A: “Have you seen Clara today?” B: “Yeah! She was at the…uhm…the…the community center.”

Have you ever had this happen to you during a conversation? 

Forgetting the word for something is common enough in one’s native language, but it can become a real struggle when speaking a foreign language. 

Vocabulary is the most essential element in being able to communicate with others. Knowing just a couple hundred words can help you express your needs and wants and allow you to talk with others.

In this article, we’ll introduce 245 basic English words for beginners. These are words that you should know at the beginner level (levels A1 and A2 of the CEFR scale). You will hear and use the words on this list every day!

Many of these words may be familiar to you already, and some of them may be new to you. We recommend taking note of any words you don’t recognize and adding them to a flashcard deck. 

Let’s get started.

A good vocabulary will help you communicate effectively in English and make friends!

Table of Contents

1. Pronouns
2. Numerals
3. Nouns
4. Verbs
5. Adjectives
6. Conjunctions
7. Final Thoughts

1. Pronouns

The first set of words you should add to your English vocabulary are pronouns. Many learners struggle to learn them, but they serve a few important functions. Pronouns are the words we use in place of nouns to make sentences smoother and to avoid redundancy of proper nouns. 

→ You can hear the pronunciation of different pronouns on our vocabulary list of the Most Useful Pronouns and learn how to use them in our Comprehensive Guide to English Pronouns.

Personal

#1

I	I make soup.

#2

You [s]

You make soup.

#3

He / She / It

He makes soup.

#4

We	We make soup.

#5

You [p]

You make soup.

#6

They	They make soup.

I make soup.

Demonstrative

#7

This	What is this?

#8

That	What is that?

#9

These

What are these?

#10

Those

What are those?

What is that?

Interrogative

#11

What	What does it mean?

#12

Who	Who are you?

#13

Where

Where is the bathroom?

#14

When	When is the meeting?

#15

Why	Why did you leave early?

#16

How	How do you feel?

Interrogative pronouns help you ask questions.

Reflexive

#17

Myself

I ate the pizza myself.

#18

Yourself

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

#19

Himself

He needs to take better care of himself.

#20

Herself

She went to the mall by herself.

#21

Ourselves

We were ashamed of ourselves.

#22

Yourselves

What will you do with yourselves?

#23

Themselves

They ate the whole pie themselves.

They ate the whole pie themselves.

2. Numerals

Numbers are everywhere, so it’s important that you know how to read numbers and talk about numbers out loud.

→ You can find a few more numbers in our Numbers vocabulary list and learn how to use them in our article Numbers in English. 

#24

One (1)

I’ll have one cookie, please.

#25

Two (2)

I’ll have two cookies, please.

#26

Three (3)

I’ll have three cookies, please.

#27

Four (4)

I’ll have four cookies, please.

#28

Five (5)

I’ll have five cookies, please.

#29

Six (6)

I’ll have six cookies, please.

#30

Seven (7)

I’ll have seven cookies, please.

#31

Eight (8)

I’ll have eight cookies, please.

#32

Nine (9)

I’ll have nine cookies, please.

#33

Ten (10)

I’ll have ten cookies, please.

I’ll have seven cookies, please.

3. Nouns

Nouns are the most important English words for beginners to learn. Even if you have a limited vocabulary, nouns can help you get your point across. 

In English, there are common nouns and proper nouns. Common nouns simply label an object or idea (boy, park, month). Proper nouns give a specific name to a common noun (Jim, Eisenhower Park, October). As you will notice, proper nouns are capitalized in English. 

You will see both types of nouns on this list.

→ Learn 100+ Must-Know Nouns in English with us and significantly expand your vocabulary!

People

#34

People

Who are those people?

#35

Man	That man is wearing a hat.

#36

Woman

That woman is wearing a scarf.

#37

Child

That child is playing a game.

#38

Husband

This is my husband, Roger.

#39

Wife	This is my wife, Ellen.

#40

Son	Here is our son, Thomas.

#41

Daughter

Here is our daughter, Susan.

#42

Grandmother

Is Grandmother doing well?

#43

Grandfather

Is Grandfather doing well?

#44

Brother

I have a younger brother.

#45

Sister

I also have a younger sister.

#46

Siblings

They are my siblings.

This is my wife, Ellen.

Occupations

#47

Work	That was hard work.

#48

Job	Do you have a job?

#49

Occupation

What is your occupation?

#50

Lawyer

Steve is a lawyer.

#51

Farmer

Sue is a farmer.

#52

Engineer

He is an engineer.

#53

Mechanic

She is a mechanic.

#54

Electrician

He wants to be an electrician.

#55

Designer

She wants to be a designer.

#56

Gardener

Her mother is a gardener.

#57

Doctor

His father was a doctor.

#58

Pharmacist

Polly works as a pharmacist.

#59

Plumber

David works as a plumber.

#60

Barber

David’s brother is a barber.

#61

Salesperson

Polly’s sister is a salesperson.

#62

Clerk

You are a good clerk.

His father was a doctor.

Time

#63

Time	What time is it?

#64

Second

A second is a very short unit of time.

