{"id":69,"date":"2026-09-30T16:55:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T15:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/spanish-word-of-the-day\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:55:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T15:55:35","slug":"spanish-word-of-the-day","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/spanish-word-of-the-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish word of the day: a vocabulary routine for the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-a-word-of-the-day-works\">Why a word of the day works<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One new word a day does not sound like much. Its strength lies elsewhere: it happens every lesson, it takes two or three minutes, and it brings in words that no textbook unit would have taught this week.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also builds two habits that matter more than any single word. Pupils learn to guess before they are told, and to reuse a word straight away instead of just copying it. Spacing and retrieval, returning to a word after a gap and making pupils recall it, are among the best-supported principles in research on memory. A word of the day builds both into the timetable.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"choosing-the-words\">Choosing the words<\/h2>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list rules-list\"><li><strong>Useful beats exotic.<\/strong> Favour words pupils can reuse today: connectives (<span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">adem\u00e1s<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">sin embargo<\/span>), time expressions (<span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">a menudo<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">todav\u00eda<\/span>), high-frequency verbs (<span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">aprobar<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">quedar<\/span>).<\/li><li><strong>Always with the article.<\/strong> Teach <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">el recreo<\/span> and <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la mochila<\/span>, never &#8220;recreo&#8221; alone. The gender comes free with the word.<\/li><li><strong>Mix the types.<\/strong> A noun on Monday, a verb on Tuesday, a connective on Wednesday, a phrase on Thursday, a cultural word on Friday.<\/li><li><strong>Follow the unit, then step outside it.<\/strong> Most days, pick a word that helps with the current topic. Once a week, choose one for pleasure.<\/li><li><strong>Include a few words English doesn&#8217;t have.<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la sobremesa<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">madrugar<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">estrenar<\/span>: they say something about daily life in the Spanish-speaking world.<\/li><li><strong>Flag regional variants.<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">el m\u00f3vil<\/span> in Spain, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">el celular<\/span> in Latin America; <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">los deberes<\/span> in Spain, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la tarea<\/span> in much of Latin America.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"twenty-words-to-start-with\">Twenty words to start with<\/h2>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table vocab say-es\"><table><thead><tr><th>Spanish<\/th><th>English<\/th><th>Example sentence<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>el recreo<\/td><td>break time<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">En el recreo como un bocadillo.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>la mochila<\/td><td>school bag<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Mi mochila pesa mucho.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>los deberes<\/td><td>homework (Spain)<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Hoy tengo muchos deberes.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>aprobar<\/td><td>to pass (an exam)<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">\u00a1He aprobado el examen de matem\u00e1ticas!<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>suspender<\/td><td>to fail (an exam), in Spain<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Si no estudio, voy a suspender.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>madrugar<\/td><td>to get up early<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Los lunes tengo que madrugar.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>la sobremesa<\/td><td>time spent chatting at the table after a meal<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">En mi casa, la sobremesa es muy larga.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>la merienda<\/td><td>afternoon snack<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">De merienda, tomo fruta.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>el m\u00f3vil<\/td><td>mobile phone (Spain)<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">\u00bfD\u00f3nde est\u00e1 mi m\u00f3vil?<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>adem\u00e1s<\/td><td>also, besides<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Es barato y, adem\u00e1s, es muy bonito.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>sin embargo<\/td><td>however<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Me gusta el ingl\u00e9s; sin embargo, prefiero el espa\u00f1ol.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>a menudo<\/td><td>often<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">A menudo juego al f\u00fatbol con mis amigos.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>todav\u00eda<\/td><td>still, yet<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Todav\u00eda no he terminado.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>quedar<\/td><td>to arrange to meet<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">\u00bfQuedamos a las cinco en el parque?