Spanish Words That Start With T: Common Words, Gender and Pronunciation
Some of the most useful Spanish words that start with t are tener (to have), tiempo (time, weather), trabajo (work), tarde (afternoon; late), también (also), todo (all), tres (three), tú (you) and tomar (to take, to drink). The Spanish t sounds close to the English one, with two differences: the tongue touches the back of the upper front teeth, and there is no puff of air after it.
This page lists common t words by topic, with el or la for every noun, the verbs whose forms catch learners out, the accent marks that change meaning, set phrases, a short dialogue and a practice set. For describing words only, see Spanish adjectives that start with t; for more vocabulary by topic, start at the Spanish vocabulary hub.
How to pronounce the Spanish t
The letter is called te (la te). Its sound never changes, wherever it appears in a word.
- Tongue on the teeth. Put the tip of your tongue against the back of your upper front teeth, not on the ridge behind them as for English t. Say tú, todo, tomate.
- No puff of air. English t at the start of a word is followed by a small burst of breath (hold your hand in front of your mouth and say “top”). Spanish t has none, so tapa sounds a little like “dapa” to English ears. That is correct.
- Never a soft “d”. In American English, the t in water or city becomes a quick flap. Spanish never does this: patata, meta and gato keep a clear t.
- Ti is never “sh”. English nation has a “sh” sound; Spanish words are spelled with c instead (nación), and t before i stays t: tienda, tierra, tímido.
- Tr is two sounds. In tren, tres and triste, say the dental t and then a single tap of the tongue for r, like the middle of English “butter” said fast.
Spanish has no “th” spelling in its own words. When you see t followed by h it is in a borrowed name.
Everyday nouns that start with t
Learn each noun with its article. Most nouns ending in -o are masculine and most ending in -a are feminine, but t words include some well-known exceptions, marked below.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| el tiempo | time; weather | No tengo tiempo. / ¿Qué tiempo hace? (What’s the weather like?) |
| el trabajo | work, job | Hoy tengo mucho trabajo. |
| la tarde | afternoon, early evening | Nos vemos por la tarde. |
| la tienda | shop, store; tent | La tienda cierra a las ocho. |
| el teléfono | telephone | Te llamo por teléfono. |
| la televisión / la tele | television | No vemos mucho la tele. |
| el tema | topic, subject (masculine, ends in -a) | El tema de hoy es la familia. |
| el tren | train | El tren sale a las cinco. |
| el taxi | taxi | Tomamos un taxi al aeropuerto. |
| la tarjeta | card (bank card, greeting card) | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? |
| la taza | cup, mug | Quiero una taza de té. |
| el tenedor | fork | Me falta un tenedor. |
| la toalla | towel | Las toallas están en el baño. |
| la tierra | earth, land, soil; la Tierra = the planet | La Tierra gira alrededor del Sol. |
| el techo | ceiling; roof (in much of Latin America) | El techo es muy alto. |
| la tarea | task; homework (Spain often says los deberes) | Los niños hacen la tarea. |
| el tráfico | traffic | Hay mucho tráfico a esta hora. |
| la tormenta | storm | Viene una tormenta. |
| la tos | cough (feminine) | Tengo tos desde el lunes. |
| el tobillo | ankle | Me torcí el tobillo. |
People and family
| Spanish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| el tío / la tía | uncle / aunt | In Spain, also informal “guy / woman” or “mate”: ¿Qué pasa, tío? |
| los tíos | uncles; uncle and aunt | The masculine plural covers a mixed pair. |
| el tipo / la tipa | guy / woman (informal); el tipo also = type | la tipa can sound rude; el tipo is neutral. |
| el/la turista | tourist | Same form for men and women: el turista, la turista. |
| el/la taxista | taxi driver | Same pattern as turista. |
| el/la testigo | witness | Ends in -o but works for both: la testigo. |
Food and drink
| Spanish | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| el tomate | tomato | In Mexico you will also hear jitomate for the red tomato. |
| el té | tea | Needs the accent: té (tea), te (you/yourself). |
| la tortilla | Spain: potato omelette; Mexico and Central America: flat maize or wheat bread | Same word, different food. |
| la tarta | cake, tart (Spain) | Much of Latin America says la torta; in Mexico a torta is a filled bread roll. |
| la tapa | lid; a small dish served with a drink (Spain) | Ir de tapas = go out for tapas. |
| el tocino | bacon, salt pork | |
| el turrón | nougat eaten at Christmas (Spain) | Plural turrones (no accent). |
| el tamal | tamale (Mexico, Central America) | Plural tamales. |
| el tenedor, la taza | fork, cup | See the table above. |
Animals, nature and numbers
- el tigre (tiger), el toro (bull), la tortuga (tortoise, turtle), el tiburón (shark; plural tiburones), el topo (mole), el tucán (toucan).
