Basic Spanish

Pronunciation Guide

• Vowels
  a – long ah, like in “father” – papa
  e – like e in set – esperanza
  i – like ee in meet – chica
  o – like o in open – loco
  u – like oo in food – grupo
• Consonants – Most are pronounced as they are in English, except the following:
  b and v – sound the same, kind of a mix between the two letters – valle, verbo
  c – either k sound or s sound, depending on the following letter
  In front of the vowels a, o, or u (or any consonant but h) it sounds like a ‘k’  – ocaso, como
  In front of the vowels e or i, it sounds like ‘s’ – dulce, acero
  g – either like g in goose or h in hat
  In front of a consonant, a, o, u, it sounds like the ‘g’ in goose  – gato
  In front of e and i, it sounds like h – agenda, gente
  h – always silent – hijo, hermana
  j – like a guttural h – tijera, Jijón
  q – like k – pequeño, paquete
  s and z – both sound like s – sorpresa, zarzuela
  Don’t forget the Spanish lisp! S sounds like th
  r – rolled – regalo

   

Helpful words:

• Usted – this is ‘you’ but formal
• Baño – Bathroom
• Gracias – Thanks
• Pero – But
• ¡Alto! – Stop!
• ¡Salud! – Cheers! (or bless you when someone sneezes)
• Estupendo – Stupendous or amazing
• ¿Sabes? – You know?
• De verdad? – Really?
• Entonces – So
• Pues… – Well…
• Quiero  – I want

Essential phrases: 

• Buenos días – Good morning/day
• Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
• Buenas noches – Good evening
• Hola – Hello
• ¿Cómo estás? – How are you? (casual; used with friends or family)
• ¿Cómo está (usted)? – How are you? (formal; used with strangers, elderly, etc.)
• Bien, ¿y tú? – Well, how about you?
• Como siempre – As always
• ¿Qué pasa? – What’s up?
• Así así – So-so, meh, okay
• Me llamo… – My name is… (literally means ‘I am called…’)
• ¿Cómo te llamas? – What’s your name?
• Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you
• De nada – you’re welcome (literally it’s nothing)
• No hay de qué – No problem
• Disculpe – Excuse me
• Lo siento – I’m sorry
• ¡Bien hecho! – Well done/good job!
• Por supuesto – Of course
• Buen provecho – Bon appetit
• A ver… – Let’s see…

Fun Spanish idioms: 

• Ponte las pilas – Put in your batteries. This means to ‘look alive’ or to ‘snap out of it.’
• Comiendo moscas – Eating flies. What you would say about someone who is long-winded. 
• Buena onda – Good wave. This means good vibes.
• Me pica el bagre – The catfish is biting me. This means you’re super hungry! 
• Hablando del rey de Roma – Speaking of the king of Rome. It has the same meaning as ‘speak of the devil’ in English. 
• Creerse la última coca-cola del desierto – To think of yourself as the last Coca-Cola in the desert. Basically, this means this person thinks they’re better than everyone else. 
• Se puso hasta las chanclas – Puts on his/her flip-flops. This means he or she got too drunk or hammered.
• Mandar a alguien por un tubo – Send someone through a tube. Our English equivalent is to tell someone to ‘shove it.’
• Mala leche – Bad milk. Spanish people might say this about someone who has bad intentions.
• Tirar la casa por la ventana – Throw the house out the window. This means to treat yourself! Spend a lot, and splurge

Note: You can take mini Spanish lessons with Duolingo — and it’s free!