Spanish words such as hospital, natural, and festival can give an English speaker an immediate foothold in a sentence. Start with these ten recognizable words, then see them in context.
Ten words to begin with
| Spanish | English meaning here | A useful detail |
|---|---|---|
| hospital | hospital | The Spanish h is silent. |
| natural | natural | The final syllable is stressed. |
| festival | festival | Use el festival. |
| animal | animal | Use el animal. |
| actor | actor | Use el actor. |
| color | color | The final syllable is stressed. |
| idea | idea | Use la idea. |
| problema | problem | Use el problema, despite the final a. |
| música | music | The accent marks the stressed syllable. |
| importante | important | Recognize the shared important- spelling. |
Put familiar words in a sentence
El festival de música es importante.
“The music festival is important.”
Festival, música, and importante do much of the work. The smaller words connect them: el means “the,” de means “of,” and es means “is.”
Read the sentence once for the idea. Then read it again, noticing how those smaller words hold it together.
Familiar is a beginning
Similar spelling does not always mean identical meaning or pronunciation. Learn these words in sentences, and check a dictionary when a familiar-looking word doesn’t fit the context.
For a little practice, read the Spanish story about Flight MH370. Notice the familiar-looking words in a longer story.