Learn Spanish · A1–A2

Essential Spanish phrases for real life

Start with phrases that solve communication problems immediately rather than trying to memorise hundreds of isolated nouns.

Start a conversation

Hola, ¿qué tal? — Hi, how are things?
Me llamo… — My name is…
Encantado/a. — Nice to meet you.
¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?
Soy de… — I’m from…

Keep the conversation going

¿Puedes repetirlo? — Can you repeat that?
Más despacio, por favor. — More slowly, please.
¿Qué significa…? — What does … mean?
¿Cómo se dice … en español? — How do you say … in Spanish?
No lo entiendo del todo. — I don’t completely understand it.

Everyday situations

Quisiera… — I’d like…
¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much does it cost?
¿Dónde está el baño? — Where is the toilet?
La cuenta, por favor. — The bill, please.
¿Me puede ayudar? — Can you help me?

Active practice

Without looking above, say in Spanish: (1) Can you repeat that? (2) I’d like a coffee. (3) How much does it cost? (4) More slowly, please. (5) What does this mean?

Suggested answers: ¿Puedes repetirlo? · Quisiera un café. · ¿Cuánto cuesta? · Más despacio, por favor. · ¿Qué significa esto?

Learning tip: personalise each phrase. Replace one element and say it aloud three times. Retrieval practice is more useful than rereading a list.

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