Goal: Read common Spanish words aloud with more confidence.

Spanish spelling is regular: most letters keep a consistent sound. The five vowels are short and clear: a (ah), e (eh), i (ee), o (oh), u (oo). The ñ is a separate letter, as in año. The h is silent, and j sounds like a breathy English h.

Goal: Greet someone and share your name.

Use hola at any time of day. Buenos días is “good morning,” buenas tardes is “good afternoon,” and buenas noches is used in the evening or at night. Me llamo… means “My name is…” You can ask ¿Cómo te llamas? in an informal conversation.

Goal: Use el, la, los, and las with common nouns.

Spanish nouns are generally masculine or feminine. Use el or los with masculine nouns and la or las with feminine nouns. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine and many ending in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions. Add -s to a vowel ending or -es to many consonant endings to make a plural.

Goal: Place basic adjectives and make them agree.

Many Spanish adjectives come after the noun: una casa blanca (“a white house”). Adjectives often change to match the noun’s gender and number: alto, alta, altos, altas. Some common adjectives such as grande have the same form for masculine and feminine nouns.

Goal: Choose the basic form of ser or estar.

Both verbs can mean “to be.” Ser is commonly used for identity, origin, and lasting descriptions. Estar is commonly used for location and temporary states. This is a useful starting rule; meaning and context can affect the choice.

Goal: Talk about simple actions in the present.

For regular present-tense verbs, remove -ar, -er, or -ir and add an ending. For yo, common endings are -o: hablar → hablo, comer → como, vivir → vivo. Learn the subject with the verb; Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun because the verb ending gives a clue.

Goal: Ask simple questions and say what you do not do.

Spanish questions begin with an inverted question mark and end with a regular one: ¿Hablas español? A question word usually starts the question: qué (what), dónde (where), cuándo (when), quién (who), and por qué (why). Put no before the verb to make a basic negative.

Goal: Understand numbers and ask or tell the time.

Learn numbers in useful groups: 1–15, the tens, then combine them. To ask the time, say ¿Qué hora es? Use Es la una for one o’clock and Son las… for other hours. For appointments, ¿A qué hora…? asks “At what time…?” Dates typically use day, month, year.

Goal: Talk about family and say who something belongs to.

Possessive words come before the noun: mi libro (my book), tu hermana (your sister), su casa (his, her, or their house). Nuestro/nuestra means “our” and changes to match the noun. Spanish often uses family terms without an article when speaking about your own relatives: Mi madre vive aquí.

Goal: Say what you like and ask someone about their interests.

Gustar works differently from “like” in English. Me gusta is used with one thing or an infinitive; me gustan is used with plural things. The person who likes something is shown by me, te, le, nos, or les. Add a clarifier such as A mí or A ella when useful.

Goal: Describe a simple daily routine.

Many routine verbs are reflexive: levantarse (to get up), ducharse (to shower), acostarse (to go to bed). The reflexive pronoun changes with the subject: me levanto, te levantas, se levanta. For a routine, use the present tense and time words such as por la mañana or por la noche.

Goal: Order food and ask for something politely.

Use quisiera (“I would like”) for a polite request. To ask the price, say ¿Cuánto cuesta? Use un/una for one item and some plural forms for several. In restaurants, ¿Me trae…? is a polite way to ask a server to bring something; local phrasing varies.

Goal: Say what happened and when it happened.

Use the preterite for completed actions viewed as finished events. Regular -ar verbs use endings such as hablé (I spoke) and habló (he/she spoke). Regular -er/-ir verbs use comí and viví. Several frequent verbs are irregular, including fui (I went / I was), hice (I did), and tuve (I had).

Goal: Describe what used to happen or what was going on.

Use the imperfect for repeated past habits, descriptions, age, time, and background scenes. Common forms include hablaba, comía, era, and estaba. When telling a story, the imperfect often sets the scene and the preterite tells the event that moved it forward.

Goal: Make plans and talk about what will happen.

A common way to talk about plans is ir a + infinitive: Voy a estudiar (“I am going to study”). The simple future adds endings to the infinitive: hablaré, comerás, vivirán. The first is frequent in conversation; the second can express a prediction or a more general future.

Goal: Avoid repeating nouns in a conversation.

Direct object pronouns include lo/la/los/las (“it / him / her / them”). Indirect object pronouns include me/te/le/nos/les (“to or for me / you / them”). A pronoun usually goes before a conjugated verb: Lo veo (“I see him/it”), or attaches to an infinitive: Quiero verlo (“I want to see him/it”).

Goal: Give or follow simple directions and requests.

Use hay que + infinitive for a general “one must / it is necessary to.” Informal tú commands often use the él/ella present form: habla (speak), come (eat), escribe (write). For polite or plural requests, use phrases such as siga (continue) and gire (turn), common in formal instructions.

Goal: Compare choices and connect sentences naturally.

Use más… que for “more… than” and menos… que for “less… than.” Use tan… como for “as… as.” Connect ideas with porque (because), pero (but), aunque (although), and entonces (so/then). These words help make your answer sound connected instead of like a list.

Goal: Express wishes, recommendations, and emotional reactions.

The subjunctive is used in many dependent clauses after expressions of wishes, advice, emotion, or doubt when the subject changes. A common pattern is quiero que + subjunctive: Quiero que vengas (“I want you to come”). For regular verbs, start with the yo form, remove -o, and use the opposite vowel endings.

Goal: Make tactful requests and describe what you would do.

The conditional often corresponds to “would”: hablaría (I would speak), comeríamos (we would eat). It also softens requests: ¿Podría ayudarme? (“Could you help me?”). For a basic hypothetical, use si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional: Si tuviera tiempo, viajaría (“If I had time, I would travel”).

Goal: Talk about experiences and actions connected to now.

The present perfect uses haber + past participle: he viajado (“I have traveled”), hemos comido (“we have eaten”). It often describes experiences or recent events. The pluperfect uses había + participle for an action completed before another past event: Ya había salido (“I had already left”). Regional preferences for past tenses vary.

Goal: Combine ideas into clearer, more detailed sentences.

Use que to connect a noun to a description: la persona que vive aquí (“the person who lives here”). Use donde for a place and quien/quienes especially after a preposition or when referring to people. The subjunctive may appear when the person or thing is unknown or not yet identified: Busco un hotel que tenga piscina.

Goal: Keep a conversation moving when you miss a word or need time.

Fluent communication includes ways to check meaning and gain a moment to think. Try ¿Qué quieres decir? (“What do you mean?”), ¿Cómo se dice…? (“How do you say…?”), or A ver… (“Let’s see…”). Use pues, bueno, and entonces thoughtfully; their meaning shifts with context and region.

Goal: Use your Spanish to make a plan and explain your preferences.

Bring together questions, present and past tenses, polite requests, and connectors. Start with the main point, add a reason with porque, and ask a follow-up question. When you are unsure, ask for clarification instead of switching immediately to English. Spanish vocabulary and polite forms differ by region, so notice how local speakers phrase things.