In this article, we are going to go over the ultimate B1 Spanish vocabulary list!
The vocab will be broken up into 5 categories, verb forms you should know, and vocabulary related to Directions, Emotions, Countries & Nationalities, and Professions.
Are you ready to take your Spanish to the next level? ¡Vamos!
What Does It Mean To Have A B1 Level?
Having a B1 level in Spanish means that you know about 1,900 words and have studied for a total of about 400 hours. Some of the things you can do with a B1 level in Spanish include:
Understand the main points of clear, standard text that are relevant to you
Write short letters expressing emotions, wishes, and experiences
Able to handle small issues that may arise while traveling
Able to have a basic conversation
Understand the main points of podcasts, videos, and radio (when spoken slowly & clearly)
Present oneself with ease
Ask for recommendations, directions, help, etc.
The B1 Spanish Vocabulary List
In this list, we will have 5 categories including verbs & verb forms, directional vocabulary, vocabulary relating to emotions, countries, and professions.
All of these words that I have chosen to put on this list were chosen based on what a B1 learner should be able to understand and produce. Let’s start!
B1 Spanish: Verbs & Verbs Forms
In this section, we'll go over the 3 verb forms that I want to introduce to you (if you don't already know them). All three of these are extremely important and are used probably 50 times a day each for an average native speaker. Let's take a look!
Conditional Tense - Preguntaría
The conditional tense is used most commonly to describe something that you would do in a certain situation (hypothetical). For example - "I would ask her that question, but she seems busy right now".
Below we will look at 2 verbs in the conditional tense, and how it looks with each subject. The best part about this tense is that it is sooo easy! Just add ía and you're basically done. Let's check it out!
Subject | Conditional Tense (Preguntar) |
Yo | Preguntaría |
Tú | Preguntarías |
Él/Ella/Usted | Preguntaría |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | Preguntarían |
Nosotros | Preguntaríamos |
Vosotros (Spain) | Preguntaríais |
Subject | Conditional Tense (Aprender) |
Yo | Aprendería |
Tú | Aprenderías |
Él/Ella/Usted | Aprendería |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | Aprenderían |
Nosotros | Aprenderíamos |
Vosotros (Spain) | Aprenderíais |
Subjunctive Form - Tengas
The subjunctive form in Spanish is used to express doubt, uncertainty, wishes, emotions, and hypothetical or unreal situations.
For example - I hope you can come to the house tonight or "espero que puedas venir a la casa esta noche". Let's take a look at how 2 common verbs look in the subjective form.
Subject | Subjunctive Form (Tener) |
Yo | Tenga |
Tú | Tengas |
Él/Ella/Usted | Tenga |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | Tengan |
Nosotros | Tengamos |
Vosotros (Spain) | Tengáis |
Subject | Subjunctive Form (Ir) |
Yo | Vaya |
Tú | Vayas |
Él/Ella/Usted | Vaya |
Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes | Vayan |
Nosotros | Vayamos |
Vosotros (Spain) | Vayáis |
Imperative Mood - Corre
The imperative mood in Spanish is used for giving direct commands or instructions. It is concise and typically ends in -a, -e, or -i for regular verbs.
For example, "¡Habla!" (Speak!) or "¡Come!" (Eat!). The imperative mood can only be used for certain subjects, for example, you can't give a command to yourself.
Therefore, the imperative mood can only be used for - You (Plural/Informal/Formal), and we.
Subject | Imperative Mood (Correr) |
Tú | ¡Corre! |
Usted | ¡Corra! |
Ustedes | ¡Corran! |
Nosotros | ¡Corramos! |
Vosotros (Spain) | ¡Corred! |
Subject | Imperative Mood (Hablar) |
Tú | ¡Habla! |
Usted | ¡Hable! |
Ustedes | ¡Hablen! |
Nosotros | ¡Hablemos! |
Vosotros (Spain) | ¡Hablad! |
B1 Verbs That You Should Know
The following verbs are some of those which you probably haven't learned yet if you're an A2 or if you just started being a B1. These verbs will unlock new abilities that will facilitate your conversations even more!
As a daily Spanish speaker, I can promise you that I use almost all of these daily.
B1 Verb | Meaning |
Platicar | To chat |
Bromear | To joke |
Reírse | To laugh |
Divertirse | To have fun |
Fumar | To smoke |
Orinar | To pee |
Agregar | To add |
Obtener | To obtain / To get |
Pasear | To stroll |
Saborear | To taste |
B1 Directional Vocabulary In Spanish
The directional vocabulary will be great to learn (especially) for those who use their phone in Spanish.
Why you ask?
