This is kind of a catch-all section for general ideas and phrases that are important to the Spanish language. For example, in this section you will learn the make up of a Spanish name, you will learn terms for foods, and much more. This is the last section of the basic Spanish part of this site. After this section you should have a good grasp on how the Spanish language works, as well as a solid vocabulary foundation. After studying the basic Spanish sections, you can move on to your emergency personnel section. Feel free to come back to one of the basic Spanish lessons whenever you need to brush up on something.

Spanish Names

nombre (NOHM-breh) - name
primer nombre (pree-MEHR NOHM-breh) - first name
apellido (ah-peh-YEE-doh) - last name
¿Cómo se llama? (KOH-moh SEH YAH-mah) - What's your name?
¿Cuál es su nombre? (KWAHL EHS SOO NOHM-breh) - What is your name?
Soy Marco (SOHY MAHR-koh) - I'm Marco
Me llamo Marco (MEH YAH-moh MAHR-koh) - I am called Marco
Mi nombre es Marco (MEE NOHM-breh EHS MAHR-koh) - My name is Marco

A Spanish name is tricky for an American to figure out. Most Spanish speaking people will have three names, such as Maria Hernandez Raez. Unlike like in America where we put our father's name last, Spanish speakers put their father's name after their first name, and their mother's name last. So in our example, Hernandez would be her last name the way an American would think of it. However, someone living in America may have switched their names around to conform to our society, so it is in your best interest to ask whoever you are dealing with so that there is no confusion.

Time

¿Qué hora es? (KEH OH-rah EHS) - What time is it?
¿Tiene la hora exacta? (teeEH-neh LAH OH-rah ehks-AHK-tah) - Do you have the exact time?
Es la una (EHS LAH OO-nah) - It's 1:00
Son las tres (SOHN LAHS TREHS) - It's 3:00
Son las cinco de la tarde (SOHN LAHS SEEN-koh DEH LAH TAHR-deh) - It's 5:00 pm
Son las cuatro aproximadamente (SOHN LAH KWAH-troh ah-prohks-see-mah-dah-MEHN-teh) - It's about 4:00
Son las seis y media (SOHN LAHS SEHees EE meh-DEEah) - It's half past six
Son las ocho menos diez (SOHN LAHS OH-choh MEH-nohs deeEHS) - It's ten minutes to eight
Son las nueve menos cuarto (SOHN LAHS nooEH-veh MEH-nohs KWAHR-toh) - It's quarter til nine
Hoy (OHY) - today
Mañana (mah-NYAH-nah) - tomorrow
Ayer (AH-yehr) - yesterday
Por la tarde (POHR LAH TAHR-deh) - In the afternoon
Por la mañana (POHR LAH mah-NYAH-nah) - In the morning
Esta noche (EH-stah NOH-cheh) - tonight
Por la noche (POHR LAH NOH-cheh) - at night
A medianoche (AH meh-dee-ah-NOH-cheh) - at midnight
A mediadía (AH meh-dee-ah-DEE-ah) - at noon

antes (AHN-tehs) - earlier
más tardes (MAHS TAHR-dehs) - later
ahora (ah-OHR-ah) - now
a veces (AH VEH-sehs) - sometimes
pronto (PROHN-toh) - soon

segundo (seh-GOON-doh) - second
minuto (mee-NOO-toh) - minute
hora (OHR-ah) - hour
día (DEE-ah) - day
semana (seh-MAH-nah) - week
mes (MEHS) - month
año (AH-nyoh) - year

Lunes (LOO-nehs) - Monday
Martes (MAHR-tehs) - Tuesday
Miércoles (meeEHR-koh-lehs) - Wednesday
Jueves (hooEH-vehs) - Thursday
Viernes (veeEHR-nehs) - Friday
Sábado (SAH-bah-doh) - Saturday
Domingo (doh-MEEN-goh) - Sunday

Enero (eh-NEH-roh) - January
Febrero (feh-BREH-roh) - February
Marzo (MAHR-soh) - March
Abril (ah-BREEL) - April
Mayo (MAH-yoh) - May
Junio (HOO-nyoh) - June
Julio (HOO-lyoh) - July
Agosto (ah-GOH-stoh) - August
Septiembre (sehp-teeEHM-breh) - September
Octubre (ohk-TOO-breh) - October
Noviembre (noh-veeEHM-breh) - November
Diciembre (dee-seeEHM-breh) - December

