A2 vs C2 Spanish is my Shorts series about precision. In each video I take one beginner word — el rÃo, oloroso, la lesión, el asco — and show you the word a native speaker would actually reach for in that exact moment. I'm Profe Fer, and after 40 years teaching English speakers I can tell you the jump from A2 to C2 is not more grammar. It is choosing the precise word. This page is the written word bank for the series, so you can read, repeat and keep what you hear.
The A2 word is never wrong. Say el rÃo and everyone understands you. But a native who grew up beside a mountain stream will call it la quebrada, and the moment you do the same, people stop treating you like a tourist. That is the whole idea of the series: same meaning, sharper word.
Word bankThe A2 word and what natives say instead
| Basic word | What natives say instead | Example (ES — EN) |
|---|---|---|
| el rÃo (river) | el arroyo, la quebrada (Col, Andes), el riachuelo, el caudal (the flow), el afluente | Bajamos a la quebrada a lavar la ropa. — We went down to the creek to wash the clothes. |
| oloroso (smelly) | apestoso, hediondo, maloliente, fétido, huele fatal (Spain) | Este cuarto está apestoso, abre la ventana. — This room stinks, open the window. |
| la lesión (injury) | la herida, el moretón (Mex) / el morado (Col) / el cardenal (Spain), el esguince, la fractura, el raspón | Tengo un esguince en el tobillo. — I have a sprain in my ankle. |
| la vÃa (the road) | la carretera, la autopista, el camino, la ruta (Arg), la trocha (Col, dirt road) | La carretera a la costa está cerrada por lluvias. — The road to the coast is closed because of rain. |
| el asco (disgust) | la repugnancia, el rechazo, me da grima (Spain), ¡guácala! (Mex, Col), las náuseas | Ese olor me da náuseas. — That smell makes me nauseous. |
| ver (to see) | mirar, observar, contemplar, echar un vistazo, fijarse en | FÃjate en los detalles del cuadro. — Pay attention to the details in the painting. |
| la cosa (thing — the precision test) | el objeto, el asunto, el aparato, la vaina (Col, Ven), el chisme (Spain, colloquial) | Pásame ese aparato, el que está en la mesa. — Hand me that device, the one on the table. |
Region notes are the versions I hear most; every country has its own favorite, and all of them are understood everywhere.
PracticeHow to use this word bank
Say every row out loud, twice. Reading esguince does nothing for your mouth. Read the Spanish sentence, cover the English, and say it again looking away from the screen. A word you have pronounced belongs to you; a word you have only read belongs to the page.
Pick one region and stick with it. If you are learning for Mexico, say moretón and guácala. If your family is Colombian, use morado and quebrada. Mixing regions is not a mistake, but choosing one gives you a consistent voice, and natives notice consistency long before they notice accuracy.
Replace one word per day, not seven. Take the Short you watched most recently, pick its row, and use that single word in a real sentence today: a text, a voice note, a comment. Tomorrow, the next row. In a week you own the table.
Then learn the grammar around the word. Precision in vocabulary shows fast, but the sentence has to hold it. Verbs like fijarse and expressions like me da grima follow patterns I explain in all 33 free Spanish lessons, each with a video and a quiz.
When you catch yourself saying cosa, stop and ask: what is it really? A device, a topic, a problem? Naming it precisely is the single fastest way I know to sound C2 while your grammar is still A2. Natives forgive a wrong ending; they remember a perfect word.