Helpful Spanish Phrases Every Traveler Should Know

Helpful Spanish Phrases Every Traveler Should Know

Your tickets are booked… your bags are packed… and your journey is just around the corner. You can’t wait to begin your exciting adventure in a Spanish-speaking country! There’s just one more important thing you should do in order to make a huge impact on your trip – learn some Spanish! Here are some basic Spanish words to use as a starting off point to help you converse with Spanish-speaking locals, avoid getting lost, and embrace new surroundings!

Greetings:

Hi- Hola

Good morning – Buenos días

Good afternoon – Buenas tardes

Good evening – Buenos noches

How are you? – ¿Cómo estás?

Responses:

Good – bien

Very good – muy bien

Mal – bad

Thank you – gracias

Nice to meet you – mucho gusto

¿y tú? – and you? (informal)

¿y usted? – and you? (formal for anyone older than you/ new acquaintance)

Basic Vocabulary Phrases:

My name is – Me llamo…

I’m from – Soy de…

I want – Yo quiero…

I don’t want to – Yo no quiero…

I would like – Me gustaría…

I have – Yo tengo…

I don’t have – Yo no tengo…

I understand – Yo entiendo…

I don’t understand – Yo no entiendo…

I need – Yo necesito…

Where is? – ¿Dónde Está?

How much does it cost – ¿Cuánto cuesta?

What time is it? – ¿Qué hora es?

Do you have? – ¿Tiene?

Do you understand? – ¿Entiende?

Please – por favor

Phrases for directions:

Right – A la derecha

Left – A la izquierda

Straight ahead – Derecho

At the corner – En la esquina

In one block – A una cuadra

Where is the bus station? – ¿Dónde esta la estación de autobuses?

Where is a restaurant? – ¿Dónde está un restaurante?

Where is the exchange? – ¿Dónde está una casa de cambio?

Where is the bank? – ¿Dónde está el banco?

Convenient traveling words:

Train – un tren

Bus – el autobús

Airplane – el avión

Airport – el aeropuerto

Itinerary – el itinerario

Street – la calle

Bank – un banco

Money – el dinero

Credit card – una tarjeta de credito

ATM machine – el cajero automático

Bathroom – el baño

Hotel – el hotel

Ticket – el boleto

Taxi – el taxi

Basic words used in a restaurant setting:

A restaurant – el restaurant

A table – una mesa

A menu – un menú

Breakfast – el desayuno

Lunch – el almuerzo

Dinner – la cena

An appetizer – una entrada

Dessert – un postre

A drink – una bebida

Water – agua

The check – la cuenta

*Note, if you would like to quickly learn how to read, write, and speak Spanish, enroll in our Speed Spanish course! It’s only 6 weeks long and is offered online! Some of our students have even taken it at their own pace while traveling abroad!