The Most Common Spanish Phrases for Beginners

Are you new to learning Spanish? Perhaps you’re planning your next trip to Spain? We’ve got you covered! Here are the most common Spanish phrases for beginners to make sure that you won’t feel left out. If you needed any more incentive, we’ve also included some facts and figures for learning Spanish!

There are more than 500 million Spanish speakers globally and the study of Spanish as a second language continues to grow. Whatever your reason for learning Spanish, the most important step is the first one. From that point, you can start to build on your words and phrases to solidify your knowledge and to grow your vocabulary.

Study a little bit every day and you’ll be surprised at how quickly your language skills can progress. Studying shouldn’t be a chore and there are a wealth of online resources to ensure you are studying with fun and engaging content that suits you.

So, let’s start with some of the most common Spanish words to get you started, before we head over to our top 15 Spanish phrases for beginners. Study hats at the ready, let’s get started!

Most Common Spanish Words

1. Hola = Hello
2. Adiós = Goodbye
3. Sí = Yes
4. No = No
5. ¿Quién? = Who?
6. ¿Qué? = What?
7. ¿Por qué? = Why?
8. ¿Dónde? = Where?
9. Por favor = Please
10. Gracias = Thank you

Top 15 Spanish Phrases for Beginners

1. Lo siento = I’m sorry
2. Yo quiero = I want
3. ¿Cuánto es? = How much is (it)?
4. ¿Dónde está…? = Where is…?
5. ¿Puedo…? = Can I…?
6. ¿Me podría ayudar? = Can you help me?
7. Permiso / Perdone = Excuse me
8. ¿Cómo estás? = How are you?
9. ¿Cómo te llamas? = What’s your name?
10. Me llamo… = My name is…
11. Buenos días = Good morning
12. Buenas tardes = Good afternoon
13. Buenas noches = Good evening
14. Yo no comprendo = I do not understand
15. ¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?

With the above Spanish phrases, you can begin to add your own twist by looking up relevant words to tag on to the phrases to say what you’d like to say and expand your vocabulary.

Top tip: Why not look for a native-speaking Spanish language partner to practice your new phrases with? You can study Spanish and in return offer them support in their English studies (or another native language).

Interesting Facts and Figures for Learning Spanish

• Spanish is the second most spoken first language in the world, with over 500 million speakers. The world’s most spoken first language is Mandarin Chinese (over 1 billion people!).
• Spanish language evolved from a version of spoken Latin referred to as ‘Vulgar Latin’ and is a Romance language.
• Spanish is an official language in 20 countries, as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico.
• Spanish uses inverted question marks and exclamation marks (¿ and ¡), which can be fun to learn and use!
• Arabic had a large influence on Spanish – an estimated 8,000 words derive from Arabic origin!
• It’s estimated that 18 million people are studying Spanish as a second language worldwide, so there’s never been a better time to study the language.
• Spanish is the third most used language online worldwide.
• Make sure you’re tuned in! Spanish is the language that is spoken second fastest in the world, behind Japanese.

Why not read our brief history of Spanish language to surprise your classmates and teachers with your new-found knowledge?

We hope that you find the above handy guides useful! Are there any other Spanish phrases for beginners, or words, that you’d classify as must-know? If so, be sure to reach out and we’ll add them to the lists!

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