Spanish Sight Words: The 40 Little Words Your Child Hears Most
Spanish sight words are the short, high-frequency words that show up on almost every page of a children’s story: es, y, en, tengo, hay. Here are the 40 our Manuel y Lola stories use most, each with English and a real story sentence, as free printable cards.
The full list is below, grouped so it makes sense to a parent who doesn’t speak Spanish, with a gentle two-week plan for kindergarten.
What’s in the free PDF
Page 1
Parent guide
How to use the cards, plus all 40 words with the story each comes from.
Page 2
Cards 1–8
hola, sí, no, y, un, una, es, soy
Page 3
Cards 9–16
tengo, mi, el, la, en, con, está, tiene
Page 4
Cards 17–24
hay, me gusta, quiero, aquí, los, de, a, su
Page 5
Cards 25–32
tú, estoy, voy, va, quiere, puedo, puede, dice
Page 6
Cards 33–40
también, muy, mucho, hoy, ¿qué?, ¿dónde?, casa, amigo
Eight cards per page with dashed cut lines. Each card shows the Spanish word large, the English small, and one sentence from a Manuel y Lola story that uses it, like Tengo un perro muy bueno (I have a very good dog).
Spanish is different from English here
In English, sight words are often words you can’t sound out, like the or said. Spanish spelling is far more regular, so most words can be sounded out. A large 2003 study of beginning readers across Europe (Seymour, Aro and Erskine) found that children learning to read in languages with regular spelling, Spanish among them, read familiar words accurately by the end of their first school year, well ahead of English-speaking children.
So what are these cards for?
Speed and comfort. These 40 words are on nearly every page of our stories, so knowing them at a glance lets your child spend their attention on the story instead of on y and en. They are not a standards list or a test, just the words that make our books easier to enjoy.
Spanish sight words with English translation: all 40
Every word below appears in our free printable story readers. The sentence next to it is from the story named underneath.
Articles: the and a (5)
Spanish has a boy form and a girl form of the and a. Your child learns which one by hearing it, not by rule.
| Spanish | English | In a story |
|---|---|---|
| un | a (for a boy word) | Manuel tiene un perro.Manuel has a dog.Manuel tiene un perro |
| una | a (for a girl word) | Lola es una chica.Lola is a girl.Soy y Es |
| el | the (for a boy word) | El perro se llama Max.The dog's name is Max.Manuel tiene un perro |
| la | the (for a girl word) | La pelota es azul.The ball is blue.Manuel tiene un perro |
| los | the (for a group) | Los dos amigos van a la escuela.The two friends go to school.Manuel va a la escuela |
People words: my, his, her, you (3)
Tú is the everyday way to say you to a friend or a child.
| Spanish | English | In a story |
|---|---|---|
| mi | my | Max es mi amigo.Max is my friend.Soy y Es |
| su | his / her | Manuel va con su mamá.Manuel goes with his mom.Manuel va a la escuela |
| tú | you | Sí, quiero jugar contigo.Yes, I want to play with you.Quiero |
Story verbs (15)
Each Manuel y Lola story is built around one of these verbs, so your child meets them again and again.
| Spanish | English | In a story |
|---|---|---|
| es | is (he, she, it is) | Max es un perro bueno.Max is a good dog.Soy y Es |
| soy | I am | Hola, soy Lola.Hi, I am Lola.Soy y Es |
| tengo | I have | Tengo un perro muy bueno.I have a very good dog.Manuel tiene un perro |
| está | is (where someone is) | Lola está debajo de la mesa.Lola is under the table.¿Dónde está Lola? |
| tiene | has (he, she has) | Max tiene una pelota azul.Max has a blue ball.Manuel tiene un perro |
| hay | there is / there are | Hay un pájaro en el árbol.There is a bird in the tree.Hay |
| me gusta | I like | Me gusta jugar.I like to play.Me gusta |
| quiero | I want | Quiero una galletita.I want a cookie.Quiero |
| estoy | I am (where I am) | Estoy aquí.I am here.¿Dónde está Lola? |
| voy | I go | Hoy voy a la escuela.Today I go to school.Manuel va a la escuela |
| va | goes (he, she goes) | Manuel va al parque.Manuel goes to the park.Manuel va a la escuela |
| quiere | wants (he, she wants) | Lola quiere una manzana.Lola wants an apple.Quiero |
| puedo | I can | Puedo saltar.I can jump.Puedo saltar |
| puede | can (he, she can) | Lola puede correr rápido.Lola can run fast.Puedo saltar |
| dice | says (he, she says) | "¡Aquí estoy!" dice Lola."Here I am!" says Lola.¿Dónde está Lola? |
Little words that hold sentences together (12)
Short, unexciting, and on nearly every page. That is exactly why they are worth knowing at a glance.
| Spanish | English | In a story |
|---|---|---|
| sí | yes | ¡Sí, me gusta mucho!Yes, I like it a lot!Me gusta |
| no | no / not | Lola no está en la cocina.Lola is not in the kitchen.¿Dónde está Lola? |
| y | and | Manuel y Lola van al parque.Manuel and Lola go to the park.Me gusta |
| en | in / on | Max tiene su pelota en la boca.Max has his ball in his mouth.Manuel tiene un perro |
| con | with | Lola va con su papá.Lola goes with her dad.Manuel va a la escuela |
| aquí | here | ¡Aquí estoy!Here I am!¿Dónde está Lola? |
| de | of / from | Me gusta el helado de chocolate.I like chocolate ice cream.Me gusta |
| a | to | Lola va a la escuela.Lola goes to school.Manuel va a la escuela |
| también | too / also | Lola también va al patio.Lola also goes to the playground.Manuel va a la escuela |
| muy | very | Max puede correr muy bien.Max can run very well.Puedo saltar |
| mucho | a lot | Me gusta mucho.I like it a lot.Me gusta |
| hoy | today | Soy feliz hoy.I am happy today.Soy y Es |
Question words (2)
Written with an upside-down question mark at the start, which children love to point out.
