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A1.1 · Week 1About 60 minutes · Audio throughout

Greetings & Introductions

Saludos y presentaciones

Meeting people for the first time.

After this lesson, you'll be able to

  • Greet people at different times of day
  • Introduce yourself by name
  • Ask someone's name
  • Say goodbye appropriately
  • Understand that Spanish nouns have gender (masculine/feminine)
  • Use el/la (the) with common nouns
Stage 1
Week 1 of 12
Next lesson: Week 2: Personal Information →
Next lesson: Week 2: Personal Information →

Grammar focus

Essential grammar for this lesson with examples.

Grammar point 1 of 7

The Spanish alphabet & pronunciation

Spanish uses the same alphabet as English, plus the letter ñ. The good news: Spanish pronunciation is very consistent - letters almost always sound the same way. Here are the key sounds that differ from English:

Examples

a, e, i, o, u"ah", "eh", "ee", "oh", "oo" - vowels are pure and short
v (uve)Same as "b" - vino sounds like "bino"
j (jota)Like English "h" but stronger - Juan, trabajo
ñ (eñe)Like "ny" in canyon - España, mañana
z (zeta)"th" in Spain, "s" in Latin America - zapato, diez
ll (elle)"y" in most places, "sh" in Argentina - llamar, calle
rr (erre)Rolled/trilled "r" - perro, arroz
Tip

Don't worry about perfect pronunciation yet. Focus on being understood - the accent will come with practice!

Interactive Alphabet - Click to Hear

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Click any letter to jump to its pronunciation, or use the play button to hear the complete alphabet.

Full guide to the Spanish alphabet →
Grammar point 2 of 7

Word stress rules

Spanish words have rules about which syllable to stress. Accent marks (á, é, í, ó, ú) tell you when the stress breaks the normal rule.

The highlighted part is the stressed syllable.

hablocasacomen
Words ending in vowel/n/s: stress second-to-last
hablarespañolciudad
Words ending in consonant (not n/s): stress last syllable
cafémamámúsica
Accent mark overrides the rules
Tip

Accent marks also distinguish meanings: el (the) vs él (he), si (if) vs sí (yes), tu (your) vs tú (you).

Complete guide to Spanish stress & syllables →
Grammar point 3 of 7

Introducing yourself with "ser"

To say who you are in Spanish, use the verb "ser" (to be). For now, you only need three forms: soy (I am), eres (you are) and es (he/she is). Don't worry about learning all the verb forms yet - we'll cover verbs properly from Week 8.

Examples

Yo soy María.I am María.
Tú eres Juan.You are Juan.
Ella es Ana.She is Ana.
Soy estudiante.I'm a student.
Tip

In Spanish, "yo" (I) is often dropped because the verb ending tells us who's speaking. "Soy María" is more natural than "Yo soy María."

Grammar point 4 of 7

Asking names with "llamarse"

To ask and give names, Spanish uses "llamarse" (literally: to call oneself). This is a reflexive verb, but don't worry about what that means for now - just learn these phrases as set expressions. We'll explain reflexive verbs in detail in a later stage.

Examples

¿Cómo te llamas?What's your name?
Me llamo Ana.My name is Ana.
¿Y tú?And you?
Tip

You can also say "Soy Ana" (I'm Ana) - both are correct and common.

Grammar point 5 of 7

Time of day greetings

Spanish greetings change based on the time of day. Unlike English, these are essential in everyday interactions - you'll use them constantly when entering shops, meeting people, or starting conversations.

Examples

¡Hola!Hello! / Hi! - works any time, informal
Buenos díasGood morning - used until lunchtime (around 2pm in Spain)
Buenas tardesGood afternoon - used from lunchtime until dark (in Spain, until about 8-9pm)
Buenas nochesGood evening / Good night - used after sunset
Tip

Notice: "Buenos días" is masculine (día = day), but "Buenas tardes/noches" are feminine (tarde = afternoon, noche = night). This is because of noun gender - which we'll explain next!

Grammar point 6 of 7

Definite articles - el, la (the)

Every Spanish noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. This isn't about biology - even objects like "table" or "book" have a gender! The word for "the" changes to match: "el" for masculine nouns, "la" for feminine nouns.

Examples

el librothe book (masculine)
la mesathe table (feminine)
el díathe day (masculine)
la nochethe night (feminine)
Tip

Quick pattern: Most nouns ending in -o are masculine (el libro), most ending in -a are feminine (la mesa). But there are exceptions! "El día" ends in -a but is masculine. We'll learn more patterns in Week 4.

Full guide to Spanish articles →
Grammar point 7 of 7

Numbers 0-20

Numbers 0-15 need to be memorised individually. From 16-19, you'll notice a pattern: dieci + number (dieciséis = diez + seis). Learning these well now will make higher numbers much easier later!

Examples

0-10: cero, uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diezMemorise these - they're the building blocks
11-15: once, doce, trece, catorce, quinceThese are unique - no pattern, just memorise
16-19: dieciséis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinuevePattern: dieci + number (written as one word)
veinte20 - another key number to memorise
Tip

"Uno" becomes "un" before masculine nouns: un libro (a book), un café (a coffee). We'll learn about "un/una" (a/an) next week!

Conversation

Conversation example

Two people meet at a coffee shop.

