SPAIN / TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Basic Spanish: A Traveller's Cheat Sheet
The Fundamentals
| English | Spanish | Say It Like |
|---|
| Hello | Hola | OH-lah |
| Good morning | Buenos días | BWEH-nos DEE-as |
| Good afternoon | Buenas tardes | BWEH-nas TAR-des |
| Good evening/night | Buenas noches | BWEH-nas NO-ches |
| Please | Por favor | por fah-VOR |
| Thank you | Gracias | GRAH-see-as |
| You're welcome | De nada | deh NAH-dah |
| Yes / No | Sí / No | see / no |
| Excuse me (passing) | Perdona | pehr-DOH-nah |
| Excuse me (attention) | Disculpe | dis-KOOL-peh |
| I'm sorry | Lo siento | lo see-EN-toh |
| Goodbye | Adiós | ah-dee-OS |
| See you later | Hasta luego | AH-stah LWEH-go |
Meeting People
| English | Spanish | Say It Like |
|---|
| What's your name? | ¿Cómo te llamas? | KOH-mo teh YAH-mas |
| My name is... | Me llamo... | meh YAH-mo |
| Nice to meet you | Mucho gusto | MOO-cho GOOS-toh |
| How are you? | ¿Cómo estás? | KOH-mo es-TAS |
| Very well, thanks | Muy bien, gracias | mwee bee-EN, GRAH-see-as |
| And you? | ¿Y tú? | ee too |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Hablas inglés? | AH-blas een-GLES |
| I don't speak Spanish | No hablo español | no AH-blo es-pan-YOL |
| I don't understand | No entiendo | no en-tee-EN-do |
| Could you repeat that? | ¿Puede repetir? | PWEH-deh reh-peh-TEER |
| More slowly, please | Más despacio, por favor | mas des-PAH-see-oh, por fah-VOR |
Getting Around
| English | Spanish | Say It Like |
|---|
| Where is...? | ¿Dónde está...? | DON-deh es-TAH |
| How do I get to...? | ¿Cómo llego a...? | KOH-mo YEH-go ah |
| The metro / bus stop | El metro / la parada | el MEH-tro / la pah-RAH-dah |
| Left / Right / Straight | Izquierda / Derecha / Recto | ees-kee-EHR-dah / deh-REH-chah / REK-toh |
| Near / Far | Cerca / Lejos | SEHR-kah / LEH-hos |
| How far is it? | ¿A qué distancia está? | ah keh dis-TAN-see-ah es-TAH |
| I'm lost | Estoy perdido/a | es-TOY pehr-DEE-doh/dah |
| Can you call me a taxi? | ¿Me puede pedir un taxi? | meh PWEH-deh peh-DEER oon TAK-see |
| Stop here, please | Pare aquí, por favor | PAH-reh ah-KEE, por fah-VOR |
At the Restaurant (the most important section)
| English | Spanish | Say It Like |
|---|
| A table for two, please | Una mesa para dos, por favor | OO-nah MEH-sah PAH-rah dos |
| Do you have a reservation? | ¿Tiene reserva? | tee-EH-neh reh-SEHR-vah |
| The menu, please | La carta, por favor | lah KAR-tah, por fah-VOR |
| The set lunch menu | El menú del día | el meh-NOO del DEE-ah |
| What do you recommend? | ¿Qué recomienda? | keh reh-koh-mee-EN-dah |
| I'll have... | Voy a tomar... | voy ah toh-MAR |
| For me... | Para mí... | PAH-rah mee |
| A glass of red/white wine | Un vino tinto/blanco | oon VEE-noh TEEN-toh / BLAN-koh |
| A small beer | Una caña | OO-nah KAN-yah |
| Sparkling / still water | Agua con gas / sin gas | AH-gwah kon gas / seen gas |
| Without meat/fish | Sin carne/pescado | seen KAR-neh / pes-KAH-doh |
| I'm allergic to... | Soy alérgico/a a... | soy ah-LEHR-hee-koh/kah ah |
| Delicious! | ¡Qué rico! | keh REE-koh |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor | lah KWEN-tah, por fah-VOR |
| Is service included? | ¿Está incluido el servicio? | es-TAH een-kloo-EE-doh el sehr-VEE-see-oh |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
| English | Spanish | Say It Like |
|---|
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | KWAN-toh KWES-tah |
| That's expensive | Es caro | es KAH-roh |
| Do you have anything cheaper? | ¿Tiene algo más barato? | tee-EH-neh AL-go mas bah-RAH-toh |
| I'll take it | Me lo llevo | meh lo YEH-voh |
| Do you accept cards? | ¿Aceptan tarjeta? | ah-SEP-tan tar-HEH-tah |
| A receipt, please | Un recibo, por favor | oon reh-SEE-boh, por fah-VOR |
| Open / Closed | Abierto / Cerrado | ah-bee-EHR-toh / seh-RAH-doh |
Emergencies
| English | Spanish | Say It Like |
|---|
| Help! | ¡Socorro! | so-KOR-roh |
| Call the police | Llame a la policía | YAH-meh ah lah po-lee-SEE-ah |
| Call an ambulance | Llame a una ambulancia | YAH-meh ah OO-nah am-boo-LAN-see-ah |
| I need a doctor | Necesito un médico | neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh |
| I've been robbed | Me han robado | meh an roh-BAH-doh |
| Where is the hospital? | ¿Dónde está el hospital? | DON-deh es-TAH el os-pee-TAL |
| I don't feel well | No me encuentro bien | no meh en-KWEN-troh bee-EN |
Numbers
| | | |
|---|
| 1 — uno | 6 — seis | 20 — veinte | 100 — cien |
| 2 — dos | 7 — siete | 30 — treinta | 200 — doscientos |
| 3 — tres | 8 — ocho | 40 — cuarenta | 500 — quinientos |
| 4 — cuatro | 9 — nueve | 50 — cincuenta | 1,000 — mil |
| 5 — cinco | 10 — diez | 60 — sesenta | |
Days & Time
| English | Spanish | | English | Spanish |
|---|
| Monday | lunes | | Today | hoy |
| Tuesday | martes | | Tomorrow | mañana |
| Wednesday | miércoles | | Yesterday | ayer |
| Thursday | jueves | | Morning | la mañana |
| Friday | viernes | | Afternoon | la tarde |
| Saturday | sábado | | Evening/Night | la noche |
| Sunday | domingo | | Now | ahora |
A Few Cultural Notes Worth Knowing
The lisp myth. Spaniards in Madrid and most of Spain pronounce c (before e/i) and z like the English th — so Barcelona is bar-theh-LOH-nah and gracias is GRAH-thee-as. In Andalusia and Latin America it's a soft s. Neither is wrong.
Tú vs. Usted. Tú is informal (friends, peers, younger people). Usted is formal (elders, strangers you wish to show respect). In restaurants, usted is safe and appreciated.
Please is not optional. Por favor on every request is not excessive — it is expected. Bare commands without it can read as rude, even in casual settings.
The bill won't come on its own. In Spain, it is considered bad service to bring the bill without being asked — the assumption is you are welcome to sit as long as you like. Catch the server's eye and mime signing a receipt, or simply say la cuenta, por favor.