Spanish vocabulary is the set of words and expressions speakers use to communicate in this language. As you can imagine, there are thousands of terms in Spanish. However, experts have estimated that Spanish speakers only use around 300 words to communicate in their daily activities.
Having a strong and practical vocabulary is the core of your Spanish communication. For that reason, in this guide, you’ll find useful resources and tips that will help you increase your vocabulary. The topics we will cover include:
- Best Way to Increase Spanish Vocabulary
- 7 Games to Improve Your Vocabulary
- Resources to Learn Vocabulary
- Vocabulary Key Points
Take Note: Native Spanish speakers know more than 300 words. In fact, researchers have found that an average native speaker can recognize and understand 30,000 words.
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Best Way to Increase Spanish Vocabulary
To be able to communicate and understand Spanish effectively, you need to have a strong vocabulary. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to memorize thousands of words. Instead, you can apply certain learning strategies to increase the number of words and expressions you know.
Here are some easy techniques to increase and improve your Spanish vocabulary:
1. Prioritize
You probably have a reason why you’re learning Spanish, and that reason can help you determine the type of vocabulary you need to learn. For instance, if you just want to communicate while traveling, you won’t need the same words as a person who wants to work in a Spanish-speaking country. Once you understand this, you’ll be able to pay attention to the vocabulary that will make a significant difference to you and your language learning goals.
2. Practice
When learning vocabulary, it’s crucial that you practice and implement the new words you’re acquiring. That way, you can begin creating your own connections between a term and the contexts where you can apply it. To help you with this, every time you learn a new word or phrase, you could:
- Take notes about its meanings
- Create examples showing how to use the word or phrase
- Include it in your conversations
3. Infer the meaning of a new word
Spanish words don’t always have a single meaning. In fact, there are many terms whose meanings vary depending on the context. To improve your vocabulary and Spanish command, you should try to understand what a word or phrase is expressing in a specific situation.
4. Consult a dictionary
Dictionaries are a basic resource to improve your vocabulary. I prefer WordReference since it has many terms and popular expressions that you should learn. Use the dictionary only as a support tool to confirm the meaning of a word.
5. Analyze words and find patterns
Learning the roots of words and the most common Spanish suffixes and prefixes will allow you to increase your vocabulary easier. For example, the suffix ‘-ría’ is used to create words related to retail stores. Examples include zapatería (shoe store), carnicería (butcher shop), panadería (bakery store), etc.
7 Games to Improve Your Spanish Vocabulary
Many people think that learning a new language requires being in a formal setting with lots of homework and exercises. However, a study by Sebha University discovered that playing games could be extremely beneficial in vocabulary learning because the students feel more relaxed and have the chance to learn new words and patterns.
If you don’t know where to start, here are some popular games that you use to practice and learn more vocabulary:
- Pelmanism is a simple memory game where you have to match a word with its corresponding picture. Even though it seems simple, this game will help you train your memory and establish connections between a word and an image.
- Guess who! is a classic board game that focuses on describing people’s appearance. As a result, this game can be helpful if you’re looking to improve your command of Spanish adjectives and body parts.
- In 20 questions, a player has to think about an object, while the other players ask 20 questions to guess what that object is. Given that you’re limited by the number of questions you can ask, it will help you push your vocabulary skills.
- Crosswords are simple word puzzles that can help you improve your spelling, memory, and reading skills.
- Stop! or ¡Basta! is a game that consists of providing a word for different categories such as cities, names, food, animal, country, objects, fruit, etc. The trick of this game is that the words you write have to begin with a chosen letter. Because of its characteristics, this game will help you reinforce words that you already know and help you learn more terms.
- Scrabble is a popular game where you have to form words based on the pieces other players have used. Since it’s more challenging, Scrabble is more appropriate for intermediate and advanced students.
- Word search puzzles are meant to make you find hidden words inside a box. Since these puzzles are divided into topics or categories, this can be a good opportunity to learn different words related to that specific topic.
Resources to Learn Spanish Vocabulary
Along with grammar, vocabulary is one of the most important foundations of the Spanish language. Use the categorized lists below to explore different Spanish vocab topics so you can learn useful terms and expressions.
Holidays and celebrations
Holidays and celebrations are not a daily activity. However, it’s important for your communication to know some vocabulary related to these types of events. To be prepared for any of these situations and times of year, check out the articles below:
- 5 Ways to Ask & Say When Your Birthday is in Spanish
- 5 Ways To Wish Someone a Happy New Year in Spanish
- 6 Ways To Say Merry Christmas in Spanish
- 7 Expressions to Wish a Happy Birthday in Spanish
- 7 Ways to Say Congratulations in Spanish
- Happy Valentine’s Day in Spanish
Daily Spanish
As its name suggests, daily Spanish words and phrases will help you get by in everyday situations you may face in a Spanish-speaking country. Therefore, everyday Spanish vocabulary is probably one of the most important things you can learn as a beginner.
