Everyday Spanish: 25 words for home, work and daily routine

🇪🇸 SpanishA225 words

Once you can greet people and order food, the next step is talking about your day: getting up, going to work, doing the shopping, meeting friends. These words describe a normal day in Spain, with examples you can adapt to your own routine.

Where you will use it: Home, work, shopping and talking about your daily routine.

Spanish words for everyday life — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

Spanish	Meaning and example
levantarse	To get up.“Me levanto temprano de lunes a viernes.”I get up early from Monday to Friday.
ducharse	To have a shower.“Me ducho antes de salir de casa.”I have a shower before leaving home.
desayunar	To have breakfast.“Desayuno tostadas antes de ir al trabajo.”I have toast before going to work.
el trabajo	Work; job.“Mi trabajo empieza a las nueve.”My work starts at nine.
la oficina	Office.“Compartimos la oficina con otros compañeros.”We share the office with other colleagues.
el piso	Flat; apartment.“Nuestro piso tiene dos habitaciones y balcón.”Our flat has two bedrooms and a balcony.
el supermercado	Supermarket.“El supermercado cierra a las nueve.”The supermarket closes at nine.
hacer la compra	To do the grocery shopping.“Hacemos la compra los sábados por la mañana.”We do the grocery shopping on Saturday mornings.
quedar con amigos	To meet up with friends.“Suelo quedar con amigos después del trabajo.”I usually meet up with friends after work.
la siesta	Afternoon nap.“A veces duermo la siesta después de comer.”Sometimes I have a nap after lunch.
el fin de semana	Weekend.“Este fin de semana vamos al campo.”This weekend we're going to the countryside.
el móvil	Mobile phone.“He dejado el móvil en la cocina.”I've left my mobile phone in the kitchen.
el ordenador	Computer.“Uso el ordenador para trabajar desde casa.”I use the computer to work from home.
el coche	Car.“Dejamos el coche delante de la oficina.”We leave the car in front of the office.
limpiar	To clean.“Hoy he limpiado el baño y la cocina.”Today I've cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen.
poner la lavadora	To put a wash on.“Pongo la lavadora cuando tengo ropa sucia.”I put a wash on when I have dirty clothes.
tender la ropa	To hang out the washing.“Tendemos la ropa en el balcón.”We hang out the washing on the balcony.
cocinar	To cook.“Me gusta cocinar cuando tengo tiempo.”I like cooking when I have time.
pasear	To go for a walk.“Paseamos por el barrio después de cenar.”We walk around the neighbourhood after dinner.
acostarse	To go to bed.“Me acuesto pronto cuando trabajo al día siguiente.”I go to bed early when I work the next day.
el vecino / la vecina	Neighbour (male / female).“Mi vecina me ha prestado una silla.”My neighbour has lent me a chair.
el alquiler	Rent.“Pagamos el alquiler a principios de mes.”We pay the rent at the beginning of the month.
la cita	Appointment; date.“Tengo cita con el médico mañana.”I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow.
el horario	Schedule; opening or working hours.“Mi horario cambia cada dos semanas.”My working hours change every two weeks.
descansar	To rest.“Los domingos prefiero descansar en casa.”On Sundays I prefer to rest at home.

Tips for learning Spanish words

Learn the article with the nounWrite el billete or la cuenta, not just the noun: the article tells you the gender, and adjectives agree with it.
Say every example aloudSpanish is spelled almost exactly as it sounds. Play the audio, then read the example aloud — it trains your ear and your pronunciation at once.
Type the accentsIn WordNest a missing accent counts as a mistake. Typing está, mañana and también correctly from the start saves relearning them later.

Spanish as spoken in Spain

Spanish is spoken in more than twenty countries, and everyday words differ between them: a car is a coche in Spain and a carro in much of Latin America, a phone is a móvil rather than a celular. These lists follow Spain's usage — vosotros, coger el tren, el ordenador — and WordNest's examples, audio and AI corrections use the same standard. You will still be understood everywhere.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

Spanish word lists →

Questions about this list

Is this Spanish from Spain or Latin America?

Spanish as spoken in Spain. Where Latin America usually uses a different word, the list gives the Spain one — for example coche instead of carro — but every word is understood across the Spanish-speaking world.

How do I practise Spanish words for everyday life?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the Spanish word from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

Create a free account, choose Spanish as a study language and add these words to your own deck.