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Translate NowEnglish to Spanish Translation
Translate English text to Spanish instantly with our free online translator, and learn what makes Spanish unique so you can judge and improve the results.
About the Spanish Language
Spanish is spoken by roughly 550 million people and is the official language of 21 countries across Europe and the Americas. It is also the most spoken non-English language in the United States, making it one of the most practical languages for travel, business, and everyday communication in the Western Hemisphere.
Spanish is a Romance language with highly regular, phonetic spelling - words are pronounced the way they are written - and it shares a large stock of Latin-derived vocabulary with English. Regional varieties from Spain to Mexico to Argentina differ in accent, some vocabulary, and pronouns, but remain mutually intelligible.
How Spanish Differs from English
Knowing these structural differences helps you write source text that translates well and spot problems in the output:
- Gendered nouns: Nouns are masculine or feminine - el libro (the book), la mesa (the table) - and adjectives agree in gender and number.
- Dropped pronouns: Because verb endings identify the subject, Spanish usually omits "I/you/we": hablo means "I speak" on its own.
- Ser vs estar: Spanish has two verbs for "to be": ser for permanent traits and estar for states and locations. Soy feliz and estoy feliz both mean "I am happy" with different nuance.
- Inverted punctuation: Questions and exclamations open with ¿ and ¡ - this is correct Spanish, not an error.
- Tú vs usted: Informal tú contrasts with formal usted; much of Latin America also uses ustedes for any plural "you".
Essential English to Spanish Phrases
These everyday phrases are a useful starting point. Use the Listen button on our translator to hear them spoken aloud:
| English | Spanish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hola | OH-lah |
| Thank you | Gracias | GRAH-syahs |
| Yes | Sí | see |
| No | No | noh |
| How are you? | ¿Cómo está usted? | KOH-moh ehs-TAH oos-TEHD |
| Please | Por favor | pohr fah-VOHR |
| Sorry | Lo siento | loh SYEHN-toh |
| What is your name? | ¿Cómo se llama? | KOH-moh seh YAH-mah |
| Water | Agua | AH-gwah |
| Goodbye | Adiós | ah-DYOHS |
Common Pitfalls When Translating English to Spanish
- False friends can be embarrassing: embarazada means "pregnant", not "embarrassed", and asistir means "to attend", not "to assist".
- Machine output may mix tú and usted registers in longer texts; check that the level of formality is consistent.
- Vocabulary differs by country (a computer is ordenador in Spain but computadora in most of Latin America); know your audience.
- Because subject pronouns are dropped, an ambiguous English sentence can come out with the wrong implied subject - keep sources explicit.
For a broader look at translation errors and how to avoid them, read our guide to 10 common translation mistakes.
How to Translate English to Spanish
- Open the Translate All Words home page
- Select English as the source language and Spanish as the target
- Type or paste your English text and click Translate
- Use the Listen button to hear the Spanish pronunciation, and Copy to save the result
- For anything important, review the output against the tips above or ask a native speaker