B1 Spanish is where you stop sounding like a walking phrasebook and start sharing real stories-but you still need the words to describe a lousy day, explain why you’re changing jobs, or talk about that weird dream you had. This CEFR-aligned B1 vocabulary list hands you around 1,000 practical Spanish words that live right in that messy, wonderful middle ground between beginner and confident speaker.
Every entry gives you a straightforward meaning and a natural example sentence so you can see the word in action, not just a dictionary entry. You’ll also find audio playback built right into the table-tap to check your pronunciation because your ears deserve practice too. When you want to study offline, the free PDF download button sits below the table, ready to go.
This is for learners who’ve nailed the basics and are ready to talk about feelings, plans, and opinions without freezing. Work through the list at your own speed, steal the examples for your own chats, and let the audio guide your accent one word at a time. No dusty textbook relics, just the vocabulary that gets you from “I understand” to “I can say that.”
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Spanish section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve locked these B1 words into memory? The quick quiz below will give you a friendly nudge toward the ones that need a little extra love-no grades, just a helpful pat on the back.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Type | Meaning | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cortés | Adjective | polite | El recepcionista fue cortés. | |
| cosa | Noun | thing | ¿Qué es esa cosa? | |
| coser | Verb | to sew | Mi abuela sabe coser muy bien. | |
| costa | Noun | coast | Pasamos las vacaciones en la costa. | |
| costumbre | Noun | custom/habit | Es una costumbre de mi país. | |
| crema | Noun | cream | Me pongo crema en las manos. | |
| criar | Verb | to raise | Ellos van a criar gallinas. | |
| crimen | Noun | crime | El detective investiga el crimen. | |
| crudo | Adjective | raw | El pescado está crudo. | |
| cruel | Adjective | cruel | Fue una broma cruel. | |
| cuento | Noun | story/tale | Cuéntame un cuento antes de dormir. | |
| cuidar | Verb | to take care of | Tienes que cuidar a tu hermano. | |
| culpa | Noun | fault/blame | No es mi culpa. | |
| cultivar | Verb | to cultivate/grow | Vamos a cultivar tomates. | |
| curar | Verb | to cure/heal | El médico te va a curar. | |
| curioso | Adjective | curious | El gato es muy curioso. | |
| currículum | Noun | resume/CV | Envié mi currículum a la empresa. | |
| curva | Noun | curve | La carretera tiene mucha curva. | |
| daño | Noun | damage/harm | No quiero hacerte daño. | |
| dato | Noun | data/fact | Es un dato muy importante. | |
| decidir | Verb | to decide | Tienes que decidir qué quieres hacer. | |
| décimo | Other | tenth | Vivo en el décimo piso. | |
| decisión | Noun | decision | Es una decisión difícil. | |
| declarar | Verb | to declare | El testigo va a declarar. | |
| defecto | Noun | defect/flaw | Nadie es perfecto, todos tenemos algún defecto. |
