Whether you're working in a Spanish-speaking country, studying abroad, or just need to handle daily tasks, knowing the words for basic office supplies is incredibly useful. This vocabulary list focuses on the high-frequency items you'll find on any desk or in any office, from pens and paper to staplers and printers. Being able to ask "¿Me prestas una pluma?" (Can I borrow a pen?) or say "Necesito imprimir este documento" (I need to print this document) will make your interactions smoother and more confident. We've designed this list for A2 learners, focusing on practical, everyday words used throughout Latin America. You'll notice many cognates—words that look and sound similar to their English counterparts, like "documento" (document) and "carpeta" (folder, like a carpet for your papers!). We'll also highlight key differences between Latin American Spanish and the Spanish spoken in Spain, such as the preference for "computadora" over "ordenador" for a computer, so you can sound like a local.
pen
Se me acabó la tinta del bolígrafo. ¿Tienes otro? — I ran out of ink in my pen. Do you have another one?
pencil
Prefiero escribir mis notas con lápiz para poder borrar. — I prefer to write my notes with a pencil so I can erase.
marker
Usa un marcador rojo para las ideas importantes. En México, le decimos 'plumón'. — Use a red marker for the important ideas. In Mexico, we call it a 'plumón'.
highlighter
Pasé el resaltador amarillo sobre las fechas clave. — I went over the key dates with the yellow highlighter.
eraser
¡Ay! Cometí un error. ¿Me prestas tu borrador? — Oops! I made a mistake. Can I borrow your eraser?
paper
Ya no hay papel en la impresora. — There's no more paper in the printer.
sheet (of paper)
Necesito una hoja de papel para dibujar el plan. — I need a sheet of paper to draw the plan.
notebook
Anoto todo lo de la reunión en mi cuaderno. — I write down everything from the meeting in my notebook.
small notebook, notepad
Siempre llevo una libreta pequeña en mi bolso para apuntar ideas. — I always carry a small notebook in my bag to jot down ideas.
envelope
Puse la carta en el sobre y le puse una estampilla. — I put the letter in the envelope and put a stamp on it.
sticky note
Dejé una nota adhesiva en tu computadora con el número de teléfono. — I left a sticky note on your computer with the phone number.
stapler
La grapadora no funciona, creo que no tiene grapas. — The stapler isn't working, I think it's out of staples.
staples
Voy a la tienda a comprar una caja de grapas. — I'm going to the store to buy a box of staples.
paper clip
Usa un clip para mantener juntos esos papeles. — Use a paper clip to keep those papers together.
tape
Necesito cinta adhesiva para pegar este póster en la pared. — I need tape to stick this poster on the wall.
scissors
¿Dónde están las tijeras? Necesito cortar esta etiqueta. — Where are the scissors? I need to cut this tag.
folder, binder
Por favor, guarda este reporte en la carpeta azul. — Please, file this report in the blue folder.
glue
Usa el pegamento en barra para las fotos. — Use the glue stick for the photos.
desk
Mi escritorio siempre está desordenado, tiene muchos papeles. — My desk is always messy, it has a lot of papers.
chair
Esta silla de oficina es muy cómoda para trabajar. — This office chair is very comfortable for working.
computer
Voy a reiniciar la computadora porque está muy lenta. — I'm going to restart the computer because it's very slow.
printer
La impresora se quedó sin tinta negra. — The printer ran out of black ink.
photocopier
Hay una fila larga para usar la fotocopiadora. — There is a long line to use the photocopier.
keyboard
Necesito limpiar el teclado de mi computadora. — I need to clean my computer's keyboard.
mouse
Prefiero usar un ratón inalámbrico. — I prefer to use a wireless mouse.
to write
Tengo que escribir un correo electrónico importante. — I have to write an important email.
to print
¿Puedes imprimir dos copias de este documento, por favor? — Can you print two copies of this document, please?
to make a copy / to photocopy
Voy a sacar una copia de mi identificación. — I'm going to make a copy of my ID.
to staple
No olvides grapar las páginas del informe en orden. — Don't forget to staple the report pages in order.
to cut
Usa las tijeras para cortar el papel. — Use the scissors to cut the paper.
to glue, to stick
Vamos a pegar las fotos en el cartel con cinta adhesiva. — We are going to stick the photos on the poster with tape.
to file
Después de leer los documentos, los tienes que archivar. — After reading the documents, you have to file them.