Because when your phone is in Spanish and you use Google Maps to navigate you somewhere - it will be talking to you in Spanish! 😭🤣
Word/Phrase | Meaning |
Girar | To turn |
Gira a la izquierda (Tú) | Turn left |
Gira a la derecha (Tú) | Turn right |
Sigue recto | Continue straight |
Detente al final de la calle (Tú) | Stop at the end of the street |
Toma la autopista (Tú) | Take the highway |
Norte | North |
Este | East |
Sur | South |
Oeste | West |
Date la vuelta (Tú) | Turn around |
B1 Spanish: Best Adjectives To Learn
All of the B1 adjectives that I have added to this list will help expand your ability to describe, and in turn, make you sound more intelligent and well-read in Spanish.
However, all of these words are to some degree commonly used, and easily understood!
English + Basic Spanish Word | B1 Synonyms |
Happy (Feliz) | Contento/a, Alegre, Satisfecho/a, Dichoso/a |
Sad (Triste) | Desdichado/a, Melancólico/a, Miserable |
Excited (Emocionado/a) | Ansioso/a |
Scared (Asustado/a) | Espantado/a, Aterrorizado/a, Temeroso/a |
Small (Pequeño/a) | Chiquito/a |
Delicious (Delicioso/a) | Rico/a, Riquísimo/a, Exquisito/a |
B1 Spanish: Best Nouns To Learn
Now let's take a look at some of the most used B1 Spanish nouns. All of these nouns can be found within the 2,000 most common words used in the Spanish language. This means that after learning them, you won't have a hard time hearing them in context. Let's go over them together!
B1 Spanish Noun | Meaning |
La naturaleza | Nature |
La empresa | Company |
La moda | Fashion |
La sorpresa | Surprise |
El desafío | Challenge |
La mente | Mind |
El ruido | Noise |
El sueño | Dream |
La meta | Goal |
La habilidad | Skill |
Vocabulary Relating To Countries & Nationalities
If you are like me, you probably have been learning the most necessary words first so that you can have conversations as soon as possible.
However, now that you are starting to get the ability to conversate with natives, you're probably going to want to know how to say all of the countries and nationalities of native Spanish speakers.
Let's take a look!
Country (In English) | Country Name (Nationality) |
Argentina | Argentina (argentino/a) |
Bolivia | Bolivia (boliviano/a) |
Chile | Chile (chileno/a) |
Colombia | Colombia (colombiano/a) |
Costa Rica | Costa Rica (costarricense) |
Cuba | Cuba (cubano/a) |
Dominican Republic | República Dominicana (dominicano/a) |
Ecuador | Ecuador (ecuatoriano/a) |
El Salvador | El Salvador (salvadoreño/a) |
Equatorial Guinea | Guinea Ecuatorial (ecuatoguineano/a) |
Guatemala | Guatemala (guatemalteco/a) |
Honduras | Honduras (hondureño/a) |
Mexico | México (mexicano/a) |
Nicaragua | Nicaragua (nicaragüense) |
Panama | Panamá (panameño/a) |
Paraguay | Paraguay (paraguayo/a) |
Peru | Perú (peruano/a) |
Spain | España (español/a) |
Uruguay | Uruguay (uruguayo/a) |
Venezuela | Venezuela (venezolano/a) |
B1 Vocabulary List: Professions
You probably already know a majority of these, but take note of the ones that you don't. These are the 20 most common professions and how to refer to them in Spanish!
Profession In English | Profession In Spanish |
Doctor | Médico/a |
Nurse | Enfermero/a |
Teacher | Professor | Maestro/a | Profesor/a |
Engineer | Ingeniero/a |
Lawyer | Abogado/a |
Accountant | Contador/a |
Architect | Arquitecto/a |
Psychologist | Psicólogo/a |
Journalist | Periodista |
Programmer | Programador/a |
Carpenter | Carpintero/a |
Electrician | Electricista |
Secretary | Secretario/a |
Receptionist | Recepcionista |
Chef | Cook | Chef | Cocinero/a |
Police Officer | Policía |
Firefighter | Bombero/a |
Social Worker | Trabajador/a Social |
Salesperson | Vendedor/a |
Pharmacist | Farmacéutico/a |
If you are interested in learning words that make you sound smarter in Spanish, check out this article!
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B1 Vocabulary List: Food
These are still pretty basic food words, but from my experience - we as learners won't use a ton of food vocabulary (unless we're chefs). For that reason this is a short list of only 10 common food words that you need to know with a B1 level in Spanish.
Food In Spanish | Food In English |
La fruta | Fruit |
La verdura | Vegetable |
Los mariscos | Seafood |
Las patatas fritas | French fries |
El helado | Icecream |
El pastel | Cake |
Los dulces | Sweets / Candy |
El yogur | Yogurt |
El postre | Dessert |
La galleta | Cookie |