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December 2, 2020 by Michelle Margaret Fajkus Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

How to Describe the World in Spanish: A Fun Guide for Explorers

What’s more interesting than describing the world in Spanish?

Despite our differences in nationality, gender, religion, language, and culture—the world unites us. After all, each of us is a living, breathing human on Earth. And as you learn Spanish or teach it to your children, you’re likely inspired to explore the world in the Spanish language.

Learning a foreign language provides you the opportunity to express yourself in new ways and describe the world around you from a different perspective. What’s more, it empowers your ability to connect with people from other cultures through their native language. 

This blog post explores the many ways to describe the world in Spanish, including both nature and cityscapes. You’ll gather the essential adjectives, verbs, and nouns you need to form coherent—and maybe even eloquent—sentences about the world in Spanish!

As a wise Chinese proverb says, “To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.”

Keep reading to expand your vocabulary and your horizon.

Adjectives That Describe the World in Spanish

Adjectives are words that describe nouns, and they’re essential for describing in detail the peculiarities of the world in Spanish. In our list below, we’ll explore word pairs that are opposites. 

But first, a quick lesson (or refresher!) on Spanish adjectives.

Spanish Adjectives 101

Unlike in English, Spanish adjectives usually follow the noun. Rather than saying “the blue plate,” you say el plato azul, for example.

 A few adjectives are placed before the noun, such as mejor (mi mejor amigo means “my best friend”).

In addition to positioning, each adjective is either masculine or feminine and singular or plural, depending on the noun it modifies. For example:

  • El gato negro (masculine, singular)
  • La gata negra (feminine, singular)
  • Los gatos negros (masculine, plural)
  • Las gatas negras (feminine, plural)

26 Adjetivos Básicos 

Did you know that many common Spanish adjectives are similar to their English counterparts? As you’ll see in our list below, many natural terms are cognates or “sister words” in Spanish and English. 

  • Bueno – good
  • Malo – bad
  • Lindo – pretty
  • Feo/a – ugly
  • Grande – big 
  • Pequeño/a – small 
  • Simple – simple 
  • Complicado/a – complicated 
  • Maravilloso/a – marvelous, amazing
  • Repugnante – disgusting 
  • Nuevo/a – new 
  • Viejo/a – old 
  • Abierto/a – open 
  • Cerrado/a – closed 
  • Caluroso/a – hot 
  • Frío/a – cold 
  • Caro/a – expensive 
  • Barato/a – cheap 
  • Loco/a – crazy 
  • Tranquilo/a – tranquil 
  • Limpio/a – clean 
  • Sucio/a – dirty 
  • Seco/a – dry 
  • Mojado/a – wet 
  • Injusto/a – unfair 
  • Justo/a – fair

It’s also wonderful to use the colors in Spanish as descriptors. Check out our Vibrant Guide to Colors in Spanish with Phrases and Practice.

Verbs to Describe the World in Spanish

Ser – to be

Estar – to be (Learn the differences in Estar and Ser: Funny Mistakes and How to Use the Verbs the Right Way!)

Ir – to go

Ver – to see

Mirar – to look

Escuchar – to listen

Encontrar – to find, to encounter

Oír – to hear

Oler – to smell

Saber – to know, to taste

Conocer – to know, to meet

Aprender – to learn

Caminar – to walk

Viajar – to travel

Hablar – to talk

Tener – to have

Dar – to give

Recibir – to receive

Vivir – to live

Visitar – to visit

Nouns from the Natural World in Spanish

Spending time in nature enables us to develop awareness and awaken our senses. The nouns below divide into 4 categories: nature, earth, water, and air. After each set of vocabulary words, you can read several example sentences that will help improve your conversation skills. 

Learn these words to describe the beauty and complexity of the natural world in Spanish!

La Naturaleza – Nature 

describe the world in spanish - nature

el aire libre – fresh air, open air, the outdoors

el amanecer – dawn, sunrise 

el atardecer – sunset, dusk 

el tiempo – weather 

el paisaje – landscape, scenery 

el medio ambiente – environment 

la selva – rainforest, jungle 

el bosque – forest 

la sabana – savannah 

el desierto – desert 

el planeta – planet 

los animales – animals

la naturaleza – nature, wilderness 

Example Sentences

Caminé al valle a las seis de la mañana para ver el amanecer.
I walked to the valley at six in the morning to watch the sunrise.

El paisaje en la playa era increíble.
The scenery at the beach was incredible.

En su tiempo libre se le puede encontrar casi siempre al aire libre.
In her free time, she can usually be found in the open air.

