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Spanish

Free Spanish course

Spanish is spoken by more than 500 million people in Spain and Latin America. The course teaches the Spanish of Spain and points out where Latin America differs.

Below you'll find how the course works, what the levels mean and where everything is. If you'd rather start right away, chapter 1 assumes no Spanish at all.

Start with chapter 1No sign-up needed.
The Alhambra in Granada, with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada behind
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?Hi! How are you?

How the course works

The course takes you from your first words to everyday conversations with native speakers, in 48 chapters over four levels. Work through the chapters in order: each one builds on the words and grammar of the ones before.

  1. Listen

    A short dialogue from everyday life. Listen to it whole, then line by line, at normal or slow speed.

  2. Understand

    The new grammar and words, explained in plain English with examples you can play.

  3. Practise

    Exercises that tell you straight away if you're right, and sentences to say out loud.

  4. Check

    A five-question quiz. Finish the chapter to add its words to your review deck.

Time. A chapter takes about 30–45 minutes. You can stop after any step and come back later.

Remembering. The words from finished chapters come back in Review at growing intervals, just before you would forget them.

Your progress is saved in this browser. A free account keeps it safe and lets you continue on any device.

The four levels

The course has four levels of twelve chapters: Beginner, Elementary, Intermediate and Upper intermediate. Each one says what you'll be able to do when you finish it.

The codes in brackets, A1 to B2, are from the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), an international scale used by many schools, employers and language exams. You don't need to know it to use the course.

Where should I start? If you're new to Spanish, start with Beginner, chapter 1. If you already know some, take the beginner test: it shows which chapters you can skip, and each level has its own test.

Finding your way

The bar under the site's header takes you to every part of the Spanish course, wherever you are:

Course →
This page, with every chapter in order. The list on the left of each chapter takes you to any other chapter.
Grammar →
33 short pages, one rule each, with tables and examples. Each chapter links to the pages it uses.
Verbs →
Full tables for 48 common verbs, in every tense the course teaches, with audio.
Vocabulary →
Every word the course teaches, level by level and topic by topic, with audio.
Phrasebook →
Ready-made phrases for 10 everyday situations, from greetings to emergencies.
Review →
Flashcards with the words of the chapters you've finished, and a passport with a stamp for each chapter.
Before you start
How the letters are pronounced, with audio:

All chapters

Beginner (A1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Introduce yourself, order food and drink, ask for directions and understand simple, slow speech.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Hello and goodbyeHola y adiósSay hello and goodbye in Spanish, tell people your name and where you're from, and learn the words for I, you, we and they and the verb ser.
  2. Numbers and pricesLos números y los preciosCount from 0 to 100 in Spanish, ask how much something costs, understand prices in euros and give your phone number.
  3. At the caféEn el caféOrder food and drink in Spanish, ask for the price and pay the bill, and learn when to say tú and when to say usted.
  4. Getting aroundPor la ciudadAsk where places are in a Spanish town, understand simple directions, and learn the difference between está and hay.
  5. Family and friendsLa familia y los amigosTalk about your family and friends in Spanish, say how old people are with tener, and use my, your and his or her.
  6. My homeMi casaName the rooms and furniture in your home, say where things are with estar, describe them with ser and colours, and say how you are.
  7. My dayMi díaTell the time in Spanish, talk about your daily routine and use the present tense of regular verbs and levantarse.
  8. Food and shoppingLa comida y las comprasBuy fruit and vegetables at a Spanish market: ask politely with quisiera, say quantities like a kilo of, and make nouns plural.
  9. Time and datesLos días y las fechasLearn the days of the week and the months in Spanish, say dates, and talk about your plans with ir a + infinitive.
  10. Likes and dislikesLo que me gustaSay what you like, love and don't like in Spanish with gustar and encantar, make sentences negative and agree or disagree with others.
  11. Hobbies and free timeEl tiempo libreTalk about sports and hobbies in Spanish, say how often you do things, and invite someone, accept or say no with poder.
  12. Your first conversationTu primera conversaciónPut all of A1 together in a real conversation: introduce yourself, talk about work, routine and likes, accept an invitation and swap numbers.

Elementary (A2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Handle shopping, travel and everyday errands, and talk about your work, your home and what you did last weekend.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Talking about the pastHablar del pasadoSay what you did yesterday or last weekend with the Spanish preterite, including ir, ser, hacer, estar and tener, and say when it happened.
  2. Travel and hotelsViajes y hotelesCheck in at a Spanish hotel, ask about the room and breakfast, report a problem politely and talk about what has happened today.
  3. At the doctor'sEn el médicoSay what hurts and since when, understand a doctor's advice with tener que and deber, and name the main parts of the body in Spanish.
  4. Home and housingBuscar pisoCompare flats and neighbourhoods in Spanish with más… que, tan… como and mejor, and talk about rent with numbers up to 1,000.
  5. Work and studiesEl trabajo y los estudiosTalk about your studies and jobs, describe past habits with the imperfect, and say how long you've worked somewhere with desde hace.
  6. Weather and seasonsEl tiempo y las estacionesTalk about the weather, the seasons and temperatures in Spanish, and say what the weather will be like with the future tense.
  7. Clothes and shoppingLa ropaBuy and change clothes in a Spanish shop: sizes, trying things on, este and ese, and the pronouns lo, la, los and las for “it” and “them”.
  8. Plans and invitationsPlanes e invitacionesMake plans with friends in Spanish: suggest, accept, decline and change a plan, and say what you're doing right now with estar + gerund.
  9. Directions and transportIndicaciones y transporteBuy a train ticket in Spanish, understand delays and platforms, and give and follow instructions with the imperative for tú and usted.
  10. Describing peopleDescribir a las personasDescribe what people look like and what they're like, say what someone is wearing, and describe people in the past with the imperfect.
  11. Phone calls and messagesLlamadas y mensajesMake a phone call in Spanish: ask for someone, leave a message, spell your name and make an appointment, with le and les for “to him” and “to her”.
  12. A weekend awayUn fin de semana fueraReview A2 Spanish: tell someone about a weekend trip with three past tenses, make plans, compare places and give recommendations.

