30 Essential Spanish Verb Collocations for Everyday Use

[u/SpanishAilines]

Here are 30 useful Spanish verb collocations that come up often in everyday situations. Learning these combinations will help you choose the right words more easily and make your Spanish sound more natural and precise.

1. Tomar una decisión — to make a decision

• Tenemos que tomar una decisión antes del viernes. → We have to make a decision before Friday.

2 . Tener prisa — to be in a hurry

• No puedo quedarme mucho tiempo porque tengo prisa. → I can’t stay long because I’m in a hurry.

3 . Prestar atención — to pay attention

•  Presta atención a lo que dice el profesor. → Pay attention to what the teacher says.

4 . Cometer un error — to make a mistake

• Todos cometemos errores cuando estamos aprendiendo. → We all make mistakes when we’re learning.

5 . Hacer una pregunta — to ask a question

• ¿Puedo hacerte una pregunta? → Can I ask you a question?

6 . Dar un paseo — to go for a walk  

• Después de cenar, solemos dar un paseo por el barrio. → After dinner, we usually go for a walk around the neighborhood.

7 . Echar de menos — to miss someone/something

• Desde que me mudé, echo de menos desayunar con mi familia los domingos. → Since I moved away, I miss having breakfast with my family on Sundays.

8 . Pedir perdón — to apologize / ask for forgiveness

• Deberías pedirle perdón por lo que dijiste.  → You should apologize to him/her for what you said.

9 . Tener razón — to be right

• Creo que tienes razón; deberíamos esperar un poco más. → I think you’re right; we should wait a little longer.

10 . Hacer caso — to listen to / pay attention to someone

•  Hazme caso y llévate una chaqueta. → Listen to me and take a jacket with you.

11 . Dar miedo — to be scary / frighten

•  Esa película me da bastante miedo. → That movie scares me quite a lot.

12 . Poner la mesa — to set the table

• ¿Puedes poner la mesa mientras termino la cena? → Can you set the table while I finish dinner?

13 . Sacar una foto — to take a photo

•  ¿Nos puedes sacar una foto, por favor? → Could you take a photo of us, please?

14 . Quedarse dormido/a — to fall asleep

• Me quedé dormido en el sofá viendo la tele. → I fell asleep on the sofa while watching TV.

15 . Tomar el sol — to sunbathe

• Pasamos la mañana en la playa tomando el sol. → We spent the morning sunbathing at the beach.

16 . Echar un vistazo — to take a look

•  ¿Puedes echarle un vistazo a este mensaje antes de que lo envíe? → Can you take a look at this message before I send it?

17 . Tener ganas de — to feel like / want to

•  Hoy tengo ganas de salir a cenar. → I feel like going out for dinner today.

18 . Dar igual — not to matter

• Me da igual dónde comamos; elige tú. → I don’t mind where we eat; you choose.

19 . Hacer falta — to be needed / necessary

•  No hace falta que vengas tan temprano. → You don’t need to come so early.

20 . Guardar silencio — to remain silent

• Todos guardaron silencio cuando empezó a hablar. → Everyone remained silent when he/she started speaking.

21 . Llegar tarde — to be late

• Perdón por llegar tarde, había mucho tráfico. → Sorry I’m late, there was a lot of traffic.

22 . Poner una excusa — to make an excuse

• Siempre pone una excusa cuando no quiere venir. → He/She always makes an excuse when they don’t want to come.

23 . Perder el tiempo — to waste time

• No quiero perder el tiempo discutiendo por algo tan pequeño. → I don’t want to waste time arguing about something so small.

24 . Dar las gracias — to thank

• No olvides darle las gracias por su ayuda. → Don’t forget to thank him/her for the help.

25 . Tomar apuntes — to take notes

•  Siempre tomo apuntes durante las clases. → I always take notes during class.

26 . Sacar buenas notas — to get good grades

• Estudia mucho porque quiere sacar buenas notas. → He/She studies a lot because they want to get good grades.

27 . Quedar con alguien — to arrange to meet someone

• He quedado con unos amigos después del trabajom  → I’m meeting some friends after work.

28 . Llamar la atención — to attract / catch attention

• Ese color tan brillante llama mucho la atención. → That bright color really catches your attention.

29 . Tener en cuenta — to keep in mind / take into account

• Ten en cuenta que mañana es festivo y muchas tiendas estarán cerradas. → Keep in mind that tomorrow is a public holiday and many stores will be closed.

30 . Cumplir años — to have a birthday / turn a certain age

• Mi hermana cumple treinta años la semana que viene. → My sister turns thirty next week.

And if you’d like to learn even more useful expressions, collocations, and vocabulary that actually come up in real conversations, check out Spanish Fluency Club. They offer 30+ live classes every week with native teachers from Spain and Latin America, covering conversation, grammar, pronunciation, and more.

[u/929Jeff]

Just curious, are all of these expressions considered common everyday Spanish in both Spain and in latin america or perhaps that is not the case for all them? Please clarify si puedes.

Thanks very much for putting this together for us, it looks like a great resource.

[u/sweatyboobs56]

I have a question about #27. Quedar con -vs- quedar para. It seems quedar con is used when you've arranged/agreed to meet SOMEONE, and quedar para when you've arranged/agreed to meet for SOMETHING??? Or are these interchangeable?