Spanish Words 1

Here’s an extensive list of non-cognates that frequently appear in AP Spanish multiple-choice questions, organized by category. These words will help you improve your reading comprehension and test-taking skills.

Transition & Connector Words

• A pesar de → Despite

• Aunque → Although

• Aún así → Even so

• De ahí que → Hence / Therefore

• De hecho → In fact

• En cambio → Instead / On the other hand

• En cuanto → As soon as

• Mientras tanto → Meanwhile

• No obstante → Nevertheless

• Por lo tanto → Therefore

• Por otro lado → On the other hand

• Sino → But rather

• Sin embargo → However

• Ya que → Since / Given that

Common Verbs in AP Spanish Passages & Questions

• Abordar → To address / To tackle

• Acoger → To welcome / To take in

• Acordar → To agree

• Afianzar → To strengthen

• Afligir → To distress / To upset

• Alcanzar → To reach / To achieve

• Amenazar → To threaten

• Aprovechar → To take advantage of

• Carecer → To lack

• Conllevar → To entail / To involve

• Criar → To raise (children or animals)

• Cumplir → To fulfill / To carry out

• Derramar → To spill / To shed (tears, blood)

• Desarrollar → To develop

• Desempeñar → To carry out / To play (a role)

• Destacar → To stand out / To highlight

• Disponer de → To have available

• Engañar → To deceive / To trick

• Esforzarse → To make an effort

• Fallecer → To pass away

• Fomentar → To promote / To encourage

• Hallar → To find

• Impedir → To prevent

• Lograr → To achieve

• Otorgar → To grant / To bestow

• Plantear → To propose / To raise (a question)

• Proveer → To provide

• Recorrer → To travel around / To go through

• Resaltar → To highlight / To emphasize

• Señalar → To point out

• Sostener → To support / To hold

• Suponer → To suppose / To assume

Adjectives Related to Tone & Style

• Ajeno/a → Foreign / Someone else’s

• Ambiguo/a → Ambiguous

• Amargo/a → Bitter

• Atónito/a → Astonished

• Bruto/a → Clumsy / Ignorant

• Capaz → Capable

• Cotidiano/a → Daily / Everyday

• Dañino/a → Harmful

• Didáctico/a → Educational

• Efímero/a → Short-lived / Fleeting

• Engañoso/a → Deceptive / Misleading

• Fijo/a → Fixed / Permanent

• Íntimo/a → Personal / Close

• Malvado/a → Evil / Wicked

• Raro/a → Strange / Unusual

• Sabio/a → Wise

• Sutil → Subtle

• Tenaz → Persistent / Stubborn

• Vago/a → Lazy / Vague

Nouns Common in AP Spanish Passages

• El abastecimiento → Supply / Provision

• El albergue → Shelter / Hostel

• El ámbito → Field / Scope / Environment

• El anhelo → Desire / Longing

• El aprendizaje → Learning

• El argumento → Argument (as in reasoning, not a fight)

• La brecha → Gap (economic, social)

• La cifra → Figure / Number

• El desafío → Challenge

• El desarrollo → Development

• El dueño → Owner

• El entorno → Environment / Surroundings

• La escasez → Shortage / Scarcity

• El hallazgo → Discovery / Finding

• El hecho → Fact

• El hito → Milestone / Landmark

• La hazaña → Feat / Achievement

• El hogar → Home

• La herramienta → Tool

• La lealtad → Loyalty

• La meta → Goal

• El pariente → Relative (family member)

• El prejuicio → Prejudice

• El rasgo → Characteristic / Trait

• El reto → Challenge

• El suelo → Ground / Floor / Soil

• La ventaja → Advantage

• La vivienda → Housing / Home

Literary & Cultural Terms

• El desenlace → Outcome / Ending

• El entorno → Setting / Environment

• La hazaña → Feat / Achievement

• La metáfora → Metaphor

• El símbolo → Symbol

• La moraleja → Moral (lesson of a story)

• El punto de vista → Point of view

• El sesgo → Bias

• El matiz → Nuance / Shade of meaning

Expressions & Idioms Frequently Used in Passages

• A la vez → At the same time

• A lo largo de → Throughout

• A menudo → Often

• A partir de → Starting from / As of

• A pesar de → Despite

• Al fin y al cabo → After all

• Bajo ninguna circunstancia → Under no circumstances

• Con tal de que → As long as / Provided that

• De antemano → In advance

• De repente → Suddenly

• En cuanto a → Regarding / Concerning

• En la actualidad → Nowadays

• En lugar de → Instead of

• Hacer hincapié en → To emphasize

• Llevar a cabo → To carry out / To accomplish

• No cabe duda → There’s no doubt

• No tener más remedio que → To have no choice but to

• Por si acaso → Just in case

• Por su cuenta → On one’s own

Cause & Effect Expressions

• A raíz de → As a result of / Due to

• Como consecuencia → As a consequence

• Como resultado → As a result

• Dado que → Given that

• Por consiguiente → Consequently

• Por ende → Therefore

• Se debe a → It is due to

This list covers high-frequency words that often appear in AP Spanish MCQs. Would you like a quiz or practice questions based on these words?