Top 10 Greetings/Goodbyes/Introductions

Hola. – Hi

Buenos días. – Good Morning.

Buenas tardes. – Good afternoon.

Buenas noches. – Good night.

¿Cómo estás (tú)?/¿Cómo está usted? –

How are you?

¿Cómo te llamas?/¿Cómo se llama? –

What is your name?

Me llamo… - My name is…

Se llama… - His/Her name is…

Hasta luego/Hasta mañana. – See you

later/See you tomorrow.

Adiós. – Goodbye.

Numbers 0-31

0 - cero

1 – uno

2 – dos

3 – tres

4 – cuatro

5 – cinco

6 – seis

7 – siete

8 – ocho

9 – nueve

10 – diez

11 – once

12 – doce

13 – trece

14 – catorce

15 – quince

16 – dieciséis

17 – diecisiete

18 – dieciocho

19 – diecinueve

20 – veinte

21 – veintiuno

22 – veintidós

23 – veintitrés

24 – veinticuatro

25 – veinticinco

26 – veintiséis

27 – veintisiete

28 – veintiocho

29 – veintinueve

30 – treinta

31 – treinta y uno

Top 10 Time phrases

de la mañana – A.M.

de la tarde – P.M. (afternoon)

de la noche – P.M. (night)

medianoche (midnight)

mediodía - noon

cuarto - quarter

media - half

¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?

¿A qué hora? – At what time?

Es la una. Son las…-It is one o’clock. It

is…o’clock

Months/Days/Seasons

enero - January

febrero - February

marzo - March

abril - April

mayo - May

junio - June

julio - July

agosto - August

septiembre - September

octubre - October

noviembre - November

diciembre - December

lunes - Monday

martes - Tuesday

miércoles - Wednesday

jueves - Thursday

viernes - Friday

sábado - Saturday

domingo - Sunday

la primavera - spring

el verano - summer

el otoño - fall

el invierno - winter

Numbers 32-100

32 – treinta y dos

33 – treinta y tres

34 – treinta y cuatro

35 – treinta y cinco

36 – treinta y seis

37 – treinta y siete

38 – treinta y ocho

39 – treinta y nueve

40 – cuarenta

50 – cincuenta

60 – sesenta

70 – setenta

80 – ochenta

90 – noventa

100 – cien

Top 10 adjectives

alt@ - tall

baj@ - short

simpátic@ - nice

rubi@ - blonde

moren@ - dark-haired/dark-skinned

pelirroj@ - redheaded

delgad@ - thin

guap@ - good-looking

aburrid@ - boring

perezos@ - lazy

Top 10 Question Words

¿Qué? – What?

¿Cómo? – How?/What?

¿Cuándo? – When?

¿Dónde? – Where?

¿Adónde? – To where?

¿De dónde? – From where?

¿Cuál?/¿Cuáles? – Which?

¿Quién?/¿Quiénes? Who?

¿Por qué? - Why

¿Cuánto(s)?/¿Cuánta(s)? – How

much/how many?

Top Ten Frequency and Negative Words

no – no

nunca – never

nada – nothing

nadie – no one

ningún(os)/ninguna(s) - none, not one

siempre – always

a veces – sometimes

cada día – every day

cada dos días – every other day

(#) veces a la semana/al mes – (#) times a

week/a month

Top 10 Activities

(some regular, some irregular* verbs)

leer – read

escuchar música – to listen to music

dibujar – to draw

ir* al cine – to go to the movies

ver (yo = veo) televisión – to watch

television

bailar – to dance

hablar por teléfono – to talk on the phone

jugar (UUE) – to play (a sport)

escribir – to write

tocar – to play (an instrument)

Top 10 Regular –AR verbs

estudiar - to study

dibujar – to draw

pasar el rato – to spend time

comprar – to buy

acabar de (+ infinitive) –to have just done

something

ayudar – to help

cocinar – to cook

contestar – to answer

llevar – to wear/to take/to carry

pagar – to pay

Top 10 Regular –ER

aprender – to learn

saber – to know (information)*

conocer – to know (people)*

comer – to eat

beber – to drink

recoger – to pick up

entender – to understand

correr – to run

deber – should (+infinitive)

ver – to see*

Top 10 Regular –IR

añadir – to add

vivir – to live

asistir – to attend

confundir – to confuse

decidir – to decide

subir – to go up

descubrir – to discover

interrumpir – to interrupt

salir – to leave/to go out*

recibir – to receive

Top 10 Places

la tienda - store

la librería – book store

la zapatería – shoe store

el campo – the country

la ciudad - city

las afueras – the suburbs/outskirts

el pueblo – village/town

el centro - downtown

la playa – beach

la iglesia - church

Top 10 Weather Expressions

Hace buen tiempo. – The weather is nice.

