Who this path is for
You have decided to learn Latin American Spanish and you are starting from zero. You can probably recognise hola and gracias, but anything beyond a single word feels like a wall of sound. This path is the first wall to break. It walks you through the thirty topics that, taken together, let you read short signs, introduce yourself, ask basic questions, and understand a slow speaker talking about everyday life. Nothing here is optional — every later path assumes you are comfortable with this material — but everything here is achievable in a few weeks of steady study.
The path
1. The Spanish Alphabet
Learn the letters and their names. You'll need this to spell your own name out loud and to understand when someone spells something at you.
2. Vowel Sounds
Spanish vowels are pure and consistent — five sounds, no exceptions. Master them now and your accent will be far ahead of learners who skip this step.
3. Stress Rules
A few simple rules tell you which syllable is loudest. Get these right and you will already sound like you know what you are doing.
4. Latin American Pronunciation
A short tour of the sounds that distinguish Latin American Spanish from European Spanish, so you know what to aim for.
5. Gender of Nouns: Overview
Every Spanish noun is masculine or feminine. Knowing the basic patterns lets you guess correctly most of the time.
6. Plural Formation
Add -s or -es to make a noun plural. The rules are short and almost without exceptions.
7. Definite Articles
El, la, los, las — the four words for "the". Learn them paired with each new noun and you will internalise gender at the same time.
8. Indefinite Articles
Un, una, unos, unas — the four words for "a" and "some". Same logic as the definite articles.
9. Adjectives: The Four-Form Pattern
Most Spanish adjectives change ending to match the noun. Learn the four-form pattern early and you will avoid the most common beginner error.
10. Subject Pronouns: Overview
Yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros, ustedes, ellos, ellas. These are the words for I, you, he, she, we, you all, they. You need them to understand any verb conjugation.
11. Tú vs Usted
Spanish has two words for "you" depending on how formal you are being. Knowing when to use each one is more important than any verb form.
12. Ser in the Present
Soy, eres, es, somos, son. The first verb everyone learns. Use it for who you are, where you're from, and what you do.
13. Estar in the Present
Estoy, estás, está, estamos, están. The second "to be" — for how you feel and where you are right now.
14. Ser vs Estar: Overview
A first look at choosing between the two verbs. You will revisit this many times — start now with the simple cases.
15. Tener in the Present
Tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen. "To have" — irregular but indispensable from day one.
16. Tener Expressions
In Spanish you "have" hunger, thirst, age, and fear. Learning these expressions opens up dozens of everyday sentences.
17. Ir in the Present
Voy, vas, va, vamos, van. "To go" — short, irregular, and incredibly common.
18. Hay
One word that means "there is" and "there are". You will use it in almost every conversation.
19. Regular -ar Verbs in the Present
The biggest verb group in the language. Learn the six endings and you can use hundreds of verbs immediately.
20. Regular -er Verbs in the Present
The second-largest verb group. Same idea, slightly different endings.
21. Regular -ir Verbs in the Present
The smallest of the three regular groups, but you'll need it for vivir, escribir, and other essentials.
22. Basic Negation
Put no before the verb. That's it. The simplest grammar rule in Spanish.
23. Yes/No Questions
You don't need any extra words to ask a yes/no question — just change your intonation. Spanish is beautifully easy here.
24. Question Words: Qué
¿Qué? means "what". Combined with a verb you already know, you have a question.
25. Question Words: Dónde
¿Dónde? means "where". Essential the moment you set foot in a Spanish-speaking country.
26. Cardinal Numbers 0–30
Numbers up to thirty cover ages, prices in small currencies, and most everyday counting.
27. Telling Time
¿Qué hora es? — Son las tres. Learn the patterns once and you will use them every day.
28. Dates
Days of the week, months, and how to say "the fifth of May". Short, practical, and a quick win.
29. Greetings and Goodbyes
The first words anyone needs in any language. There are more than you think — buenos días, qué tal, hasta luego, nos vemos.
30. Polite Expressions
Por favor, gracias, perdón, con permiso. These tiny phrases will buy you enormous goodwill from native speakers.
Next step
When you finish this path, move on to Path: A2 Consolidation, which builds on these foundations with the past tense, object pronouns, and reflexive verbs.
Related Topics
- The Spanish AlphabetA1 — The 27 letters of the Spanish alphabet, their names, and an overview of pronunciation
- Vowel SoundsA1 — The five pure vowel sounds of Spanish and how they differ from English vowels
- Grammatical GenderA1 — Every Spanish noun has a gender — masculine or feminine — which affects articles, adjectives, and pronouns
- Definite Articles (El, La, Los, Las)A1 — The four forms of the definite article and how they agree with the noun's gender and number
- Ser in the PresentA1 — Conjugation and main uses of the irregular verb ser in the present indicative.
- Estar in the PresentA1 — Conjugation and main uses of the irregular verb estar in the present indicative.
- Tener in the PresentA1 — The present indicative of tener, its irregular forms, and the many tener expressions.
- Regular -ar VerbsA1 — How to conjugate regular verbs ending in -ar in the present indicative.
- Basic Negation with NoA1 — Learn how to form simple negative sentences in Spanish using no before the verb.
- Yes/No QuestionsA1 — Form simple yes/no questions in Spanish using intonation and inverted punctuation, without any auxiliary verb.