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Spanish Building Vocabulary Syllabus

The Building Vocabulary syllabus for Spanish in full: 2 chapters and 6 topics, every one listed below, plus 50 Building Vocabulary flashcards with answers.

2Chapters
6Topics
50Flashcards

Building Vocabulary syllabus: all 2 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Common Nouns and Adjectives

     3 topics
    • People and Family
    • Colors and Shapes
    • Food and Drinks

  2. Verbs and Conjugation

     3 topics
    • Regular Verbs in Present Tense
    • Irregular Verbs in Present Tense
    • Common Reflexive Verbs

Spanish Building Vocabulary flashcards — 50 questions with answers

  1. How do you say "mother" and "father" in Spanish?

    Mother = la madre (informally la mamá); Father = el padre (informally el papá).

  2. What are the Spanish words for "brother" and "sister"?

    Brother = el hermano; Sister = la hermana.

  3. How do you say "grandparents" in Spanish, and what does the plural form illustrate about gender?

    Los abuelos. It shows the masculine plural covers a mixed-gender group: el abuelo (grandfather) + la abuela (grandmother) = los abuelos.

  4. What are the Spanish words for "son," "daughter," and "children (offspring)"?

    Son = el hijo; Daughter = la hija; Children = los hijos.

  5. How do you say "uncle," "aunt," and "cousin" in Spanish?

    Uncle = el tío; Aunt = la tía; Cousin = el primo (m.) / la prima (f.).

  6. What are the Spanish terms for "husband" and "wife"?

    Husband = el esposo (or el marido); Wife = la esposa (or la mujer).

  7. How do you say "boy," "girl," "man," and "woman" in Spanish?

    Boy = el niño; Girl = la niña; Man = el hombre; Woman = la mujer.

  8. What are the Spanish words for "friend" and "neighbor," and how do they mark gender?

    Friend = el amigo / la amiga; Neighbor = el vecino / la vecina. The -o/-a ending marks masculine/feminine.

  9. How do you say "nephew/niece" and "grandson/granddaughter" in Spanish?

    Nephew = el sobrino, Niece = la sobrina; Grandson = el nieto, Granddaughter = la nieta.

  10. What are the Spanish words for the colors red, blue, and green?

    Red = rojo; Blue = azul; Green = verde.

  11. How do you say yellow, black, and white in Spanish?

    Yellow = amarillo; Black = negro; White = blanco.

  12. What are the Spanish words for orange, purple, and pink?

    Orange = naranja (or anaranjado); Purple = morado (or violeta); Pink = rosa (or rosado).

  13. How do color adjectives ending in -o agree with nouns in Spanish? Give an example.

    They agree in gender and number: change -o to -a for feminine and add -s/-es for plural. Example: el libro rojo, la casa roja, los libros rojos, las casas rojas.

  14. Which Spanish colors are invariable in gender (only change for number)? Give examples.

    Colors ending in -e or a consonant, e.g. verde, azul, gris, marrón. They do not change for gender: la casa verde, el coche verde; only add -s/-es for plural (verdes, azules).

  15. What are the Spanish words for the shapes circle, square, and triangle?

    Circle = el círculo; Square = el cuadrado; Triangle = el triángulo.

  16. How do you say rectangle, star, and heart (shapes) in Spanish?

    Rectangle = el rectángulo; Star = la estrella; Heart = el corazón.

  17. What are the Spanish words for the colors brown and gray?

    Brown = marrón (also café or castaño for hair); Gray = gris.

  18. What are the Spanish words for "bread," "water," and "milk"?

    Bread = el pan; Water = el agua; Milk = la leche.

  19. How do you say "apple," "orange (fruit)," and "banana" in Spanish?

    Apple = la manzana; Orange = la naranja; Banana = el plátano (or la banana).

  20. What are the Spanish words for "meat," "chicken," and "fish (as food)"?

    Meat = la carne; Chicken = el pollo; Fish (food) = el pescado (the live animal is el pez).

Show the other 30 Building Vocabulary flashcards

  1. How do you say "coffee," "tea," and "wine" in Spanish?

    Coffee = el café; Tea = el té; Wine = el vino.

  2. What are the Spanish words for "rice," "egg," and "cheese"?

    Rice = el arroz; Egg = el huevo; Cheese = el queso.

  3. How do you say "breakfast," "lunch," and "dinner" in Spanish?

    Breakfast = el desayuno; Lunch = el almuerzo (or la comida); Dinner = la cena.

  4. What are the Spanish words for the vegetables "potato," "tomato," and "onion"?

    Potato = la papa (Latin America) / la patata (Spain); Tomato = el tomate; Onion = la cebolla.

  5. How do you say "sugar," "salt," and "butter" in Spanish?

    Sugar = el azúcar; Salt = la sal; Butter = la mantequilla.

  6. What are the three regular verb infinitive endings in Spanish, and give an example of each?

    -ar (e.g. hablar, to speak), -er (e.g. comer, to eat), and -ir (e.g. vivir, to live).