- el trueno (thunder), la tormenta (storm), la tierra (soil, land), el tronco (tree trunk).
- Numbers: tres (3), trece (13), treinta (30), trescientos (300). Colours: turquesa (turquoise), which does not change for gender: una falda turquesa.
Verbs that start with t
Several of the most common t verbs are irregular. The forms that surprise learners are shown.
| Verb | Meaning | Forms to watch | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| tener | to have | tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen; past tuve | Tengo dos hermanos. |
| tomar | to take; to drink; to have (food) | regular | ¿Quieres tomar algo? |
| trabajar | to work | regular | Trabajo en un hospital. |
| traer | to bring | traigo; past traje, trajiste | ¿Qué traigo a la cena? |
| traducir | to translate | traduzco; past traduje | Traduzco del inglés al español. |
| tocar | to touch; to play (an instrument); to be someone’s turn | past toqué | Toco la guitarra. / Te toca a ti. |
| terminar | to finish | regular | ¿A qué hora terminas? |
| tirar | to throw; to throw away | regular | No tires la comida. |
| tratar | to treat; tratar de + infinitive = to try to | regular | Trato de llegar temprano. |
| tardar | to take (time); tardar en = take long to | regular | Tardo veinte minutos en llegar. |
| temer | to fear | regular | Temo que no venga. |
| temblar | to tremble, shake | tiemblo, tiemblas | Me tiemblan las manos. |
| tender | to hang out (washing); to tend to | tiendo, tiendes | Tiendo la ropa al sol. |
| torcer(se) | to twist | tuerzo, tuerces | Me torcí el tobillo. |
| tropezar | to trip | tropiezo; past tropecé | Tropecé con una piedra. |
| toser | to cough | regular | El niño tose mucho. |
| tutear | to speak to someone as tú | regular | ¿Nos tuteamos? |
Note that traje is both “I brought” (from traer) and the noun el traje (suit). Context always tells you which. For every form of the most important one, see tener conjugation.
Adjectives that start with t
Adjectives ending in -o change to -a for feminine nouns; those ending in -e or a consonant usually stay the same.
| Masculine / feminine | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tranquilo / tranquila | calm, quiet | Es un barrio muy tranquilo. |
| tímido / tímida | shy | Mi hija es tímida. |
| tonto / tonta | silly, stupid | ¡No seas tonto! |
| típico / típica | typical, traditional | Es un plato típico de Valencia. |
| tierno / tierna | tender, sweet | La carne está muy tierna. |
| tibio / tibia | lukewarm | El agua está tibia. |
| trabajador / trabajadora | hard-working | Ana es muy trabajadora. |
| triste (both) | sad | Estoy triste. / Es una canción triste. |
| torpe (both) | clumsy | Soy un poco torpe. |
| terrible (both) | terrible | Fue un día terrible. |
| tremendo / tremenda | huge, tremendous; (informal) amazing or awful | Hace un calor tremendo. |
Notice el agua está tibia: agua is feminine, but it takes el because it begins with a stressed a sound. The adjective is still feminine.
Small words you use every day
- también (also, too): Yo también. tampoco (not either, neither): Yo tampoco.
- tan (so, as) before adjectives and adverbs: tan alto como tú. tanto (so much, as much): Te quiero tanto.
- todo / toda / todos / todas (all, every): todos los días, toda la noche.
- todavía (still, yet): Todavía no he comido.
- tarde (late) and temprano (early): Llegué tarde. Me levanto temprano.
- tras (after, behind; formal): día tras día, tras la reunión.
- tal vez (maybe), written as two words: Tal vez llueva.
