Spanish Words Starting with ‘S’
Many everyday Spanish words start with S: sí (yes), ser (to be), saber (to know), salir (to go out), siempre (always), semana (week), sol (sun) and simpático (nice, friendly). The Spanish S is a crisp “s” as in “sun”, never the z sound of English “rose”, and a word can never begin with S plus another consonant. That is why English “school”, “Spain” and “stop” become escuela, España and estación or parar.
The lists below are grouped by meaning, with gender and real example sentences. After them you’ll find the key verb pairs (ser and estar, saber and conocer), common expressions, false friends and a short practice.
How to pronounce S
- Always “s”: casa is KAH-sah, not KAH-zah; presidente is preh-see-DEN-teh.
- Before b, d, g, l, m, n it may lightly voice to a z sound in fast speech (mismo, desde), which happens naturally.
- At the end of a syllable many speakers in the Caribbean, Andalusia, Chile and Argentina soften it to an h or drop it: ¿cómo estás? sounds like “¿cómo ehtáh?”. You’ll hear it; you don’t need to copy it.
- No “s + consonant” at the start: English speakers sometimes say “Espanish”; the reverse problem is saying scuela for escuela.
Small S words you’ll use constantly
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sí / si | yes / if | Sí, quiero. Si llueve, no salgo. |
| se | reflexive and impersonal pronoun | Se llama Pedro. Aquí se habla español. |
| su / sus | his, her, its, their, your (formal) | su casa, sus hijos |
| sin | without | café sin azúcar |
| sobre | on, about; envelope (noun) | un libro sobre historia |
| según | according to | según el médico |
| siempre | always | Siempre llego tarde. |
| solo / sólo | alone / only | Vivo solo. Solo tengo diez euros. |
| sino | but rather (after a negative) | No es rojo sino naranja. |
| seguro | sure; safe; surely | ¿Estás seguro? |
The accent changes the word: sí (yes) vs si (if), sé (I know) vs se (pronoun). The old written accent on sólo for “only” is now optional and the Academy recommends leaving it off.
Nouns that start with S
Time and the calendar
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el segundo | second |
| la semana | week |
| el sábado | Saturday |
| septiembre | September (also spelled setiembre) |
| el siglo | century |
| la siesta | afternoon nap |
Home, food and daily life
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la sala / el salón | living room |
| la silla | chair |
| el sillón | armchair |
| el sofá | sofa |
| la sábana | bed sheet |
| la sal | salt |
| la sopa | soup |
| la salsa | sauce |
| la sandía | watermelon |
| la salchicha | sausage |
| el sándwich | sandwich |
| la servilleta | napkin |
| el supermercado | supermarket |
| el sueldo / el salario | salary, wages |
| el sello | stamp (postage, rubber) |
People, body and health
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el señor / la señora / la señorita | Mr, sir / Mrs, madam / Miss |
| el/la sobrino/a | nephew / niece |
| el/la suegro/a | father- / mother-in-law |
| el/la socio/a | business partner; member (of a club) |
| la sangre | blood |
| la sonrisa | smile |
| la salud | health |
| el sueño | sleep; dream |
| la sed | thirst: tengo sed |
| el susto | fright, scare |
School, work and travel
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la salida | exit; departure |
| el semáforo | traffic light |
| el sitio | place; website (sitio web) |
| la señal | sign; signal (phone coverage) |
| el servicio | service; toilet (Spain) |
| el sobre | envelope |
| el/la secretario/a | secretary |
| el seguro | insurance |
| la solicitud | application (for a job, a visa) |
| la suerte | luck: ¡Buena suerte! |
| el sombrero | hat |
| la sudadera | sweatshirt, hoodie |
Nature and animals
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el sol | sun |
| la sombra | shade; shadow |
| la selva | jungle, rainforest |
| la sierra | mountain range; saw |
| la semilla | seed |
| la serpiente | snake |
| el sapo | toad |
| el salmón | salmon |
| el saltamontes | grasshopper |
Verbs that start with S
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ser | to be (identity, origin, character) | Soy de Chile. |
| saber | to know (facts); to know how | No sé nadar. – I can’t swim. |
| salir | to go out, leave | Salgo a las seis. |
| seguir | to follow; to continue | Sigue recto. – Go straight on. |
| sentir / sentirse | to feel; to be sorry | Lo siento. Me siento mejor. |
| sentarse | to sit down | Siéntate, por favor. |
| servir | to serve; to be useful | Esto no sirve. – This is no good. |
| subir | to go up, climb; to upload | Sube la foto. |
| soñar (con) | to dream (of) | Sueño con viajar. |
| sacar | to take out; to get (a grade, a photo) | Saqué un diez. |
| saludar | to greet, say hello | Saluda a tu madre de mi parte. |
| sonar | to ring, sound | Suena el teléfono. |
| sufrir | to suffer | Sufre de migrañas. |
| sorprender | to surprise | Me sorprendió la noticia. |
| suponer | to suppose | Supongo que sí. – I suppose so. |
Most of these are irregular: ser → soy, saber → sé, salir → salgo, seguir → sigo, sentir → siento, soñar → sueño, suponer → supongo. Sacar changes c to qu before e: saqué.
Ser vs estar, saber vs conocer
Ser says what someone or something is; estar (an E word) says where it is or how it is right now: Es simpática (She’s a nice person) vs Está cansada (She’s tired). See ser vs estar.
Saber is for facts and skills (Sé su número, Sé cocinar); conocer is for people and places you are familiar with (Conozco a su hermano, Conozco Lima).
