252 Spanish words of level A1
Below is a complete, categorized list of Spanish vocabulary at the A1 level. Learn common verbs, nouns, and adjectives with transcription, articles, and English translations.
What is A1? Beginner
A1 is the first step. You learn the most frequent words and set phrases for everyday situations — greetings, numbers, family, food and simple questions.
What you can do at A1
- ✓Introduce yourself and ask people basic questions about themselves
- ✓Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases
- ✓Handle simple, routine situations like shopping or ordering food
- ✓Understand basic numbers, times, and dates in simple announcements
- ✓Fill in simple forms with personal details like name, nationality, and address
Adjectives
Articles
Conjunctions
Nouns
/en/
in, on, at
/se/
himself, herself, itself, themselves, oneself (reflexive pronoun)
/no/
no, not
/al/
to the (contraction of a + el)
/le/
him, her, it, you (indirect object pronoun)
/lo/
it / him / that
/me/
me / myself
/ˈso.βɾe/
on / about / over
/el/
he / him
/ˈe.ɟ͡ʝa/
she / her
/nos/
us / ourselves
/ˈe.ɟ͡ʝos/
they / them (masculine)
/usˈteð/
you (formal)
/ˈa.ɲo/
year
/ˈdi.a/
day
/ˈtjem.po/
time, weather
/peɾˈso.na/
person
/ˈpaɾ.te/
part
/ˈβi.ða/
life
/ˈmun.do/
world
/ɡoˈβjeɾ.no/
government
/emˈpɾe.sa/
company
/paˈis/
country
/θjuˈðað/
city
/tɾaˈβa.xo/
work
/ˈka.so/
case
/pɾoˈβle.ma/
problem
/moˈmen.to/
moment
/ˈma.no/
hand
/ˈfoɾ.ma/
form/way
/ˈɡɾu.po/
group
/sisˈte.ma/
system
/ˈnu.me.ɾo/
number
/in.foɾ.maˈθjon/
information
/isˈto.ɾja/
history/story
/muˈxeɾ/
woman
/ˈom.bɾe/
man
/ˈni.ɲo/
child/boy
/faˈmi.lja/
family
/aˈmi.ɡo/
friend
/es.tuˈðjan.te/
student
/pɾo.feˈsoɾ/
teacher
/esˈkwe.la/
school
/u.ni.βeɾ.siˈðað/
university
/ˈli.βɾo/
book
/paˈla.βɾa/
word
/pɾeˈɣun.ta/
question
/resˈpwes.ta/
answer
/iˈðe.a/
idea
/raˈθon/
reason
/senˈti.ðo/
sense
/ˈpun.to/
point
/ˈe.tʃo/
fact
/eˈxem.plo/
example
/deˈɾe.tʃo/
law/right
/ˈlej/
law
/poˈli.ti.ka/
politics
/e.ko.noˈmi.a/
economy
/so.θjeˈðað/
society
/kulˈtu.ɾa/
culture
/ˈaɾ.te/
art
/ˈmu.si.ka/
music
/peˈli.ku.la/
movie
/ˈno.t͡ʃe/
night
/ˈpa.ðɾe/
father
/ˈma.ðɾe/
mother
/ˈi.xo/
son
/ˈi.xa/
daughter
/ˈti.po/
type
/beɾˈðað/
truth
/maˈne.ɾa/
way / manner
/seˈma.na/
week
/mes/
month
/ˈlado/
side
/ˈluɣaɾ/
place
/ˈletra/
letter
/ˈnom.bɾe/
name
/ˈlampara/
lamp
/kwaˈðeɾno/
notebook
/ˈpluma/
pen
/raˈton/
mouse
/aʊtoˈβus/
bus
/ˈtaxi/
taxi
/ma.pa/
map
/moˈneða/
currency
/kanˈtjaða/
quantity
/ˈtaʎa/
size
/kalθetiŋ/
sneaker
/θeɾˈβeθa/
beer
/man.te.ˈki.ʝa/
butter
/paˈtata/
potato
/kab.eθa/
head
/oˈβexa/
sheep
/tiˈtulo/
title
/peˈlo.ta/
ball
Numerals
Other Words
/a/
to, at
/del/
of the, from the (contraction of de + el)
/su/
his, her, its, their, your (formal singular/plural)
/sus/
his, her, its, their, your (formal plural)
/ˈes.te/
this
/mi/
my
/ɟ͡ʝo/
I
/ˈmil/
one thousand
/ˈɣɾaθjas/
thanks
/ˈola/
hello
/aˈðjos/
goodbye
Prepositions
Verbs
/es/
is (from ser)
/ˈko.mo/
like, as, how
/mas/
more
/sin/
without
/tamˈbjen/
also / too
/ɟ͡ʝa/
already / now / anymore
/mwi/
very
/bjen/
well / fine
/ai/
there is / there are
/ˈkwan.do/
when
/ˈdon.de/
where
/seɾ/
to be (essential/permanent)
/esˈtaɾ/
to be (location/state)
/teˈneɾ/
to have
/aˈθeɾ/
to do / to make
/poˈðeɾ/
to be able to, can
/deˈθiɾ/
to say, to tell
/iɾ/
to go
