Learn Spanish — grammar & vocabulary

Clear guides and vocabulary lists, from complete beginner (A1) to mastery (C2). Free.

A1 Beginner

Spanish has two verbs for “to be”: ser and estar. Learn the simple rule for when to use each, with clear examples.

How to conjugate regular -ar, -er and -ir verbs in the Spanish present tense, with the endings and examples.

Articles and the gender of nouns (el, la, un, una)

Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine. Learn the articles el/la/los/las and un/una, and how to tell the gender of a noun.

Subject pronouns (yo, tú, él…)

The Spanish subject pronouns and when you can drop them, plus the difference between tú and usted.

Adjective agreement (gender and number)

In Spanish, adjectives change to match the noun in gender and number. Learn the rule with clear examples.

Asking questions (qué, quién, dónde…)

The Spanish question words and how to form questions, including the inverted opening question mark.

Hay — “there is / there are”

The verb “hay” means there is/there are in Spanish. Learn how it differs from estar.

Possessive adjectives (mi, tu, su)

The Spanish possessive adjectives — my, your, his/her, our — and how they agree with the noun.

Demonstratives (este, ese, aquel)

This, that and that-over-there in Spanish — the three-way demonstrative system with examples.

The Spanish alphabet and pronunciation

The Spanish alphabet and the pronunciation rules that make Spanish one of the easiest languages to read aloud.

Numbers in Spanish (0–100)

Learn to count in Spanish: the numbers 0 to 20 and the tens up to 100, with pronunciation-friendly spelling.

Colours in Spanish

The Spanish words for the main colours, with a note on how colours agree with the noun.

Family members in Spanish

Vocabulary for the family: mother, father, brother, sister and more, with the masculine/feminine forms.

Days of the week and months

The Spanish days of the week and the twelve months — note they are written in lower case.

Greetings and everyday phrases

The essential Spanish greetings and polite phrases to start speaking from day one.

Food and drink in Spanish

Common Spanish vocabulary for food and drink — enough to order in a café or read a menu.

Telling the time in Spanish

How to tell the time in Spanish — es la una, son las dos, y media, menos cuarto and the key phrases.

Animals in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for common animals — pets, farm animals and wildlife.

Common adjectives in Spanish

The most useful Spanish adjectives to describe people and things, in handy opposite pairs.

Everyday verbs in Spanish

The most common Spanish verbs for daily life — the ones you’ll use in almost every sentence.

School and classroom vocabulary

Spanish vocabulary for school, the classroom and studying.

Fruits and vegetables in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for fruits and vegetables — shop at the market and read recipes.

Drinks in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for drinks — order in a bar or café.

A2 Elementary

How to use “gustar” (me gusta)

The verb gustar works backwards compared to English. Learn me gusta / me gustan and the pattern for likes and dislikes.

Preterite vs Imperfect — the two past tenses

Spanish has two simple past tenses. Learn when to use the preterite (completed actions) vs the imperfect (background, habits).

Por vs Para — two ways to say “for”

Por and para both translate as “for”, but they’re not interchangeable. Learn the core idea and the common uses.

Reflexive verbs (levantarse, ducharse)

Reflexive verbs describe actions you do to yourself. Learn the reflexive pronouns and how to use verbs like levantarse and ducharse.

The near future: ir a + infinitive

The easiest way to talk about the future in Spanish: ir a + infinitive, like the English “going to”.

Comparatives and superlatives (más… que, el más…)

How to compare in Spanish: más/menos… que, tan… como, and the superlative el/la más.

Negation (no, nunca, nada, nadie)

How to make sentences negative in Spanish — and why the “double negative” is correct here.

The present perfect (he hablado)

The Spanish present perfect — haber in the present plus the past participle — for recent past actions. With examples.

The present continuous (estar + gerundio)

How to say what’s happening right now in Spanish: estar plus the gerund (-ando / -iendo).

Common prepositions (a, de, en, con)

The most common Spanish prepositions and their main uses, including the personal “a”.

Saber vs Conocer — two ways to “know”

Spanish has two verbs for “to know”: saber and conocer. Learn the difference with clear examples.

Muy vs Mucho — “very” vs “much/many”

When to use muy and when to use mucho in Spanish — a common beginner mistake made simple.