| Spanish | English | In a story |
|---|---|---|
| ¿qué? | what? | ¿Qué te gusta?What do you like?Me gusta |
| ¿dónde? | where? | ¿Dónde está Lola?Where is Lola?¿Dónde está Lola? |
Everyday words (3)
Three words the characters use all the time.
| Spanish | English | In a story |
|---|---|---|
| hola | hi / hello | Hola, soy Manuel.Hi, I am Manuel.Soy y Es |
| casa | house / home | Manuel está en la casa.Manuel is in the house.¿Dónde está Lola? |
| amigo | friend | Max es mi amigo.Max is my friend.Soy y Es |
How to use the Spanish sight word flashcards
You don’t need to speak Spanish for any of this; every card has the English on it. The cards work best as a game you play during a story, the way Manuel shouts ¡Tengo un amigo perro! and your child gets to hold up tengo.
- 1
Read the story first. Start with Manuel tiene un perro, Soy y Es or ¿Dónde está Lola?. The words mean something before they’re on a card.
- 2
Hold up the card when the word appears. On the second read, your child holds a card and lifts it every time they hear it.
- 3
One new card a day.Tape it to the fridge. Say it once at breakfast. That’s the lesson.
- 4
No drilling, no timing. If a card causes a frown, put it back in the pile. It will come around again in the next story.
Why story first? Krashen’s input hypothesis, one of the best-known ideas in second-language teaching, says we pick up words by understanding them in context. A card on its own has no context; a card held up mid-story does.
Spanish sight words list for kindergarten: the first 10
For a kindergartner just starting Spanish, begin with the first ten cards. One card per school day for two weeks, a minute or two each. The honest goal: by the end, your child recognizes these words when they come up in our stories. Nothing more is needed.
Day 1
hola
Say it every time someone walks into the room today.
Day 2
sí
Ask yes-or-no questions in English; your child answers sí.
Day 3
no
Pair it with sí: hold up both cards and let your child pick the true one.
Day 4
y
Stack two toys and say Max y Luna. The card goes between them.
Day 5
un / una
Two cards, one idea: a. Say un perro, una pelota with real objects.
Day 6
es
Point around the room: Es azul. Es grande.
Day 7
soy
Your child points to themselves: Soy Sofía. Soy Leo.
Day 8
tengo
Hold something up: Tengo un libro. Then hand it over.
Day 9
mi
Mi mamá, mi papá, mi perro: point at the family photo.
Day 10
Review
Read Manuel tiene un perro together and hold up each card when its word appears.
Get the free sight word cards
Six pages: a parent guide, then 40 cut-apart cards with Spanish, English and a story sentence on each. Free for your family and classroom, no email needed. The words come from the stories our Story Bundle puts in order, which isn’t for sale yet.
Download the Cards (Free PDF)Questions parents ask
What are 20 basic Spanish words?
A good first 20 for a young child: hola (hi), sí (yes), no (no), y (and), un and una (a), es (is), soy (I am), tengo (I have), mi (my), el and la (the), en (in), con (with), está (is, for where someone is), tiene (has), hay (there is), me gusta (I like), quiero (I want) and aquí (here). They are the first 20 cards in our free sight word set.
What are the 50 most common Spanish words?
General frequency lists, like Mark Davies's A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish, are topped by small function words such as el, la, de, que, y, a and en. Our 40 cards are a different kind of list: the words our Manuel y Lola stories use most. They overlap heavily with the top of those general lists, but every card comes with a sentence your child has already heard in a story.
Does Spanish have sight words?
Not in the English sense. Most Spanish words are spelled the way they sound, so a child can sound them out once they know the letters. In Spanish, sight words simply means high-frequency words worth recognizing instantly, so reading feels smooth instead of slow.
How many sight words should a kindergartener know in Spanish?
There is no set number for a child learning Spanish at home, and we don't pretend there is one. A realistic first goal is the first 10 cards: your child recognizes hola, sí, no, y, un, una, es, soy, tengo and mi when they appear in our stories. Add more only when those feel easy.
Do you have Spanish sight words worksheets?
Not a separate sight word worksheet yet. The card set's first page is a parent guide with the full list, and our free trace-and-match Spanish worksheets cover colors, numbers, days, months, greetings and family. For sight words, the cards plus a story work better than a worksheet anyway.
Where these words show up next
Cards help your child spot the words; stories are where the words live. The free starter story, Manuel tiene un perro, uses tengo, tiene, un, mi and muy on its first few pages.
Printable Spanish Flashcards
24 picture-it-yourself cards for colors, numbers and family.
Kindergarten Spanish Worksheets
Six one-page trace-and-match sheets.
Story reader: Me gusta
Ice cream, a park, and me gusta on almost every page.
Get the Free Starter Story Pack
A short printable Manuel y Lola story with a parent guide in English.
More free printables: word searches · bingo · all printables. Spanish Basics units: Greetings · Colors · Numbers · Days of the week · Months and seasons · Family · Emotions · Animals · Body parts · The alphabet.
Sources
- Philip H. K. Seymour, Mikko Aro and Jane M. Erskine: Foundation literacy acquisition in European orthographies, British Journal of Psychology 94(2), 143–174 (2003)
- Mark Davies and Kathy Hayward Davies: A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish: Core Vocabulary for Learners, 2nd edition (Routledge, 2018)
- Stephen D. Krashen: Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition (1982)