Believe it or not, you don’t have to be fluent in a foreign language to travel to another country! If you don’t speak Spanish but dream to go to Spain, Mexico, Peru, or any other Spanish-speaking country, look no further. This guide includes many situations that travelers encounter such as taking public transport, checking into a hotel, shopping, and getting to know the locals.
The daily Spanish words here are only the most common Spanish words and phrases you may hear. If you want to be fully prepared, don’t hesitate to check out our complete Travel Phrasebook on the LingoDeer app. It’s for FREE!
Spanish Phrases for Meeting and Greeting
When meeting someone for the first time in a Spanish-speaking country, don’t be surprised if they kiss you! Women are greeted with air kisses on the cheek, and the number of kisses and which side of the face depends on the country. Men typically greet other men with a handshake but close friends may also kiss each other on the cheek. It is polite to greet and say goodbye to everyone individually.
When approaching someone, it is polite to say hello before anything else.
You can use these greetings at any time of the day:
- Hello – Hola
- Good morning – Buenos días
- Good afternoon – Buenas tardes
- Good evening/night – Buenas noches
The Spanish language has two levels of formality. When addressing others, Usted is used with strangers and authorities as a way to show respect. Tú is used amongst friends to show familiarity. If you’re not sure, use usted to be polite!
For example, to ask a stranger how they are, you would say:
- How are you? – ¿Cómo está usted?
To ask a friend or someone your age how they are, you can say:
- How are you? – ¿Como estás?
- What’s up? – ¿Qué tal?
Here are some potential responses that you can give when asked the same question:
- I am well – Estoy bien
- I am fine – Estoy normal
- I am bad – Estoy mal
Getting to Know Someone
When getting to know a stranger, you can say:
- Where are you from? – ¿De dónde es?
- What is your profession? – ¿Cuál es su profesión?
When introduced to someone by your friend, say the following to be more informal:
- Where are you from? – ¿De donde eres?
- What is your profession? – ¿Cuál es tu profesión?
Goodbye
Always remember to say goodbye, whether it’s to a shopkeeper or new friends!
- Goodbye – Adiós
- Until later – Hasta luego
- Until tomorrow – Hasta mañana
- See you soon – Hasta pronto
- Bye – Chao
Spanish Phrases for Dating
When traveling you may come across someone you like. This may happen in some informal situations like at a café or a bar. So here are some ways to express affection using the informal form.
Compliments
There are many ways to pay a compliment to a woman. Here are a few:
- You’re so pretty! – ¡Qué guapa eres!
- Are you single? – ¿Estás soltera?
- You are beautiful. – Eres hermosa.
- What a pretty name! – ¡Qué nombre tan bonito!
Men like compliments too! Here are some gender-neutral expressions to say to a man or a woman.
- I love your eyes – Me encantan tus ojos.
- I can’t take my eyes off of you – No puedo apartar la vista de ti
- I love talking to you – Me encanta hablar contigo.
When receiving a compliment from a special someone, say ¡gracias! (thank you!).
Asking Someone Out
From a subtle approach to a direct move, there is something for everyone. In Spain and Latin America, traditionally men make the first move and ask out the women. In modern times though, it is not uncalled for if the woman asks the man out. To make your interests known, you can say any of the following:
- Do you want to go out with me? – ¿Quieres salir conmigo?
- Can you give me your phone number? – ¿Me puedes dar tu número de teléfono?
- How can I contact you? – ¿Cómo puedo contactar contigo?
- Do you mind if I sit next to you? – ¿Te molesta si me siento a tu lado?
Spanish Phrases for Travelers Who Need Help
Public Transport
Spain has an advanced train system that allows you to easily go from Madrid to Seville without a car or plane ticket. Other countries have a metro in the city but rely on buses and cars exclusively for greater travel. To use public transportation, some useful questions and words are:
- What is the next stop? – ¿Cuál es la próxima parada
- What time does the train leave? – ¿A qué hora saldrá el tren?
