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Spanish A2: everyday conversation
Elementary Spanish flashcards: preterite and imperfect, plans, reflexive routine verbs, opinions, health, home, work and travel, with regional word notes.
40 cards6 topicsAbout 15 minutes a roundTypical second-semester introductory Spanish (Spanish 2, elementary A2 level)
About this deck
This deck is for learners who have completed a first Spanish course or reached A1 and now want to manage everyday conversations. At the A2 level of the CEFR you can describe your routine, tell what happened last weekend, talk about plans, compare things, and handle routine tasks such as renting an apartment, visiting a doctor or buying a ticket. The cards cover the preterite, imperfect and present perfect, ways to talk about the future, reflexive verbs for daily routine, opinion phrases and connectors, home, health and weather, and vocabulary for work, technology and travel.
You should already know the present tense of regular verbs and of ser, estar, tener and ir, plus basic articles and adjective agreement. Many everyday words differ between Spain and Latin America, so the cards name both where the difference matters: apartment, computer, cell phone and ticket are classic examples. One verb, coger, is harmless in Spain but vulgar in several Latin American countries, which is worth knowing early.
Practise the past tense cards by telling a short story aloud: set the scene with the imperfect, then move the action forward with the preterite. Change the subject of each example sentence to drill the endings.
Common mistakes: using the imperfect for a single completed event (or the preterite for a habit); forgetting the reflexive pronoun with routine verbs (me levanto, not yo levanto); and using pero after a negative where sino is needed to correct the first idea.
Before you start: Spanish A1 or one semester of introductory Spanish: present tense, ser and estar, gustar and basic vocabulary.
All 40 cards
Cover the definitions with a sheet of paper and test yourself, or use the study modes above.
Talking about the past
- el pretérito indefinido
- The simple past for completed actions with a clear end, also called the preterite. Regular -ar endings: -é, -aste, -ó, -amos, -asteis, -aron.Example: Ayer hablé con mi profesora. (Yesterday I spoke with my professor.)
- comí / viví
- I ate / I lived. Regular -er and -ir preterite endings: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.Example: Anoche comí en un restaurante peruano. (Last night I ate at a Peruvian restaurant.)
- fui
- I went, or I was. Ir and ser share the same preterite forms (fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron); context decides.Example: El sábado fui al cine. (On Saturday I went to the movies.)
- el imperfecto
- The past tense for habits, background and descriptions. Endings: -aba for -ar verbs, -ía for -er and -ir verbs.Example: De niño, jugaba al fútbol todos los días. (As a child, I used to play soccer every day.)
- he comido
- I have eaten (present perfect, haber + participle). Spain often uses it for events earlier today; most of Latin America prefers the simple past there.Example: Spain: Hoy he comido temprano. Mexico: Hoy comí temprano. (Today I ate early.)
- hace + tiempo
- Ago, when followed by a length of time and used with a past verb.Example: Llegué a Canadá hace tres años. (I arrived in Canada three years ago.)
- acabar de + infinitivo
- To have just done something. Acabo de means I have just.Example: Acabo de terminar la tarea. (I have just finished the homework.)
- ya / todavía no
- Already / not yet. Todavía alone means still.Example: ¿Ya comiste? No, todavía no. (Did you eat already? No, not yet.)
Plans and the future
- ir a + infinitivo
- Going to, for plans and predictions: present of ir, then a, then an infinitive.Example: Voy a estudiar esta noche. (I'm going to study tonight.)
- pensar + infinitivo
- To plan or intend to do something. Pensar changes e to ie: pienso, piensas.Example: Pienso viajar a Colombia en julio. (I'm planning to travel to Colombia in July.)
- la próxima semana / el año que viene
- Next week / next year. El mes que viene and el próximo mes both mean next month.Example: La próxima semana empiezo un trabajo nuevo. (Next week I start a new job.)
- ¿Podría...?
- Could you...? The conditional of poder for polite requests; informally ¿Podrías...?Example: ¿Podría hablar más despacio, por favor? (Could you speak more slowly, please?)
Daily routine
- levantarse
- To get up. Reflexive verbs need a pronoun that matches the subject: me levanto, te levantas, se levanta.Example: Me levanto a las siete. (I get up at seven.)
- despertarse
- To wake up. Stem change e to ie: me despierto. Compare levantarse, getting out of bed.Example: Me despierto antes de la alarma. (I wake up before the alarm.)
- ducharse
- To shower. In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, bañarse is commonly used for a shower too.Example: Me ducho por la mañana. (I shower in the morning.)
