Whether you're heading to Madrid, Barcelona, Mexico City or Buenos Aires, a few well-chosen Spanish phrases will make your trip smoother and win you plenty of smiles. Here are the ones you'll use most, grouped by situation, with an easy pronunciation guide for English speakers. The syllable in CAPITALS is the stressed one.
Greetings and basics
| Spanish |
Say it like |
Meaning |
| Hola |
OH-lah |
Hello |
| Buenos días / Buenas tardes |
BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs / BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs |
Good morning / Good afternoon |
| Por favor |
por fah-VOR |
Please |
| Gracias |
GRAH-syahs |
Thank you |
| Disculpe |
dees-KOOL-peh |
Excuse me |
| No entiendo |
noh en-TYEN-doh |
I don't understand |
| ¿Habla inglés? |
AH-blah een-GLEHS? |
Do you speak English? |
| ¿Puede hablar más despacio? |
PWEH-deh ah-BLAR mahs dehs-PAH-syoh? |
Can you speak more slowly? |
In most of Spain, the “c” in gracias sounds like the “th” in “think” (GRAH-thyahs). In Latin America it's an “s”. Both are perfectly correct.
Getting around
| Spanish |
Say it like |
Meaning |
| ¿Dónde está la estación? |
DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah ehs-tah-SYOHN? |
Where is the station? |
| Un billete para Sevilla, por favor |
oon bee-YEH-teh PAH-rah seh-BEE-yah, por fah-VOR |
A ticket to Seville, please |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta el billete? |
KWAN-toh KWEHS-tah el bee-YEH-teh? |
How much is the ticket? |
| ¿Me lleva a esta dirección? |
meh YEH-bah ah EHS-tah dee-rehk-SYOHN? |
Can you take me to this address? |
Tip: a ticket is billete in Spain but boleto in most of Latin America.
At the hotel
| Spanish |
Say it like |
Meaning |
| Tengo una reserva a nombre de… |
TEHN-goh OO-nah reh-SEHR-bah ah NOHM-breh deh… |
I have a reservation under the name… |
| ¿El desayuno está incluido? |
el deh-sah-YOO-noh ehs-TAH een-kloo-EE-doh? |
Is breakfast included? |
| El aire acondicionado no funciona |
el EYE-reh ah-kohn-dee-syoh-NAH-doh noh foon-SYOH-nah |
The air conditioning doesn't work |
At the restaurant
| Spanish |
Say it like |
Meaning |
| Una mesa para dos, por favor |
OO-nah MEH-sah PAH-rah dohs, por fah-VOR |
A table for two, please |
| La carta, por favor |
lah KAR-tah, por fah-VOR |
The menu, please |
| Quisiera… |
kee-SYEH-rah… |
I would like… |
| Agua del grifo, por favor |
AH-gwah del GREE-foh, por fah-VOR |
Tap water, please |
| La cuenta, por favor |
lah KWEHN-tah, por fah-VOR |
The bill, please |
Tip: in Spain, lunch is around 2 pm and dinner rarely before 9 pm. The menú del día is a great-value set lunch with starter, main course, dessert and a drink.
Shopping
| Spanish |
Say it like |
Meaning |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
KWAN-toh KWEHS-tah? |
How much is it? |
| ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? |
PWEH-doh pah-GAR kohn tar-HEH-tah? |
Can I pay by card? |
| Solo estoy mirando, gracias |
SOH-loh ehs-TOY mee-RAHN-doh, GRAH-syahs |
I'm just looking, thanks |
Emergencies
| Spanish |
Say it like |
Meaning |
| ¡Ayuda! |
ah-YOO-dah! |
Help! |
| Necesito un médico |
neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh |
I need a doctor |
| ¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana? |
DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah far-MAH-syah mahs sehr-KAH-nah? |
Where is the nearest pharmacy? |
| He perdido mi pasaporte |
eh pehr-DEE-doh mee pah-sah-POR-teh |
I've lost my passport |
Three pronunciation tips
-
Vowels are always short and clear: a = “ah”, e = “eh”, i = “ee”, o = “oh”, u = “oo”.
-
The letter h is always silent: hola is “OH-lah”.
-
j (and g before e/i) sounds like a strong “h”: tarjeta = “tar-HEH-tah”.
Take all the Spanish you need in your pocket
Spanish for Travel gives you 12 chapters of real-life phrases for every travel situation, easy pronunciation for English speakers and native audio for every phrase. Instant download as PDF + MP3.
See Spanish for Travel →
