Spanish A1 Vocabulary: 300 Essential Words and Phrases

Build a usable A1 foundation with 300 high-value words and phrases.

300 cardsLast updated 2026-08-16

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This deck is built for a true beginner who wants to understand and produce useful Spanish, not memorize a disconnected word dump. Its 300 independently selected entries cover introductions, people, numbers, time, home, food, travel, shopping, health and the highest-utility verbs and connectors. Nouns include the article where it helps you learn gender; verbs use the infinitive; phrases model a natural A1 exchange. Every back gives a concise English meaning and an original Spanish example with translation, and regional variants are flagged rather than treated as errors. Import it and the whole deck joins your spaced-repetition schedule. Entries you already know stretch out and drop out of sight; the ones that keep slipping come back until they stop slipping. What goes down is the number of entries you still don't know — not the time it takes to flip past 300 cards you mostly do.

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What's inside

Showing 100 representative cards from the full 300-card deck.

Front	Back
hola	hello; hi. Example: Hola, me llamo Ana. — Hello, my name is Ana.
buenos días	good morning; good day. Example: Buenos días, profesor. — Good morning, teacher.
¿cómo estás?	how are you? Example: ¿Cómo estás hoy? — How are you today?
gracias	thank you. Example: Gracias por tu ayuda. — Thank you for your help.
sí	yes. Example: Sí, tengo un libro. — Yes, I have a book.
perdón	sorry; excuse me. Example: Perdón, ¿qué significa? — Excuse me, what does it mean?
me llamo	I am called; my name is. Example: Me llamo Luis. — My name is Luis.
la edad	age. Example: Tengo doce años de edad. — I am twelve years old.
la nacionalidad	nationality. Example: Mi nacionalidad es chilena. — My nationality is Chilean.
el lunes	Monday. Example: El lunes tengo clase. — I have class on Monday.
el teléfono	telephone; phone number. Example: Mi teléfono es nuevo. — My phone is new.
el hombre	man. Example: El hombre es mi vecino. — The man is my neighbor.
el niño	boy; child. Example: El niño juega en clase. — The boy plays in class.
el profesor	teacher. Example: El profesor explica la lección. — The teacher explains the lesson.
el compañero	classmate; partner. Example: Mi compañero trabaja conmigo. — My classmate works with me.
el miércoles	Wednesday. Example: El miércoles estudio en casa. — I study at home on Wednesday.
el sábado	Saturday. Example: El sábado voy al mercado. — I go to the market on Saturday.
la señora	Mrs.; ma’am; woman. Example: La señora entra en el aula. — The woman enters the classroom.
uno	one. Example: Tengo un libro. — I have one book.
cuatro	four. Example: Tengo cuatro lápices. — I have four pencils.
seis	six. Example: Hay seis mesas. — There are six tables.
ocho	eight. Example: Ocho personas esperan. — Eight people are waiting.
diez	ten. Example: La clase empieza a las diez. — Class starts at ten.
doce	twelve. Example: Doce alumnos llegan temprano. — Twelve students arrive early.
catorce	fourteen. Example: Hay catorce sillas aquí. — There are fourteen chairs here.
dieciséis	sixteen. Example: Son dieciséis estudiantes. — There are sixteen students.
diecinueve	nineteen. Example: Veo diecinueve estudiantes. — I see nineteen students.
cero	zero. Example: Tengo cero monedas. — I have zero coins.
la clase	class; lesson. Example: La clase empieza ahora. — Class starts now.
el libro	book. Example: El libro es interesante. — The book is interesting.
el bolígrafo	pen. Example: Necesito un bolígrafo azul. — I need a blue pen.
la goma de borrar	eraser. Regional note: goma de borrar is widely understood; borrador is common in many Latin American regions. Example: Necesito una goma de borrar. — I need an eraser.
el trabajo	work; job. Example: Mi trabajo está cerca de casa. — My job is close to home.
la oficina	office. Example: La oficina abre a las nueve. — The office opens at nine.
la mesa del profesor	teacher’s desk. Example: El cuaderno está en la mesa del profesor. — The notebook is on the teacher’s desk.
la pregunta	question. Example: Tengo una pregunta. — I have a question.
hablar	to speak; to talk. Example: Hablamos en clase. — We speak in class.
escribir	to write. Example: Escribo mi nombre. — I write my name.
cerrar	to close. Example: Cierra la ventana. — Close the window.
levantar la mano	to raise your hand. Example: Levanta la mano para hablar. — Raise your hand to speak.
Inglaterra	England. Example: Mi amigo vive en Inglaterra. — My friend lives in England.
Argentina	Argentina. Example: Mi prima es de Argentina. — My cousin is from Argentina.
Perú	Peru. Example: Perú tiene mucha historia. — Peru has a lot of history.
Francia	France. Example: Francia está en Europa. — France is in Europe.
el día	day. Example: Hoy es un día tranquilo. — Today is a calm day.
el año	year. Example: Empiezo un curso nuevo este año. — I am starting a new course this year.
hoy	today. Example: Hoy no trabajo. — I am not working today.
