How to Start Learning Spanish: A Fun Beginner's Guide with Pico ✏️

¡Hola! 👋 So you want to learn Spanish? Great choice. It's one of the friendliest languages for English speakers, and you already know more than you think (chocolate, hotel, pizza... you're basically fluent 😉).

This guide shows you how Spanish works in 7 short bits, then gives you your first 20 words and a 10-minute daily habit. Your guide today is Pico, our Spanish-speaking pencil. ✏️

"Hola, I'm Pico! I'm a pencil, so I'm very good at writing things down. Let's go! ¡Vamos!"

We teach Spain Spanish, the Spanish you'll hear in Madrid, Mallorca and Benidorm. Wondering what's different elsewhere? See Spain Spanish vs Latin American Spanish.

🔊 1. You say it how you see it

Good news first: Spanish is phonetic. Once you know the sounds, you can read almost any word out loud. No "though, through, tough" nonsense here. 🙌

The five vowels always make the same sound:

• a = "ah" (casa, house)
• e = "eh" (mesa, table)
• i = "ee" (sí, yes)
• o = "oh" (hola, hello)
• u = "oo" (uno, one)

A few letters to know: h is silent (hola = OH-la), j is a throaty "h" (jamón), ñ is "ny" (España = es-PA-nya), and in Spain z and ce/ci sound like "th" (gracias = GRA-thee-as).

👫 2. Every noun is a boy or a girl

In Spanish, every noun is masculine or feminine. It's grammar, not biology, so don't overthink it!

• el = the (masculine): el coche (the car), el libro (the book)
• la = the (feminine): la playa (the beach), la mesa (the table)

Handy tip: words ending in -o are usually el, words ending in -a are usually la. Always learn the word with its el or la, and you'll never have to guess.

"I'm el lápiz, a boy pencil. My friend the pen is el bolígrafo. My other friend the rubber is la goma. We all get on fine." ✏️

🚗 3. Describing words go after

In English we say "the red car". In Spanish the describing word usually comes after: el coche rojo. It's like Spanish wants to tell you what it is first, then what it's like.

And it matches: el coche rojo, la casa roja, los coches rojos.

🔁 4. The verb ending tells you who

Spanish verbs change their ending depending on who is doing it. Here's hablar (to speak):

• hablo: I speak
• hablas: you speak (a friend)
• habla: he / she speaks, or you speak (polite)
• hablamos: we speak
• habláis: you lot speak (friends)
• hablan: they speak, or you lot speak (polite)

Looks a lot? Start with just hablo and hablas (I and you). That's most conversations sorted.

🤝 5. Tú or usted?

Spanish has two ways to say "you" to one person:

• tú: friendly, for friends, family, people your age. In Spain it's used a lot, even with waiters and shop staff.
• usted: polite, for older people, very formal situations or when you're not sure.

And talking to a group of friends? In Spain that's vosotros: ¿Qué queréis? (What would you all like?).

"In Spain, most people will say tú to you straight away. Don't be shocked, they're just being friendly!" 😄

🙅 6. You can drop "I" and "you"

Because the verb ending already tells you who, Spanish usually leaves out words like "I" and "you":

• Hablo inglés. = I speak English. (no need for yo)
• ¿Tienes hambre? = Are you hungry? (no need for tú)

Saying yo all the time sounds a bit "ME, ME, ME". Save it for when you want to stress it: Yo pago (I'm paying!). 💸

¿¡ 7. Accents and upside-down marks

Accents (á, é, í, ó, ú) show you which part of the word to stress: teléfono = teh-LEH-fo-no. Sometimes they change the meaning too: sí (yes) vs si (if), tú (you) vs tu (your).

Upside-down marks go at the start of questions and exclamations: ¿Qué tal? (How's it going?) and ¡Qué bien! (How great!). Spanish kindly warns you before a question arrives. Very polite. 🙃

🗣️ Your first 20 words and phrases

Learn these and you can already have a tiny conversation in Spain:

1. Hola (OH-la): Hello
2. Buenos días (BWEH-nos DEE-as): Good morning
3. Adiós (a-dee-OS): Bye
4. Hasta luego (AS-ta loo-EH-go): See you later
5. Por favor (por fa-VOR): Please
6. Gracias (GRA-thee-as): Thank you
7. De nada (deh NA-da): You're welcome
8. Sí / No (see / no): Yes / No
9. Vale (BA-leh): OK
10. Perdón (pair-DON): Sorry / Excuse me
11. ¿Qué tal? (keh TAL): How's it going?
12. Bien, gracias (bee-EN): Fine, thanks
13. Me llamo... (meh YA-mo): My name is...
14. ¿Cómo te llamas? (KO-mo teh YA-mas): What's your name?
15. Soy inglés / inglesa (soy een-GLES / een-GLEH-sa): I'm English
16. No entiendo (no en-tee-EN-do): I don't understand
17. ¿Hablas inglés? (AB-las een-GLES): Do you speak English?
18. ¿Cuánto cuesta? (KWAN-to KWES-ta): How much is it?
19. Quiero... (kee-EH-ro): I'd like... / I want...
20. La cuenta, por favor (la KWEN-ta): The bill, please

📄 Want 50 on one page? Download the free Top 50 Spanish Phrases You'll Actually Use.

⏰ The 10-minute daily habit

Little and often beats a big cram once a month. Every day, try this:

• 3 minutes: look back at yesterday's words.
• 5 minutes: learn 5 new words or one new phrase.
• 2 minutes: say them out loud. In the shower, in the car, to the dog. 🐶

"10 minutes a day is about one café con leche. You can do this!" ☕

📱 Make it easy with the free app

The Fun Learning Spanish app does the 10 minutes for you: a daily phrase, games, flashcards, quizzes, and Pico to chat to. It's all Spain Spanish, and it's free to start.

Try the app free 🚀

🎯 Not a total beginner?

Take our free 5-minute Spanish level test to find out if you're A1, A2, B1, B2 or C1, and where to start next.

📚 Keep going

• 🇪🇸 Spain Spanish vs Latin American Spanish: the complete guide
• ⚓ How to learn Spanish grammar with anchor sentences
• 🧠 Free Ser vs Estar cheat sheet
• 📅 Spanish word of the week
• 🤔 Where do I even start when learning Spanish?

¡Enhorabuena! (Congratulations!) You now know how Spanish works. 🎉
Want a real teacher to help? Learn with Sam, in person in Basildon or online. Your first lesson is free.