Spanish Language Vocabulary and Everyday Communication Syllabus

Translate the furniture items: bed, table, chair, sofa, wardrobe.

cama (bed), mesa (table), silla (chair), sofá (sofa), armario (wardrobe).

How does Spanish express "there is / there are," and what word is it?

"hay" (from haber) means both "there is" and "there are," invariable regardless of number: "Hay una mesa" (There is a table), "Hay dos sillas" (There are two chairs).

Give the Spanish for common household chores: to clean, to wash dishes, to do laundry, to vacuum.

limpiar (to clean), fregar los platos/lavar los platos (to wash dishes), lavar la ropa (to do laundry), pasar la aspiradora (to vacuum).

How do you say "to run errands" and "to go shopping" in Spanish?

"hacer recados/hacer mandados" (to run errands) and "ir de compras" (to go shopping).

What verb means "to tidy up / put in order," and how do you say "I make the bed"?

"ordenar" (to tidy up). "I make the bed" = "Hago la cama" (using the verb hacer).

How do you ask and answer about hobbies in Spanish using the verb "gustar"?

Ask: "¿Qué te gusta hacer?" (What do you like to do?). Answer: "Me gusta leer" (I like reading). Note gustar agrees with what is liked: "Me gustan los deportes" (plural).

Explain the grammar of "Me gusta el fútbol" — why is it structured this way?

Literally "Soccer is pleasing to me." The thing liked (el fútbol) is the grammatical subject, and the person is an indirect object pronoun (me). With plural subjects use "gustan": "Me gustan los libros."

Give five free-time/hobby vocabulary items in Spanish.

leer (to read), nadar (to swim), cocinar (to cook), ver la televisión (to watch TV), tocar la guitarra (to play the guitar).

What is the difference between "jugar" and "tocar" when talking about activities?

"jugar" = to play sports/games (jugar al fútbol), while "tocar" = to play a musical instrument (tocar el piano).

Translate the basic food categories: fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bread.

fruta (fruit), verduras/vegetales (vegetables), carne (meat), pescado (fish), pan (bread).

Give the Spanish for the three main meals of the day.

el desayuno (breakfast), el almuerzo/la comida (lunch), la cena (dinner).

Translate common drinks: water, milk, coffee, wine, juice.

agua (water), leche (milk), café (coffee), vino (wine), zumo/jugo (juice).

How do you politely order at a restaurant in Spanish? Give a standard phrase.

"Para mí, … , por favor" (For me, …, please) or "Quisiera…" / "Me gustaría…" (I would like…). Quisiera is a polite conditional form of querer.

How do you ask for the bill/check in a Spanish restaurant?

"La cuenta, por favor" (The bill, please). You may also say "¿Me trae la cuenta?" (Could you bring me the bill?).

What are the words for waiter, menu, and tip in a restaurant?

camarero/mesero (waiter), la carta/el menú (menu), la propina (tip). Note "la carta" is the à la carte menu, while "el menú" often means a fixed-price set meal.

How do you say "I am a vegetarian" and "I am allergic to…" in Spanish?

"Soy vegetariano/vegetariana" (I am a vegetarian) and "Soy alérgico/alérgica a…" (I am allergic to…).

When shopping for groceries, what are the words for grocery store, market, and supermarket?

la tienda de comestibles (grocery store), el mercado (market), el supermercado (supermarket).

How do you ask "How much does it cost?" for one item versus several items?

One item: "¿Cuánto cuesta?" Several items: "¿Cuánto cuestan?" (cuesta/cuestan from costar agree with the number of items).

Give common quantity/container words for groceries: a kilo, a bottle, a can, a dozen.

un kilo de (a kilo of), una botella de (a bottle of), una lata de (a can of), una docena de (a dozen).

What are the key cooking verbs in Spanish: to cut, to fry, to boil, to bake, to mix?

cortar (to cut), freír (to fry), hervir (to boil), hornear (to bake), mezclar (to mix).

How does a recipe typically give instructions in Spanish — which verb form is used?

Recipes commonly use the infinitive (Añadir la sal = Add the salt) or the command/imperative (Añade la sal). The infinitive gives an impersonal, instructional tone.

Translate the recipe words: ingredient, spoonful, cup, oven, frying pan.

ingrediente (ingredient), cucharada (spoonful), taza (cup), horno (oven), sartén (frying pan).

Give the Spanish for common modes of transport: car, bus, train, plane, bicycle.

coche/carro (car), autobús (bus), tren (train), avión (plane), bicicleta (bicycle).

What preposition/verb is used to say you travel "by" a means of transport? Give an example.

Use "en": "Voy en tren" (I go by train), "Viajo en avión" (I travel by plane). Exception: on foot is "a pie" and "a caballo" (on horseback).

How do you ask for directions politely in Spanish?

"Perdone, ¿cómo llego a…?" (Excuse me, how do I get to…?) or "¿Dónde está…?" (Where is…?).

Give the direction words: straight ahead, turn right, turn left, near, far.

todo recto/derecho (straight ahead), gire a la derecha (turn right), gire a la izquierda (turn left), cerca (near), lejos (far).

What key vocabulary do you need at a hotel? Give: single room, double room, key, reception.

habitación individual (single room), habitación doble (double room), la llave (key), la recepción (reception).

Translate essential airport vocabulary: flight, boarding pass, luggage, gate, departure.

vuelo (flight), tarjeta de embarque (boarding pass), equipaje (luggage), puerta (gate), salida (departure).

How do you make a reservation in Spanish? Give the verb and a sample phrase.

The verb is "reservar." Example: "Quisiera reservar una mesa para dos" (I'd like to reserve a table for two) or "He reservado una habitación" (I have booked a room).

Give ten common jobs/professions in Spanish (with gender variation where relevant), plus how to say your profession.

médico/médica (doctor), profesor/profesora (teacher), abogado/abogada (lawyer), ingeniero/ingeniera (engineer), enfermero/enfermera (nurse), cocinero/cocinera (cook), dependiente/dependienta (shop assistant), estudiante (student), and school terms like universidad (university), examen (exam), aula (classroom). To state a profession, omit the article: "Soy profesor" (I am a teacher).