Spanish Words That Start With S (30 Essentials)
🇪🇸 Spanish · 30 cards · A2 · by Lucía Herrera
This list comes straight from the S page of my tutoring notebook. The letter S holds a lot of everyday vocabulary and a few traps: saber isn't the same "know" as conocer, sentir shifts meaning as soon as you add me, simpático has nothing to do with "sympathetic", and soler is a verb English simply doesn't have. Some S words also live inside fixed expressions: where English is thirsty or sleepy, Spanish tiene sed and tiene sueño. Each card gives one sentence I would actually say out loud, plus a note whenever Spain and Mexico part ways. Read the notes — that's where the mistakes hide.
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.
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All 30 cards
| # | Spanish | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ser Irregular: soy, eres, es. Use estar for location, moods and temporary states. | to be (identity, permanent qualities) | Mi hermana es médica en Valencia. My sister is a doctor in Valencia. | |
| 2 | saber Facts and skills; use conocer for people and places. Yo sé (with accent, to tell it from se), tú sabes. | to know (facts, how to do something); to taste of | ¿Sabes a qué hora abre la tienda? Do you know what time the shop opens? | |
| 3 | salir Irregular yo form: salgo. Salir con alguien also means to date someone. | to go out, to leave | Salgo del trabajo a las seis. I leave work at six. | |
| 4 | seguir Stem change e→i: sigo, sigues. Seguir + gerund = to keep doing something: sigue lloviendo. | to continue, to keep on; to follow | Sigue todo recto hasta la plaza. Keep going straight on until you get to the square. | |
| 5 | sentir Reflexive sentirse + adjective means to feel a certain way: me siento mal. Lo siento = I'm sorry. | to feel; to be sorry about | Siento mucho lo de tu perro. I'm really sorry about your dog. | |
| 6 | sol Masculine: el sol. Weather is hace sol or hay sol, never 'es sol'. | sun, sunshine | Hace mucho sol, ponte las gafas. It's very sunny, put your sunglasses on. | |
| 7 | semana Feminine. Fin de semana = weekend; entre semana = on weekdays. | week | Nos vemos la semana que viene. See you next week. | |
| 8 | siempre Para siempre = forever. Casi siempre = nearly always. | always | Siempre desayuno café con tostada. I always have coffee and toast for breakfast. | |
| 9 | señor Masculine; formal. Abbreviated Sr. before a surname. Feminine: señora. | sir, mister; gentleman | Buenos días, señor, ¿en qué puedo ayudarle? Good morning, sir, how can I help you? | |
| 10 | sin Preposition; followed by an infinitive, not a gerund: se fue sin decir nada. | without | Un café con leche, pero sin azúcar. A white coffee, but with no sugar. | |
| 11 | sobre As a masculine noun (el sobre) it means envelope; as a preposition it also means 'about': un libro sobre Cuba. | on, on top of; about; envelope | Dejé las llaves sobre la mesa. I left the keys on the table. | |
| 12 | silla Feminine. Silla de ruedas = wheelchair; sillón = armchair. | chair | ¿Me pasas esa silla, por favor? Could you pass me that chair, please? | |
| 13 | sal Feminine (la sal) despite the consonant ending. Identical in form to the tú command of salir: ¡sal de ahí! | salt | A la sopa le falta sal. The soup needs salt. | |
| 14 | sed Feminine. Always tener sed, never 'estar sed' or 'ser sed'. | thirst | Tengo mucha sed, ¿hay agua fría? I'm really thirsty, is there any cold water? | |
| 15 | sueño Masculine. Tener sueño = to be sleepy; it also means a dream you have at night or an ambition. | sleepiness; dream | Me voy a la cama, tengo sueño. I'm going to bed, I'm sleepy. | |
| 16 | suerte Feminine. Tener suerte = to be lucky; ¡Qué suerte! = how lucky! | luck | ¡Suerte en el examen! Good luck in the exam! | |
| 17 | salud Feminine. ¡Salud! works both as a toast and as what you say when someone sneezes. | health | Cuida tu salud y descansa más. Look after your health and rest more. | |