Hace calor. – It is hot.

Hace frío. – It is cold.

Hace fresco. – It is cool out.

Hace viento. – It is windy

Hace sol. – It is sunny.

Hace mal tiempo. – The weather is bad.

Nieva./Está nevando. – It is snowing.

Llueve./Está lloviendo. – It is raining.

Está nublado. – It is cloudy.

Top 10 School Supplies

el lápiz - pencil

el cuaderno - notebook

el papel - paper

la mochila - backpack

el diccionario - dictionary

el bolígrafo - pen

la computadora - computer

la carpeta - folder

la grapadora - stapler

las tijeras - scissors

Top 10 School Subjects

el español - Spanish

el inglés - English

la historia - history

la geografía – geography

la biología - biology

la química - chemistry

la educación física – P.E.

el álgebra - algebra

la geometría - geometry

la computación – computer science

Top 10 School Events and Locations

la biblioteca - library

la clase de baile – dance class

la cafetería - cafeteria

el estadio – stadium

el auditorio - auditorium

la sala de clase - classroom

el partido – game (sports)

el concierto - concert

el examen - test

la prueba - quiz

Top Ten TENER idioms

tener ___ años – to be ___ years old

tener ganas de…(+infinitive) – to feel like

doing something

tener calor/tener frío - to be hot/cold

tener hambre/tener sed – to be

hungry/thirsty

tener miedo – to be afraid

tener prisa – to be in a hurry

tener que (+infinitive) – to have to do

something

tener razón – to be right

tener suerte – to be lucky

tener sueño – to be tired

Top 10 Family Members

la familia - family

el padre/el papá – father/dad

la madre/la mamá – mother/mom

los padres - parents

el hermano/la hermana – brother/sister

los hermanos - siblings

el tío/la tía – uncle/aunt

el primo/la prima – male/female cousin

el abuelo/la abuela – grandpa/grandma

la mascota - pet

Top 10 Home Words

el cuarto - bedroom

el comedor – dining room

la sala – living room

la cocina - kitchen

el garaje - garaje

el baño - bathroom

la ventana - window

la puerta - door

la mesa - table

la cama - bed

Top 10 Chores

hacer la cama – to make the bed

poner la mesa – to set the table

sacar la basura – to take out the trash

cortar el césped – to mow the lawn

quitar el polvo– to dust

lavar los platos – to wash the dishes

cocinar – to cook

pasar la aspiradora – to vacuum

arreglar...(room) – to tidy

limpiar – to clean

Top Ten Prepositions

debajo de – underneath, below

encima de – on top of

al lado de – next to

lejos de – far from

cerca de – close to, near

antes de – before

después de – after

dentro de – inside of

afuera de – outside of

between – entre

Top Ten E IE Stem-Changing Verbs

tener – to have

entender – to understand

querer – to want

venir – to come

empezar – to start

pensar – to think/to plan

preferir – to prefer

sentir – to feel

cerrar – to close

divertirse – to have fun (see Reflexive

Verbs on Knowledge Map for how to

conjugate)

Top Ten O UE Stem-Changing Verbs

dormir – to sleep

encontrar – to find

poder (+infinitive) – to be able to

contar – to count

costar – to cost

probar – to try/to taste

recordar – to remember

soler – to usually do (followed by

infinitive)

volver – to return (to a place)

devolver – to return (something)

Top FIVE E I Stem-Changing Verbs

pedir – to ask for, to order

servir – to serve

decir – to tell

repetir – to repeat

vestirse – to get dressed (see Reflexive

Verbs on Knowledge Map for how to

conjugate)

