What is this?
When learning a new (human) language like Spanish or French, I’ve found that not knowing the various common “connecting words” of a sentence, like “from, to, it, at, with, without, under, on, less, more, is, not” and so on is a bottleneck for me. I might know the words like “dog” “cat” “food”, but when just starting my learning, not remembering the common “connecting words” always adds a recalling “tax” or bottleneck for me when trying to speak.
The above text is what I just pasted to Gemini. This blog post of mine probably qualifies as AI slop, but I think it will be very useful for me over time, exactly for the reasons mentioned above. So I also asked Gemini to then generate the list for me (both are exact prompts I used):
Please generate a tabular list (of 100 words) with translated word equivalents in 5 languages English, Spanish, German, French and Swedish. I will import it to google sheets later on.
And here’s the list, with a bunch of background and reasoning output removed. I also (re)learned a new term “Function Word” from this. Update: TIL function words are also called functors in the linguistics world!
Core Function Word List: English, Spanish, German, French, Swedish
| # | English | Spanish | German | French | Swedish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | the | el, la, los, las | der, die, das, den, dem, des | le, la, les | den, det, de |
| 2 | be (is, am, are, was, were) | ser, estar (es, soy, eres, somos, son, está, estoy, estás, estamos, están, era, fue, etc.) | sein (ist, bin, bist, sind, war, waren, etc.) | être (est, suis, es, sommes, êtes, sont, était, etc.) | vara (är, var) |
| 3 | and | y, e | und | et | och |
| 4 | a, an | un, una | ein, eine, einen, einem, einer, eines | un, une | en, ett |
| 5 | of | de | von (+Dat), Genitive case | de | av |
| 6 | to | a, para | zu (+Dat), nach (+Dat) | à, pour, de | till, åt, att (infinitive marker) |
| 7 | in | en | in (+Dat/Acc), im (in dem) | en, dans | i |
| 8 | have (have, has, had) | tener, haber (tengo, tienes, tiene, tenemos, tienen, he, has, ha, hemos, han, había, tuve, etc.) | haben (habe, hast, hat, haben, habt, hatte, hatten, etc.) | avoir (ai, as, a, avons, avez, ont, avais, etc.) | ha, hava (har, hade) |
| 9 | it | él, ella, ello, lo, la | es | il, elle, ce, le, la | den, det |
| 10 | I | yo | ich | je, moi | jag |
| 11 | that (conjunction/pronoun) | que, eso, ese, esa, aquel, aquella | dass, das, der, die, jener, jene, jenes | que, ce, cela, celui-là, celle-là | att, som, det, den, där |
| 12 | for | para, por | für (+Acc), zu (+Dat) | pour, car | för, till |
| 13 | you (singular, informal) | tú, te, ti | du, dich, dir | tu, te, toi | du, dig |
| 14 | he | él | er | il, lui | han |
| 15 | with | con | mit (+Dat) | avec | med |
| 16 | on | en, sobre | auf (+Dat/Acc), an (+Dat/Acc) | sur, en | på |
| 17 | do (do, does, did) | hacer (hago, haces, hace, etc.), (auxiliary often implied) | tun (tue, tust, tut, etc.), (auxiliary often implied) | faire (fais, fait, etc.), (auxiliary often implied) | göra (gör, gjorde), (auxiliary often implied) |
| 18 | say (say, said) | decir (digo, dices, dice, dije, etc.) | sagen (sage, sagst, sagt, sagte, etc.) | dire (dis, dit, disons, etc.) | säga (säger, sade) |
| 19 | this | este, esta, esto | dieser, diese, dieses | ce, cet, cette, ceci | den här, det här, denna, detta |
| 20 | they | ellos, ellas | sie | ils, elles, eux | de, dem |
| 21 | at | a, en | an (+Dat/Acc), am (an dem), bei (+Dat), zu (+Dat) | à, en, chez | vid, på, i, hos |
| 22 | but | pero, sino | aber, sondern | mais | men, utan |
| 23 | we | nosotros, nosotras | wir | nous | vi |
| 24 | his | su, suyo(s), suya(s) | sein | son, sa, ses, le sien, etc. | hans |
| 25 | from | de, desde | von (+Dat), aus (+Dat) | de, depuis | från |
| 26 | not | no | nicht | ne…pas | inte, ej |
| 27 | by | por, de, junto a | bei (+Dat), von (+Dat), durch (+Acc), mit (+Dat) | par, de, à côté de | av, med, vid, förbi |
| 28 | she | ella | sie | elle | hon |
| 29 | or | o, u | oder | ou | eller |
| 30 | as (conjunction/preposition) | como, mientras | als, wie, da | comme, en tant que, puisque | som, när, eftersom |
