Some scholars and researchers have compiled a huge database of texts written in Spanish and then analyzed the big data to find out which are the most frequent words in the Spanish language.
The idea behind this exercise is to compute a large dataset of Spanish texts to identify patterns and create a rank of the most commonly used words. The outcome of this analysis results in a large list of words linked to their relative frequency of use.
Even though we typically start learning a new language by studying words in topic clusters, there is plenty of evidence suggesting that mastering between 1,000 and 1,5000 words is enough to understand 80-85% of the Spanish language.
Lately, more and more language learning methods are including a frequency-based approach. At first, students may feel this method of learning new words is counterintuitive, but those who trust the process are seeing practical results.
We compiled the 10 most common Spanish words with examples to help you understand their meaning. Check them below!
1. El / La
- Word type: Article
- English translation: The
Examples of usage:
Me gusta el color verde
(I like the green color)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “el”
Quiero ir a la montaña
(I want to go to the mountain)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “la”
2. De
- Word type: Preposition
- English translation: From / Of (possession)
Examples of usage:
¿Vienes de la bibioteca?
(Are you coming from the library?)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “de”
¿Vamos a casa de Juan?
(Are we going to Juan’s home?)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “de”
3. Que
- Word type: Preposition / Pronoun
- English translation: That / Which
Examples of usage:
Ella es mejor estudiante que yo
(She is a better student that me)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “que”
¿Qué casa es la tuya?
(Which one is your house?)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “que”
4. Y
- Word type: Conjunction
- English translation: And
Example of usage:
Llueve y hace viento
(It is rainy and windy)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “y”
5. A
- Word type: Preposition
- English translation: To / At
Examples of usage:
Vamos a la playa
(Let’s go to the beach)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “a”
Nos vemos a las cinco
(Let’s meet at five)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “a”
6. En
- Word type: Preposition
- English translation: In / On
Examples of usage:
Los tenedores estan en la cocina
(The forks are in the kitchen)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “en”
Las cucharas estan en la mesa
(The spoons are on the table)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “en”
7. Un / Una
- Word type: Article
- English translation: A / An
Examples of usage:
Es un chico inteligente
(He is a smart guy)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “un”
Tengo una manzana
(I have an apple)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “un”
8. Ser
- Word type: Verb
- English translation: To be
Examples of usage:
Soy un buen estudiante
(I am a good student)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “ser”
Puede ser verdad
(It could be true)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “ser”
9. Se
- Word type: Pronoun
- English translation: Non applicable
Examples of usage:
Jose se ha marchado de la ciudad
(Jose left the city)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “se”
Se hizo de noche
(It got dark)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “se”
10. No
- Word type: Adverb
- English translation: No
Examples of usage:
Fracasar no es una opción
(Failure is not an option)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “no”
No me gusta la cerveza
(I do not like beer)
Example of usage for the Spanish word “no”
