Spanish Words That Start With A (30 Essentials)
🇪🇸 Spanish · 30 cards · A2 · by Lucía Herrera
A surprising number of the words in my notebook — the one where I write down everything my students trip over — start with A. Here are thirty of them: everyday nouns like agua and autobús, verbs you need from day one (abrir, ayudar, acordarse), and the connectors that make you sound fluent (aunque, además, apenas).
Watch three traps. Agua takes el in the singular but is feminine, so it's el agua fría. Aburrido changes meaning depending on whether you use ser or estar. And actualmente and asistir are false friends: they don't mean "actually" or "assist". Say each example out loud before you flip the card — these are sentences I actually use.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
The Reji iPhone app is being rebuilt and returns to the App Store soon.
All 30 cards
| # | Spanish | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | agua Feminine, but takes 'el' in the singular: el agua fría, las aguas frías. | water | ¿Me pones un vaso de agua, por favor? Could you get me a glass of water, please? | |
| 2 | amigo Masculine; feminine form: amiga. | friend | Voy al cine con un amigo. I'm going to the cinema with a friend. | |
| 3 | año Masculine. The ñ matters: 'ano' without the tilde means anus. | year | El año pasado viví en Valencia. Last year I lived in Valencia. | |
| 4 | ahora 'Ahorita' in Mexico can mean anything from 'this second' to 'later'. | now, right now | Ahora no puedo, estoy trabajando. I can't right now, I'm working. | |
| 5 | aquí Latin America also uses 'acá', which is vaguer: 'ven acá'. | here | Firma aquí, por favor. Sign here, please. | |
| 6 | ayer Takes the preterite (llovió), never the present perfect. | yesterday | Ayer llovió toda la tarde. Yesterday it rained all afternoon. | |
| 7 | algo Its negative counterpart is 'nada'. | something, anything | ¿Quieres algo de comer? Do you want something to eat? | |
| 8 | alguien Invariable — never 'alguiens'. Negative: nadie. | someone, somebody | Alguien dejó las luces encendidas. Someone left the lights on. | |
| 9 | antes 'Antes de' + infinitive; 'antes de que' + subjunctive. | before, beforehand | Llámame antes de salir. Call me before you leave. | |
| 10 | abrir Irregular past participle: abierto. | to open | ¿Puedes abrir la ventana? Can you open the window? | |
| 11 | ayudar Use 'ayudar a' + infinitive: me ayudó a estudiar. | to help | Te ayudo con las maletas. I'll help you with the suitcases. | |
| 12 | aprender 'Aprender a' + infinitive; don't drop the 'a'. | to learn | Quiero aprender a cocinar. I want to learn to cook. | |
| 13 | alto Feminine: alta. 'Habla más alto' means speak louder, not higher. | tall, high; loud | Mi hermano es muy alto. My brother is very tall. | |
| 14 | azul No gender change: un coche azul, una falda azul. Plural: azules. | blue | Me gusta esa camisa azul. I like that blue shirt. | |
| 15 | amable Same form for both genders. Common in polite requests: ¿sería tan amable de ayudarme? | kind, nice | Qué amable eres, muchas gracias. How kind of you, thank you very much. | |
| 16 | abuela Feminine; masculine: abuelo. 'Los abuelos' = grandparents. | grandmother | Mi abuela hace un arroz buenísimo. My grandmother makes amazing rice. | |
| 17 | avión Masculine; plural aviones (the written accent disappears). | plane, airplane | El avión sale a las seis. The plane leaves at six. | |
| 18 | autobús Masculine. Spain: autobús/bus. Mexico: camión. Argentina: colectivo. Caribbean and Canary Islands: guagua. | bus | Perdí el autobús otra vez. I missed the bus again. | |
| 19 | amor Masculine. 'Mi amor' is a common term of endearment. | love | Se casaron por amor. They married for love. | |
| 20 | apagar Opposite: encender (or prender in much of Latin America). | to turn off, switch off | Apaga la tele, ya es tarde. Turn off the TV, it's late. | |
| 21 | acostarse Reflexive and stem-changing o→ue: me acuesto, te acuestas. | to go to bed, lie down | Los viernes me acuesto muy tarde. On Fridays I go to bed very late. | |
| 22 | acordarse Always 'acordarse de'. The synonym 'recordar' takes no preposition: no recuerdo su nombre. | to remember | No me acuerdo de su nombre. I don't remember his name. | |
| 23 | ahorrar For saving a person use salvar; for saving a file, guardar. | to save (money, time) | Estoy ahorrando para un viaje. I'm saving up for a trip. | |
