We are firm believers that if you opt to travel to a foreign country, you should at least know the basics of that country’s language and not expect everyone to speak your native tongue. Don’t just go there to see a country’s attractions rather interact with the locals. The only way you can do that is by learning common phrases.
Below are 100+ common Spanish phrases every traveler should know when traveling to a Spanish speaking country.
Meeting & Greeting (Be Friendly)
Hello. – Hola (oh-lah)
Good morning. – Buenos dias (bweh-nohss dee-ahss)
Good afternoon. – Buenas tardes (bweh-nahss tar-dess)
Good evening. – Buenas noches (bweh-nahss noh-chess)
Welcome. – Bienvenido (bwee-en-veh-nee-doh)
Come in. – Adelante (ah-dehl-ahn-teh)
Nice to meet you. – Mucho gusto (moo-choh goos-toh)
What’s your name? (for./inf.) – ¿Cómo se llama? (koh-moh seh yah-mah) OR ¿Cómo te llamas? (koh-moh teh yah-mahss)
My name is … – Me llamo … (meh yah-moh)
Where are you from? (for./inf.) – ¿De dónde es/eres? (deh dohn-de ess/ eh-ress)
I’m from … – Soy de … (soy deh)
How are you? (for./inf.) – ¿Cómo está[s] (koh-moh ess-tah[ss])
Fine, thank you. – Bien, gracias (bee-en, grah-see-ahss)
And yourself? (for./inf.) – ¿Y usted/tú? (ee oos-ted/too)
Goodbye. – Adiós. (ah-dee-ohss)
See you later. – Nos vemos./hasta luego. (nohss veh-mohss/ahss-tah lweh-goh)
Basic Courtesy (Learn Your Manners)
Please. – Por favor. (por fah-vor)
Thank you [very much]. – [Muchas] Gracias. ([mooh-chahss] grah-see-ahss)
You’re welcome. – De nada. (deh nah-dah)
Excuse me. – Disculpe. (dees-kool-peh)
I’m sorry. – Lo siento. (loh see-en-toh)
It’s ok. – Está bien. (ess-tah bee-en)
The Basics
Do you speak English? (for./inf.) – ¿Habla[s] inglés? (ah-blah[s] een-gless)
I don’t speak Spanish. – No hablo español. (noh ah-bloh ess-pah-nyohl)
Say again, please. – Repita, por favor. (reh-pee-tah, por fah-vor)
Speak slower, please. – Hable más despacio, por favor. (ah-bleh mahss dess-pah-see-oh, por fah-vor)
I don’ understand. – No comprendo. (noh kohm-pren-doh)
I [don’t] want to … – Yo [no] quiero … (yoh [noh] kee-eh-roh)
I would like to … – Me gustaría … (meh goos-tah-ree-ah)
Where is … ? – ¿Dónde está … ? (dohn-deh ess-tah)
Where is the bathroom? – ¿Dónde está el baño? (dohn-deh ess-tah el bah-nyoh)
How much does it cost? – ¿Cuánto cuesta? (kwahn-toh kwess-tah)?
What time is it? – ¿Qué hora es? (keh oh-rah ess)?
Do you have … ? – ¿Tiene … ? (tee-eh-neh)?
I [don’t] have … – Yo [no] tengo … (yoh [noh] ten-goh)
I don’t know. –No sé. (Noh seh)
Getting Around (Get Lost Without Actually Getting Lost)
How do I get to … ? – ¿Cómo llego a … ? (koh-moh yeh-goh ah)
Where is the bus stop? – ¿Dónde está la parada de autobús? (dohn-deh ess-tah lah pah-rah-dah del ow-toh-boos)
Let me out there, please. – Déjeme aquí, por favor. (dehheh-meh ah-kee, por fah-vor)
How much is the fare? – ¿Cuánto cuesta el pasaje? (kwahn-toh kwess-tah el pah-sah-heh)
I need a (city/area) map. – Necesito un mapa (de la ciudad/del areá). (Neh-seh-see-toh oon mah-pah (deh lah see-oo-dahd/del ah-reh-ah
Can you show me on the map? – ¿Puede señalaelo en el mapa? (pweh-deh seh-nyah-lar-loh en el mah-pah)
Right – derecha (deh-reh-chah)
Left – izquierda (ess-kee-eh-dah)
Straight ahead – Derecho (deh-reh-choh)
At the corner – En la esquina (a lah es-kee-nah)
In … block[s] – A … cuadra[s] – (a cwah-drah[s])
Street – Calle (cah-yay)
Post office – Correo (cor-reoh)
Airport – Aeropuerto (i-roh-pwehr-toh)
Laundromat – Lavanderia (lah-vahn-deh-ree-ah)
A Place to Stay (Home Sweet Home)
How much is a room per night? – ¿Cuánto cuesta la habitación por noche? (kwah-toh kwess-tah lah ah-bee-tah-see-ohn po no-cheh)
I have a reservation. – Tengo una reservación. (ten-goh oo-nah reh-sehr-vah-see-ohn)
I would like a single/double room. – Quisiera una habitaction sencialla/doble. (kee-see-eh-rah oo-nah ah-bee-tah-see-ohn sen-see-yah/doh-bleh)
May I see the room? – ¿Puedo ver la habitactión? (pweh-doh vehr lah ah-bee-tah-see-ohn)
Does it have hot water/Wi-Fi? – ¿Tiene auga caliente/conexión inalámbrica? (Tee-eh-neh-ah ah-wah kah-lee-en-teh/ koh-nek-see-ohn een-ah-lahm-bree-kah)
Eating & Drinking (Taste the culture)
I’m [not] hungry. – [No] tengo hambre. ([noh] ten-goh ahm-breh)
