Getting Started
¡Empezamos!
⏱ 30-45 minWhat you'll learn
- ✓ Pronounce the Spanish alphabet and key sounds
- ✓ Use numbers 1-100 confidently
- ✓ Greet people formally and informally
- ✓ Understand basic classroom instructions
- ✓ Introduce yourself with name, age, and origin
Grammar Focus
Essential grammar for this topic with exam tips and links to full explanations.
Spanish Alphabet & Pronunciation
Spanish has 27 letters. Most sound similar to English, but some are different. The good news: Spanish is phonetic - words are pronounced as they are spelled!
Examples:
a, e, i, o, u
Vowels always sound the same (ah, eh, ee, oh, oo)
ñ (eñe)
Like "ny" in canyon: España (Spain), niño (boy)
j
Like "h" in hot: jugar (to play), rojo (red)
ll
Like "y" in yes: llamar (to call), calle (street)
rr
Rolled/trilled: perro (dog), carro (car)
⚠️Exam tip: Good pronunciation helps in speaking exams! Practice the tricky sounds: j, ll, ñ, rr, z, and the vowels.
Learn more about Spanish Alphabet →Stress & Accent Marks
Gender: El vs La
Every Spanish noun is either masculine (el) or feminine (la). Most words ending in -o are masculine, most ending in -a are feminine.
Examples:
el libro, el chico, el día
the book, the boy, the day (masculine)
la mesa, la chica, la mano
the table, the girl, the hand (feminine)
el/la estudiante
the student (can be either)
⚠️Exam tip: Watch out for exceptions! "El día" (day) is masculine even though it ends in -a. "La mano" (hand) is feminine even though it ends in -o.
Learn more about Gender Of Nouns →Subject Pronouns
Know your subject pronouns - you'll need them for verb conjugation.
Examples:
yo, tú, él/ella/usted
I, you (informal), he/she/you (formal)
nosotros/as, vosotros/as
we, you all (Spain)
ellos/ellas/ustedes
they (m/f), you all (formal/Latin America)
⚠️Exam tip: In Spanish, you often drop the subject pronoun because the verb ending tells you who's doing the action: "Hablo español" = "I speak Spanish"
Learn more about Subject Pronouns →