Adjectives that start with S
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| simpático/a | nice, friendly (not “sympathetic”) | Tu amigo es muy simpático. |
| sano/a | healthy | comida sana |
| seco/a | dry | La ropa ya está seca. |
| sucio/a | dirty | Los platos están sucios. |
| solo/a | alone; lonely | Me siento solo. |
| serio/a | serious | ¿Lo dices en serio? – Are you serious? |
| seguro/a | safe; sure | un barrio seguro |
| sencillo/a | simple, plain; modest | una receta sencilla |
| suave | soft, smooth, gentle | una tela suave |
| salado/a | salty; witty (Spain) | La sopa está salada. |
| sabroso/a | tasty | un plato sabroso |
| siguiente | next, following | al día siguiente – the next day |
| sordo/a | deaf | Mi abuelo está un poco sordo. |
Everyday expressions with S words
- ¡Salud! – Cheers! / Bless you (after a sneeze).
- Lo siento. – I’m sorry.
- No sé. – I don’t know.
- ¡Socorro! – Help! (in an emergency)
- Sin embargo – however.
- Sobre todo – above all, especially.
- Tener sueño / tener sed – to be sleepy / thirsty.
- ¿Qué sé yo? – Who knows? / How should I know?
- Salir adelante – to get ahead, to pull through.
- Ser uña y carne – to be inseparable (two friends).
- No tener pelos en la lengua – to speak bluntly, not mince words: Habla sin pelos en la lengua.
- Sano y salvo – safe and sound.
Example sentences with S words
- Los sábados salgo con mis sobrinos. – On Saturdays I go out with my nephews and nieces.
- Siempre tomo sopa cuando estoy enfermo. – I always have soup when I’m ill.
- ¿Sabes si el supermercado abre el domingo? – Do you know if the supermarket opens on Sunday?
- Siéntate en el sofá; la silla está rota. – Sit on the sofa; the chair is broken.
- Mi suegra es muy simpática y siempre sonríe. – My mother-in-law is very nice and always smiles.
- Hace sol, pero nos sentamos a la sombra. – It’s sunny, but we sit in the shade.
- No es serio sino sencillo. – He’s not serious but rather modest.
- Seis, siete y dieciséis: the numbers six, seven and sixteen all contain an S, and sesenta (60) and setenta (70) start with one.
- Sigue por esta calle y en el segundo semáforo gira a la derecha. – Carry on down this street and turn right at the second traffic light.
Reading practice: a Saturday in S words
El sábado Sara se despertó tarde porque tenía mucho sueño. Salió de casa a las once, compró sandía y salchichas en el supermercado y saludó a su vecino, un señor muy simpático. Hacía sol, así que se sentó a la sombra en el parque y leyó un libro sobre la selva. Por la tarde visitó a sus sobrinos; siempre le sorprende lo rápido que crecen. Volvió a casa sana y salva, se sirvió una sopa y se acostó temprano.
Translation: On Saturday Sara woke up late because she was very sleepy. She left home at eleven, bought watermelon and sausages at the supermarket and said hello to her neighbour, a very nice gentleman. It was sunny, so she sat in the shade in the park and read a book about the rainforest. In the afternoon she visited her nephews and nieces; she is always surprised how fast they grow. She got home safe and sound, served herself some soup and went to bed early.
Notice salió (preterite of salir), se sentó (preterite of sentarse), le sorprende (it surprises her, built like gustar) and se sirvió (from servirse, with the e to i change).
Quick answers
Why don’t Spanish words start with “st” or “sp”?
Spanish does not allow a word to begin with s followed by another consonant, so borrowed words gain an e: estrés (stress), esnob, espray, escáner. Some recent loanwords such as sándwich and software keep their English spelling but are still pronounced with a slight “e” by many speakers.
What are some Spanish adjectives starting with S to describe a person?
Simpático (nice), serio (serious), sencillo (modest, down-to-earth), sensible (sensitive), sabio (wise), sincero (honest) and sociable.
False friends starting with S
| Spanish | Real meaning | Not |
|---|---|---|
| simpático | nice, friendly | sympathetic (comprensivo) |
| sensible | sensitive | sensible (sensato) |
| soportar | to put up with, bear | to support (apoyar) |
| suceso | event, incident | success (éxito) |
| sano | healthy | sane (cuerdo) |
| sopa | soup | soap (jabón) |
| sujeto | subject; a guy, individual | a school subject (asignatura, materia) |
Common mistakes
- Adding no e-: Spanish has no words starting sp-, st-, sc-: especial, estudiante, escuela.
- Pronouncing S as z: presidente, música, casa all use a clear s.
- Confusing si and sí: only “yes” (and the emphatic pronoun sí mismo) has the accent.
- Using pero instead of sino: after a negative that you correct, use sino: No quiero té sino café.
- Saying estoy simpático: it describes personality, so soy simpático.
- Sabo: the yo form of saber is sé.
Practice
- Translate: “I don’t know where the supermarket is.”
- Choose: No es lunes (pero / sino) sábado.
- Choose: (Sé / Conozco) a tu hermana.
- What does sensible mean in Spanish?
- Give the yo present of salir and seguir.
Answers: 1. No sé dónde está el supermercado. 2. sino. 3. Conozco. 4. sensitive. 5. salgo, sigo.
More vocabulary by letter: Spanish words that start with R and Spanish words that start with T. For Saturday itself, see how to say Saturday in Spanish.
