Spanish / A beginner’s roadmap
15 steps. Your own pace.
ZerotoA1 — Beginner Spanish
A step-by-step path to A1
If you’re starting Spanish from zero, begin with pronunciation and simple introductions, then build up through numbers, essential grammar, everyday vocabulary, present-tense verbs, daily routines, questions, and basic conversation. This roadmap takes you step by step through the foundations you need for A1 Spanish.
01 / 15
Pronunciation
Learn to pronounce Spanish.
Learn
Start with the Spanish sound system. Focus on:
- a · e · i · o · u
- b / v
- c / z
- g / j
- h
- ll / y
- ñ
- r / rr
- qu
- gue / gui
- basic Spanish stress rules
Do not try to develop a perfect accent yet. When you see a new word, your goal is to make a reasonable guess at how it is pronounced.
02 / 15
Your first Spanish sentences
Hola.
Me llamo Ana.
Soy de Estados Unidos.
03 / 15
Numbers, age, and basic information
Numbers become useful fast.
Learn the numbers you actually need, then use tener to talk about age and basic personal information.
25years old.
+34 612…A phone number.
€8.50
04 / 15
Nouns, gender, and articles
How do you say “the” in Spanish?
the boy
the girls
a restaurant
a house
Spanish doesn’t have just one word for “the” or “a”. Nouns are also masculine or feminine, and the words around them change to match.
05 / 15
Describe yourself and other people
What are you like?
tallalto
friendlyamable
quiettranquilo
funnydivertido
Learn the adjectives you need to describe appearance and personality, then use ser and muy to build simple descriptions.
06 / 15
Present tense
Spanish verbs change.
Learn how regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs change in the present tense so you can start building your own sentences.
I speak→hablo
you speak→hablas
she speaks→habla
07 / 15
Talk about your daily routine
What does your day look like?
Learn the vocabulary and reflexive verbs you need to describe a normal day from morning to night.
See it in context 03 · A1 — Un día normal—Me levanto.
—Desayuno.
—Como.
—Duermo.
08 / 15
What’s around you?
Describe places and where things are.
Learn how to say what is in a place and where people or things are located.
Need the bigger picture? Ser vs EstarHay una cafetería.
Está al lado del banco.
09 / 15
Describe your home and neighborhood
Your world, in Spanish.
At home
Around you
Put it together
El supermercado está cerca de mi casa.
The supermarket is near my house.El banco está al lado del café.
The bank is next to the café.10 / 15
Talk about likes, wants, and needs
Say what you want.
Like
Me gusta el café.
I like coffee.A mí también.
Me too.No me gusta cocinar.
I don’t like cooking.A mí tampoco.
Me neither.Want
Quiero aprender español.
I want to learn Spanish.Need
Necesito comprar comida.
I need to buy food.Can
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?11 / 15
Start asking questions
Ask more.
- What
- qué
- Who
- quién
- When
- cuándo
- Where
- dónde
- Why
- por qué
- How
- cómo
- How much
- cuánto
12 / 15
Talk about family and possession
Talk about the people around you.
- My
- mi
- Your
- tu
- His / Her
- su
- Our
- nuestro/nuestra
Mi hermana vive en Madrid.
My sister lives in Madrid.Su padre trabaja aquí.
His / Her father works here.Nuestra casa es pequeña.
Our house is small.13 / 15
Food and simple restaurant situations
Order. Ask. Pay.
01 Order
Quisiera un café.
I’d like a coffee.02 Ask
¿Tiene…?
Do you have…?03 Pay
La cuenta,
por favor.
14 / 15
Handle basic shopping
Point to what you want.
- This
- este/esta
- That
- ese/esa
- These
- estos/estas
- Those
- esos/esas
Remember: Spanish nouns are masculine or feminine — demonstratives change to match.
Quiero esta camiseta.
I want this T-shirt.¿Cuánto cuesta?
How much is it?¿Tiene otra talla?
Do you have another size?¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?15 / 15
Talk about plans
The future?
You don’t need the future tense yet.
Use ir a + infinitive to talk about what you’re going to do.
ir a+infinitive
Voy a estudiar esta noche.
I’m going to study tonight.Vamos a comer fuera.
We’re going to eat out.¿Qué vas a hacer mañana?
What are you going to do tomorrow?Along the way
Keep Spanish around you.
Listening and reading belong alongside the roadmap. Start before you finish all 15 steps.
Listen
Listen every day.
From Step 2 onward, spend around 10–15 minutes a day listening to Spanish that is easy enough to roughly understand.
Do not try to translate every sentence or understand every word. At this stage, the goal is simple: I can roughly understand what is happening.
Spanish ResourcesRead
Start reading early.
Do not wait until you have “finished A1” before reading. Start with 01 · A1 — Me llamo Ana, then continue through the A1 texts in their existing learning order.
- ReadOnce without stopping.
- Understand the ideaLook for the general meaning.
- Check what you needOpen grammar links only when needed.
- ListenIf the text has audio.
- Read againNotice what feels clearer.
- SummarizeUse very simple Spanish.
What comes after this?
A foundation, not the finish.
This path gives you a practical foundation for continuing through A1 and toward A2. It does not mean that you have completely mastered A1—and you do not need to know everything before moving forward.
Something doesn’t make sense? Follow the grammar link in the text, learn what you need, then come back and keep reading.
Coming back later? Use the scroll as a quick review—still remember it, keep going; not quite, revisit it.
Learn a little → use it → notice what you’re missing → come back and learn more.
That’s the loop.
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