LanguageThe BestieBeginner
First Words in Spanish, a free language course on Tomo

First Words in Spanish

Like Duolingo, but for First Words in Spanish. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.

For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.

A short one: 9 levels across 2 sections, about 18 minutes end to end, roughly 4 days at five minutes a day. It moves through First Contact and Out in the World. It starts from scratch.

9 bite-size levelsAbout 5 minutes each

Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android

Paco the Parrot, the guide who teaches the First Words in Spanish course
First Words in Spanish
with Paco the Parrot
9
Levels
2
Sections
5
Min/day
What you'll learn

Key ideas in First Words in Spanish

  • 'Hola' works any time of day in casual situations
  • 'Buenos días' is used in the morning until midday
  • 'Buenas tardes' covers the afternoon until nightfall
  • 'Buenas noches' serves as both evening greeting and bedtime farewell
  • Spanish has exactly five pure vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u
  • Unlike English vowels that drag or change pitch (diphthongize), Spanish vowels stay short and crisp
  • A Spanish vowel keeps its core sound regardless of where it sits in a word
  • The letter 'h' is completely silent in Spanish
  • Pronouncing 'hola' starts directly on the crisp 'o' sound ('OH-lah')
  • Breathing out an English 'h' sound when saying 'hola' or 'hotel' is a giveaway foreign habit
  • 'Por favor' turns blunt single-word demands into polite requests
  • 'Disculpe' grabs attention or apologizes for interrupting someone
  • 'Gracias' shows immediate appreciation and keeps interactions warm
  • 'No entiendo' signals a comprehension breakdown rather than social courtesy
  • 'Más despacio' directly requests a slower speaking tempo
  • 'No entiendo' explains that you don't understand, but doesn't specifically tell them to slow down
Why not just Google it

You've tried the other tabs

Wikipedia

Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.

YouTube

You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.

ChatGPT

One answer, then back to scrolling.

Online courses

Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.

Tomo gives First Words in Spanish the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.

Try a question

Here's what playing it feels like

A real question from this course. Take your best guess.

Saying Hello at Any Hour

You walk into a café at 9:00 AM. Which greeting fits best?

Get it right to open this lesson and 8 more in the app.

Course map

Where First Words in Spanish takes you

Start speaking Spanish from zero with the core phrases you actually need. Learn to greet locals comfortably, order food and drinks, and navigate everyday street encounters without freezing up.

  1. 1

    First Contact

    • Greetings and Conversational Lifelines
  2. 2

    Out in the World

    • Ordering at the Counter
    • Finding Places and Getting Around

2 sections · 3 units · 9 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.

How it's taught

You pick the voice

This course
The Bestie

First Words in Spanish is taught in the The Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.

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Start First Words in Spanish today.

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