<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>echar de menos<\/td><td>to miss (someone), in Spain<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Echo de menos a mi abuela.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>la ilusi\u00f3n<\/td><td>excitement, hope<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">\u00a1Qu\u00e9 ilusi\u00f3n! Ma\u00f1ana vamos a la playa.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>estrenar<\/td><td>to use or wear for the first time<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Hoy estreno zapatillas.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>el puente<\/td><td>long weekend (and bridge)<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Este puente vamos a la sierra.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>la carpeta<\/td><td>folder (not carpet)<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Guarda la hoja en la carpeta.<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ojal\u00e1<\/td><td>I hope, if only<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">\u00a1Ojal\u00e1 haga sol ma\u00f1ana!<\/span><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">El puente<\/span> is the extra day off that links a public holiday to the weekend, a very Spanish institution. <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Ojal\u00e1<\/span> comes from Arabic and is followed by the subjunctive, which makes it a good B2 word. In Latin America, &#8220;to miss someone&#8221; is usually <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">extra\u00f1ar<\/span>, and &#8220;to fail an exam&#8221; is often <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">reprobar<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"making-pupils-guess\">Making pupils guess<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The guessing phase is what turns a word of the day into thinking rather than copying. Give pupils a few seconds and a clue before you reveal anything.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>A picture and the English word<\/strong>, the simplest start: &#8220;to get up early&#8221;.<\/li><li><strong>The first letter and the number of letters<\/strong>: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">m _ _ _ _ _ _ _<\/span>.<\/li><li><strong>A definition in Spanish<\/strong>, from A2: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Levantarse muy temprano.<\/span><\/li><li><strong>A sentence with a gap<\/strong>: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Los lunes tengo que ___ porque el autob\u00fas sale a las siete.<\/span><\/li><li><strong>A cognate or a false friend<\/strong>: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la carpeta<\/span> looks like &#8220;carpet&#8221; but means folder.<\/li><li><strong>A mime<\/strong>, for verbs.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let pupils whisper their guess to a partner or write it on a mini whiteboard before the reveal. A wrong guess that gets corrected is remembered better than a word that was simply handed over.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"reusing-and-reviewing\">Reusing and reviewing<\/h2>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reusing the word straight away<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A word that is only read is quickly forgotten. Each word of the day should come with a short reuse task:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Escribe una frase con &#8220;a menudo&#8221; y un deporte.<\/span>: Write a sentence with &#8220;a menudo&#8221; and a sport.<\/li><li><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Di qu\u00e9 haces en el recreo.<\/span>: Say what you do at break time.<\/li><li><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Pregunta a tu compa\u00f1ero: \u00bfMadrugas los s\u00e1bados?<\/span>: Ask your partner whether they get up early on Saturdays.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A &#8220;word spotter&#8221; role adds a game: one pupil listens for the word during the lesson and raises a hand each time someone uses it naturally.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reviewing: spacing without software<\/h3>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The word of the day only works if yesterday&#8217;s word comes back. A simple schedule is enough:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Next lesson:<\/strong> before the new word, ask for yesterday&#8217;s: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">\u00bfC\u00f3mo se dice &#8220;to get up early&#8221;?<\/span><\/li><li><strong>End of the week:<\/strong> a five-word quiz, low-stakes, no marks.<\/li><li><strong>A few weeks later:<\/strong> mix old words into sentences, Do Now questions or a game.<\/li><li><strong>End of term:<\/strong> pupils pick their favourite word and explain why.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep a list or a word wall of the words already seen, so that you and your pupils can see them build up.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"typical-mistakes-of-english-speaking-learners\">Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Learning the word without its gender:<\/strong> &#8220;mochila&#8221; alone, then &#8220;el mochila&#8221;.<\/li><li><strong>Literal translation:<\/strong> &#8220;to miss the bus&#8221; is <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">perder el autob\u00fas<\/span>, not <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">echar de menos<\/span>, which is only for people and places.<\/li><li><strong>False friends:<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la carpeta<\/span> (folder), <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la librer\u00eda<\/span> (bookshop), <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">actual<\/span> (current), <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">asistir<\/span> (to attend).<\/li><li><strong>Stress and accents:<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">adem\u00e1s<\/span> and <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">m\u00f3vil<\/span> lose their stress when pupils drop the accent.<\/li><li><strong>Regional words marked wrong:<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">el celular<\/span> and <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">extra\u00f1ar<\/span> are standard in Latin America.