Essential Spanish travel phrases
Spanish is spoken across twenty countries, and in most of them a little effort goes a very long way. These are the phrases worth knowing before you land - not a phrasebook, but the handful you will actually reach for.
The ten that do most of the work
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hola | Hello |
| Por favor | Please |
| Gracias | Thank you |
| Perdón | Excuse me |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much is it? |
| ¿Dónde está...? | Where is...? |
| No entiendo | I don't understand |
Perdón opens almost any interaction politely, and ¿dónde está? followed by a noun you can point at solves directions without a full sentence.
Eating and paying
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Una mesa para dos, por favor | A table for two, please |
| Para mí... | I'd like... |
| La cuenta, por favor | The bill, please |
| ¿Tiene algo sin carne? | Anything without meat? |
| ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | Can I pay by card? |
In Spain you usually have to ask for the bill - bringing it unprompted is considered rushing you, so it will not arrive until you say so.
Getting around
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Un billete para..., por favor | A ticket to..., please |
| ¿A qué hora sale? | What time does it leave? |
| ¿Está lejos? | Is it far? |
| A la izquierda / a la derecha / todo recto | Left / right / straight on |
| ¿Dónde está el baño? | Where is the toilet? |
If the answer comes back too fast, más despacio, por favor is the most useful phrase on this page - people almost always slow down, and they rarely mind being asked.
When it goes wrong
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ¿Puede repetir, por favor? | Could you repeat that? |
| Más despacio, por favor | Could you speak more slowly? |
| ¿Cómo se dice...? | How do you say...? |
| ¿Habla inglés? | Do you speak English? |
| Estoy aprendiendo español | I'm learning the language |
¿Cómo se dice...? turns any stranger into a teacher for ten seconds, which is worth more than another twenty nouns.