- acostarse
- To go to bed. Stem change o to ue: me acuesto. Dormir means to sleep.Example: Normalmente me acuesto a las once. (I usually go to bed at eleven.)
- soler + infinitivo
- To usually do something, a compact way to describe habits. Stem change: suelo, sueles.Example: Suelo desayunar café con pan. (I usually have coffee and bread for breakfast.)
- todos los días
- Every day. Similar: todas las semanas, cada lunes.Example: Camino al campus todos los días. (I walk to campus every day.)
- por lo general
- Generally or usually; sits at the start of a sentence about routines.Example: Por lo general, ceno en casa. (Generally I have dinner at home.)
Opinions and connectors
- creo que
- I think that or I believe that, from creer. When negated (no creo...), the clause that follows takes the subjunctive.Example: Creo que es una buena idea. (I think it's a good idea.)
- en mi opinión / para mí
- In my opinion / for me. Both introduce a personal view.Example: Para mí, el invierno es demasiado largo. (For me, winter is too long.)
- porque / ¿por qué?
- Because / why? One word without an accent answers; two words with an accent ask.Example: ¿Por qué no vienes? Porque estoy enfermo. (Why aren't you coming? Because I'm sick.)
- pero / sino
- But. After a negative, use sino to replace the first idea with a correct one.Example: No es caro, sino barato. (It's not expensive, but rather cheap.)
- luego / después / entonces
- Then, afterwards, so. Use them to order events in a story.Example: Primero desayuno y luego voy a clase. (First I have breakfast and then I go to class.)
- más... que / menos... que
- More... than / less... than. Irregular forms: mejor (better), peor (worse), mayor (older), menor (younger).Example: Mi hermana es mayor que yo. (My sister is older than me.)
- me encanta
- I love it (a thing or activity). Works like gustar: me encantan los libros.Example: Me encanta bailar salsa. (I love dancing salsa.)
Home, health and weather
- el piso / el departamento / el apartamento
- Apartment. Spain says piso; Mexico, Argentina and Chile say departamento; Colombia, Venezuela and the Caribbean often say apartamento.Example: Busco un departamento cerca del centro. (I'm looking for an apartment near downtown.)
- alquilar / rentar
- To rent. Alquilar is understood everywhere; rentar is common in Mexico. The rent is el alquiler or la renta.Example: Alquilo una habitación por 600 dólares. (I rent a room for 600 dollars.)
- me duele la cabeza
- My head hurts. Doler works like gustar, and Spanish uses the article with body parts.Example: Me duelen los pies después del partido. (My feet hurt after the game.)
- el médico / la médica
- Doctor. People also say el doctor or la doctora, especially when addressing one.Example: Tengo cita con la médica mañana. (I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow.)
- estar resfriado / tener gripe
- To have a cold / to have the flu. Resfriado agrees with the speaker: estoy resfriada.Example: Estoy resfriado y tengo fiebre. (I have a cold and a fever.)
- hace frío / llueve / nieva
- It is cold / it is raining / it is snowing. Weather with hace uses a noun: hace calor, hace sol.Example: En enero hace mucho frío y nieva. (In January it is very cold and it snows.)
Work, technology and travel
- el trabajo / trabajar
- Work or job (noun) / to work. Un empleo is a formal word for a job.Example: Trabajo en una tienda los fines de semana. (I work at a store on weekends.)
- la reunión
- Meeting. Tener una reunión means to have a meeting.Example: La reunión empieza a las diez. (The meeting starts at ten.)
- el móvil / el celular
- Mobile phone. Spain says móvil; Latin America says celular.Example: Te llamo al celular. (I'll call your cell.)
- el ordenador / la computadora
- Computer. Spain says ordenador; most of Latin America says computadora, and some countries say computador.Example: Mi computadora es nueva. (My computer is new.)
- el correo electrónico
- Email. Often shortened to el correo; el mail is also heard.Example: Te mando un correo electrónico esta tarde. (I'll send you an email this afternoon.)
- el billete / el boleto
- Ticket. Spain uses billete for transport tickets; Latin America generally uses boleto. Billete also means banknote everywhere.Example: Compré un boleto de avión a Lima. (I bought a plane ticket to Lima.)
- la maleta / la valija
- Suitcase. Maleta is general; valija is used in Argentina and Uruguay.Example: Hago la maleta esta noche. (I'm packing my suitcase tonight.)
- coger / tomar
- To take (a bus, a taxi). Coger is everyday in Spain but is vulgar slang in Mexico, Argentina and other countries, where tomar is safe.Example: Tomo el metro para ir a clase. (I take the metro to class.)