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El español · Taught from English

Spanish, from your first hola to full fluency.

Evolang teaches Spanish all the way to C2, the level of an educated native speaker, in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Spanish is spelled almost exactly as it sounds, so the 27 letters on this page are the key to reading any word aloud. Tap a letter to hear it.

See the course Read your first sentence
27
letters
5
vowel sounds
20
countries
C2
full fluency
Sounds as in EnglishSounds differentOnly in SpanishSilent
Ññ
Called “eñe” “ny”, like the middle of canyon. The wave over the n (the tilde) makes it a separate letter.
añoAH-nyoh · “year”

Your first Spanish sentence, word by word

The way most people introduce themselves. The line under each word shows its English meaning; tap a word to see why it works that way.

Pronounced: OH-lah! meh YAH-moh loo-THEE-ah ee soy deh mah-DREETH
Meaning: “Hello! My name is Lucía and I’m from Madrid.”
Why: llamo From the verb llamar, “to call”. The ending -o shows the speaker is “I”, so Spanish does not need the word yo. The double l sounds like y: YAH-moh.

Four ideas that shape all of Spanish

Each one is taught fully in its own lesson. Here is the core of each, with real sentences.

01Two verbs for “to be” Ser describes what something is: identity, origin, character. Estar describes how or where it is right now: feelings, states, location.
Soy(I) amalta.tall
soy AHL-tah “I am tall.” A lasting trait, so ser.
Estoy(I) amcansada.tired
es-TOY kahn-SAH-dah “I am tired.” A temporary state, so estar.
02Every noun has a gender Grammatical gender is a class every noun belongs to, masculine or feminine. It decides the word for “the” and the ending of any adjective (describing word) with it.
elthe (m.)librobookrojored (m.)
el LEE-broh RROH-hoh “the red book” Masculine: el and -o.
lathe (f.)casahouseblancawhite (f.)
lah KAH-sah BLAHN-kah “the white house” Feminine: la and -a. The adjective usually follows the noun.
03The verb ending tells you who Each person has its own verb ending, so the words for “I”, “you” and “she” are usually left out.
Hablo(I) speakespañol.Spanish
AH-bloh es-pah-NYOL “I speak Spanish.” The -o ending means “I”.
¿Hablas(you) speakinglés?English
AH-blahs een-GLES “Do you speak English?” The -as ending means “you”. No word for “do” is needed in a question.
04Accents show where the stress falls Stress is the syllable said a little louder. Spanish follows simple rules for it, and a written accent marks every exception. It can also tell two words apart.
síyes
see “yes” With an accent.
siif
see “if” Same sound; the accent separates the two meanings in writing.

The course, A1 to C2

Levels follow the CEFR, the European scale used by the DELE and SIELE Spanish exams. Choose a level to see what you will be able to do.

A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
A1 · Beginner Introduce yourself and handle everyday basics.
›Greet people, give your name, age and where you are from›Order food and drinks, ask prices›Understand slow, clear speech about familiar things

The Spanish library

Reference guides behind every lesson, written for complete beginners and taken all the way to C2.

Sounds and spelling
IntonationA2PunctuationA2Spanish alphabetA1PronunciationA1Stress and written accentsA1The rolled RA1
Grammar: foundations
Subject pronounsA1AdverbsA1AdjectivesA1PluralsA1NegationA1QuestionsA1PossessivesA1Ser and estarA1Gender and articlesA1The present tenseA1Preterite and imperfectA2The perfect tenseA2Object pronounsA2Reflexive verbsA2CommandsA2
Grammar: intermediate and up
Past participlesA2DiminutivesA2Reported speechB2Passive and seB1Gerund and progressiveA2ComparativesA2Por and paraA2Future and conditionalB1Relative pronounsB1The subjunctiveB1Verb tablesA1–C2
Vocabulary
Word formationB1Business SpanishB1SportA2LawB2PoliticsB1Money and the economyB1ScienceB1Media and newsB1Confusing wordsA2False friendsA2TechnologyA2Hobbies and sportA1ColoursA1The bodyA1Practice drillsA1–A2Everyday phrasesA1Core vocabularyA1NumbersA1Food and drinkA1TravelA2FamilyA1The homeA1HealthA2WorkA2WeatherA1The cityA1Clothes and coloursA1ShoppingA1Time and datesA1EmotionsA2SchoolA1NatureA2IdiomsB2
Style and register
Academic SpanishB2Idioms, part 2B2Slang by countryB1ConnectorsB2Register: tú, usted, vosB2Regional SpanishC2Advanced writingC1–C2
Reading and culture
Advanced readingC1HumourB1Spanish namesA2Regions of SpainA2Food cultureA2Fiestas and holidaysA2Graded readingA1–C1The Spanish-speaking worldA2Literature for learnersB1–C2
Practice and exams
ListeningA1–C2Advanced listeningC1–C2Speaking practiceA1–C2Writing practiceA2–C2DELE and SIELE examsA1–C2

Spain and the Americas

Spanish is the official language of 20 countries. Speakers everywhere understand each other easily; the differences are about as large as those between British and American English. Evolang teaches both, and marks every difference.

FeatureSpainLatin AmericaEnglish
“You” for a groupvosotros habláisboh-SOH-trohs ah-BLAISustedes hablanoos-TEH-des AH-blahnyou (all) speak
c before e/i, and zgraciasGRAH-thyahsgraciasGRAH-syahsthank you
A carel cocheel KOH-chehel carro / el autoel KAH-rroh / el OW-tohthe car
A computerel ordenadorel or-deh-nah-DORla computadoralah kom-poo-tah-DOH-rahthe computer
To driveconducirkon-doo-THEERmanejarmah-neh-HARto drive
Something done todayhe comidoeh koh-MEE-dohcomíkoh-MEEI (have) eaten / I ate