ayer	yesterday. Example: Ayer estudié en casa. — Yesterday I studied at home.
tarde	late; afternoon. Example: Llegué tarde a casa. — I arrived home late.
después	after; later. Example: Después cenamos juntos. — After that we have dinner together.
siempre	always. Example: Siempre desayuno en casa. — I always have breakfast at home.
a veces	sometimes. Example: A veces voy al parque. — Sometimes I go to the park.
el reloj	clock; watch. Example: El reloj está en la pared. — The clock is on the wall.
la medianoche	midnight. Example: El tren llega a medianoche. — The train arrives at midnight.
la familia	family. Example: Mi familia vive cerca. — My family lives nearby.
el hermano	brother. Example: Mi hermano juega al fútbol. — My brother plays soccer.
el abuelo	grandfather. Example: Mi abuelo vive con nosotros. — My grandfather lives with us.
la esposa	wife. Example: La esposa de Juan es médica. — Juan's wife is a doctor.
la casa	house; home. Example: La casa es pequeña. — The house is small.
el baño	bathroom. Example: El baño está ocupado. — The bathroom is occupied.
la mesa	table. Example: Ponemos la comida en la mesa. — We put the food on the table.
el techo	ceiling; roof. Example: El techo es blanco. — The ceiling is white.
la ropa	clothes; clothing. Example: Lavo la ropa el sábado. — I wash the clothes on Saturday.
la falda	skirt. Example: La falda es corta. — The skirt is short.
el abrigo	coat. Example: Llevo abrigo porque hace frío. — I wear a coat because it is cold.
el pijama	pajamas; pyjamas. Example: Duermo con pijama. — I sleep in pajamas.
rojo	red. Example: Mi coche es rojo. — My car is red.
blanco	white. Example: La mesa es blanca. — The table is white.
claro	light; clear. Example: El cuarto es claro. — The room is bright.
nuevo	new. Example: Compré un abrigo nuevo. — I bought a new coat.
feo	ugly; unpleasant. Example: Ese color es feo. — That color is ugly.
gordo	fat; chubby. Example: El gato está gordo. — The cat is chubby.
la comida	food; meals and what people eat. Example: La comida está en la mesa. — The food is on the table.
el pan	bread. Example: Compramos pan cada mañana. — We buy bread every morning.
la carne	meat. Example: No como carne hoy. — I am not eating meat today.
el queso	cheese. Example: Me gusta el queso. — I like cheese.
la tienda	shop; store. Example: La tienda abre a las nueve. — The shop opens at nine.
el dinero	money. Example: No tengo dinero suficiente. — I do not have enough money.
la caja	checkout; till; box. Example: La caja está al final de la tienda. — The checkout is at the end of the shop.
el recibo	receipt. Example: Necesito el recibo, por favor. — I need the receipt, please.
el autobús	bus. Regional note: autobús is widely understood; bus, camión, colectivo and guagua are used in different regions. Example: El autobús llega ahora. — The bus is arriving now.
la bicicleta	bicycle. Example: Mi bicicleta es roja. — My bicycle is red.
el aeropuerto	airport. Example: El aeropuerto es grande. — The airport is big.
la maleta	suitcase. Example: La maleta es pequeña. — The suitcase is small.
el médico	doctor. Example: El médico trabaja hoy. — The doctor is working today.
la fiebre	fever. Example: Tengo fiebre hoy. — I have a fever today.
doler	to hurt; to ache. Example: Me duele la pierna. — My leg hurts.
frío	cold. Example: Hace frío por la noche. — It is cold at night.
hacer	to do; make. Example: Hago la tarea después de comer. — I do homework after eating.
poder	to be able to; can. Example: Puedo ayudarte. — I can help you.
y	and. Example: Quiero pan y queso. — I want bread and cheese.
porque	because. Example: No salgo porque llueve. — I am not going out because it is raining.
aquí	here. Example: El autobús para aquí. — The bus stops here.
la plaza	square; plaza. Example: La plaza está llena de gente. — The square is full of people.
el conductor	driver; conductor. Example: El conductor abre la puerta. — The driver opens the door.
comer	to eat. Example: Comemos en casa hoy. — We eat at home today.
caro	expensive. Example: El hotel es caro. — The hotel is expensive.
el museo	museum. Example: Visitamos el museo hoy. — We visit the museum today.
la toalla	towel. Example: Uso la toalla después de la ducha. — I use the towel after the shower.
el pescado	fish. Example: En el mercado compramos pescado fresco. — At the market we buy fresh fish.

Frequently asked

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Is this an official CEFR A1 vocabulary list?

No. CEFR describes language ability rather than prescribing one universal 300-word list. Memly independently selected these entries to practise common A1 functions; scope was reviewed on 2026-08-16.

Which Spanish variety does the deck use?

It teaches widely understood international Spanish. Cards flag common Spain or Latin American alternatives when a beginner is likely to encounter both.

Editorial method and sources

Memly's editors use the primary sources below to check scope and terminology, then independently write and review the cards.

Europass (European Commission): CEFR self-assessment grid