#65

Minute

A minute is sixty seconds.

#66

Hour	An hour is sixty minutes.

#67

Day	What day is this?

#68

Week	I made cookies last week.

#69

Month

What are you doing next month?

#70

Year	Next year is full of opportunities.

#71

Monday

Monday is the first day of the work week.

#72

Tuesday

Tuesday is the second day of the work week.

#73

Wednesday

Wednesday is the third day of the work week.

#74

Thursday

Thursday is the fourth day of the work week.

#75

Friday

Friday is the fifth day of the work week.

#76

Saturday

Saturday is the first day of the weekend.

#77

Sunday

Sunday is the second day of the weekend.

#78

January

January is the first month.

#79

February

February is the second month.

#80

March

March is the third month.

#81

April

April is the fourth month.

#82

May	May is the fifth month.

#83

June	June is the sixth month.

#84

July	July is the seventh month.

#85

August

August is the eighth month.

#86

September

September is the ninth month.

#87

October

October is the tenth month.

#88

November

November is the eleventh month.

#89

December

December is the twelfth month.

Body Parts

#90

Head	My head hurts.

#91

Face	You have a pretty face.

#92

Neck	Her neck is sore.

#93

Shoulder

She dislocated her shoulder.

#94

Chest

Are you having chest pains?

#95

Arm	What happened to his arm?

#96

Hand	Let me see your hand.

#97

Finger

I cut my finger chopping vegetables.

#98

Leg	Don’t put pressure on your leg.

#99

Foot	Which foot did you hurt?

#100

Toe	I stubbed my toe.

#101

Stomach

My stomach is rumbling.

#102

Back	Sitting too much is bad for your back.

Her neck is sore.

Food

#103

Vegetable

Broccoli is my favorite vegetable.

#104

Fruit

Avocado is my favorite fruit.

#105

Grain

Quinoa is a healthy grain.

#106

Meat	She doesn’t eat meat.

#107

Dairy

Milk and cheese are dairy products.

#108

Egg	Crack the egg in the bowl.

#109

Oil	Put oil in the pan.

#110

Butter

Melt the butter in the microwave.

#111

Salt	Add salt to taste.

#112

Pepper

Add pepper to taste.

Add salt to taste.

Around Town

#113

Hospital

He is sick in the hospital.

#114

Supermarket

Can you pick up milk at the supermarket?

#115

School

I don’t want to go to school.

#116

Downtown

We can meet up downtown.

#117

Movie theater

We saw a film at the movie theater.

#118

Jail / Prison

She was taken to jail yesterday for a crime.

#119

Library

You must be quiet in the library.

#120

Community center

Our community center has a pool.

#121

Park	She took her son to the park.

#122

Restaurant

The food at the restaurant was wonderful!

#123

Mall	We can buy clothes at the mall.

#124

Car	You must travel there by car.

#125

Road	He walked up the road.

#126

Street

Make a left on the next street.

#127

Train

You must travel there by train.

#128

Bus	You must travel there by bus.

Can you pick up milk at the supermarket?

School and Office

#129

Desk	Ryan sat at his desk.

#130

Chair

Lily bought a new chair yesterday.

#131

Pencil

I need to sharpen this pencil.

#132

Pen	That pen is out of ink.

#133

Notebook

The notebook is full.

#134

Book	Turn to page 228 in your book.

#135

Paperclip

May I have a paperclip?

#136

Stapler

Use the stapler to keep the pages in order.

#137

Drawer

Put your sack lunch in the drawer.

#138

Cabinet

There’s more glue in the cabinet.

#139

Folder

Place the assignment in your folder.

#140

File	Which computer file do I open?

#141

Computer

This computer isn’t working.

#142

Keyboard

This keyboard is missing a letter.

#143

Mouse

I use an ergonomic mouse every day.

#144

Email

Have you received my email?

This computer isn’t working.

4. Verbs

When you use verbs and nouns together, you can form a complete sentence. Here are some of the most common English beginner verbs. 

→ We list plenty of verbs here, but if you want to learn more, read our article on 100+ Verbs in English!

Daily Routine

#145

Get up

I get up at six every morning.

#146

Brush (one’s) teeth

You should brush your teeth every day.

#147

Comb (one’s) hair

Did Peter comb his hair today?

#148

Get cleaned up

I should get cleaned up before dinner.

#149

Bathe

Does Emma bathe often?

#150

Shower

I shower after a workout.

#151

Eat	Lacy doesn’t eat much.

#152

Drink

I drink black tea in the morning.

#153

Go to work

What time do you go to work?

#154

Go to school

Do you still go to school?

#155

Work	I don’t like to work on the weekend.

#156

Study

Dan wants to study nutrition.

#157

Drive

Can Wendy drive yet?

#158

Ride	May I ride with you to work?

#159

Sleep

She needs to sleep more.

You should brush your teeth every day.

Other Common Verbs

#160

Give	Let me give you this present.

#161

Get	Can you get the remote for me?

#162

Bring

Did you bring her the flowers?

#163

Return

Eric forgot to return the library book.

#164

Do	Does Sherri do yoga?