| 31 | what | qué, lo que | was | que, quoi, ce que | vad |
| 32 | go (go, went, gone) | ir (voy, vas, va, fui, ido, etc.) | gehen (gehe, gehst, geht, ging, gegangen, etc.) | aller (vais, vas, va, allons, allez, vont, allé, etc.) | gå (går, gick, gått) |
| 33 | their | su, suyo(s), suya(s) | ihr | leur, leurs, le leur, etc. | deras |
| 34 | can (can, could) | poder (puedo, puedes, puede, pude, etc.) | können (kann, kannst, kann, konnten, etc.), dürfen | pouvoir (peux, peut, pouvons, etc.), savoir | kunna (kan, kunde) |
| 35 | who | quién, quien, que | wer, wen, wem, der, die, das | qui, que | vem, som |
| 36 | get (get, got) | conseguir, obtener, recibir, llegar, ponerse | bekommen, erhalten, werden, holen | obtenir, recevoir, devenir, prendre | få, bli, hämta, komma |
| 37 | if | si | wenn, falls, ob | si | om, ifall |
| 38 | would | (Conditional tense marker, e.g., -ía), querer (querría) | (Konjunktiv II marker, e.g., würde + infinitive), mögen (möchte) | (Conditional tense marker, e.g., -ais, -ait), vouloir (voudrais) | (skulle + infinitive) |
| 39 | her | su, suyo(s), suya(s), la, le | ihr, sie | son, sa, ses, la, lui, elle | hennes, henne |
| 40 | all | todo(s), toda(s) | all, alle, alles | tout, toute, tous, toutes | all, alla, allt |
| 41 | my | mi, mío(s), mía(s) | mein | mon, ma, mes, le mien, etc. | min, mitt, mina |
| 42 | make (make, made) | hacer (hago, haces, hace, hice, etc.) | machen (mache, machst, macht, machte, etc.) | faire (fais, fait, faisons, etc.) | göra (gör, gjorde), skapa |
| 43 | about | sobre, acerca de, de, unos | über (+Acc), von (+Dat), ungefähr | sur, de, à propos de, environ | om, angående, ungefär |
| 44 | know (know, knew, known) | saber, conocer (sé, sabes, sabe, conozco, etc.) | wissen (weiß, weißt, weiß, wusste, etc.), kennen | savoir (sais, sait, etc.), connaître | veta (vet, visste), känna (till) |
| 45 | will | (Future tense marker, e.g., -é, -ás), querer | werden (+ infinitive) | (Future tense marker, e.g., -ai, -as), vouloir | ska, kommer att |
| 46 | up | arriba, (verb particle) | auf, hinauf, (verb particle) | en haut, (verb particle) | upp, (verb particle) |
| 47 | one | uno, una | eins, ein(er/e/es), man | un, une, on | en, ett, man |
| 48 | time (occasion/instance) | vez | Mal | fois | gång |
| 49 | there | allí, allá, ahí | da, dort, dahin | là, y | där, dit |
| 50 | year | año | Jahr | an, année | år |
| 51 | so | así, tan, entonces, por lo tanto | so, also, deshalb | si, ainsi, donc, alors | så, alltså, därför |
| 52 | think (think, thought) | pensar (pienso, piensas, etc.), creer | denken (denke, denkst, denkt, dachte, etc.), glauben | penser (pense, penses, etc.), croire | tänka (tänker, tänkte), tro |
| 53 | when | cuándo, cuando | wann, wenn, als | quand, lorsque | när |
| 54 | which | cuál(es), que | welcher, welche, welches, der, die, das | lequel, laquelle, lesquels, lesquelles, qui, que | vilken, vilket, vilka, som |
| 55 | them | los, las, les, ellos, ellas | sie, ihnen | les, leur, eux, elles | dem, de, dem |
| 56 | some | alguno(s), alguna(s), un poco de | einige, etwas | quelque(s), certain(e)s, du, de la, des | någon, något, några, en del |
| 57 | me | me, mí | mich, mir | me, moi | mig |
| 58 | people | gente, personas | Leute, Menschen | gens, personnes | folk, människor |
| 59 | take (take, took, taken) | tomar, llevar, coger | nehmen (nehme, nimmst, nimmt, nahm, genommen, etc.) | prendre (prends, prend, prenons, etc.) | ta (tar, tog, tagit) |
| 60 | out | fuera, (verb particle) | aus, hinaus, heraus, (verb particle) | dehors, hors de, (verb particle) | ut, ute, (verb particle) |
| 61 | into | en, dentro de | in (+Acc), hinein | dans, en | in i |
| 62 | just | sólo, solamente, justo, acabar de | nur, gerade, eben, gerecht | seulement, juste, venir de | bara, just, precis, nyss |
| 63 | see (see, saw, seen) | ver (veo, ves, ve, vi, visto, etc.) | sehen (sehe, siehst, sieht, sah, gesehen, etc.) | voir (vois, voit, voyons, etc.) | se (ser, såg, sett) |
| 64 | him | lo, le, él | ihn, ihm | le, lui | honom |
| 65 | your (singular, informal) | tu, tuyo(s), tuya(s) | dein | ton, ta, tes, le tien, etc. | din, ditt, dina |