- 7 Ways to Say ‘Hurry Up’ in Spanish
- 100 Common Adjectives to Describe People
- Days of the Week in Spanish
- Guide to Months in Spanish
- Guide to Colors in Spanish
Travel and tourism
Undoubtedly, people who want or need to go to Spanish-speaking countries must learn some basic vocabulary related to travel and tourism. That way, you’ll be able to communicate in essential contexts. The following articles will help you to be ready for some of the situations you may encounter as a tourist in a Spanish-speaking country.
- A Vegetarian and Vegan’s Guide to Ordering Food in Spanish
- Guide to Ordering Food in Spanish
- How to Ask for & Reserve a Hotel Room in Spanish
- Spanish Phrases for Tourists: +100 Phrases & Words
Synonyms and vocabulary expansion
Once you have a basic set of words to communicate your ideas, you should expand your vocabulary by discovering useful synonyms and words that will help you add detail to your conversations. To do so, you can focus on learning synonyms and other words that can help you expand your vocabulary.
Even though it may seem like a simple activity, knowing and using synonyms prevents you from sounding repetitive and helps you convey your ideas more precisely. So, if you want to take your Spanish to the next level, you should focus on expanding your vocabulary.
- Different Ways to Say Good Morning in Spanish
- 6 Ways to Say ‘Oh My God’ in Spanish
- 9 Ways to Say Dude in Spanish
- 11 Nicknames for Daughters in Spanish
- Slang Words – 7 Ways to Say Yes
- Win Her Heart: 17 Ways to Call a Girl Beautiful in Spanish
Tricky words
If you’re learning new vocabulary in Spanish, you will encounter some tricky terms that seem to mean the same thing. However, some of these words have specific meanings or are applied in specific contexts. Check out these articles to learn more about the more challenging words and their differences.
- Caliente vs Calor
- ‘Contar’ vs. ‘Hablar’ vs. ‘Decir’?
- ‘Corto’ vs. ‘Pequeño’ vs. ‘Bajo’
- Dejar vs. Salir vs. Irse
- Desde vs Desde Hace
- Donde vs Adonde
- Gran vs Grande in Spanish
- ‘Hay’, ‘ahí’, ‘ay’ and ‘allí’ in Spanish
- How to Say ‘Stop’ in Spanish?
- Linda vs. Bonita vs. Hermosa
- Mañana: Tomorrow vs Morning in Spanish
- Mal vs Malo in Spanish
- Me gusta’ vs ‘Me gustaría’ in Spanish
- ‘Mí’ vs. ‘Mi’ vs. ‘Mío’
- Muy vs Mucho in Spanish
- ‘Pero’ vs. ‘Sino’
- Possessive Pronouns vs Possessive Adjectives in Spanish
- ‘Qué hora’ vs. ‘A qué hora’
- Qué vs Cuál
- ‘Saber’ vs. ‘Conocer’
- Tan vs Tanto in Spanish
- ‘Te Quiero’ vs ‘Te Amo’ in Spanish
- ‘Tocar’ vs. ‘Jugar’?
- ‘Unos’ vs ‘Algunos’
- ‘Vaso’ vs. ‘Taza’ vs. ‘Copa’?
Phrases, expressions, and idioms
Phrases, expressions, and idioms in Spanish are a must if you want to improve your vocabulary. This type of vocabulary will help you express things more clearly and naturally. So, if your goal is to speak Spanish fluently or even competently, take some time to learn these popular phrases and idiomatic expressions.
- 7 Expressions to Say ‘I Miss You’
- 7 Ways to Use ‘A huevo’
- 9 Expressions to Say ‘Calm Down’ in Spanish
- 9 Slang Use for ‘Onda’ in Spanish
- Ándale
- ¡Ay, Chihuahua!
- Encouraging Phrases to Cheer Someone
- Expressions to Ask ‘How Are You’
- Idiomatic Expressions with ‘Estar’
- Must Know Spanish Idioms
- Popular Ways to Say Have a Good Day
- ‘Tener’ Idiomatic Expressions
Spanish Vocabulary Key Points
- Spanish speakers use 300 words to communicate in daily life situations.
- Playing games helps students to learn Spanish more effectively.
- Learning suffixes and prefixes will allow you to identify the patterns that Spanish words follow. This will help you understand new words more easily and with less effort.
- Understanding your learning goals will help you determine the vocabulary that you should pay attention to and focus on.
- Determining the meaning of a word based on the context can help you improve your command of Spanish.