Intermediate (B1)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Get by on your own when travelling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Stories and memoriesHistorias y recuerdosTell a story about the past in Spanish: use the pluperfect for what had already happened and order events with primero, luego and al final.
  2. Opinions and reasonsOpiniones y razonesGive and defend your opinion in Spanish: creo que and no creo que with the subjunctive, reasons with porque, como and así que, and polite disagreement.
  3. News and current eventsNoticias y actualidadUnderstand and talk about local news in Spanish: the passive with ser and se, and reporting what people said with dice que and dijo que.
  4. Feelings and relationshipsSentimientos y relacionesTalk about feelings and friendships in Spanish: me alegro de que with the subjunctive, each other with nos and se, and advice like no te preocupes.
  5. Hopes and wishesDeseos y esperanzasTalk about hopes, wishes and plans in Spanish with the conditional (me gustaría, haría), quiero que, espero que and ojalá.
  6. Solving problemsResolver problemasTake something broken back to a shop in Spanish: explain the problem, understand the solutions and use si + present and cuando + subjunctive.
  7. Culture and traditionsCultura y tradicionesExplain festivals and customs in Spanish with se come and se celebra, and link ideas with que, quien, lo que and donde.
  8. Work and careersEl trabajo y la carrera profesionalHandle a job interview in Spanish: describe your experience with llevar + gerund, explain your goals and use para and para que.
  9. Health and lifestyleSalud y estilo de vidaTalk about healthy habits in Spanish and understand advice with es importante que, le recomiendo que and negative commands like no tome.
  10. Money and everyday servicesEl dinero y los serviciosOpen a bank account in Spanish, ask politely in formal situations, choose between por and para, and say big numbers and amounts.
  11. Travel storiesHistorias de viajesTell the story of a trip that went wrong in Spanish, report what people told you, react with ¡No me digas! and say what you would do if you could.
  12. Telling your storyContar tu historiaReview B1 Spanish: tell a life story with all the past tenses, talk about plans and wishes, and react with the subjunctive.

Upper intermediate (B2)

12 chapters

You'll be able to: Hold normal conversations with native speakers, follow most films and news, and write clear, detailed texts.

Test yourself (24 questions)All the words of this level

  1. Discussing and debatingDiscutir y debatirArgue a point in Spanish: aunque with the indicative or the subjunctive, connectors like sin embargo and en cambio, and polite interruptions.
  2. Work in depthEl trabajo a fondoNegotiate at work in Spanish: the imperfect subjunctive in all persons, quería que and me pidió que, and proposals with ¿Y si…?
  3. Film, books and mediaCine, libros y mediosTalk about films and books in Spanish: summarise a plot, give a nuanced opinion with lo mejor and lo bien que, and use haya visto.
  4. Science and technologyCiencia y tecnologíaExplain how something works in Spanish with the passive, estar + participle and se, and talk about causes and effects.
  5. Society and the environmentLa sociedad y el medio ambienteDiscuss problems and solutions in Spanish with every kind of si sentence, including si hubiera sabido, habría venido, and express concern.
  6. Public lifeLa vida públicaReport what politicians and officials said in Spanish, with all the tense changes of reported speech and verbs like anunciar, negar and asegurar.
  7. Education and learningEducación y aprendizajeTalk about school and studies in Spanish, express regrets with debería haber and ojalá hubiera, and use como si + subjunctive.
  8. Idioms and everyday speechExpresiones y lengua cotidianaSound natural in Spanish: everyday idioms like meter la pata, verb phrases like volver a and seguir sin, and fillers like o sea and vamos.
  9. Humour and informal languageHumor y lenguaje coloquialUnderstand and use colloquial Spain Spanish: tío, guay, mola, se me olvidó, diminutives and irony, and know when not to use them.
  10. Formal writingLa escritura formalWrite formal letters and emails in Spanish, use the subjunctive after buscan a alguien que… and after a menos que, en caso de que and con tal de que.
  11. Giving a presentationHacer una presentaciónGive a presentation in Spanish: structure your talk, add emphasis with lo que queremos es… and fue entonces cuando…, and handle questions.
  12. Final reviewRepaso finalReview B2 Spanish in a long, natural conversation: the subjunctive, si clauses, reported speech, idioms, colloquial Spanish and Latin American usage.