Top 10 Food/Drink

la leche - milk

el refresco – soft drink

la ensalada - salad

el helado – ice cream

el pan - bread

la carne - meat

el pollo - chicken

el pescado - fish

el arroz - rice

los frijoles - beans

Numbers 101-1,000,000

101 – ciento uno

151 – ciento cincuenta y uno

200 – doscientos

300 – trescientos

400 – cuatrocientos

500 – quinientos

600 – seiscientos

700 – setecientos

800 – ochocientos

900 – novecientos

1000 – mil

1993 – mil novecientos noventa y tres

2000 – dos mil

3000 – tres mil

10,000 – diez mil

100,000 – cien mil

123,456 – ciento veintitrés mil

cuatrocientos cincuenta y seis

1,000,000 – un millón

Top 10 Clothing Items

el zapato - shoe

la camisa – shirt

la camiseta – t-shirt

los pantalones - pants

el vestido - dress

la chaqueta - jacket

los calcetines - socks

los pantalones cortos - shorts

el traje de baño – bathing suit

la falda - skirt

Top 10 Colors

rojo - red

azul – blue

verde – green

amarillo – yellow

morado – purple

blanco – white

negro – black

anaranjado – orange

gris – gray

café – brown

PARTS OF SPEECH AND OTHER GENERAL INFORMATION

1. A noun names a person, place, idea or thing.

2. Every noun has an article. The article is definite (the) or indefinite (a, an,

some). In Spanish, it is also masculine or feminine, and singular or plural.

When learning a new noun, also learn the definite article that goes along

with it.

3. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.

4. A verb shows physical action, mental action or a state of being. The

original form of the verb found in the dictionary is called the infinitive.

Infinitives in Spanish end in one of three ways: -AR, -ER, or –IR.

5. An adjective describes a noun or pronoun. Adjectives agree in gender

(masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they

describe, and they are generally placed after the noun.

6. The subject of a sentence is the person or thing doing the action.

7. Subject pronouns can take the place of a person’s name in a sentence.

They are not always necessary to include.

yo = I nosotros = we

tú = you vosotros = y’all

él/ella/usted = he/she/you ellos/ellas/ustedes = they (masc.)/they

(fem.)/you guys

8. “Vosotros” is only used in Spain/by people from Spain in less formal

situations. The equivalent in the U.S. and other Spanish-speaking countries

in the Americas is “ustedes,” for both formal and informal situations.

9. “Tú” is used to say “you” to a friend or close acquaintance. “Usted” is

used to say “you” when the speaker would like to show respect, or with

someone the speaker doesn’t know well

10. There is no ’s in Spanish. Use the word “de” and then the person’s name or

relationship to you to say to whom something belongs. If the owner’s name

is removed from the sentence or question, a possessive pronoun shows

ownership.

11. A direct object pronoun (DOP) is used to say “it” or “them.” A DOP

corresponds in gender and number to the noun it replaces. A DOP goes

before a conjugated verb, OR attached at the end of an infinitive, a

command, or the present progressive.

12. The “-ing” form of a verb is the present progressive. Use a conjugated

form of the verb ESTAR in front of the verb. The equivalent of “-ing” in

Spanish is “-ndo”: add –ando to the stem of –AR verbs, and –iendo to the

stem of –ER/-IR verbs.

13. A cognate is a word that is similar in Spanish and English.

14. An idiom is an expression or figure of speech that cannot be directly

translated.

15. A double negative is when there are two negatives in a sentence. Correct

English grammar does not use double negatives. Spanish does.

16. The prepositions a and de form contractions when followed by the article el.

A+el = al and de + el = del.

SPELLING/PRONUNCIATION/PUNCTUATION

17. Vowels are always pronounced the same way. A = “ah.” E = “eh.” I =

“ee.” O = “o.” U = “ooh.”

18. Ñ = like “ny” in “canyon”

19. H = is always silent!

20. LL = like “y” in “yellow”

21. When spelling, the only double letters are “rr,” “ll,” and “cc.” When

spelling cognates like “professor” double consonants are not used

(profesor).

22. Days of the week and months of the year are not capitalized.

23. When you see “@” at the end of a word in a vocabulary list, that means it

can be masculine (end in –o) or feminine (end in –a.). 24. Questions have an upside down question mark (¿) at the beginning of the

question and a right-side up question mark (?) at the end.

25. Exclamations have an upside down exclamation point (¡) at the beginning

of the exclamation and a right-side up exclamation point (!) at the end.

26. Accent marks only go over vowels. The mark goes up from left to right.

GEOGRAPHY

27. Spain (España) is in Europe. The capital is Madrid.

28. México is in North America. The capital is Mexico City. (La Ciudad de

México) 29. Guatemala is in Central America. The capital is Guatemala City. (La

Ciudad de Guatemala) 30. El Salvador is in Central America. The capital is San Salvador.

