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Spanish Words: Hobbies — with Pronunciation and Memory Hooks

Level A1 · beginner · 16 words

Music, movies, dancing, swimming, going for a walk: words for talking about what you do on weekends.

Spanish is read almost exactly as it's written: stress falls on the second-to-last syllable when a word ends in a vowel, n or s, otherwise on the last one, and exceptions carry an accent mark (café, estación). Nouns are masculine (el) or feminine (la). Pronunciation below is spelled out in English, stressed syllable in capitals.

Hobbies in Spanish: word list

SpanishPronunciationMeaning
tiempo libreTYEM-poh LEE-brehfree time
películapeh-LEE-koo-lahfilm
músicaMOO-see-kahmusic
canciónkan-THYOHNsong
bailarbai-LARto dance
cantarkan-TARto sing
nadarnah-DARto swim
correrkoh-RRERto run
pintarpeen-TAHRto paint
fotografíafoh-toh-grah-FEE-ahphotography
juegoHWEH-gohgame
fiestaFYES-tahparty
paseopah-SEH-ohwalk
cocinarkoh-see-NAHRto cook
jardínhahr-DEENgarden
conciertokon-THYER-tohconcert

Memory hooks for these words

A sound-alike is an English word or phrase that sounds like the foreign one. The scene ties it to the meaning: you recall the sound, the sound brings back the picture, the picture brings back the meaning. Read each scene once, then try to recall the meaning a minute later without looking at the list.

tiempo libre [TYEM-poh LEE-breh] — free time

Sounds like: “tempo, Libra”. The tempo slows and Libra's scales tip toward the hammock: it's your free time.

En mi tiempo libre leo — In my free time I read

bailar [bai-LAR] — to dance

Sounds like: “bailiff”. Even the bailiff dances: confiscates the chairs so no one can sit down.

¿Quieres bailar? — do you want to dance?

cantar [kan-TAR] — to sing

Sounds like: “cantata”. Cantar hides in cantata: the choir sings until the candles sway.

Me gusta cantar — I like to sing

correr [koh-RRER] — to run

Sounds like: “courier”. The courier runs like his bag is on fire: parcels first, breath later.

Corro por el parque — I run in the park

cocinar [koh-see-NAHR] — to cook

Sounds like: “coco in a jar”. You cook coco in a jar: it bubbles, lifts the lid and salutes with steam.

Me gusta cocinar — I like to cook

jardín [hahr-DEEN] — garden

Sounds like: “garden”. Jardin, garden — the same green word wearing different hats.

Un jardín pequeño — a small garden

Test yourself

Five words from the list in random order: pick the meaning. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere.

Word 1 of 5

What does correr mean?

How to learn this topic in a week

  1. Read the list aloud using the pronunciation guide. Don't try to memorize yet; just hear the words.
  2. Take 5 to 7 words a day. For each, read the sound-alike (for example, tiempo libre is "tempo, Libra") and picture the scene for a couple of seconds.
  3. Ten minutes later, in the evening and the next day, recall the meaning on your own without peeking. Trying to remember, not rereading, is what makes a word stick.
  4. Once a word comes back instantly, you no longer need the sound-alike; it fades on its own.

In the Palabra app this happens automatically: open Categories, pick "Hobbies & free time" and tap "+ whole category to my words." Words come up for review one at a time, and the scheduler decides when to show each one again, just before you'd forget it. More on the method: The Most Common Spanish Words: Top 100 with Pronunciation, Plus 670 by Topic.

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