| 66 | come (come, came, come) | venir (vengo, vienes, viene, vine, venido, etc.) | kommen (komme, kommst, kommt, kam, gekommen, etc.) | venir (viens, vient, venons, etc.) | komma (kommer, kom, kommit) |
| 67 | could | (poder - podía, podría, pude), (saber - sabía) | können (konnte), dürfen (durfte) | pouvoir (pouvais, pourrais, pus), savoir (savais) | kunna (kunde), få (fick) |
| 68 | now | ahora | jetzt, nun | maintenant | nu |
| 69 | than | que | als | que | än |
| 70 | like (similar to) | como | wie | comme | som, lik |
| 71 | other | otro(s), otra(s) | ander | autre(s) | annan, annat, andra |
| 72 | how | cómo | wie | comment | hur |
| 73 | then | entonces, luego | dann, damals | alors, ensuite, puis | då, sedan, sen |
| 74 | its | su, suyo(s), suya(s) | sein, ihr (possessive of ’es’ often avoided) | son, sa, ses, en (pronoun) | dess |
| 75 | our | nuestro(s), nuestra(s) | unser | notre, nos, le nôtre, etc. | vår, vårt, våra |
| 76 | two | dos | zwei | deux | två |
| 77 | more | más | mehr | plus, davantage | mer, mera |
| 78 | these | estos, estas | diese | ces, ceux-ci, celles-ci | de här, dessa |
| 79 | want (want, wanted) | querer (quiero, quieres, quiere, quise, etc.) | wollen (will, willst, will, wollte, etc.), möchten | vouloir (veux, veut, voulons, etc.) | vilja (vill, ville) |
| 80 | way (manner/path) | manera, forma, camino | Art, Weise, Weg | manière, façon, chemin | sätt, vis, väg |
| 81 | look (verb/noun) | mirar, parecer, mirada, aspecto | schauen, sehen, aussehen, Blick, Aussehen | regarder, sembler, regard, aspect | titta, se (ut), blick, utseende |
| 82 | first | primero(s), primera(s) | erst | premier, première | första, först |
| 83 | also | también | auch, ebenfalls | aussi, également | också, även |
| 84 | new | nuevo(s), nueva(s) | neu | nouveau, nouvelle, neuf, neuve | ny, nytt, nya |
| 85 | because | porque | weil, da | parce que, car | eftersom, för att, då |
| 86 | day | día | Tag | jour, journée | dag |
| 87 | use (verb/noun) | usar, utilizar, uso | benutzen, verwenden, Gebrauch | utiliser, employer, usage, utilisation | använda, bruk, användning |
| 88 | no | no, ningún, ninguna | nein, kein | non, ne…aucun | nej, ingen, inget, inga |
| 89 | man | hombre | Mann | homme | man |
| 90 | find (find, found) | encontrar (encuentro, encuentras, etc.) | finden (finde, findest, findet, fand, gefunden, etc.) | trouver (trouve, trouves, etc.) | hitta (hittar, hittade), finna |
| 91 | here | aquí, acá | hier, hierher | ici | här, hit |
| 92 | thing | cosa | Ding, Sache | chose, truc | sak, ting |
| 93 | give (give, gave, given) | dar (doy, das, da, di, dado, etc.) | geben (gebe, gibst, gibt, gab, gegeben, etc.) | donner (donne, donnes, etc.) | ge, giva (ger, gav, gett/givit) |
| 94 | many | mucho(s), mucha(s) | viele | beaucoup (de), nombreux | många |
| 95 | well (adverb/interjection) | bien | gut, wohl, nun | bien, eh bien | bra, väl, nå |
| 96 | only | sólo, solamente, único | nur, einzig | seulement, ne…que, unique | bara, endast, enda |
| 97 | those | esos, esas, aquellos, aquellas | jene, die | ces…là, ceux-là, celles-là | de där, dem där, dessa |
| 98 | tell (tell, told) | decir, contar (digo, dices, dije, etc.) | erzählen, sagen (sagte, etc.) | dire, raconter (dit, etc.) | berätta, säga (sade) |
| 99 | very | muy | sehr | très | mycket, väldigt |
| 100 | even (adverb) | incluso, aun | sogar, selbst, auch | même | även, till och med |
Thoughts & Comments
- It’s AI generated, so might not be entirely correct.
- Such function words won’t have perfect one-to-one translations between languages, context matters.
- Now I realize that it would be cool to build a simple web app that would allow you to hover over or click on the words to see more detail, perhaps usage examples in a few sentences or related and “opposite” words. But leaving this for some other time (or for someone else) to build.
- Ok, now let’s see if I’ll be consistent enough over the coming months to actually use this table!
Download PDF
If you want to print out just this list, you can download it from here:
That’s all!
