Basic Spanish Words

By Noah M. Benjamin

Did you know that to get by in most Spanish-speaking countries all you need to know are basic Spanish words? The thing is: this is true for just about any country! Most languages focus on a core set of about 200 to 300 words for the majority of the language, and Spanish is no exception.

Of course, before learning basic Spanish words, I highly recommend learning the basics of Spanish grammar. Not to worry -- if you focus, this could take you only about two weeks. Where English grammar is very difficult, Spanish grammar is actually very easy. English grammar has hundreds of strange, arbitrary rules, but Spanish grammar is very linear and very rarely strays from its basics. So don't sweat learning Spanish grammar!

Once you know Spanish grammar, you can move on to learning essential vocabulary.

The Top 20 Most Common Words in Spanish

The following are the top 20 most commonly used words in Spanish.

1. el / la (the)

2. de (of)

3. que (that / what)

4. y (and)

5. a (to)

6. en (in)

7. un (a)

8. ser (to be)

9. se (pronoun, himself / herself)

10. no (no)

11. haber (to have)

12. por (for)

13. con (with)

14. su (his / hers / theirs)

15. para (for)

16. como (like / as)

17. estar (to be)

18. tener (to have)

19. le (pronoun)

20. lo (pronoun, it)

These form the core of Spanish. Learn the next 80 most common words and you'll be able to engage in basic Spanish conversations. Learn the next 100 after that and you'll be somewhat conversational.

But most importantly, get out there and just practice speaking these words!

If you really want to accelerate learning these words, I would recommend using Spanish learning software that would help you practice vocabulary. Using the right software and the right techniques, you can learn the essential 200 or 300 words in Spanish in just a few weeks.

Just think about it: there are about 200 or 300 basic Spanish words that are separating you from knowing very little to being conversational in Spanish. Get to learning!

You can teach yourself Spanish quickly and easily, with the right resources. Find out for FREE what the top language students use to quickly pick up new languages.