15 beginner cards covering essential verbs, everyday nouns, common phrases, and the grammar rules that trip up new learners most often.
ser
to be (permanent/inherent qualities) - e.g. Soy alto (I am tall).
estar
to be (temporary states/location) - e.g. Estoy cansado (I am tired).
tener
to have - e.g. Tengo un perro (I have a dog).
querer
to want / to love - e.g. Quiero agua (I want water).
el gato
the cat (masculine noun).
la casa
the house (feminine noun).
¿Cómo estás?
How are you? (informal)
Mucho gusto
Nice to meet you.
ayer
yesterday
mañana
tomorrow (also means "morning")
What is the Spanish word order for adjectives relative to nouns?
Adjectives usually come after the noun - e.g. "casa roja" (red house), not "roja casa".
How do you form the present tense of a regular -ar verb like hablar (to speak)?
Drop -ar and add: -o, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an. E.g. hablo, hablas, habla, hablamos, habláis, hablan.
What is the difference between "por" and "para"?
"Por" indicates cause, means, or duration (por eso - because of that); "para" indicates purpose or destination (para ti - for you).
gracias
thank you
por favor
please
Most of these cards use the word or phrase itself as the front, with meaning and context on the back - a plain vocabulary format that works well once you have a base of a few hundred words. A few cards ask a direct grammar question instead ("What is the difference between por and para?") because rules like these are better learned as an explicit fact you can recall than absorbed passively.
Where a word has more than one common meaning - like "mañana," which means both "tomorrow" and "morning" - the card notes both, so you are not caught off guard the first time you see it used the other way.
This sample deck covers common beginner vocabulary, but the fastest way to build real fluency is studying the words and phrases you actually encounter - your textbook chapters, a show you're watching, or your own notes. StudyCards AI turns your own PDFs and notes into a deck like this one in about a minute, then exports directly to Anki for spaced repetition review.