/beɾ/
to see, to watch
/daɾ/
to give
/saˈβeɾ/
to know (info, how to)
/keˈɾeɾ/
to want, to love
/llegar/
to arrive, to reach
/paˈsaɾ/
to pass, to spend (time), to happen
/deˈβeɾ/
must, should, to owe
/poˈneɾ/
to put, to place
/paɾeˈθeɾ/
to seem, to look like
/keˈðaɾ/
to stay, to remain, to meet
/kɾeˈeɾ/
to believe, to think
/aˈβlaɾ/
to speak, to talk
/ʝeˈβaɾ/
to carry, to take, to wear
/deˈxaɾ/
to leave, to let, to allow
/seˈɣiɾ/
to follow, to continue
/eŋkonˈtɾaɾ/
to find, to meet
/ʝaˈmaɾ/
to call, to name
/beˈniɾ/
to come
/penˈsaɾ/
to think
/toˈmaɾ/
to take, to drink
/konoˈθeɾ/
to know (people, places)
/biˈβiɾ/
to live
/senˈtiɾ/
to feel, to regret
/tɾa.βaˈxaɾ/
to work
/em.peˈθaɾ/
to start, to begin
/bolˈβeɾ/
to return, to go back
/seɾˈβiɾ/
to serve, to be useful
/peˈðiɾ/
to ask for, to order
/en.tenˈdeɾ/
to understand
/re.koɾˈðaɾ/
to remember, to remind
/aˈβɾiɾ/
to open
/teɾ.miˈnaɾ/
to finish, to end
/ɡusˈtaɾ/
to like, to please
/ne.θe.siˈtaɾ/
to need
/siɣ.ni.fiˈkaɾ/
to mean, to signify
/es.peˈɾaɾ/
to wait, to hope
/busˈkaɾ/
to look for, to search
/enˈtɾaɾ/
to enter, to go in
/saˈliɾ/
to leave, to go out
/kamˈbjaɾ/
to change
/tɾa.ˈtaɾ/
to treat / to deal with
/mi.ˈɾaɾ/
to look
/kon.ˈtaɾ/
to count / to tell
/ek.sis.ˈtiɾ/
to exist
/es.kɾi.ˈβiɾ/
to write
/peɾ.ˈðeɾ/
to lose
/pɾo.ðu.ˈθiɾ/
to produce
/o.ku.ˈriɾ/
to happen / to occur
/re.θi.ˈβiɾ/
to receive
/peɾ.mi.ˈtiɾ/
to allow / to permit
/a.pa.ɾe.ˈθeɾ/
to appear
/kon.se.ˈɣiɾ/
to get / to achieve
/ˈnun.ka/
never
/kiˈθas/
maybe
/aˈʝer/
yesterday
/maˈɲa.na/
tomorrow
/aˈʝi/
there
/ˈθeɾ.ka/
near
/ˈle.xos/
far
/ˈden.tɾo/
inside
/ˈfwe.ɾa/
outside
/aˈri.βa/
up
/aˈβa.xo/
down
/a.ðeˈlan.te/
forward
/aˈtɾas/
back
/ˈka.si/
almost
/inˈklu.so/
even
/a.ðeˈmas/
besides
/mo.ˈɾiɾ/
to die
/eks.pli.ˈkaɾ/
to explain
/pɾe.ɣun.ˈtaɾ/
to ask
/res.pon.ˈdeɾ/
to answer, to respond
/a.ʝu.ˈðaɾ/
to help
/mos.ˈtɾaɾ/
to show
/xu.ˈɣaɾ/
to play (game/sport)
/ɡa.ˈnaɾ/
to win, to earn
/θe.ˈraɾ/
to close
/le.ˈeɾ/
to read
/es.tu.ˈðjaɾ/
to study
/a.pɾen.ˈdeɾ/
to learn
/en.se.ˈɲaɾ/
to teach, to show
/le.βan.ˈtaɾ/
to raise, to lift
/sen.ˈtaɾ/
to seat, to sit (reflexive)
/sa.ˈkaɾ/
to take out, to pull out
/me.ˈteɾ/
to put in, to insert
/su.ˈβiɾ/
to go up, to climb, to upload
/ba.ˈxaɾ/
to go down, to lower, to download
/bejˈstiðo/
clothes
/oir/
to hear
/to.kar/
to touch
/kaminaɾ/
to walk
/naðar/
to swim
/boˈlar/
to fly
/o.la/
hello
How to learn A1 vocabulary
- 1.Start with the highest-frequency words — the first few hundred cover most everyday speech.
- 2.Learn nouns together with their article and a short example sentence.
- 3.Review daily in short sessions; spaced repetition beats long cramming.
- 4.Listen to slow, clear recordings and repeat phrases out loud to practice pronunciation.
Frequently asked questions
How many words do I need at A1?+
Around 500–600 core words are enough to handle basic everyday situations at A1.
How long does it take to reach A1?+
With regular study most learners reach A1 in about 60–100 hours.
What comes after A1?+
A2, where you expand everyday vocabulary and start linking simple sentences.
Should I focus on grammar or vocabulary at A1?+
Focus primarily on vocabulary and simple phrase structures. Basic grammar is helpful, but communicating meaning is more important at the start.