50 simple words and phrases to speak Spanish from day one (A1-A2)

March 9, 2026

The most common advice you hear from successful Spanish speakers about how to kickstart your learning is to “speak from day one.”

Nice in theory, but how do you do that when you know so few words?

First you need to understand the most common types of interactions in Spanish conversations.

Based on my experience living in Northern Spain, Spanish speakers often prioritise connection. In casual chat, open disagreement is usually avoided and interactions are kept smooth and breezy.

Next you need to a small selection of stock phrases to insert when you notice: “now I need to express understanding,” or “ok here’s where I softly interject.”

Now those things are settled, you can get practising the art of Spanish conversation with this simple list of words and phrases to get your Spanish juices flowing:

Alternatives to sí

Just as advanced English speakers avoid overusing the word yes, to sound less robotic in Spanish, it’s worth learning some alternatives to sí. Here are some of the most common:

Claro	of course
Por supuesto	of course
Vale	ok
De acuerdo	ok
Exacto	exactly

Take turns / start a point

Spanish speakers often announce their turn before speaking, or use certain expressions to steer a conversation politely.

As long as they’re said softly, they will make you sound like an empathic and considerate speaker:

Oye…	hey / listen
Mira…	look / listen
A ver…	let’s see

Soften a point / hedge

When you don’t want to come down on one side or the other, it’s worth learning to hedge in Spanish. This does two things: 1) keeps the conversation light 2) doesn’t force you to defend you position if you were to agree or disagree, which would require more vocabulary.

Bueno…	well…
Yo creo que…	I think that…
Quizá / quizás	maybe
Más o menos	more or less
Depende	it depends
Puede ser	could be

Alternatives to no when invited somewhere or asked for a favour

Hard nos are a no-no in Spanish conversations; you need to cushion everything by stating 1) your desire to accept in the face of an obstacle 2) an alternative solution 3) a legitimate reason why you have to refuse:

Me encantaría, pero no puedo	I’d love to, but I can’t
Hoy no puedo, pero ¿qué tal mañana?	I can’t today, but how about tomorrow?
Lo siento, ya tengo planes	I’m sorry, I have plans

Buy time / postpone a decision

If you’re not ready to say no to something, it’s worth having some phrases to buy time; here are my favourites:

Déjame pensarlo	let me think about it
Luego lo vemos	let’s deal with it / talk about it later
Hablamos más tarde	let’s talk later

Agree with others

Everyone loves being told they’re right, and Spanish speakers are no different. Here are some simple phrases to whip out to boost your conversation partner’s confidence:

Estoy de acuerdo	I agree
Tienes razón	You’re right
(Eso es) verdad	(that’s) true
Exactamente	exactly

Disagree / gently correct

Need to disagree? Go softly softly and the world won’t end. These light objections will go fairly unnoticed:

Ya, pero…	sure, but
No exactamente	not exactly
Bueno, en realidad…	well, in reality

Express frustration

Spanish has some of the most fabulous swear words but if used too early in the learning process, they can sound a little childish. Wait til you’re a little further along in your development before busting out ¡Joder! and stick with these more PG options for now:

¡Qué rollo!	what a drag / annoying / boring
¡Qué pesado!	how annoying / what a nuisance
Estoy harto/a	I’m fed up
¡Jo! / ¡Jolín!	ugh / darn / geez

Express understanding

Feed that connection with fellow Spanish speakers by showing you get where they’re coming from:

Entiendo	I understand
Ya veo	I see
Lo comprendo	I understand
Ah, vale	oh, ok

Alleviate tension

One of the most appealing aspects of Spanish is its effortless anti-catastrophising. A simple no pasa nada will put your worries into perspective immediately:

No pasa nada	no problem
Tranquilo/a	don’t worry
No te preocupes	don’t worry
Está bien	it’s fine

React to someone’s news

I’ve known many a fabulous Spanish-speaking storyteller over the years. Even early learners can deliver short emotional reactions to reward such superb narration:

¡Qué bien!	great!
¡Genial!	great / awesome
¡Qué bueno!	that’s great
¡Qué suerte!	how lucky!
¡Menos mal!	thank goodness!
¡Qué mal!	that’s bad
Lo siento	I’m sorry
¡Qué pena!	what a shame!

Encourage / push someone

Everyone is different, of course, but the Spanish speakers I’ve met and gotten to know over the years have invariably been audacious and supportive.

The general attitude if you declare you’d like to do something, from improving your Spanish to B1 level or move to another city is: “why the hell not?! Go for it!” Here’s how to return such support:

¡Venga!	come on
¡Vamos!	come on / let’s go
¡Anímate!	go on / give it a try

Downloadable word mat

Want to print these for your next Spanish conversation? Download my word mat, which includes even more simple words and phrases to kickstart your Spanish!

A1-A2 Spanish conversation word mat_thetalkingticket Download

Final thoughts

The first step to learning these words is listening out for them.

Play conversational bingo as you eavesdrop on the train or at the park, or as you listen to simple Spanish podcasts – you’ll be amazed how often you hear vale, bueno and pues, amongst many other words on this list.

Then try these out alone – in your head, out loud in conversation with yourself, and with others!

Are there any other words you use regularly? Are my list and word mat helpful? If so, please like and share this post 😊