· 21 lists · 1006 words

The groundwork

The words no sentence can stand without.

What holds these lists together

These lists belong to no area, which means they belong to all of them. A verb such as tener, a preposition, a number, a question word: they turn up in every conversation recorded anywhere else on this site, so each word here repays the effort most. Spanish adds a reason English does not have. Its small words carry written accents that keep two of them apart — tú and tu, él and el, sí and si — and a writer used to English, which has none, tends to leave them off. The verbs of change belong here too: where English says «become», Spanish chooses between se puso nervioso, se hizo rico and se quedó ciego.

The 21 lists

A1Greetings and politenessThe words every conversation starts with.40 words A1People, articles and question wordsThe words no sentence stands without.46 words A1Numbers and timeCounting, telling the time, making an appointment.57 words A1The most important verbsThe verbs that will say almost anything.56 words A1Colours and qualitiesDescribing something you cannot point at.34 words A1Everyday words A1The words that stand between all the others.34 words A1Months, tens and what was missing between themFour months, six tens and the verbs of the first day.49 words A2Words for everythingThe joins: the words that hold a sentence together.50 words A2Core verbs and their companyThe frequent verbs that no topic list contained.48 words A2Verbs of doing and causingThe verbs this site itself keeps using.50 words A2Words for facts and thingsThe nouns you need in order to talk about anything.50 words A2Qualities and relationsThe quiet adjectives, and the words that place things.52 words B1Measurements, quantities, changeBigger, heavier, twice as much — and by how much.50 words B1Words for everything (B1)Qualifying, giving reasons, softening — and starting the next sentence.40 words B2Becoming: six verbs for one changeSpanish says how the change happened, not only that it did.50 words B2Exact adjectivesThe words that replace « interesting » and « odd ».50 words B2Time and sequenceDuration, repetition, what came first — the words a story runs on.50 words C1Verb phrasesTwo verbs, one meaning — where English uses a particle.50 words C2Space and positionMore exact than « left » and « at the back ».50 words C2MovementHow something moves — not only that it moves.50 words C2Quantity and degreeHow much — and how sure one is of it.50 words

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.

Level	Words	Share
A1	316	31 %
A2	251	25 %
B1	89	9 %
B2	150	15 %
C1	50	5 %
C2	150	15 %

Practise this category

Multiple choice and gaps, across all 21 lists and all 1006 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.