Primavera (pree-mah-VEH-rah) - Spring
Verano (veh-RAH-noh) - Summer
Otoño (oh-TOH-nyoh) - Autumn
Invierno (een-veeEHR-noh) - Winter

Navidad (nah-vee-DAHD) - Christmas
Nochebuena (noh-cheh-BWEH-nah) - Christmas Eve
Año Nuevo (AH-nyoh nooEH-voh) - New Year's Day
Año Viejo (AH-nyoh veeEH-hoh) - New Year's Eve
Pascua (pah-SCOOah) - Easter

Occupations

artista (ahr-TEES-tah) - artist
mecánico (meh-KAHN-ee-koh) - auto mechanic
carpintero (kahr-peen-TEH-roh) - carpenter
jefe (HEH-feh) - chef
cocinero (koh-see-NEH-roh) - cook
dentista (dehn-TEES-tah) - dentist
médico (MEH-dee-koh) - doctor
electricista (eh-lehk-tree-SEES-tah) - electrician
agricultor (ah-gree-KOOL-tohr) - farmer
jardinero (hahr-dee-NEH-roh) - gardener
abogado (ah-boh-GAH-doh) - lawyer
cartero (kahr-TEH-roh) - mailman
enfermera (ehn-fehr-MEH-rah) - nurse
pintor (PEEN-tohr) - painter
plomero (ploh-MEH-roh) -plumber
secretaria (seh-kreh-TAH-reeah) - secretary
estudiante (eh-stoo-dee-AHN-teh) - student
maestro (mahEH-stroh) - teacher
chófer (CHOH-fehr) - truck driver
camarero (kah-mah-REH-roh) - waiter

Food

comida (koh-MEE-dah) - food
botella (boh-TEH-yah) - bottle
tazón (tah-SOHN) - bowl
taza (TAH-zah) - cup
tenedor (teh-NEH-dohr) - fork
vaso (VAH-soh) - glass
cuchillo (koo-CHEE-yoh) - knife
servilleta (sehr-vee-YEH-tah) - napkin
plato (PLAH-toh) - plate
salero (sah-LEH-roh) - salt shaker
cuchara (koo-CHAH-rah) - spoon
palillo (pah-LEE-yoh) - toothpick
charola (chah-ROH-lah) - tray
desayuno (deh-sah-YOO-noh) - breakfast
almuerzo (ahl-mooEHR-soh) - lunch
cena (SEH-nah) - dinner

cereza (seh-REH-sah) - cherry
durazno (doo-RAHS-noh) - peach
fresa (FREH-sah) - strawberry
lima (LEE-mah) - lime
limón (lee-MOHN) - lemon
manzana (mahn-SAH-nah) - apple
naranja (nah-RAHN-hah) - orange
plátano (PLAH-tah-noh) - banana
sandía (sahn-DEEah) - watermelon
toronja (toh-ROHN-hah) - grapefruit
uva (OOH-vah) - grape
chile (CHEE-leh) - hot pepper
ajo (AH-hoh) - garlic
brócoli (BROH-koh-lee) - broccoli
calabaza (kah-lah-BAH-sah) - pumpkin
cebollas (seh-BOH-yahs) - onions
espinaca (ehs-pee-NAH-kah) - spinach
lechuga (leh-CHOO-gah) - lettuce
papas (PAH-pahs) - potatoes
zanahoria (zah-nah-OH-reeah) - carrot
pan (PAHN) - bread
mantequilla (mahn-teh-KEE-yah) - butter
cereales (seh-rehAH-lehs) - cereal
café (kah-FEH) - coffee
huevos (ooEH-vohs) - eggs
leche (LEH-cheh) - milk
azúcar (ah-SOO-kahr) - sugar
salsa de tomate (SAHL-sah DEH toh-MAH-teh) - ketchup
mayonesa (mah-yoh-NEH-sah) - mayonnaise
mostaza (moh-STAH-sah) - mustard
pimienta (pee-meeEHN-tah) - pepper
pepinillos (peh-pee-NEE-yohs) - pickles
sal (SAHL) - salt
camarón (kah-mah-ROHN) - shrimp
pescado (pehs-KAH-doh) - fish
pollo (POH-yoh) - chicken
atún (ah-TOON) - tuna
bogavante (boh-gah-VAHN-teh) - lobster
guajolote (gwah-hoh-LOH-teh) - turkey
carne (KAHR-neh) - meat
bistec (BEE-stehk) - steak
cerdo (SEHR-doh) - pork
jamón (hah-MOHN) - ham
rosbif (ROHS-beef) - roast beef
arroz (AH-rrohs) - rice
potaje (poh-TAH-heh) - stew
sopa (SOH-pah) - soup
juliana (ho-leeAH-nah) - vegetable soup
ensalada (ehn-sah-LAH-dah) - salad
queso (KEH-soh) - cheese
helado (eh-LAH-doh) - ice cream
pastas (PAH-stahs) - cookies
tarta (TAHR-tah) - cake

