Like in any other language, focusing on mastering a core set of words and phrases is crucial for building confidence and understanding of the language. Learning basic Spanish words and phrases will provide me with a solid framework upon which I could gradually construct more complex sentences and express my thoughts more fluently.

To make it even easier to learn, I found this online resource that breaks down the essential words and phrases into categories to make the learning process more manageable. This also helps to focus on mastering vocabulary and phrases relevant to particular contexts or situations. Whether it’s greetings and introductions, everyday conversations, travel essentials, or specific topics like food, shopping, or directions, having it all organized into categories will allow me to tailor my learning experience to my personal preferences and goals. I found a couple more online articles: 50 Basic Spanish Words and Phrases and 100 Common Spanish Words for Beginners. This week I decided to focus only on learning greetings, responses, and how to introduce myself.

I looked for a couple more online resources to help me learn the basics of Spanish language and I found these two YouTube channels: Real Fast Spanish and Language Animated. The Real Fast Spanish YouTube channel offers videos on grammar, vocabulary, and useful phrases, however, I found it challenging to follow as a beginner learner. The Language Animated YouTube channel uses animated videos to teach language concepts and provides clear and detailed explanation suitable for beginners.  For example, the Lesson 1 – Greetings, from the Language Animated channel, is a great video to start with to get yourself familiar with the basic words and expressions to begin a conversation. One of the videos to learned from is the Lesson 7 – How to Greet People in Spanish for Beginners , which is, of course, from my favorite YouTube channel – Language Tutor – Spanish. Dr. Danny Evans provides cultural insights, tips, and examples on when and how to use each greeting appropriately.

Mastering basic Spanish greetings is indeed crucial for initiating conversations and building connections with others. After reviewing the online resources provided above, I decided to organizing these phrases into categories to help me practice and memorize them more effectively:

BASIC SPANISH GREETINGS

• Hola – Hello
• Buenos días – Good morning
• Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
• Buenas noches – Good evening / Good night
• ¿Cómo estás? – How are you? (informal)
• ¿Cómo está usted? – How are you? (formal)
• ¿Qué tal? – How’s it going?
• ¿Hablas español? – Do you speak Spanish?
• ¿De dónde eres? – Where are you from? (Informal)
• ¿De dónde es usted? – Where are you from? (Formal)
• ¿Cuántos años tienes? – How old are you? (Informal)
• ¿Cuántos años tiene usted? – How old are you (Formal)

RESPONSES

• Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? – I’m fine, thank you. And you? (informal)
• Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? – I’m fine, thank you. And you? (formal)
• Muy bien, gracias – Very well, thank you
• Más o menos/Así así – So-so/Not too bad
• No muy bien – Not very well
• ¿Y tú? – And you? (informal)
• ¿Y usted? – And you? (formal)
• Yo hablo español – I speak Spanish
• No, no hablo español – I do not speak Spanish
• Yo soy de Ukrania. ¿Y tú? – I am from Ukraine. And you?
• Tengo 28 años. ¿Y tú? – I am 28 years old. And you?
• Hasta luego – See you later
• Hasta mañana – See you tomorrow
• Sí – Yes
• Claro – Of course
• No – No
• Por favor – Please
• Gracias – Thank you
• Muchas gracias – Thank you very much
• Muchísimas gracias – Thank you very much
• De nada – You are welcome
• Perdón or Disculpe– Excuse me
• Lo siento – I am sorry

SELF-INTRODUCTION

• ¿Cómo te llamas? – What’s your name?
• Me llamo [your name] – My name is [your name]
• Mi nombre es [your name] – My name is [your name]
• Soy [your name] – I am [your name]
• Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you
• Encantado/Encantada – Nice to meet you (masculine/feminine), similar to “Enchanté” in French.

After learning basic greetings, responses, and self-introduction phrases, I was able to understand this basic conversation for beginners:

I can already see the progress I’ve made in learning Spanish in such a short amount of time, and it’s incredibly motivating. Just a few weeks ago, I struggled to understand even the most basic conversations (example is in the video above). I couldn’t imagine being able to engage in a simple conversation myself. But now, I can greet people confidently, introduce myself, and even hold a basic conversation in Spanish.

I also tried Duolingo and Memrise (as recommended by one of my classmates) applications to improve my learning progress. Each app offers its own unique features and methodologies, so experimenting with both allows me to find the one that best suits my learning style and preferences.

For me, Memrise has been a better fit compared to Duolingo for a few reasons:

• First, I found Memrise’s approach to be more focused on vocabulary acquisition, which is crucial for building a strong foundation in any language. The spaced repetition system they use really helped me retain the words I learned and reinforce them over time.
• Secondly, I appreciated Memrise’s emphasis on real-life situations and practical phrases. Finishing their first lesson on greetings already makes me feel more confident and prepared for my travels, as I’ll be equipped with the basic phrases needed to communicate with locals.
• Lastly, another aspect I liked about Memrise is that it incorporates elements of multimedia and clear audio recordings of words and phrases spoken by native speakers. It kept me engaged during the lesson.

I’m feeling accomplished and motivated reflecting on this week’s progress in learning Spanish. I experimented with different apps and delved into various resources to expand my language skills. Learning how to greet people, introduce myself, and engage in simple conversations in Spanish feels like a significant milestone. These basic expressions are the building blocks of communication, and mastering them opens up countless opportunities for meaningful interactions, especially as I prepare for my summer travels.

I’m excited to dive deeper into the language next week and learning even more useful expressions that will undoubtedly come in handy during my adventures. Here’s to another week of discovery and growth! Stay tuned 🙂