Mastering a new language does not require learning thousands of words from scratch. In fact, much of everyday English conversation is built around a small set of common words and phrases. If you are just starting to learn English or want to reinforce your foundation, focusing on expressions that are used on a daily basis will help you gain confidence and fluency quickly.
In this FunTalk article, we present a selection of essential English words and phrases that you can start using now in your daily life. Here we go!
Greetings and basic expressions
These are the cornerstones of any English conversation. They allow you to start a dialogue in a natural and polite way:
- Hello / Hi – Hola
- Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening – Buenos días / Buenas tardes / Buenas noches
- How are you? – How are you doing?
- I’m fine, thank you. And you? – I’m fine, thank you. And you?
- Nice to meet you – Encantado/a de conocerte
- See you later – Hasta luego
- Take care – Cuídate
These expressions may seem simple, but they are essential for creating a good impression when speaking English in both formal and informal contexts.
Useful phrases for everyday use
At home, on the street, at work or on the road, these short phrases in English will be of great help to you in different situations:
- What time is it? – What time is it?
- Can I help you? / Can you help me? – Can I help you / Can you help me?
- Excuse me – Disculpa / Perdón (to call attention or to pass)
- I’m sorry – Lo siento
- Thank you / Thanks a lot – Gracias / Muchas gracias
- You’re welcome – You’re welcome
- Where is the bathroom? – Where is the bathroom?
- How much is it? – How much does it cost?
- I don’t understand – No entiendo
- Can you repeat that, please? – Can you repeat that, please?
Mastering these English phrases will give you confidence in your day-to-day life and allow you to move on to more complex conversations with greater peace of mind.
Frequent verbs
Verbs are the engine of any language. The following verbs are in constant use and very versatile:
- To be – Ser / estar
- To have – Tener
- To do – Hacer
- To go – Ir
- To get – Obtain / conseguir
- To make – Hacer (to create)
- To want – Querer
- To need – Necesitar
- To like – Gustar
- To know – Saber / conocer
Learning to conjugate these verbs in the present tense is an excellent starting point for constructing simple and functional sentences. For example:
- I am happy.
- She has two brothers.
- We go to work at 9.
- They need help.
Everyday vocabulary
In addition to verbs, there are nouns and adjectives that constantly appear in conversations. Here are some key examples:
Nouns
- Time – Time / hour
- Day – Day
- Thing – Thing
- Place – Place
- People – Gente / personas
Adjectives
- Good – Bueno
- Bad – Bad
- Big – Large
- Small – Small
- Easy – Fácil
- Difficult – Difficult
- Happy – Feliz
- Tired
Combining nouns, adjectives and verbs allows you to form useful sentences such as:
- This is a good place.
- I’m tired today.
- That’s a difficult question.
Common expressions
Many idioms are used every day in English. Memorizing some of them will help you sound more natural and better understand native speakers:
- What’s up? – How are you doing?
- No problem – No hay problema
- It doesn’t matter – No importa
- I don’t know – No lo sé
- Let’s go! – Let’s go!
- I’m on my way – Estoy en camino
- I’m running late – Estoy llegando tarde
- That’s great! – How nice!
The secret to learning English is not in memorizing long lists of vocabulary, but in using the language every day. Try to incorporate these words and phrases into your routine: write them down, repeat them out loud, use them in conversations or in your messages. You can even put them on post-its around the house so you see them often.
And remember: making mistakes is part of the process. The more you expose yourself to English, the more comfortable you will become with it.