A Paola le encanta vivir en la naturaleza con los animales.
Paola loves living in the wilderness with the animals.

La Tierra – Earth 

describe the world in spanish

el árbol – tree 

la planta – plant 

el arbusto – bush 

la flor – flower 

la hoja – leaf 

el castaño – chestnut tree 

la haya – beech tree 

el cedro – cedar 

el roble – oak tree 

la palmera – palm tree 

el pino – pine tree, evergreen

el cactus – cactus 

el olmo – elm tree 

el precipicio – cliff 

la montaña – mountain 

la sierra – mountain range, sierra 

el valle – valley 

Example Sentences

En la sierra existen diversas montañas.
In the sierra, there are diverse mountains.

Mi árbol favorito es la palmera porque me encantan los cocos.
My favorite tree is the palm tree because I love coconuts.

Este roble lindo está muy viejo.
This beautiful oak tree is very old.

Encontramos unas flores maravillosas.
We came across some amazing flowers.

La Agua – Water 

world in spanish - water

el lago – lake 

el río – river 

el mar – sea 

el océano – ocean 

la cascada – waterfall 

la orilla – shore

la playa – beach 

la lluvia – rain 

la nieve – snow 

el granizo – hail 

el tsunami – tsunami 

Example Sentences

El tsunami de 2004 sacó a la luz el sufrimiento de la población.
The 2004 tsunami brought the people’s suffering to light.

El río fluye hacia el mar.
The river flows to the sea. 

Vamos a la cascada para un picnic.
We’re going to the waterfall for a picnic.

El lago de Atitlán es amplio y profundo.
Lake Atitlan is wide and deep.

El Aire – Air 

describe the world in spanish - air

el viento – wind 

la tormenta – storm 

el huracán – hurricane 

la brisa – breeze 

el ciclón – cyclone 

el tornado – tornado 

los insectos – insects 

las nubes – clouds 

los pájaros – birds

las abejas – bees

las mariposas – butterflies

Example Sentences

Durante la tormenta, comenzó a granizar.
During the thunderstorm, it started to hail.

Un tornado dañó mi escuela cuando era niña.
A tornado damaged my school when I was a girl.

Miren las nubes rosadas.
Look at the pink clouds.

Los pájaros cantan todo el día.
The birds sing all day long.

Nouns from the Manmade World in Spanish

el pueblo – village, town 

la ciudad – city

la metrópolis – metropolis

el pais – country

el edificio – building

la casa – house

el césped – grass, lawn 

el rascacielos – skyscraper

la carretera – highway

el puente – bridge

la calle – road

la tienda – store

el hospital – hospital

el aeropuerto – airport

la biblioteca – library

la escuela – school

el vecindario – neighborhood

la comunidad – community

la humanidad – humanity

Example Sentences

Mi casa es pequeña y humilde.
My house is small and humble.

La ciudad de Nueva York tiene muchos rascacielos.
New York City has lots of skyscrapers.

La tienda está abierta hasta las 8 de la noche.
The store is open until 8:00 p.m.

He vivido en este vecindario por 20 años.
I have lived in this neighborhood for 20 years.

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Discover the World in Spanish!

Now that you know how to describe the world in Spanish, you can practice both writing and speaking using your newfound skills. If you’re teaching your kids or Spanish students using this post, extend the lesson by making flashcards and seeing how many new vocabulary words you can include in a paragraph or conversation. To improve your Spanish skills in a fun and effective way, book a free class with one of our friendly, native Spanish-speaking teachers and have a conversation about the fascinating world around us.

Want more free Spanish lessons? Check out these posts!

  • Fun Ways to Practice Spanish with Family (Even If Everyone’s at Different Levels)
  • 10 Simple Spanish Words Your Preschooler Can Learn This Week
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  • 50 Useful Spanish Transition Words for Everyday Speech and Writing
  • Master the 18 Spanish Tenses (and Take Our Cheat Sheet With You)
  • All About Adverbial Clauses in Spanish
  • Top 20 Guatemalan Words and Slang Expressions You Should Know
  • The Ultimate Guide to the Differences Between ‘Pero’ and ‘Sino’ in Spanish
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Michelle Margaret Fajkus
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Michelle Margaret Fajkus
Editor & Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Michelle Margaret Fajkus is a bilingual writer and longtime yoga teacher. A former advertising copywriter turned bilingual elementary school teacher, she is now a freelance writer, editor and translator. A native Texan, Michelle has Mexican roots and learned Spanish in middle and high school. She has become more fluent thanks to living as an expat in Guatemala. She lives with her family on beautiful Lake Atitlan.
Michelle Margaret Fajkus
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