  7. What are the present-tense endings for regular -ar verbs (all six persons)?

    -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. Example (hablar): hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan.

  8. What are the present-tense endings for regular -er verbs (all six persons)?

    -o, -es, -e, -emos, -éis, -en. Example (comer): como, comes, come, comemos, coméis, comen.

  9. What are the present-tense endings for regular -ir verbs (all six persons)?

    -o, -es, -e, -imos, -ís, -en. Example (vivir): vivo, vives, vive, vivimos, vivís, viven.

  10. How do the present-tense endings of -er and -ir verbs differ from each other?

    They are identical except in the nosotros and vosotros forms: -er uses -emos/-éis (comemos, coméis) while -ir uses -imos/-ís (vivimos, vivís).

  11. Conjugate the regular verb "trabajar" (to work) for yo, tú, and ellos in the present tense.

    yo trabajo, tú trabajas, ellos trabajan.

  12. Conjugate the regular verb "beber" (to drink) for yo, nosotros, and ellos in the present tense.

    yo bebo, nosotros bebemos, ellos beben.

  13. Why can Spanish subject pronouns usually be omitted in the present tense?

    Because the verb ending itself indicates the person and number (e.g. hablo can only mean "I speak"), so the pronoun is redundant and dropped unless needed for emphasis or clarity.

  14. How is the present-tense form for tú of a regular -ar verb built from its infinitive?

    Drop the -ar ending to get the stem, then add -as. Example: hablar → habl- → hablas.

  15. Conjugate the irregular verb "ser" (to be) in the present tense (all six persons).

    soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son.

  16. Conjugate the irregular verb "estar" (to be) in the present tense (all six persons).

    estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están.

  17. What is the key difference in usage between "ser" and "estar"?

    Ser expresses permanent or defining traits (identity, origin, time, characteristics); estar expresses temporary states, conditions, emotions, and location. E.g. Soy alto (I am tall) vs. Estoy cansado (I am tired).

  18. Conjugate the irregular verb "tener" (to have) in the present tense (all six persons).

    tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tenéis, tienen.

  19. Conjugate the irregular verb "ir" (to go) in the present tense (all six persons).

    voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van.

  20. Conjugate the verb "hacer" (to do/make) in the present tense (all six persons).

    hago, haces, hace, hacemos, hacéis, hacen (irregular only in the yo form).

  21. What is a "boot" or stem-changing verb, and which forms are NOT affected? Illustrate with "poder" (o→ue).

    A stem-changing verb changes its stem vowel in all forms except nosotros and vosotros (the "boot" excludes those two). Poder: puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden.

  22. Conjugate the e→ie stem-changing verb "querer" (to want) in the present tense.

    quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren.

  23. Which common Spanish verbs are irregular only in the first-person singular (yo) form? Give three examples.

    Verbs like hacer (hago), poner (pongo), salir (salgo), traer (traigo), saber (sé), and ver (veo) are regular except in the yo form.

  24. What is a reflexive verb, and how is it marked in the infinitive?

    A reflexive verb describes an action the subject does to itself; the infinitive ends in the reflexive pronoun -se (e.g. levantarse, to get [oneself] up).

  25. List the six Spanish reflexive pronouns by person.

    me (yo), te (tú), se (él/ella/usted), nos (nosotros), os (vosotros), se (ellos/ustedes).

  26. Conjugate the reflexive verb "levantarse" (to get up) in the present tense (all six persons).

    me levanto, te levantas, se levanta, nos levantamos, os levantáis, se levantan.

  27. Where is the reflexive pronoun placed with a conjugated verb versus an infinitive? Illustrate with "ducharse."

    Before a conjugated verb (me ducho = I shower), but it may attach to the end of an infinitive (Voy a ducharme = I'm going to shower).

  28. Give the meanings of the reflexive verbs "despertarse," "vestirse," and "acostarse."

    despertarse = to wake up; vestirse = to get dressed; acostarse = to go to bed / lie down.

  29. What is the difference between "lavar" and "lavarse"? Give an example of each.

    Lavar (non-reflexive) = to wash something else (Lavo el coche = I wash the car); lavarse (reflexive) = to wash oneself (Me lavo las manos = I wash my hands).

  30. How do you say "to brush one's teeth" reflexively in Spanish, and conjugate it for "yo"?

    Cepillarse los dientes; yo form: Me cepillo los dientes (I brush my teeth). Note Spanish uses the definite article los, not a possessive.

Spanish Building Vocabulary FAQ

What is in the Spanish Building Vocabulary syllabus?

Spanish Building Vocabulary is split into 2 chapters: Common Nouns and Adjectives and Verbs and Conjugation. Together they contain 6 topics.

How many chapters are in Spanish Building Vocabulary?

2 chapters, containing 6 topics. The largest chapter is Common Nouns and Adjectives, with 3 topics.

Are there flashcards for Spanish Building Vocabulary?

Yes — a 50-card Building Vocabulary deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.