Spanish Vocabulary List: Essential Words and Phrases
Spanish Vocabulary: Essential Words and Phrases
Common Words
Ligeramente + adj: slightly + adj.
Los viejos, los mayores: the elderly
Llenar: to fill
Llevar un rato: to take a while
La dirección: the management
Litoral espectacular: dramatic coastline
La plantilla: the staff
Llegar a (town/decision): to arrive at
Llegar a (country/city/island): to arrive in
Llevar una vida feliz/triste: to lead a happy/sad life
Lloviznar: to drizzle
Librase de: to get rid of
Métete en tus asuntos: Mind your own business.
Mientras que: whereas, while
Miserable: unhappy, sad
Mimar, echar a perder: to spoil (spoiled, spoiled)
Moribundo: dying person
Medios de comunicación: mass media
Media: average
Morir de: to die of
Moraleja: moral
Merecer la pena hacer algo: to be worth doing something
Mantener un proyecto en marcha: to keep a project going
Materialista: materialistic
Magnífico, expléndido: superb
Niño mimado: spoiled child
Nevada: snowfall
No poder evitarlo: can’t help doing something
Ni, ni: neither, nor
Oscilar entre: to range from
Oración: prayer
Ocio: leisure
O…o: either…or
More Useful Words and Phrases
Para cuando: by the time
Político: politician
Práctico: convenient, practical
Para + inf: in order to + infinitive
Por fin: at last
Países en guerra: warring countries
Por término medio: on average
Pelo liso: straight hair
Paz: peace
Placer: pleasure
Perderse una clase: to miss a class
Peluca: wig
Pelo rizado: curly hair
Plan: arrangement
Perezoso: lazy
Por si acaso: just in case
Propina: tip
Papelería: stationer’s
Prohibir a alguien hacer algo: to ban somebody from doing something
Ponerse en contacto con alguien: to keep in touch with somebody
Presentir que: to have a feeling that
Permitir que alguien haga algo: to enable/allow/let somebody do something
Quejarse a alguien: to complain to somebody about something
Quedarse en blanco: to go blank
Querer decir con: to mean by
Quiosco: newsagent’s
Quedar algo: to have something left
Qué hay de malo en: what’s wrong with
Quincena: fortnight
Respectable: reputable, respectable
Revolucionar: to revolutionize
Refugiado: refugee
Reconfortante: comforting, reassuring
Tranquilizar: to comfort, to reassure
Reiniciar: to resume, to restart
Robar algo a alguien: to steal something from somebody
Resultar ser: to prove, to turn out to be
Romper a llorar: to burst into tears
Reírse de algo/alguien: to laugh at something/somebody
Romper a reír: to burst out laughing
Recompensa: reward
Respetuoso: respectful
Repostar: to fill up the car with petrol
Receta: recipe
Repugnante, asqueroso: disgusting, revolting, horrible
Additional Vocabulary
Ser autónomo: to be self-employed
Sin embargo: however, nevertheless
Ser diferente de: to be different from
Sobresaliente: remarkable, outstanding
Soledad: solitude, loneliness
Sentir nostalgia: to be homesick
Ser el centro de atención: to be in the limelight
Ser parecido a: to be similar to
Sabiduría: wisdom
Suministros médicos: medical supplies
Sensato: sensible
Sensible: sensitive
Sordera: deafness
Solterona: spinster
Superficial: shallow
Ser consciente de: to be aware of
Saludar: to greet
Sobre cero: above freezing
Ser bueno en algo: to be good at something
Ser capaz/incapaz de hacer algo: to be able/unable to do something
Sin precedentes: unprecedented
Televidente: TV viewer
Tez: complexion
Trabajar jornada completa: to work full-time
Tanto como: both…and
Tener, poseer: to own, to possess
Tesoro: treasure
Trabajar media jornada: to work part-time
Triplicar: to treble
Temor: fear
También: as well, too
Tener sueño: to be sleepy
Travieso: badly-behaved, naughty
Tímido: shy
Terrible: awful
Trabajador: hard-working
Tomarse algo con calma: to take something easy
Tacaño: mean
Trueno: thunder
Tener efecto sobre algo: to have an effect on something
Tomarse la justicia por su mano: to take the law into one’s hands
Tienda donde se vende alcohol: off-licence
Tener dificultades al hacer algo: to have difficulty/trouble doing something
Tener fama: to have a reputation for doing something
Tener cincuenta y pocos: to be in one’s early/mid/late fifties, sixties, etc.
Un colapso nervioso: a nervous breakdown
Últimamente: recently, lately
Verdaderamente: truly, really
Válvula escape: outlet
Viuda/viudo: widow/widower
Zonas residenciales: suburbs
Common English-Spanish Verb Equivalents
To leap (leapt, leapt): to jump
To have a good time: to enjoy oneself
To be out of work: to be unemployed
To bear/stand/put up with: to tolerate
Unbelievable: incredible
To be upset: angry, annoyed
Magnificent: gorgeous, wonderful
Eventually: finally, in the end
To worship: to adore, to venerate
Vegan: vegetarian
Inconceivable: unimaginable
Luxurious: sumptuous
Range: variety
To book: to reserve
To mend: to fix, to repair
To seem: to look, to appear
Thoroughly: totally
Unique: exceptional
So far/till now/until now: up to now
Accurate: precise, exact
View: point of view
Actually: really, in fact
Whether: if
Hard: difficult
Uninteresting: boring
Equipment: gear
Plainly: simply
Incorrect: wrong
Immodest: arrogant
Inexpensive: cheap
Foolish: silly
Delicious: tasty
Feature: characteristic
Tip: advice
Clever: intelligent, smart
Vacation: holiday
Straightaway: immediately, right now
Funny: amusing
Rich: wealthy, well-off, well-to-do
Custom: habit
Whilst: while
Sightseer: tourist
Bizarre: odd, strange
Friendly: kind, nice
To be worried about doing something: to worry about something
Alone: on one’s own, by oneself