The short version
- Learn words by topic, 15 to 20 at a time, for a conversation you'll really have.
- Before you learn a topic, write five sentences you'd actually say. Learn only the words those sentences need.
- Learn verbs with the words they go with, and use English word endings to pick up hundreds of words you almost know already.
If you want to learn Spanish vocabulary faster, ask one question before you learn any new word: when will I say this?
If you can't answer, it probably isn't the word to learn right now. Most vocabulary lists are organised the way a textbook is, by category or by frequency. That's fine for recognising words when you read. It's slow for speaking, because you end up with a lot of words spread thinly across topics you never talk about.
Learning faster mostly means learning fewer words, better. You pick the words for one conversation, learn them together, and use them straight away. Then you move on to the next one.
Why topics beat long lists
Words you learn together are easier to find together. If you learn la correa, sacar a pasear and cariñoso in the same week, they're linked in your memory. When someone asks about your dog, they come out as a group.
| A long word list | A topic set | |
|---|---|---|
| How many words | 100 or more | 15 to 20 |
| How they're chosen | Frequency or category | What one conversation needs |
| When you use them | Someday | This week |
| What you remember | Scattered words | A group of words that come out together |
This is also why a topic set sticks faster. You use the words straight away, in sentences, so you're reviewing them without having to make a special effort. If you use flashcards, this post on flashcards for speaking explains how to build them into small decks around conversations.
Choose the words with the five-sentence test
Here's a simple way to decide which words to learn for a topic.
Pick a topic, like doing the food shopping. In English, write five sentences you'd genuinely say about it. "I usually go to the supermarket on Saturdays." "I always forget my bags." Then work out the Spanish for those five sentences, and learn only the words they need. You'll end up with a short, useful list, and every word on it is one you'll actually say.
For the food shopping, your five sentences might give you something like this:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| hacer la compra | to do the food shopping |
| el súper | the supermarket (short for supermercado) |
| la bolsa | the bag |
| el carro / la cesta | the trolley / the basket |
| la cola | the queue |
| pagar con tarjeta | to pay by card |
| la oferta | the special offer |
| se me olvida | I forget |
That's eight words, and they cover a real conversation. Compare that with learning a list of 40 foods, most of which you'll never mention.
Learn words with their partners
A lot of hesitation comes from knowing the noun but not the verb that goes with it. You know la compra but not whether you "make" it or "do" it. You know la lavadora but not how to say "put the washing machine on".
So learn them together. These pairs are called collocations, and learning them as one chunk saves you from guessing mid-sentence.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| hacer la compra | to do the shopping |
| poner la lavadora | to put the washing on |
| sacar la basura | to take the rubbish out |
| tomar algo | to have a drink |
| coger el metro | to take the metro |
| pedir cita | to make an appointment |
| echar de menos | to miss (someone or something) |
Notice how often the verb isn't the one you'd guess from English. That's exactly why it's worth learning the pair. Coger el metro is normal in Spain, even though you might expect tomar.
Use the patterns you already know
This is the quickest vocabulary win there is. Many English words have a Spanish version that follows a regular pattern. Once you know the pattern, you can often make the Spanish word yourself.
| English ending | Spanish ending | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -tion | -ción | información, situación, estación |
| -ty | -dad | universidad, realidad, posibilidad |
| -ly | -mente | normalmente, exactamente, totalmente |
| -ous | -oso | famoso, nervioso, delicioso |
| -ic | -ico | fantástico, público, típico |
| -ary | -ario | necesario, diccionario, ordinario |
It won't work every time, but it works often enough to be worth trying. If you're stuck for a word ending in "-tion", try the -ción version. You'll be right more often than not, and if you're not, people will usually still understand you.
A few words look like English but mean something else. Actual means current, not actual. Librería is a bookshop, not a library (biblioteca). Éxito means success, not exit (salida). Embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed. Learn these few on purpose so they don't catch you out.
One topic, one week
Here's how a topic set fits into a normal week, at about 15 minutes a day. If you already follow a 15-minute daily routine, this slots straight into it.
Day 1: choose the words
Do the five-sentence test and make your list. Aim for 15 to 20 words, including the verb partners.
Days 2 and 3: learn them out loud
Review the words with flashcards or a list, and say every one out loud. Say the Spanish, not just the English meaning in your head.
Days 4 and 5: put them in sentences
Say your five sentences. Then change them: a different day, a different shop, a different reason.
- Hago la compra los sábados.I do the shopping on Saturdays.
- Hago la compra los sábados por la mañana.I do the shopping on Saturday mornings.
- Hago la compra los sábados por la mañana, pero siempre se me olvidan las bolsas.I do the shopping on Saturday mornings, but I always forget the bags.
Days 6 and 7: use them in a conversation
Have the conversation, with a person or out loud on your own. Then pick next week's topic.
After a few weeks, you'll notice the topics start to overlap. Se me olvida works for bags, keys and birthdays. Por la mañana works everywhere. Your vocabulary grows faster because each new topic reuses words from the last one.
Common mistakes
Learning huge lists. You recognise the words but can't find them when you speak.
15 to 20 words a week, for one conversation.
Learning words you'll never say. They take the same effort and give you nothing back.
Use the five-sentence test.
Learning nouns on their own. You still hesitate over the verb.
Learn the verb and noun together as one chunk.
Reviewing silently. Your mouth never practises the words.
Say every word and sentence out loud.
Moving on before you've used them.
Use each topic in at least one real or practice conversation.
If a word you need keeps escaping you in real life, note it down. The post on thinking in Spanish has a simple way to collect those gaps and turn them into your next topic. You can also share your weekly topic list in the 100 Spanish Conversations community on Skool and see what other learners are working on.
Recap
- Ask "when will I say this?" before learning a word.
- Learn 15 to 20 words by topic, for one conversation at a time.
- Use the five-sentence test to choose them.
- Learn verbs and nouns together.
- Use English endings like -tion and -ty to work out words you almost know.
If you'd rather not build every topic yourself, 100 Spanish Conversations gives you the words, structures and conversation for 100 themes, one a week, ready to practise out loud.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com