champán (chahm-PAHN) - champagne
vino (VEE-noh) - wine
cerveza (sehr-VEH-sah) - beer
agua (AH-gwah) - water
jugo (HOO-goh) - juice
limonada (lee-moh-NAH-dah) - lemonade
refresco (reh-FREHS-koh) - soft drink

Common Phrases

¿Verdad? (VEHR-dahd) - Really?
¿De veras? (DEH VEHR-ahs) - Really?
Qué bueno (KEH BWEH-noh) - That's great
Qué maravilla (KEH mah-rah-VEE-yah) - How great!
No me digas (NOH MEH DEE-gahs) - You don't say
Claro (KLAH-roh) - Sure
Quizás (kee-SAHS) - Maybe
No se preocupe (NOH SEH preh-oh-KOO-peh) - Don't worry
Buena idea (BWEH-nah ee-DEHah) - Good idea
Creo que sí (KREHoh KEH SEE) - I think so
Depende (deh-PEHN-deh) - That depends
Yo tampoco (YOH tahm-POH-koh) - Me neither
Yo también (YOH tahm-beeEHN) - Me too
De acuerdo (DEH ah-KWEHR-doh) - I agree
Ya veo (YAH VEHoh) - I see
Ojalá (oh-hah-LAH) - I hope so
Más o menos (MAHS OH MEH-nohs) - More or less
Todavía no (toh-dah-VEEah NOH) - Not yet
Adiós (ah-deeOHS) - Good bye
Decía (deh-SEEah) - You were saying
¿Me permite? (MEH pehr-MEE-teh) - May I?
¿Y tú? (EE TOO) - And you?
Por lo menos (POHR LOH MEH-nohs) - At least
Por ejemplo (POHR eh-HEHM-ploh) - For example
Por eso (POHR EH-soh) - Therefore

poco (POH-koh) - a little
ninguno (neen-GOO-noh) - none
juntos (HOON-tohs) - together
demasiado (deh-mah-seeAH-doh) - too much
pocos (POH-kohs) - few
más (MAHS) - more
nada (NAH-dah) - nothing
mismo (MEES-moh) - same
mucho (MOO-choh) - a lot
muchos (MOO-chohs) - many
todo (TOH-doh) - all
solo (SOH-loh) - alone
bastante (bah-STAHN-teh) - enough
menos (MEH-nohs) - less
algo (AHL-goh) - something
diferente (dee-fehr-REHN-teh) - different

In The House

casa (KAH-sah) - house
cenicero (seh-nee-SEHR-oh) - ashtray
desván (dehs-VAHN) - attic
baño (BAH-nyoh) - bathroom
tina (TEE-nah) - bathtub
cama (KAH-mah) - bed
dormitorio (dohr-mee-TOHR-eeoh) - bedroom
cobija (koh-BEE-hah) - blanket
librero (lee-BREHR-oh) - bookshelf
gabinete (gah-bee-NEH-teh) - cabinet
silla (SEE-yah) - chair
patio (PAH-teeoh) - courtyard/backyard
puerta (pooEHR-tah) - door
piso (PEE-soh) - floor
garaje (gah-RAH-heh) - garage
llave (YAH-veh) - key
cocina (koh-SEE-nah) - kitchen
fregadero (freh-gah-DEH-roh) - kitchen sink
teléfono (teh-LEH-foh-noh) - telephone
porche (POHR-cheh) - porch
refrigerador (reh-free-heh-RAH-dohr) - refrigerator
cuarto (KWAHR-toh) - room
repisa (reh-PEE-sah) - shelf
ducha (DOO-chah) - shower
acera (ah-SEHR-ah) - sidewalk
mesa (MEH-sah) - table
ventana (vehn-TAH-nah) - window