| 24 | aprovechar Neutral in tone; the negative sense needs the reflexive: aprovecharse de alguien. | to make the most of, take advantage of | Aprovecha que hace buen tiempo. Make the most of the good weather. | |
| 25 | aburrido Ser aburrido = boring (a trait); estar aburrido = bored (right now). | boring; bored | El curso es muy aburrido, la verdad. The course is really boring, to be honest. | |
| 26 | apenas Can also mean 'as soon as': apenas llegó, se fue. | barely, hardly | Apenas hablo alemán. I barely speak German. | |
| 27 | aunque Indicative for known facts (aunque llueve, salimos), subjunctive for hypotheticals (aunque llueva). | although, even if | Iré aunque llueva. I'll go even if it rains. | |
| 28 | además 'Además de' + noun/infinitive: además de trabajar, estudia. | besides, also, what's more | No me gusta y, además, es carísimo. I don't like it and, what's more, it's really expensive. | |
| 29 | actualmente False friend: it never means 'actually'. For that, say en realidad or de hecho. | currently, at present | Actualmente vivo en México. I currently live in Mexico. | |
| 30 | asistir False friend: 'to assist' is ayudar or atender. Always 'asistir a' + event; fairly formal — in speech people say ir a. | to attend, go to (an event) | Asistí a la reunión del lunes. I attended Monday's meeting. |
Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.
Questions about this deck
- Why is it 'el agua' if 'agua' is feminine?
- 'Agua' is feminine, but Spanish swaps 'la' for 'el' before a stressed 'a-' sound to avoid two identical vowels clashing. The noun stays feminine, so adjectives agree in the feminine: el agua fría, esta agua, and in the plural las aguas frías. The same happens with 'el alma' and 'el área'.
- What's the difference between 'ser aburrido' and 'estar aburrido'?
- 'Ser aburrido' describes a lasting quality: the thing or person is boring — 'esa clase es aburrida'. 'Estar aburrido' describes how you feel right now: 'estoy aburrido, vamos a salir'. Saying 'soy aburrido' about yourself means you are a boring person, which is rarely what students intend.
- Which A-words in this deck are false friends?
- 'Actualmente' means currently, not actually (use 'en realidad' or 'de hecho'). 'Asistir' means to attend, not to assist (use 'ayudar' or 'atender'). And 'aprovechar' is neutral — it means to make the most of something; only the reflexive 'aprovecharse de' carries the negative sense of exploiting someone.
- How do people say 'bus' in different Spanish-speaking countries?
- 'Autobús' is understood everywhere and is standard in Spain, where 'bus' is also common. In Mexico it's 'camión' for city and intercity buses, in Argentina 'colectivo' or informally 'bondi', in Chile 'micro', in Colombia 'bus', and in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Canary Islands 'guagua'.
More Spanish decks: spanish words starting with a
100 Basic Spanish Words for Beginners (A1)
The 100 most useful Spanish words for beginners (A1): greetings, pronouns, core verbs, question words, everyday nouns, adjectives and connectors, with examples.
100 Most Common Spanish Verbs (with yo & tú forms)
The 100 Spanish verbs you will hear every day, each with its meaning, the yo and tú present-tense forms, and a short natural example. For A1 beginners.
Colors in Spanish: 25 Words with Gender Rules
Learn 25 Spanish color words for beginners: basic colors, shades like celeste and turquesa, plus light/dark combinations and gender agreement notes.
Common Spanish Phrases for Beginners (50 Essentials)
Fifty everyday Spanish phrases for absolute beginners: greetings, thank-yous, apologies and survival questions, with notes on tú vs. usted and Spain vs. Mexico usage.
Hard Spanish Words to Pronounce (rr, j, ñ + slang)
Thirty Spanish words my students stumble over: the trilled rr, the raspy j, ñ, vowel pile-ups, long words and a few slang traps. With tips and examples.
Irregular Spanish Verbs: 40 You Really Need (A2)
Forty common irregular Spanish verbs for A2 learners: stem changes, irregular yo forms and preterites, each with a natural example sentence and a usage note.
Numbers in Spanish 1–100 (Plus Dates and Prices)
Spanish numbers from 0 to 100, plus hundreds, mil, un millón and the ordinals first–tenth, with cards for prices, ages and dates. For A1 beginners.
Spanish Adjectives: The 100 Most Useful
The 100 Spanish adjectives beginners really need, with natural examples, gender-agreement notes and warnings about ser vs estar. Ideal for A1 learners.