You can probably say hola and count to ten. You might know a handful of words from a song or an app. But try to talk about where you live, what you do, and what you like, in full sentences, and most beginners freeze.
That gap is what the Spanish A1 syllabus closes. A1 is the first of six levels, built for someone starting from zero, and it has one job: take you from scattered words to simple, real conversations.
The Spanish A1 syllabus is the complete beginner stage of Spanish. It covers pronunciation, present-tense verbs, noun gender and articles, everyday vocabulary, and simple conversations like introducing yourself, describing things, telling the time, and ordering food. Finish it and you can handle basic, slow, face-to-face exchanges and sit the DELE A1 exam.
What Spanish A1 covers
A1 is the first rung of the Common European Framework (CEFR), the six-level scale from A1 to C2 that grades language ability. The Council of Europe describes an A1 learner as someone who can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases, introduce themselves, and interact simply, as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is ready to help (Council of Europe).
In practice, by the end of A1 you can:
- Introduce yourself and give basic personal details
- Ask and answer simple everyday questions
- Order food, ask prices, and shop for basics
- Ask for and follow simple directions
One thing to settle before you compare courses: there is no single official Spanish A1 syllabus. The CEFR says what an A1 learner can do, Instituto Cervantes sets what the DELE A1 exam tests, and each school orders its own grammar. So two honest A1 courses can look different. For the full level-by-level picture, see our guide to the CEFR language levels.
Spanish A1 syllabus explained
The clearest way to see the Spanish A1 syllabus is as six building blocks. Each one adds a piece you need for the first real conversations you will have: who you are, what things are, what you do, and what you want.
| Module | What you learn to do | Key grammar and words |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sounds and first words | Say Spanish correctly and greet people | The alphabet and ñ, the five vowel sounds, tricky letters (ll, ch, j, h, r/rr), stress and written accents, the marks ¿ ¡, greetings and polite phrases |
| 2. Talking about yourself | Introduce yourself and give your details | Subject pronouns, the verb ser, tener for age, numbers 0 to 100, words for name, nationality, job and age |
| 3. Naming and describing | Name and describe things around you | Noun gender and plurals, articles (el/la, un/una), adjective agreement, possessives (mi, tu, su), demonstratives (este, ese), hay for what exists |
| 4. Actions and questions | Say what you do and ask questions | Present tense of regular -ar, -er, -ir verbs, common irregulars (ir, hacer, querer, poder), question words (qué, quién, dónde, cómo, cuándo), negation with no |
| 5. Daily life and time | Talk about your routine | estar for place and state, the first ser vs estar contrast, telling the time, days, months, dates, reflexive verbs (levantarse, ducharse), weather |
| 6. Getting around and preferences | Say what you like, shop and find your way | gustar and similar verbs, basic prepositions (a, de, en, con), prices and shopping, food and ordering, directions and transport |
Here is what each module looks like in detail:
Module 1: Sounds and first words
This is where you learn to read Spanish out loud, and it is faster than you expect. Spanish spelling is almost entirely regular, so once you know the five vowel sounds and a few tricky letters (the rolled rr, the j that sounds like a hard h, the silent h), you can say almost any word you see. You also pick up greetings and polite phrases, hola, buenos días, por favor, gracias, that carry you through your first exchanges.
Module 2: Talking about yourself
The first real thing you can do in Spanish is introduce yourself. You meet the verb ser (to be) for who and what you are, soy Ana, soy de India, and tener (to have) for your age, because Spanish says “I have 30 years,” tengo treinta años, not “I am 30.” Numbers 0 to 100 come in here too, for your age, your phone number and spelling your name aloud.
Module 3: Naming and describing
Now you name and describe the world around you. The big idea is that every Spanish noun has a gender: most words ending in -o are masculine (el libro) and most in -a are feminine (la casa), and the words around them must match, so a white house is la casa blanca, never la casa blanco. You also learn hay, one of the most useful A1 words, meaning “there is” or “there are”: hay un banco aquí, there is a bank here.
