What are the essential vocabulary words for beginners in Spanish

Essential vocabulary words for beginners in Spanish typically include common everyday nouns, verbs, adjectives, question words, and basic expressions that facilitate simple communication. These foundational words help learners grasp basic conversations and essential concepts quickly.

Key Categories in Beginner Spanish Vocabulary

• Common greetings and farewells: hola (hello), adiós (goodbye), buenos días (good morning), buenas noches (good night)
• Basic question words: qué (what), quién (who), dónde (where), cuándo (when), por qué (why), cómo (how)
• Essential verbs: ser (to be), estar (to be - temporary states), tener (to have), hacer (to do/make), ir (to go)
• Important nouns: persona (person), tiempo (time/weather), cosa (thing), lugar (place), amigo (friend)
• Useful adjectives: grande (big), pequeño (small), bueno (good), malo (bad), nuevo (new)
• Numbers and basic time words: uno (one), dos (two), hoy (today), mañana (tomorrow)
• Polite expressions: por favor (please), gracias (thank you), lo siento (sorry)

These words form a core vocabulary that supports comprehension and simple interactions for beginners in Spanish.

References

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• Short research note: The Beginning Spanish Lexicon: A web-based interface to calculate phonological similarity among Spanish words in adults learning Spanish as a foreign language

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• Cognate beginnings to bilingual lexical acquisition