| 18 | sitio Masculine. Very frequent in Spain; in Mexico and most of Latin America you'll hear lugar or espacio (and estacionar rather than aparcar). | place, spot; room, space | No hay sitio para aparcar aquí. There's no room to park here. | |
| 19 | sangre Feminine: la sangre. A sangre fría = in cold blood. | blood | Me mareo cuando veo sangre. I get dizzy when I see blood. | |
| 20 | sabor Masculine. Sabor a + flavour, never 'sabor de'. | flavour, taste | Este helado tiene sabor a fresa. This ice cream tastes of strawberry. | |
| 21 | sonreír Irregular like reír: sonrío, sonríes, sonríe. Noun: la sonrisa. | to smile | Sonríe, que te estoy haciendo una foto. Smile, I'm taking a photo of you. | |
| 22 | sentarse Reflexive and stem-changing e→ie: me siento, te sientas. Me siento can be 'I sit down' or 'I feel' (sentirse); context decides. | to sit down | Siéntate aquí, a mi lado. Sit here, next to me. | |
| 23 | subir Also used for getting on transport: subir al avión, subir al autobús. | to go up; to turn up, to raise; to upload | Sube el volumen, no se oye nada. Turn the volume up, you can't hear a thing. | |
| 24 | sacar Very wide use: sacar fotos, sacar dinero, sacar buenas notas. Spelling change in yo saqué. | to take out; to get (a grade, a ticket) | Saca la basura antes de cenar. Take the rubbish out before dinner. | |
| 25 | servir Stem change e→i: sirvo, sirves. No sirve para nada = it's useless. | to serve; to be useful | ¿Te sirvo más vino? Shall I pour you some more wine? | |
| 26 | soler Always followed by an infinitive; stem change o→ue (suelo, sueles). Used mainly in the present and the imperfect: solía fumar. | to usually do something | Suelo ir al gimnasio por la mañana. I usually go to the gym in the morning. | |
| 27 | seguro Adjective (segura in the feminine): estar seguro de que… Also a masculine noun: el seguro del coche. | sure, certain; safe; insurance | ¿Estás seguro de que cerraste la puerta? Are you sure you locked the door? | |
| 28 | simpático Feminine simpática. False friend: it does not mean 'sympathetic' — for that use comprensivo. | nice, friendly, likeable | Tu primo es muy simpático. Your cousin is really nice. | |
| 29 | sucio Feminine sucia. Opposite of limpio, and normally used with estar, since it's a changeable state. | dirty | Quítate esos zapatos, están sucios. Take those shoes off, they're dirty. | |
| 30 | suave Same form for masculine and feminine. Used for textures, voices, flavours and weather. | soft, smooth; gentle, mild | Esta manta es muy suave. This blanket is really soft. |
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
- What's the difference between saber and conocer?
- Saber is for facts, information and skills: sé su número, sé nadar, no sé dónde vive. Conocer is for being familiar with people, places or works: conozco a tu hermana, conozco Valencia, conozco esa película. 'Sé a tu hermana' is a classic learner mistake; it has to be conozco a tu hermana.
- Why does sentir sometimes appear as me siento?
- Non-reflexive sentir takes a noun or a clause: siento frío, siento que no vengas, and lo siento means 'I'm sorry'. Reflexive sentirse is followed by an adjective or adverb describing your state: me siento cansado, se siente mejor. Careful: me siento can also come from sentarse ('I sit down') — the rest of the sentence makes it clear.
- Is sitio or lugar more common in Spanish?
- In Spain, sitio dominates in everyday speech for both 'place' and 'room/space': un sitio bonito, no hay sitio. In Mexico and most of Latin America people say lugar for 'place' and espacio or lugar for 'room', and sitio sounds more formal or written. Both are understood everywhere.
- How is soler used, and why don't I see it in all tenses?
- Soler expresses habit and is always followed by an infinitive: suelo levantarme temprano, solíamos ir a la playa. In practice it only appears in the present (suelo, sueles, suele) and the imperfect (solía). Forms like the preterite solí exist on paper but sound odd; for the past, use solía or simply the imperfect of the main verb: antes fumaba.
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