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"in-class-the-routine-step-by-step\">In class: the routine step by step<\/h2>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list steps-list\"><li>Show the picture and the English word: &#8220;to get up early&#8221;.<\/li><li>Ask <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">\u00bfC\u00f3mo se dice en espa\u00f1ol?<\/span> Pupils think, whisper to a partner, or write their guess.<\/li><li>Reveal <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">madrugar<\/span> with its pronunciation. The class repeats it together, then two or three pupils alone.<\/li><li>Show the example sentence and point out one thing: here, a regular -ar verb.<\/li><li>Give the reuse task: each pupil says or writes their own sentence. <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">Los s\u00e1bados no madrugo.<\/span><\/li><li>Finish with yesterday&#8217;s word and one from last week.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is exactly what a daily routine does: a small, predictable task, repeated until the words stick.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list levels-list\"><li><b>A1<\/b>Nouns and set phrases with their article: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">el recreo<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la mochila<\/span>; repeat and point<\/li><li><b>A2<\/b>Verbs and connectives in a present-tense sentence: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">A menudo juego al f\u00fatbol.<\/span><\/li><li><b>B1<\/b>Idiomatic words in the past: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">El a\u00f1o pasado echaba de menos a mis amigos.<\/span><\/li><li><b>B2<\/b>Words that trigger grammar and culture: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">ojal\u00e1<\/span> + subjunctive, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la sobremesa<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">el puente<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At KS2, a picture and a song-like repetition are enough. At KS3, insist on the article and the reuse sentence. At GCSE, choose words that raise the quality of speaking and writing: connectives, opinion phrases and time expressions.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-free-companion-una-palabra-por-dia\">A free companion: Una palabra por d\u00eda<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To keep the word of the day going outside the classroom, you can point your pupils to <a href=\"https:\/\/unapalabrapordia.es\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unapalabrapordia.es<\/a>, a free website created by the maker of VocaDial. Every day it offers an illustrated Spanish word with its translation into French, English and German, its pronunciation, and an example sentence recorded in all four languages. It can be added to a phone&#8217;s home screen.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"note wp-block-paragraph\">It makes a good habit to suggest to keen pupils: one minute a day, no account needed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to choose the words, make pupils guess, get them reusing it and review it days later, with twenty ready-made Spanish words.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":14,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Spanish Word of the Day: A Classroom Routine | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"How to run a Spanish word of the day in class: choosing useful words, making pupils guess, reusing and reviewing them, with 20 example words and sentences.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"mot","_vd_target":"es","_vd_module":"palabra","_vd_level":"A1\u2013B2","_vd_minutes":"7","_vd_card_word":"madrugar\u2026","_vd_answer":"A Spanish word of the day is a two-to-three-minute routine: pupils see a picture and the English word, try to find the Spanish, hear and repeat the answer, then reuse it in a sentence of their own. It works best with useful, high-frequency words, taught with their article (<span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">el recreo<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"es\">la mochila<\/span>) and reviewed again on the following days.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What makes a good Spanish word of the day?\",\"a\":\"A useful word pupils can reuse at once: a connective, a time expression, a common verb or a school word, taught with its article. Add a cultural word once a week.\"},{\"q\":\"How long should a word of the day take?\",\"a\":\"Two to three minutes: a guess, the reveal, repetition, an example sentence and a quick reuse task.\"},{\"q\":\"How do I help pupils remember the words?\",\"a\":\"Bring them back: ask for yesterday's word each lesson, quiz the week's words on Friday, and mix older words into later activities.\"},{\"q\":\"Should I teach Spain or Latin American words?\",\"a\":\"Teach the variety you speak, and flag the other when it differs: <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">el m\u00f3vil<\\\/span> and <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">el celular<\\\/span>, <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">echar de menos<\\\/span> and <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">extra\u00f1ar<\\\/span>.\"},{\"q\":\"What are some beautiful Spanish words for class?\",\"a\":\"<span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">La sobremesa<\\\/span> (chatting after a meal), <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">madrugar<\\\/span> (to get up early), <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">estrenar<\\\/span> (to use something for the first time), <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">la ilusi\u00f3n<\\\/span> and <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"es\\\">ojal\u00e1<\\\/span>.\"}]","_vd_key":"mot-es","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-69","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/69\/revisions\/79"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}