Module 4: Actions and questions
This is the engine room, the present tense. Regular Spanish verbs come in three families by their ending, -ar, -er and -ir, and each follows a steady pattern, so hablar (to speak) gives hablo, hablas, habla. You also meet the handful of irregular verbs you cannot avoid (ir, hacer, querer, poder) and the question words, qué, quién, dónde, cómo, cuándo, that turn a statement into a question.
Module 5: Daily life and time
Here you describe your everyday life, and you meet Spanish’s famous pair of verbs. Alongside ser you now learn estar, the other word for “to be,” used for location and for how you feel right now: estoy en casa (I am at home), estoy cansado (I am tired). Telling the time, the days and months, and reflexive verbs for your routine (me levanto, I get up) let you talk through a normal day from morning to night.
Module 6: Getting around and preferences
The last block gets you out into the world: shopping, eating and finding your way. The star is gustar, the verb for likes, and it works backwards from English. Me gusta el café is literally “coffee is pleasing to me,” and it changes with the thing liked, not the person: me gustan los libros, “books are pleasing to me.” Add prices, food words and simple directions, and you can handle a café, a shop and a street.
What Spanish A1 doesn’t cover
Spanish grammar is built in layers. A few things beginners expect at A1 sit in the layer above, and knowing this stops you buying a course that over-promises.
- The past tenses. A1 lives in the present. The two main past tenses, preterito and imperfecto, wait for A2. Some courses add a light touch of he comido (I have eaten), but it is not the focus.
- The subjunctive. The mood Spanish uses for wishes, doubts and emotions. It needs grammar you meet much later, so it sits around B1.
- Por vs para. Both translate as “for,” and telling them apart is an A2 job.
- Two object pronouns together. Saying “I gave it to him” (se lo di) stacks two pronouns. A1 keeps pronouns simple.
- The future and conditional tenses. At A1 you say the future with ir a (voy a estudiar, I am going to study), not the true future tense.
If a course lists these under A1, the label is optimistic. Ask before you enroll.
DELE A1 exam at a glance
Finishing the syllabus is one thing. The DELE A1, the official Spanish diploma from Instituto Cervantes, tests whether you can use it across four skills.
| Test | What it checks | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Signs, short messages, menus, personal details | 45 min |
| Listening | Names, times, prices, familiar expressions | 20 to 25 min |
| Writing | Filling forms and short personal messages | 25 min |
| Speaking | Introducing yourself and answering simple questions | 10 min (+10 prep) |
The four tests are bundled into two groups for marking: reading with writing, and listening with speaking. Each group is worth 50 points, and you need at least 30 in each group to pass, so a strong half cannot rescue a weak one. You can download official sample papers and the current specifications from Instituto Cervantes. For how to prepare skill by skill, see our full DELE exam guide.
Frequently asked questions
1.Is there a Spanish A1 syllabus PDF?
There is no single official one. Instituto Cervantes publishes downloadable DELE A1 sample papers and exam specifications, and any good course gives you its own outline. Use those rather than hunting for a national standard.
2.How long does Spanish A1 take?
It depends on how often you practise, not a fixed number of hours. A few focused months of regular study is normal for most learners, faster if you already speak another Romance language.
3. What is the difference between Spanish A1 and A2?
A1 is present-tense survival Spanish. A2 adds the past tenses, more verbs, and longer sentences. A2 builds straight on A1, so gaps at A1 slow you down later.
4. Is Spanish A1 enough to hold a conversation?
For simple, slow exchanges, yes: introductions, prices, directions and basic personal questions. It is not enough to follow a normal-speed conversation between native speakers.
5. Can I prepare for the DELE A1 by self-study?
Yes. The key is to practise all four skills, not just grammar and vocabulary, using the official Instituto Cervantes DELE A1 sample papers.
6. Is Spanish A1 enough for a job or a Spain student visa?
Usually not. Most study and work routes ask for A2, B1 or higher. A1 is a foundation you build on, not a level employers or universities typically require.
Sources
Council of Europe, CEFR global scale (A1 descriptor)
Instituto Cervantes, DELE A1 exam structure and specifications