The personal “a”

Spanish adds a small word “a” before a person who is the direct object. Learn this simple but important rule.

Accents and stress (the tilde)

How Spanish stress works and when a word needs a written accent (tilde). The three simple rules.

The simple future tense (hablaré)

The Spanish simple future — one set of endings added to the infinitive — plus the common irregular stems.

Para + infinitive — to express purpose

Use para + infinitive to say “in order to” in Spanish. A simple, very common structure.

The body in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for the parts of the body — useful at the doctor and in everyday conversation.

The house and furniture

Rooms and furniture vocabulary in Spanish — describe your home and understand rental listings.

Clothes in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for clothes and accessories — describe what you wear and go shopping.

The weather in Spanish

Talk about the weather in Spanish — the key phrases with hacer, estar and the seasons.

Jobs and professions in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for common jobs and professions, with the masculine and feminine forms.

Travel and transport in Spanish

Essential Spanish travel vocabulary — transport, the airport and getting around.

At the restaurant

Spanish vocabulary and phrases for eating out — order food and pay the bill with confidence.

Ordinal numbers (first, second…)

The Spanish ordinal numbers — primero, segundo, tercero — and how they agree with the noun.

Shopping in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary and phrases for shopping — prices, sizes and paying.

Sports in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for sports and exercise — talk about what you play and watch.

Daily routine in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for your daily routine, using reflexive verbs like levantarse and acostarse.

Adverbs of frequency (siempre, nunca…)

How often? Spanish adverbs of frequency to say how regularly you do things.

In the kitchen

Spanish kitchen and cooking vocabulary — utensils, appliances and cooking verbs.

B1 Intermediate

The present subjunctive — an introduction

The subjunctive expresses wishes, doubts and emotions. Learn how to form the present subjunctive and the WEIRDO triggers.

Object pronouns (lo, la, le, les)

Direct and indirect object pronouns in Spanish — what they are, the difference, and where they go in the sentence.

The conditional — “would”

The Spanish conditional expresses “would”. Learn how to form it and when to use it, including polite requests.

Commands — the imperative (¡habla!, ¡come!)

How to give commands in Spanish: the affirmative imperative for tú and usted, and the negative form with the subjunctive.

Pedir vs Preguntar — two ways to “ask”

Pedir and preguntar both mean “to ask” in Spanish, but for different things. Learn which to use.

Verbs like gustar (encantar, interesar, doler)

A whole family of Spanish verbs works backwards like gustar. Learn encantar, interesar, molestar, doler and more.

Diminutives and augmentatives (-ito, -ón)

Spanish loves diminutives (-ito/-ita) for small or affectionate, and augmentatives (-ón) for big. Learn how they work.

Emotions and feelings in Spanish

Spanish vocabulary for emotions and feelings — say how you feel with estar and tener.

The city and directions

Spanish vocabulary for the city and giving directions — get around and ask the way.

Technology and the internet

Modern Spanish vocabulary for technology, devices and the internet.

Health and the doctor

Spanish vocabulary for health, illness and visiting the doctor — say what hurts and understand advice.

Nature and the environment

Spanish vocabulary for nature, landscapes and the environment.

B2 Upper-intermediate

Si clauses — conditional sentences

The three types of Spanish “if” sentences (real, hypothetical and impossible past) and the tenses each one uses.

The imperfect subjunctive

The imperfect subjunctive in Spanish — how to form it from the preterite and when it’s used (hypotheticals, politeness, past subjunctive).

Relative pronouns (que, quien, cuyo)

Join sentences in Spanish with relative pronouns: que, quien, el que/el cual and cuyo — with clear examples.

Work and the office

Spanish vocabulary for work, the office and job hunting — for professional contexts and CVs.

False friends (falsos amigos)

Spanish words that look like English but mean something different — the classic false friends to avoid embarrassing mistakes.

C1 Advanced

The passive voice and the “se” passive

Two ways to express the passive in Spanish: ser + participle, and the far more common pasiva refleja with se.

Reported speech (estilo indirecto)

How to report what someone said in Spanish — the tense shifts and pronoun changes of indirect speech.

C2 Mastery

Discourse connectors and register

Advanced Spanish connectors to structure arguments and essays, plus a note on formal vs informal register.