2026–27 edition. Mondosol Language Guides. Spanish, beginner level (A1). This guide follows the free Spanish course on mondosol.com and adds dialogues, grammar notes, exercises and a review quiz.
The short answer
You can order in a tapas bar, buy a train ticket, ask the way and talk about your family in Spanish after about two weeks. You need about 20 minutes a day. You do not need to know grammar first.
Spanish is a good first language to learn. You read it the way it is written. There are only five vowel sounds, and they never change. Most words end in a vowel. Many words look like English words. Examples: hotel, taxi, restaurante, familia.
It is also a big language. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes that Spanish speakers “sobrepasan los 635 millones en todo el mundo” (are more than 635 million worldwide), and that the native-speaker community “supera los 500 millones” (is more than 500 million). Source: Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores – El español en el mundo.
Three myths this guide corrects
Myth 1: “I must learn the grammar before I can speak.”
This is wrong. You can use full sentences on day one. Quisiera un café, por favor means “I would like a coffee, please”. You do not need to know why it works. This guide gives you whole phrases first. The grammar comes later, in small pieces.
Myth 2: “Spanish from Spain and Spanish from Latin America are different languages.”
This is wrong. They are one language. People from Madrid and Mexico City understand each other. Some words are different. One example is the word for “juice”. The word zumo is used in Spain, and the word jugo is used in Latin America. This guide uses the Spanish spoken in Spain as its base. A blue “LatAm” note shows you every important difference.
Myth 3: “I cannot roll my r, so people will not understand me.”
This is wrong. The Spanish letter “r” is a quick tap, like the “tt” in the American word “butter”. The strong rolled “rr” comes with practice. Until then, people still understand you.
Who this guide is for
- Complete beginners, and people who learned a little at school and forgot it.
- Travellers going to Spain or Latin America who want more than a phrase list.
- People who will live, work or study in a Spanish-speaking country.
- Mondosol learners who want the course on paper, with extra practice.
At the end you reach level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). A1 means you can use simple everyday phrases about yourself and about things you need.
What is inside the full guide
- How to use this guide
- The sounds of Spanish
- Hello, goodbye and who you are
- Survival Spanish: the rescue phrases
- Numbers, prices and shopping
- Days, dates and telling the time
- Family and friends
- At the café, the tapas bar and the restaurant
- Getting around: directions, stations and tickets
- How you feel and what things are like
- Your first verbs
- Small talk: weather, likes and plans
- At the hotel, the shop and the pharmacy
- Review quiz: 30 questions
- The plan for 14 days
- Quick reference page
- Answer key, frequently asked questions and sources
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