  1. Ana¡Hola! ¿Cómo te llamas?Hello! What's your name?
  2. PabloHola. Me llamo Pablo. ¿Y tú?Hi. My name is Pablo. And you?
  3. AnaSoy Ana. Mucho gusto.I'm Ana. Nice to meet you.
  4. PabloIgualmente. ¿De dónde eres?Likewise. Where are you from?
  5. AnaSoy de México. ¿Y tú?I'm from Mexico. And you?
  6. PabloSoy de España.I'm from Spain.

Want to learn more?

Vocabulary

Key words and phrases for this lesson.

Greetings

  • ¡Hola!Hello! / Hi!
  • Buenos díasGood morningUsed until lunchtime (around 2pm in Spain)
  • Buenas tardesGood afternoonUsed from lunchtime (around 2pm in Spain) until dark
  • Buenas nochesGood evening / Good nightUsed after sunset

Goodbyes

  • AdiósGoodbye
  • Hasta luegoSee you later
  • Hasta mañanaSee you tomorrow
  • ChaoByeInformal, very common in Latin America

Meeting people

  • Mucho gustoNice to meet you
  • Encantado/EncantadaPleased to meet youUse -o if you're male, -a if female
  • IgualmenteLikewise / Same to you

Polite expressions

  • Por favorPlease
  • GraciasThank you
  • Muchas graciasThank you very much
  • De nadaYou're welcome

Useful phrases

  • ¿Cómo te llamas?What's your name?
  • Me llamo...My name is...
  • Soy...I am...
  • ¿Y tú?And you?

Numbers 0-20

  • cero0
  • uno1Becomes "un" before masculine nouns
  • dos2
  • tres3
  • cuatro4
  • cinco5
  • seis6
  • siete7
  • ocho8
  • nueve9
  • diez10
  • once11
  • doce12
  • trece13
  • catorce14
  • quince15
  • dieciséis16
  • diecisiete17
  • dieciocho18
  • diecinueve19
  • veinte20

Practice

Test your understanding with these exercises.

Exercise 1 of 5 · Video

Watch the video and answer the questions:

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  1. 1. ¿Cómo se llama? (What is her name?)

  2. 2. ¿De dónde es? (Where is she from?)

  3. 3. What time of day is it?

  4. 4. What was the last thing she said?

Exercise 2 of 5 · Matching

Match the Spanish greeting with its English meaning:

Spanish
English
Exercise 3 of 5 · Fill in the blanks

Complete the conversation:

  1. ¡Hola! ¿Cómo te ?
    (Asking someone's name)
  2. llamo Pedro.
    (Saying your name)
  3. Mucho .
    (Nice to meet you)
  4. de España.
    (I am from...)
Exercise 4 of 5 · Multiple choice

Choose the correct response:

  1. 1. It's 10am. How do you greet someone?

  2. 2. Someone says "Mucho gusto." How do you respond?

  3. 3. How do you ask someone's name?

Exercise 5 of 5 · Multiple choice

Choose the correct article (el or la):

  1. 1. _____ libro (book)

  2. 2. _____ mesa (table)

  3. 3. _____ día (day)

  4. 4. _____ noche (night)

  5. 5. _____ café (coffee)

  6. 6. _____ casa (house)

Listening practice

ConversationBeginnerElenaCarlos

En la cafetería

At the coffee shop

Tip: If you need help, review the questions first, use the slow speed option, and check the transcript.

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ShowHide Transcript
  1. Elena¡Hola! Buenos días.Hello! Good morning.
  2. CarlosBuenos días. ¿Cómo te llamas?Good morning. What's your name?
  3. ElenaMe llamo Elena. ¿Y tú?My name is Elena. And you?
  4. CarlosSoy Carlos. Mucho gusto.I'm Carlos. Nice to meet you.
  5. ElenaIgualmente. Estoy en la mesa cinco.Likewise. I'm at table five.
  6. Carlos¡Ah, mesa cinco! Hasta luego, Elena.Ah, table five! See you later, Elena.
  7. Elena¡Adiós, Carlos!Goodbye, Carlos!

Comprehension questions

Answer all 4 questions based on the conversation.

  1. Question 1

    ¿Es por la mañana, por la tarde o por la noche?

    Is it morning, afternoon or night?

  2. Question 2

    ¿Cómo se llama la mujer?

    What is the woman's name?

  3. Question 3

    ¿En qué mesa está Elena?

    What table is Elena at?

  4. Question 4

    ¿Cómo se despide Carlos?

    How does Carlos say goodbye?

Before your next lesson

Review materials

Review lesson vocabulary

Test yourself on this week's vocabulary with interactive flashcards.

Practise this week

  • Practise greeting people at different times of day (morning, afternoon, evening)
  • Introduce yourself to a friend or family member in Spanish
  • Count from 0 to 20 out loud - try to do it faster each time!
  • Practise using el/la with nouns you know: el libro, la mesa, el día, la noche
  • Listen to the dialogue again and repeat each line

Homework

  • Write a short introduction about yourself (3-4 sentences): your name, where you're from
  • Memorise the numbers 0-20 for a quick quiz next week

Extra practice

Reinforce what you learned this week with these exercises from our site:

Coming Up Next

Next week we'll learn to talk about ourselves - age, nationality, profession - and introduce "un/una" (a/an) for indefinite articles.

Ready? Start Week 2 now →
Up next · A1.1 Week 2
Personal Information
Start Week 2

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