ser.

Essential Daily Vocabulary

Greetings: Hola, Buenos días, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches, ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?), Bien, gracias (Fine, thank you), ¿Y tú? (And you?)

Basic phrases: ¿Puedes repetir? (Can you repeat?), Habla más despacio por favor (Speak more slowly please), No entiendo (I don't understand), ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the bathroom?)

Core vocabulary: agua (water), comida (food), casa (house), trabajo (work), dinero (money), tiempo (time/weather), gente (people), ciudad (city)

The Present Tense System

Spanish verbs conjugate by ending (-ar, -er, -ir) and by person. Regular -ar verb "hablar" (to speak):

• Yo hablo, Tú hablas, Él/Ella habla, Nosotros hablamos, Ustedes hablan

Irregular but essential: ser (to be), tener (to have), ir (to go), hacer (to do/make), poder (to be able to), querer (to want).

Start with these six. They appear in nearly every conversation.