The check, please. – La cuenta, por favor. (lah kwen-tah, por fah-vor)
Can I see the menu please? – ¿Puedo ver el menú, por favor? (pweh-doh ver el meh-noo)
Is the water filtered? – ¿Está filtrada el agua? (ess-tah feel-trah-dah el ah-gwah)
I’m allergic to … – Soy alérgico a … (soy ah-lehr-he-koh ah)
Service charge/tip – La propina (lah proh-pee-nah)
Beer – Cerveza (sehr-veh-sah)
Breakfast – Desayuno (deh-sah-yoo-noh)
Dinner – Cena (seh-nah)
Lunch – Almuerzo (al-mooh-er-soh)
Soup – Sopa (soh-pah)
Dessert – Postre (pohs-tray)
Water – Agua (ah-gwah)
Rice – Arroz (ah-rohss)
Beans – Frijoles (free-ho-les)
Chicken – Pollo (poh-yoh)
Roast beef – Carne asada (kar-neh ah-sah-dah)
Pork chop – Chuleta de cerdo (choo-leh-tah deh- sehr-doh)
Seafood – Mariscos (mah-rees-kohss)
Money & Shopping (Shop Till You Drop)
I would like a to buy a SIM card. – Quisiera comprar una tarjeta SIM. (Kee-see-eh-rah kohm-prar oo-nah tar-heh-tah seem)
Where is the bank/ATM? – ¿Dónde hay un banco/cajero automático? (dohn-deh I oon bahn-koh/kah-heh-roh ow-toh-mah-tee-koh)
How much does this cost? – ¿Cuenta cuesta? (kwahn-toh kwess-tah)
I need a receipt. – Necesito un recibo. (Neh-seh-see-toh oon reh-see-boh)
Money – Dinero (dee-neh-roh)
Credit Card – Tarjetas de crédito (tar-heh-tahss deh kreh-dee-toh)
Bank – Banco (bahn-coh)
Cheap – Barato (bah-rah-toh)
Expensive – Caro (Kah-roh)
Sale – Rebaja (reh-bah-hah)
Emergencies
Help! – Ayuda! (ah-yoo-dah)
I have been robbed/assaulted. – Me han robado/asaltoado. (meh ahn roh-bah-doh/ah-sahl-tah-doh)
I lost my passport. – Perdi mi pasaporte. (pehr-dee mee pah-sah-por-teh)
Where is the hospital? – ¿Dónde está el hospital? (dohn-deh ess-tah el ohss-pee-tahl)
Call the police. – Llamen a la policia. (yah-men ah lah ph-lee-see-ah)
I need to go to the (u.s.) consulate/ the embassy. – Necesito ir al consulado/a la embajada [de Estados Unidos]. (Neh-seh-see-toh eer ahl kohn-sool-ah-doh/ah lah embah-hah-dah [deh ess-tah-dohss oo-nee-dohss])
This list of common Spanish phrases barely scratches the surface. If you are serious about learning the language, practice with locals, write down words you don’t know and look them up later, or use language learning apps such as Duolingo.
Lastly, If you want to learn more common Spanish phrases buy this ridiculously cheap book, “Easy Spanish Phrase Book” and use it as your Spanish speaking guide. That is the same one we used when we first got to Cancun and for that price it is amazing.
Inspired? Pin this for later …
Alouise says
May 29, 2015 at 6:33 pmI’m going to Spain this fall, and I know a couple of words in Spanish, but not a lot. This will certainly come in handy.
Ben says
June 1, 2015 at 11:38 amWe tried to list all the important ones. There are of course many more but knowing these should help you get by in Spain. Have fun.
Dannielle Lily says
June 1, 2015 at 11:34 amMan this made me feel bad about not keeping my high school Spanish fresh! I really wanna live in Spain at some point so I’ll keep going over this list. Do you know any good spanish language learning apps?
Ben says
June 1, 2015 at 11:37 amI know how you feel Dannielle but once you there it will come back, little by little. Our favorite language learning app is Duolingo. It works like Rosetta Stone but it is free.
alison abbott says
June 7, 2015 at 5:35 pmIt does come back once you start using it in the country. I didn’t realize there is a completely separate language in the Catalonia area of Spain, which of course added another level to my spanglish!
Jazzy says
June 12, 2015 at 10:27 amThat’s so true Alison. The last time I took Spanish was in the 6th grade and when I arrived in Cancun, 14 years later I started to remember things. The mind is a beautiful/powerful thing.
selphur says
January 12, 2016 at 6:27 amI’ve studied Spanish for quite some time now and I completely approve this. Moreover, my experience shows that these phrases will drive you through almost any situation as a tourist traveling to Spain, and even this fails, it is usually enough as Spaniards are very welcoming people and usually do their best to understand you.
Celine says
October 27, 2016 at 1:41 pmWould love this in a printable format.
Jazzy says
October 30, 2016 at 11:08 pmThat is a great idea, we will look into doing that!