Phrase patterns
Essential Spanish phrase patterns
Fluent Spanish is built from chunks, not single words. These are the high-frequency patterns - obligation, opinion, time, requests - that you can slot new vocabulary straight into.
tengo que
I have to
A1me gusta
I like
A2hay que
one has to; it is necessary to
A2por eso
therefore; because of that
A2acabo de
I just did something
A1voy a
I am going to
A1puedo
I can
A1quiero
I want
A1creo que
I think that
A1no sé
I do not know
A1cómo se dice
how do you say
A1dónde está
where is
A1cuánto cuesta
how much does it cost
A2me puede
can you ... for me
A1tiene que
he/she/you formal has to
A2antes de
before
A2después de
after
B1en vez de
instead of
B1aunque
although; even if
A2a lo mejor
maybe; perhaps
B1de repente
suddenly
B1tener ganas de
to feel like
B1me hace falta
I need; I am missing
A2estoy de acuerdo
I agree
A2no importa
it does not matter
A1por favor
please
A1claro que sí
of course; definitely
A2por lo menos
at least
B1cada vez más
more and more
B1por si acaso
just in case
B1me di cuenta
I realized
B1vale la pena
it is worth it
A2no tengo ni idea
I have no idea
A1qué tal
how are things; how about
A1hasta luego
see you later
A1me llamo
my name is
Why these patterns work the way they do
Several of these chunks turn on a single choice - por or para, ser or estar. The guides take those apart properly, with examples you can reuse. Free to read.