31. Honduras is in Central America. The capital is Tegucigalpa.

32. Nicaragua is in Central America. The capital is Managua.

33. Costa Rica is in Central America. The capital is San José.

34. Panamá is in Central America. The capital is Panama City. (La Ciudad

de Panamá)

35. Colombia is in South America. The capital is Bogotá.

36. Perú is in South America. The capital is Lima.

37. Ecuador is in South America. The capital is Quito.

38. Chile is in South America. The capital is Santiago.

39. Argentina is in South America. The capital is Buenos Aires.

40. Uruguay is in South America. The capital is Montevideo.

41. Paraguay is in South America. The capital is Asunción.

42. Venezuela is in South America. The capital is Caracas.

43. Bolivia is in South America. The capitals are Sucre and La Paz.

44. Brazil is also in South America. People in Brazil speak Portuguese.

45. Cuba is in the Caribbean Sea, south of Florida. The capital is La

Habana.

46. La República Dominicana is also in the Caribbean Sea. The capital is

Santo Domingo.

47. Puerto Rico is in the Caribbean Sea. The capital is San Juan. Puerto

Rico is a territory of the United States.

GUSTAR

48. The verb GUSTAR is used to talk about things people like or what they

like to do.

49. GUSTAR translates as “to please.” To use it, you’re really saying that

something (a thing or an activity) pleases someone, not literally that they

like it.

50. When more than one thing is liked, “gusta” becomes “gustan.” With

more than one activity, “gusta” is still used.

51. I like = me gusta(n); You like = te gusta(n); He/she/you like(s) = le

gusta(n); We like = nos gusta(n); Y’all (in Spain) like = os gusta(n);

They/you guys like = les gusta(n).

PRESENT TENSE OF REGULAR VERBS

52. Verbs are conjugated depending on the subject of the verb.

53. To conjugate a regular verb, take off the last two letters. Then add the

ending for the appropriate subject pronoun.

54. The ending for “yo” is –o.

55. The ending for “tú” is –as for –AR verbs, and –es for –ER and –IR

verbs.

56. The ending for “él,” “ella,” or “usted” is –a for –AR verbs, and –e for –

ER and –IR verbs. 57. The ending for “vosotros” is –áis for –AR verbs, -éis for –ER verbs, and

–ís for –IR verbs. 74. The ending for “nosotros” is –amos for –AR verbs, -emos for –ER, and -

imos for –IR verbs.

75. The ending for “ellos,” “ellas,” or “ustedes” is –an for –AR verbs, -en

for –ER and –IR verbs.

PRESENT TENSE OF IRREGULAR VERBS

76. Some verbs have irregular “yo” forms. They don’t follow the simple “-o”

pattern. One group of these verbs is sometimes referred to as “-go” verbs,

because there is a “g” added in just the “yo” form. This group includes

the verbs TENER, HACER, SALIR, VENIR, TRAER, DECIR, and

PONER. 77. Another group of verbs has a “y” at the end of the “yo” form. This

group includes ESTAR, DAR, IR and SER.

78. IR (“to go”) is completely irregular. One way to remember that each form

begins with a “v” is that you usually need a vehicle to go somewhere. The

endings match those of regular –AR verbs.

PRESENT TENSE OF STEM-CHANGING VERBS

79. Stem-changing verbs have an extra step when conjugated. The yo, tú,

él/ella/usted and ellos/ellas/ustedes forms have a vowel change.

80. Stem-changing verbs change in one of four ways: EIE, OUE, EI or

UUE.

81. The vowel that changes in stem-changing verbs is the first one back from

the end after the last two letters are taken off.

82. The nosotros and vosotros forms don’t change. One way to remember

this is to envision a boot drawn around the other four forms. Nosotros and

vosotros are outside of the “boot.”

VOCABULARY

83. SER and ESTAR both mean “to be.” One way to remember when each

one is used is to think of the word DOCTOR with SER, and the word

PLACE with ESTAR. The letters of these words correspond to the first

letter of the different uses of each verb. DOCTOR = Date, Origin,

Characteristic, Time, Occupation and Relationship. PLACE = Position,

Location, Action, Condition and Emotion. 84. SER is conjugated yo soy, tú eres, él/ella/usted es, nosotros somos,

vosotros sois, ellos/ellas/ustedes son.

85. ESTAR is conjugated yo estoy, tú estás, él/ella/usted está, nosotros

estamos, vosotros estáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes están