🇪🇸 Stuff Every Traveler Should Say in Spanish: Training Guide

Saying hello at any time

Spanish has three greetings for the time of day. Buenos días is for the morning, buenas tardes for the afternoon, and buenas noches for after dark. Spanish uses the plural for all three: días, tardes, and noches.

After dark, buenas noches works for both hello and goodnight. The exact time people switch from tardes to noches varies by country and habit. Follow what local people do.

Meeting someone

Say Mucho gusto when you are introduced to someone. It means much pleasure. A common reply is igualmente, which means likewise.

If a woman is introduced, she says Encantada. A man says Encantado. A group of men or a mixed group says Encantados. The word means enchanted.

Polite words and getting attention

Por favor means please. Add it to any request. It literally means for a favor.

Gracias means thank you. Muchas gracias means thank you very much. The standard reply is De nada, which is like saying it was nothing.

Lo siento means I'm sorry. It comes from sentir, to feel. It is like saying I feel it or I regret it.

Con permiso means with permission. Say it when you need to get past someone or leave a group. Use perdón or disculpe when you bump someone.

If you did not hear someone, say Perdón, ¿cómo dice usted? This politely asks the person to repeat what they said.

Asking helpful questions

Ask ¿Qué hora es? to find the time. Spanish uses son las for most hours but es la una for one o'clock.

Ask ¿Cómo se dice table en español? to learn the Spanish word for table or any object. Point at the thing and put the English word in the blank.

Ask ¿Dónde está el baño? to find a bathroom. The word baño is understood nearly everywhere in Spain and Latin America. It is spelled with the letter ñ.

Directions

A la derecha means to the right. A la izquierda means to the left. Ahí means there.

Ahí adelante means straight ahead, over there. The word adelante can also mean go ahead or come in.

Getting around by taxi, car, bus, and luggage

Ask ¿Cuánto cuesta un taxi al hotel? to find the price of a taxi to the hotel. Asking before you get in is a good habit.

The word for car changes by country. Carro is used in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, and Venezuela. Spain says coche, and Argentina and Chile say auto.

Autobús is understood everywhere for bus. In Mexico, camión often means bus, though elsewhere it means truck.

Equipaje means baggage or luggage as one word. Maleta means suitcase. The sentence El equipaje está aquí means The luggage is here.

Money and prices

¿Cuánto cuesta? means How much does it cost? Use cuestan for plural things.

At a register, ask ¿Cuánto le debo? to ask how much you owe. It is a polite way to ask a shopkeeper or driver for the total.

¿Es muy caro? asks Is it very expensive? Caro means expensive and barato means cheap. Muy means very.

Ask ¿Cuánto es la propina? to ask how much the tip is. Tipping customs vary a lot between countries, so asking a local or checking the bill is wise.

To break a large bank note, ask ¿Puede cambiarme este billete? Cambiar means to change or exchange. Billete means banknote almost everywhere.

Restaurant words

The word for waiter changes by country. Camarero is typical in Spain. In Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America, a waiter is a mesero. In Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru you may hear mozo.

Ask La cuenta, por favor to get the check. Add por favor to be polite. To get the waiter's attention, say Disculpe or Perdón.

Say Veamos el menú to mean Let's see the menu. In Spain you may also hear la carta for the menu.

Food basics

To say you are hungry, say Tengo hambre. Spanish uses tener, to have, so you have hunger. Tengo sed means I'm thirsty. Tengo frío means I'm cold.

El desayuno is breakfast, the first meal of the day. Desayunar is the verb to have breakfast. The word literally breaks a fast.

The usual word for juice in Spain is zumo. Most of Latin America says jugo. Both can pair with de naranja for orange juice.

Building signs

Salida means exit or way out. It comes from salir, to go out. Entrada comes from entrar, to go in. Both appear on signs at airports, stores, and stations.

Cerrado means closed and abierto means open. Many shops close for a midday break, so check opening hours.

Empujar means push. Door signs often pair it with tirar or jalar for pull, depending on the country. Read the sign before wrestling a door.

Looking at a room or apartment

Ask ¿Podemos verlo? to say Can we see it? Use it when you want a room or apartment shown before deciding.

If a host says Cualquier cosa que necesite, avíseme, they mean Tell me if you need anything. It is a friendly offer of help.

Keys and hotel needs

The word for key is la llave. At a hotel, ask la llave de la habitación for the room key. Llave can also mean a faucet or a wrench, so context matters.

In an emergency

Shout ¡Socorro! when you need urgent help. It is a cry for help, like mayday. ¡Ayuda! also works. ¡Cuidado! means watch out.

Go to la farmacia for medicine. Farmacia means pharmacy, drugstore, or chemist. A pharmacist can often give simple advice.

Lost documents and embassy help

If you lose your passport, you can ask ¿Dónde está la Embajada de Estados Unidos? to find the U.S. Embassy. Embajada means embassy. Name the country to be clear.

Your embassy or consulate helps with lost passports. Older courses may say Embajada Americana, but americano can mean anyone from the Americas, so name the country.

Going through customs

Aduana means customs. It is feminine, so it uses la aduana. Follow the signs for aduana before leaving the airport.

At customs, you can say Todo está declarado, which means Everything is declared. This tells the officer that you have reported all the items you brought. The word declarado comes from declarar, the Spanish verb for to declare.