#165

Use	How do you use that device?

#166

Make	Tori makes dinner every night.

#167

Can	I can speak a little Spanish.

#168

Put	Where did you put the scissors?

#169

Let	Why won’t he let me help?

#170

Leave

The angry man was asked to leave.

#171

Ask	May I ask you a question?

#172

Tell	She promised not to tell the secret.

#173

Talk	Harry and Helen need to talk.

#174

Find	Did you find your cell phone yet?

#175

Greet

He didn’t greet me.

#176

Smile

You should smile more.

#177

Run	They run together every morning.

#178

Sit	Where can I sit?

#179

Lie down

He is sick and needs to lie down.

#180

Rest	After the hike, she needed to rest.

#181

Cook	Do you know how to cook?

#182

Read	I like to read books sometimes.

#183

Write

It is hard to write a book.

#184

Go out

I need to go out to the grocery store.

#185

Shop	Lucy shops at the mall often.

#186

Buy	We need to buy more clothing.

#187

Watch

They watch movies at night.

#188

Listen

I listen to music while I work.

#189

Feel	She feels sad today.

#190

Think

They think it’s a bad idea.

#191

Agree

Do you agree with them?

#192

Disagree

I disagree with them.

#193

Open	What time does the coffee shop open?

#194

Close

Please close the door.

They run together every morning.

5. Adjectives

Adjectives are used to describe nouns. Here are the most useful English beginner adjectives.

→ If these aren’t enough for you, read our article on 100+ Adjectives in English!

Describing Objects

#195

Big	Arizona has big spiders.

#196

Small

Our neighbor’s dog is small.

#197

Long	This is a long list of words.

#198

Short

He read a short book.

#199

Round

The basketball is round.

#200

Flat	The ground here is flat.

#201

Narrow

He made a narrow escape from prison.

#202

Wide	That road is very wide.

#203

Hard	My desk is hard.

#204

Soft	The blanket is soft.

#205

Light

The sky is light blue.

#206

Dark	It will be dark outside soon.

#207

Cheap

These pencils are cheap.

#208

Expensive

That sofa is expensive.

The basketball is round.

Describing People

#209

Good	He is a good person.

#210

Bad	She is a bad person.

#211

Pretty

Sarah looks very pretty.

#212

Handsome

Richard looks very handsome.

#213

Tall	That boy is tall.

#214

Short

The other boy is short.

#215

Thin	Karen is too thin; she should eat more.

#216

Fat	Mike is too fat; he should exercise more.

#217

Kind	Linda is a kind person.

#218

Mean	Quinten is a mean person.

#219

Polite

Mary is always polite to others.

#220

Rude	Elliot is rude to his mother.

Linda is a kind person.

Describing Emotions

#221

Happy

Eating good food makes me happy.

#222

Sad	Kelly is sad after her breakup.

#223

Angry

Louis becomes angry too easily.

#224

Tired

They were tired after work.

#225

Upset

I was upset when I spilled the soup.

#226

Excited

Cecilia was excited for the camping trip.

Kelly is sad after her breakup.

Describing Weather

#227

Sunny

Today it was sunny.

#228

Cloudy

Washington is always cloudy.

#229

Rainy

I don’t go outside when it’s rainy.

#230

Foggy

It was too foggy to drive.

#231

Windy

The trees bend when it’s windy.

#232

Hot	The desert is very hot.

#233

Cold	It gets cold in the winter.

#234

Warm	It is warm where I live.

#235

Cool	The autumn air is cool.

It was too foggy to drive.

6. Conjunctions

Conjunctions are small words that allow you to connect two or more clauses to each other. Due to their essential role in language, they’re among the most important words every English beginner must know. Here are a few common ones.

→ Study our article What is a Conjunction in English Grammar? to learn more about how these little words work!

#236

And	I love chocolate and red wine.

#237

But	He likes fruit, but not bananas.

#238

Or	Do you want Chinese food or Mexican food?

#239

If	If he says yes, then I will be happy.

#240

Then	If he says yes, then I will be happy.

#241

Because

We left early because of an appointment.

#242

So	Mark lied so he wouldn’t get in trouble.

#243

Before

I eat breakfast before work.

#244

After

I make dinner after work.

#245

Than	She likes cake more than Nina does.

He likes fruit, but not bananas.

7. Final Thoughts

You just read 245 simple English words for beginners and saw them used in sentences. What are your thoughts? Were any of these words new to you?

The best way to memorize them is to create your free lifetime account with EnglishClass101.com and add them to your Flashcards. Our spaced repetition flashcard system is a proven method for easily memorizing new words. You can also create your own flashcards using index cards or another online system. 

Alternatively, you can write these words on sticky notes and place them around your house on the object they identify or describe. This will help you quickly start to associate the word with its definition because you’ll see the words all day long! 

We know that learning new vocabulary can be hard. But we encourage you not to give up! EnglishClass101 will be here with you every step of the way with help and useful resources.

Keep studying and practicing so that you’ll be ready for our upcoming articles on Intermediate Words and Advanced Words!

Happy learning and stay safe out there.