Stage 1 — Immediate Survival Spanish
Learn survival Spanish for beginners through seven practical lessons and start communicating from your first day.
Choose your Survival Spanish Lesson
Complete the seven lessons in order, starting with Lesson 1.
Lesson 1 — Say You Don’t Understand and Ask for Help
Learn eight Spanish survival phrases to ask for repetition, slower speech and written help in everyday situations.
Lesson 2 – Introduce Yourself in Spanish
Learn how to greet someone, say your name and ask another person’s name politely using simple Spanish introductions for real-life situations.
Lesson 3 — Introduce Your Country and Nationality in Spanish
Learn to introduce your country and nationality in Spanish, say where you live and name the languages you speak in a simple conversation.
Lesson 4 — Give Your Phone Number Clearly in Spanish
Need to give your phone number in Spanish? Learn the numbers from 0 to 20 and practise the essential phrases to give, repeat and check telephone numbers confidently.
Lesson 5 — Spell Your Name and Personal Details in Spanish
Learn the essential phrases to spell your personal details clearly and confidently in everyday situations across Spain.
Lesson 6 — Be Polite and Ask for Help in Spanish
Learn the essential polite Spanish phrases to ask for help, say thank you, apologise and communicate respectfully in everyday situations across Spain.
Lesson 7 — Have Your First Complete Conversation in Spanish
Practise a complete Spanish conversation using greetings, personal details, spelling, phone numbers and essential survival phrases.
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What You Will Learn from Survival Spanish for Beginners
Stage 1 contains the essential Spanish you need to begin communicating in everyday situations. During this first week, you will develop one practical skill each day and gradually combine everything in your first complete conversation.
You will learn how to:
- Say that you do not understand.
- Ask someone to repeat or speak more slowly.
- Greet another person appropriately.
- Introduce yourself and ask someone’s name.
- Say where you are from and where you live.
- Give and check a telephone number.
- Spell your name and personal details.
- Ask for help and communicate politely.
These are practical expressions you can use in shops, workplaces, public services and everyday conversations in Spain.
How This First Week Works
Stage 1 contains seven lessons designed to be completed in order, from Lesson 1 to Lesson 7.
Each lesson represents approximately one hour of active learning. This does not mean one hour of reading. Your study time includes listening, repeating, completing short activities, practising a dialogue and remembering expressions without looking at the answers.
Begin with Lesson 1 and complete one lesson each day whenever possible. If you need more practice, repeat a lesson before continuing.
You do not need to memorise complicated grammar tables before speaking. Short grammar explanations are included only when they help you understand and use the expressions from that lesson.
Your Goal with Survival Spanish for Beginners
Lesson 7 brings together the skills from the entire week. You will practise a complete beginner conversation using greetings, personal information, numbers, spelling, polite expressions and essential survival questions.
By the end of Stage 1, you should be able to begin a short conversation, provide basic personal information and ask for clarification when you do not understand.
You do not need to speak perfectly. The objective is to communicate clearly enough to understand the situation, give a basic response and ask for help when necessary.
These communication goals reflect a small part of the abilities described in the official CEFR description of level A1. Completing Stage 1 does not mean that you have completed level A1.
Who Is This Stage For?
This stage is designed for complete beginners and people who understand very little Spanish. Instructions are provided in clear English, and no previous knowledge is required.
If you already know a few expressions, you can use Stage 1 to organise what you know and strengthen your listening and pronunciation.
Start Your First Lesson
After completing Stage 1, you will be ready to expand your Spanish through lessons about family, descriptions, the home and daily routines.