Learn to read Spanish
A short, active path into reading Spanish: five vowels that never move, nine real words decoded before the alphabet, ser against estar, the verb ending that replaces the pronoun, and two short stories before your first book.
How sentences work
3 sectionsFirst sentences: the two words for “is”
- esehs is for what something is — its name, its kind, what it is lastingly like.
- estáehs-TAH is for where something is, or how it is right now.
- Both change for the person: soysoy and estoyehs-TOY are the two “I am”.
- mi tu sumee too soo go in front of the thing owned, and su does his, her and their alike.
- Names use a fixed phrase, me llamomeh YAH-moh — literally “I call myself”.
Which one to expect
| esehs — what it is | estáehs-TAH — where or how it is |
|---|---|
| Dara es un zorro.DAH-rah ehs oon SOH-rroh Dara is a fox. | Dara está aquí.DAH-rah ehs-TAH ah-KEE Dara is here. |
| Tika es un pájaro.TEE-kah ehs oon PAH-hah-roh Tika is a bird. | Tika está triste.TEE-kah ehs-TAH TREES-teh Tika is sad. |
The second row is the whole distinction: being a bird is what Tika is; being sad today is how she is. For the person, each is changes its front: soysoy / estoyehs-TOY — I am, eresEH-rehs / estásehs-TAHS — you are, sonsohn / estánehs-TAHN — they are. Soy Tobi.soy TOH-bee is a whole sentence, with no separate word for I — the next section explains why.
my, your, his, her — and hello
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mimee | my | Hola.OH-lah | Hello. |
| tutoo | your | Adiós.ah-DYOHS | Goodbye. |
| susoo | his, her, their | Gracias.GRAH-syahs | Thank you. |
They sit in front of the owned thing, as in English: mi casamee KAH-sah — my house. Spanish greets by the clock — Buenos díasBWEH-nohs DEE-ahs“good morning”; the word lookup has the rest of the day.
My name is Mina. — Her name is Tika.
Me llamo Mina. — Se llama Tika.
meh YAH-moh MEE-nah — seh YAH-mah TEE-kah
Literally “I call myself”. Learn me llamo and se llama as single pieces; do not take them apart.
Which “is” does the sentence want?
- Dara es un zorro.
What he is, not where he is.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Dara es un zorro.DAH-rah ehs oon SOH-rroh“Dara is a fox” - Which word would you expect in “The bird is sad today”?
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estáehs-TAH — how it is right now: El pájaro está triste.ehl PAH-hah-roh ehs-TAH TREES-teh“The bird is sad” - Me llamo Tika.
Show answer +Hide answer −
Me llamo Tika.meh YAH-moh TEE-kah“My name is Tika”