Common Spanish Collocations gives you a practical set of Spanish words and expressions in one place, so you can study useful vocabulary without digging through scattered sources.
Each row is designed for quick review with meaning, example usage, and any available pronunciation help. When you want an offline copy, use the free Download PDF button below the table.
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Quick Quiz
Think you’ve locked these collocations into memory? The quiz below gives you a friendly nudge – no grades, just a quick spot-check to see which ones need another pass.
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| Collocation | Type | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| encender la luz | verb + noun | to turn on the light | Por favor, enciende la luz que no veo nada. | Please turn on the light, I can't see anything. |
| escuchar música | verb phrase | to listen to music | Me gusta escuchar música por la noche. | I like to listen to music at night. |
| estar de acuerdo | verb + prepositional phrase | to agree | Estoy de acuerdo contigo. | I agree with you. |
| ganar dinero | verb + noun | to earn money | Ella trabaja mucho para ganar dinero. | She works a lot to earn money. |
| hablar por teléfono | verb phrase | to talk on the phone | Ahora no puedo hablar por teléfono. | I can't talk on the phone now. |
| hacer caso | verb + noun | to pay attention | Hazme caso. | Listen to me. |
| hacer cola | verb + noun | to stand in line / to queue | Tenemos que hacer cola para comprar las entradas. | We have to stand in line to buy the tickets. |
| hacer daño | verb + noun | to hurt | No quiero hacerte daño. | I don’t want to hurt you. |
| hacer ejercicio | verb + noun | to exercise | Hago ejercicio por la mañana. | I exercise in the morning. |
| hacer falta | verb + noun | to be necessary, to need; to miss someone | Me hace falta un bolígrafo. | I need a pen. |
| hacer la cama | verb phrase | to make the bed | Cada mañana hago la cama. | Every morning I make the bed. |
| hacer la cena | verb + noun | to make dinner | Hoy mi madre hace la cena. | My mother is making dinner today. |
| hacer la compra | verb + noun | to do the shopping | Voy a hacer la compra esta tarde. | I am going to do the shopping this afternoon. |
| hacer la tarea | verb + noun | to do homework | Mi hijo hace la tarea en su cuarto. | My son does his homework in his room. |
| hacer los deberes | verb + noun | to do homework | Hago los deberes. | I do my homework. |
| hacer ruido | verb + noun | to make noise | Los niños hacen ruido en el patio. | The children make noise in the yard. |
| hacer sol | weather | to be sunny | Hace sol hoy. | It's sunny today. |
| hacer una foto | verb + noun | to take a photo | Voy a hacer una foto del parque. | I am going to take a photo of the park. |
| hacer una llamada | verb + noun | to make a call | Necesito hacer una llamada a mi madre. | I need to make a call to my mother. |
| hacer una pausa | verb + noun | to take a break | Vamos a hacer una pausa. | Let's take a break. |
| hacer una pregunta | verb + noun | to ask a question | Voy a hacer una pregunta en clase. | I’m going to ask a question in class. |
| ir al trabajo | verb phrase | to go to work | Hoy voy al trabajo en autobús. | Today I go to work by bus. |
| ir de compras | verb phrase | to go shopping | El sábado voy de compras con mi hermana. | On Saturday I go shopping with my sister. |
| lavarse las manos | reflexive verb phrase | to wash one's hands | Me lavo las manos antes de comer. | I wash my hands before eating. |
| leer un libro | verb phrase | to read a book | Leo un libro antes de dormir. | I read a book before sleeping. |
