Translation and Language Industry Observations

Spanish is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world and is the second most common language spoken in the United States after the English language. Among Americans, Spanish also holds the distinct honor of being the most studied language in both primary and secondary learning establishments.

To get a jump start in any language, a trick used by experts is first to memorize the most common spoken words. Memorizing the most commonly spoken languages first is called the 80/20 rule, whereby 20 percent of the language is worth more than 80 percent. If you have a limited amount of time to learn a new language, your efforts are best placed in learning the words you will use most often. Below is listed 50 of the most common words in spoken Spanish, to help language learners figure out where to best place their efforts.

1. quethat, who
2. deof, from
3. no no, not
4. ato
5. lathe (singular feminine nouns)
6. elthe (singular masculine nouns)
7. eshe is, she is, it is
8. yand
9. en in, on, at
10. loit, him (direct-object pronoun)
11. los the (plural masculine nouns)
12. las the (plural feminine nouns)
13. del of the, from the
14. una/unoa, an, one
15. alto the, at the
16. dostwo
17. cadaeach
18. tresthree
19. o or
20. comoas, like
21. perobu
22. si if
23. porquebecause
24. dondewhere
25. aunquealthough, even though
26. sinobut, except
27. mientraswhile
28. por through, for, along, by
29. ninor, neither
30. cuandowhen
31. conwith
32. sinwithout
33. sobrearound, above, on top of
34. entreamong, between
35. hastauntil
36. desdefrom, since
37. duranteduring, for
38. contraagainst
39. haciatowards
40. yoI
41. hoytoday
42. horahour
43. biengood, well
44. podercan
45. usarto use
46. hacerdo, to do, did, make
47. irgo
48. venircome
49. ayudahelp
50. ahoranow

The 50 words listed above are among the most common in spoken Spanish. If there is a limited amount of time before you need to learn your new language, these words will be the most useful. In addition to these words, a good practice is to use useful phrases like greetings and common questions next. Learning language apps are an easy way to learn on-the-go.

Click here to learn more about GTS English Spanish translation services.

About the Author

Chelsea Falin is a dedicated professional with 10+ years experience working as a freelance writer, and 5+ years as a freelance marketer. Studied at ASU for Bachelors in English with minor in Media Analysis, and obtained certification in inbound and content marketing via HubSpot Academy. Experience in multiple forms of digital content.

You may also like

1 Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)