- tú (you) and tu (your): Tú tienes tu libro.
Accent marks that change the meaning
A written accent (tilde) on these short t words is not decoration. It separates two different words:
| With accent | Without accent | Example |
|---|---|---|
| tú = you | tu = your | ¿Tú vienes con tu hermano? |
| té = tea | te = you, yourself (object) | Te preparo un té. |
Accents also move or disappear in plurals, because the stress stays on the same syllable: la televisión but las televisiones, el tiburón but los tiburones. Other words keep theirs in the plural (el túnel, los túneles), and short words like el tren and los trenes need none at all. The rules behind this are on the Spanish accent rules page.
Set phrases with t words
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tener … años | to be … years old (Tengo treinta años.) |
| tener hambre / sed / frío / calor / sueño | to be hungry / thirsty / cold / hot / sleepy |
| tener que + infinitive | to have to (Tengo que irme.) |
| tener razón | to be right |
| tener cuidado | to be careful |
| tener ganas de | to feel like (Tengo ganas de salir.) |
| tomar una decisión | to make a decision |
| tomar el pelo a alguien | to pull someone’s leg |
| a tiempo | on time |
| todo el mundo | everybody (not “the whole world” in most contexts) |
There are many more with tener; see Spanish expressions with tener.
A short dialogue
Tomás: ¿Tienes tiempo esta tarde? Quiero tomar un té.
Teresa: Hoy no, tengo mucho trabajo. ¿Mañana, tal vez?
Tomás: Mañana trabajo hasta tarde. ¿El jueves?
Teresa: Vale. Te llamo por teléfono el miércoles.
Tomás: Perfecto. ¡Y trae a tu hermana!
Tomás: Do you have time this afternoon? I want to have a tea. / Teresa: Not today, I have a lot of work. Tomorrow, maybe? / Tomás: Tomorrow I’m working late. Thursday? / Teresa: OK. I’ll phone you on Wednesday. / Tomás: Perfect. And bring your sister! (Vale is Spain; in Latin America you would hear Está bien or Dale.)
Mistakes English speakers really make
| Not this | This | Why |
|---|---|---|
| la tema | el tema | Tema is masculine, like problema and sistema. |
| Soy treinta años. | Tengo treinta años. | Age uses tener. |
| Yo también no. | Yo tampoco. | “Me neither” is tampoco. |
| Te preparo un te. | Te preparo un té. | Tea needs the accent. |
| las televisiónes | las televisiones | The accent drops in the plural. |
| Ella es muy trabajador. | Ella es muy trabajadora. | Adjectives in -or add -a for feminine. |
| Tengo muy frío. / Estoy muy frío. | Tengo mucho frío. | With tener, frío is a noun, so “very” is mucho. Estoy frío means your body is cold to the touch. |
Practice
A. Add el or la. 1. ___ tema 2. ___ tos 3. ___ tenedor 4. ___ tienda 5. ___ turista (a woman)
B. Choose the word.
- ¿(Tu / Tú) eres de México?
- ¿Quieres un (te / té)?
- Yo (tengo / tiene) que trabajar.
- Ayer (traje / traí) pan.
- No me gusta el café. — A mí (también / tampoco).
C. Translate. 11. I’m hungry. 12. The train is late. 13. Everybody is here.
Show the answers
1. el 2. la 3. el 4. la 5. la 6. Tú 7. té 8. tengo 9. traje 10. tampoco 11. Tengo hambre. 12. El tren llega tarde. (or: El tren viene con retraso.) 13. Todo el mundo está aquí. (or: Están todos aquí.)
Working through the alphabet? Try Spanish words that start with s next.
Quick answers
What is a common Spanish word that starts with t?
Tener (to have) is one of the most used verbs in the language, and también, todo, tiempo and tú are among the most frequent words in everyday speech.
Is the t in Spanish pronounced like English t?
Nearly. Touch your tongue to your upper teeth and do not let air puff out after it. It never becomes the soft flap of American water.
Are Spanish words with t masculine or feminine?
The first letter tells you nothing about gender. Look at the ending and learn the article: el tema and la tos are the usual surprises.
What is the difference between tú and tu?
Tú with an accent is the pronoun “you”; tu without it is “your”.
