Spanish Words That Start With T: 30 Everyday Essentials
🇪🇸 Spanish · 30 cards · A2 · by Lucía Herrera
I put this list together from the T page of my tutoring notebook. Some of these words are unavoidable from day one — tener, todo, tiempo — and others cause trouble for very specific reasons: tomar is "to drink" in a bar but "to take" a bus in Mexico; tarea is homework in Latin America and a chore in Spain; tema looks feminine and isn't; and tortilla is a completely different food depending on which side of the Atlantic you order it. All of that is in the notes. Work through the cards in order: the first ten are the ones you'll use today.
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 | tener Irregular: tengo, tienes, tiene. Also 'tener que + infinitive' = to have to. | to have | ¿Tienes un momento? Quiero preguntarte algo. Do you have a minute? I want to ask you something. | |
| 2 | todo Agrees with the noun: todo / toda / todos / todas. | all, everything | Ya lo tengo todo listo para el viaje. I've already got everything ready for the trip. | |
| 3 | también In negative sentences you have to use tampoco instead. | also, too | Yo también quiero ir al cine. I want to go to the cinema too. | |
| 4 | tiempo Masculine: el tiempo. Also weather: ¿Qué tiempo hace? For countable times (twice, three times) use vez. | time, weather | No tengo tiempo para cocinar hoy. I don't have time to cook today. | |
| 5 | tarde As a noun, la tarde = afternoon/early evening (feminine). As an adverb, tarde = late. | afternoon; late | Llegué tarde a la reunión otra vez. I was late to the meeting again. | |
| 6 | tomar 'Tomar algo' = to have a drink. In Latin America tomar is also the normal verb for taking a bus or a class; Spaniards often say coger, which is vulgar in much of Latin America. | to take; to drink | Vamos a tomar algo después del trabajo. Let's go for a drink after work. | |
| 7 | trabajar The noun is el trabajo (work, job). | to work | Trabajo desde casa los viernes. I work from home on Fridays. | |
| 8 | traer Irregular: yo traigo; preterite traje. Traer = bring here; llevar = take there. | to bring | ¿Me traes un vaso de agua, por favor? Could you bring me a glass of water, please? | |
| 9 | todavía Aún means the same and sounds slightly more formal. | still, yet | Todavía no ha llegado el paquete. The package hasn't arrived yet. | |
| 10 | tampoco The negative twin of también. | neither, not either | A mí tampoco me gusta el café. I don't like coffee either. | |
| 11 | tanto Use tanto/tanta/tantos/tantas with nouns, but tan before adjectives: tan alto. | so much, so many | No comas tanto antes de dormir. Don't eat so much before going to bed. | |
| 12 | tienda Feminine: la tienda. In Spain 'tienda de campaña' = tent; in Latin America that's casa de campaña or carpa. | shop, store | La tienda de la esquina cierra a las nueve. The corner shop closes at nine. | |
| 13 | tren Masculine: el tren. | train | El tren sale del andén cuatro. The train leaves from platform four. | |
| 14 | teléfono Masculine. For mobiles: el móvil in Spain, el celular in Latin America. '¿Me das tu teléfono?' asks for your number. | phone; phone number | Se me quedó el teléfono en el coche. I left my phone in the car. | |
| 15 | tarea Feminine. In Latin America la tarea = school homework; in Spain that's los deberes, and tarea means a task or chore. | homework, task | Los niños están haciendo la tarea. The kids are doing their homework. | |
| 16 | tarjeta Feminine. Covers bank cards, birthday cards and business cards. | card | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? Can I pay by card? | |
| 17 | taza Feminine. Careful: 'la taza del baño' is the toilet bowl. | cup, mug | Me tomo una taza de té antes de dormir. I have a cup of tea before bed. | |
| 18 | tenedor Masculine: el tenedor. | fork | Falta un tenedor en la mesa. There's a fork missing on the table. | |
| 19 | toalla Feminine. 'Tirar la toalla' = to give up, to throw in the towel. | towel | Saca una toalla limpia del armario. Get a clean towel out of the wardrobe. | |
| 20 | tocar For sports and games use jugar, not tocar. 'Me toca' = it's my turn. | to touch; to play (an instrument) | ¿Sabes tocar la guitarra? Can you play the guitar? | |
| 21 | terminar Acabar is an everyday synonym. | to finish, to end | ¿A qué hora terminas hoy? What time do you finish today? | |
| 22 | tratar 'Tratar de + infinitive' = to try to; 'tratar a alguien' = to treat someone; 'tratarse de' = to be about. | to try; to treat | Trata de dormir un poco más. Try to sleep a bit more. | |
| 23 | tirar In Spain, door signs say TIRAR (pull) next to EMPUJAR (push). In Mexico people usually say botar or tirar a la basura for throwing things out. | to throw, to throw away | Tira esa leche, ya está mala. Throw that milk out, it's gone off. | |
| 24 | temprano Opposite of tarde. Used mostly as an adverb. | early | Mañana me levanto temprano. Tomorrow I'm getting up early. | |
| 25 | tranquilo Adjective (tranquila to a woman); on its own it works as 'take it easy'. Informal. | calm, quiet; relax! | Tranquilo, no pasa nada. Relax, it's fine. | |
| 26 | triste Same form for masculine and feminine: un chico triste, una chica triste. | sad | Se puso triste con la noticia. He got sad when he heard the news. | |
| 27 | tonto Mild — closer to 'silly' than a real insult among friends, but still rude to a stranger. Feminine: tonta. | silly, stupid | No seas tonto, claro que puedes. Don't be silly, of course you can. | |
| 28 | típico Agrees: comida típica, platos típicos. | typical | Es típico de él llegar tarde. It's typical of him to show up late. | |
| 29 | tema Masculine despite the -a: el tema, los temas. In Spain, un tema is also a track on an album (colloquial). | topic, subject; issue | Cambiemos de tema, por favor. Let's change the subject, please. | |
| 30 | tortilla Feminine. In Spain it's an egg dish; in Mexico and Central America it's a thin corn or flour flatbread. | omelette (Spain); flatbread (Mexico) | Mi abuela hace la mejor tortilla de patatas. My grandmother makes the best potato omelette. |
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 are the most common Spanish words starting with T?
- By frequency, the ones you cannot avoid are tener (to have), todo (all), también (also), tiempo (time/weather), tarde (afternoon/late), tomar (to take/drink) and trabajar (to work). They come first in this deck for that reason.
- What is the difference between también and tampoco?
- También adds agreement to a positive statement: "Yo también quiero" = I want to as well. Tampoco does the same job in negative ones: "Yo tampoco quiero" = I don't want to either. "Yo no también" is a mistake; it has to be tampoco.
- Does tomar mean 'to take' or 'to drink'?
- Both. "Tomar algo" or "tomar un café" means to drink something. In Latin America, especially Mexico, tomar is also the normal verb for taking a bus, a taxi or a class, where many Spaniards would say coger — a verb best avoided in Latin America, where it is vulgar.
- Why is it 'el tema' and not 'la tema'?
- Tema belongs to a group of Greek-derived nouns ending in -ma that are masculine: el tema, el problema, el sistema, el programa, el idioma. So you say el tema nuevo and los temas importantes.
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