Objectives:
Learn common greetings and basic expressions in Spanish.
Understand basic Spanish pronunciation rules.
Familiarize yourself with the Spanish alphabet.
Greetings and Basic Expressions
Vocabulary:
Hola - Hello
Buenos días - Good morning
Buenas tardes - Good afternoon
Buenas noches - Good evening/night
Adiós - Goodbye
Hasta luego - See you later
Hasta mañana - See you tomorrow
Por favor - Please
Gracias - Thank you
De nada - You're welcome
Perdón - Excuse me / Sorry
Sí - Yes
No - No
Common Phrases:
¿Cómo estás? - How are you? (informal)
¿Cómo está usted? - How are you? (formal)
Estoy bien, gracias. - I am fine, thank you.
¿Y tú? - And you? (informal)
¿Y usted? - And you? (formal)
¿Cuál es tu nombre? - What is your name? (informal)
¿Cuál es su nombre? - What is your name? (formal)
Me llamo... - My name is...
Mucho gusto - Nice to meet you.
Igualmente - Likewise.
Practice Dialogues:
Dialogue 1: Informal Greeting
Person A: Hola, ¿cómo estás?
Person B: Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
Person A: Bien, gracias. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?
Person B: Me llamo Juan. Mucho gusto.
Person A: Igualmente.
Dialogue 2: Formal Greeting
Person A: Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted?
Person B: Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?
Person A: Bien, gracias. ¿Cuál es su nombre?
Person B: Me llamo María. Mucho gusto.
Person A: Igualmente.
Pronunciation Guide
Spanish pronunciation is generally straightforward, as most letters have a consistent sound. Here are some key points:
A: Pronounced like the 'a' in "father."
E: Pronounced like the 'e' in "bed."
I: Pronounced like the 'ee' in "see."
O: Pronounced like the 'o' in "so."
U: Pronounced like the 'oo' in "food."
Consonants:
B and V: Both are pronounced like the 'b' in "boy," though in some regions, 'v' is softer.
C: Before 'e' or 'i', it is pronounced like the 'th' in "thin" (in Spain) or like the 's' in "see" (in Latin America). Otherwise, it's pronounced like the 'k' in "cat."
G: Before 'e' or 'i', it is pronounced like the 'h' in "hello." Otherwise, it sounds like the 'g' in "go."
H: Always silent (e.g., hola is pronounced "ola").
J: Pronounced like the 'h' in "hello."
LL: Pronounced like the 'y' in "yes."
Ñ: Pronounced like the 'ny' in "canyon."
R: Tapped or rolled depending on its position. A single 'r' is tapped, like in "butter" in American English, while a double 'rr' is rolled.
Z: Pronounced like the 'th' in "thin" (in Spain) or like the 's' in "see" (in Latin America).
Introduction to the Spanish Alphabet
The Spanish alphabet consists of 27 letters:
A (a)
B (be)
C (ce)
D (de)
E (e)
F (efe)
G (ge)
H (hache)
I (i)
J (jota)
K (ka)
L (ele)
M (eme)
N (ene)
Ñ (eñe)
O (o)
P (pe)
Q (cu)
R (erre)
S (ese)
T (te)
U (u)
V (uve)
W (uve doble)
X (equis)
Y (i griega or ye)
Z (zeta)
Practice Exercise:
Write out the Spanish alphabet and say each letter aloud.
Practice pronouncing the following words, paying attention to the specific sounds of the letters:
Hola (hello)
Adiós (goodbye)
Gracias (thank you)
Por favor (please)
Perdón (sorry/excuse me)
Summary
In this lesson, you learned essential Spanish greetings and basic expressions, which are foundational for everyday conversations. You also explored the basics of Spanish pronunciation and familiarized yourself with the Spanish alphabet. Practice these fundamentals regularly to build a strong foundation for your Spanish language journey.
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