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