- What stop can I transfer to line 2? – ¿En qué parada puedo hacer transbordo a la línea 2?
- I want to rent a bicycle. – Quiero alquilar una bicicleta.
- I want a taxi to… – Quiero un taxi a….
- Bus – El autobús
- Metro/subway – El metro
- Train – El tren
- Ticket – El boleto
Asking for Directions
Even with today’s technology like Google Maps and having a map in the train car on public transport, you can get lost and may need to ask for help or clarification. Some questions you can ask are:
- How long does it take to arrive to… ? – ¿Cuánto tardará en llegar a …?
- How can I get here? – ¿Cómo puedo llegar aquí?
- Where is…? – ¿Dónde está…?
- Airport – el aeropuerto
- Station – la estación
- Address – la dirección
Understanding the answers are just as important as asking the questions. So here are something you may hear:
- To the north – al norte
- To the south – al sur
- To the east – al este
- To the west – al oeste
- Right – la derecha
- Left – la izquierda
- Close – cerca
- Far – lejos
Spanish Phrases for Shopping
Souvenirs are the best! Family and friends love to receive trinkets and as a bonus, you can help the local economy.
Countries like Ecuador have open-air markets where you can buy artisanal local products. The stalls are colorful and lined with shopkeepers beckoning you over to see their wares. Even though prices are cheaper than in Europe or the United States, negotiating is often expected (so learn the numbers, for bargain’s sake!) and cash is king. They also have malls and other stores with set prices if you want a more familiar environment.
Here are some phrases to help you buy whatever you need.
- How much is it? – ¿Cuánto es?
- I want to buy… – Quiero comprar…
- Can I pay with credit card? – ¿Se puede usar tarjeta de crédito?
- I’ll take this. – Me llevo esto.
- Is there another size? – ¿Hay otro tamaño?
- Small – pequeño
- Medium – mediano
- Large – grande
- Is there another color? – ¿Hay otro color?
- Does it fit me well? – ¿Me queda bien?
- Can I try this on? – ¿Me puedo probar este?
- Where is the fitting room? – ¿Dónde está el probador?
- Very expensive. – carísimo
- I only have five dollars. – Solo tengo cinco dólares.
- There are quality problems. – Hay problemas de calidad.
- Is there another cheaper one? – ¿Hay otro más barato?
Spanish Phrases for Eating Out
Whether it’s a nice dine-in restaurant, a taco truck, or a friend’s house, knowing a few food words is handy! In Spain and Latin America, the largest and most important meal of the day is lunch. Workers often go home for a few hours to eat with family and have a rest called la siesta. Since lunch is served late by American standards, dinner is also served late and tends to be a smaller meal.
Restaurant
- Table for two. – Una mesa para dos
- Menu – El menú
- Waiter – el camarero
- Waitress – la camarera
- I want… – Quiero…
- Chicken – El pollo
- Salad – La ensalada
- Beer – La cerveza
- Wine – El vino
- Check please. – La cuenta por favor.
Eating as a Guest in a Home
Here are some phrases to get on the host’s good side and impress other guests with both your manners and your Spanish. If mamá is cooking, be sure to compliment the food and say thank you!
- How delicious! – ¡Qué rico!
- How tasty! – ¡Qué sabroso!
- I (male) am full – Estoy lleno.
- I (female) am full – Estoy llena.
- Bon appetit – Buen provecho
- Cheers! – ¡Salud!
- It’s been a pleasure. – Ha sido un placer.
Spanish Phrases for the Hotel
After a long day of trekking across the city or getting off of a long flight, the last thing you want is a language barrier to stop you from checking into the hotel to rest. With these words, it will be smooth sailing.
- I have a reservation – Tengo una reservación.
- Is there a room available? – ¿Hay habitación disponible?
- Is breakfast included? – ¿Está incluido el desayuno?
- What is the WiFi password? – ¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi?
- Can you change the towels and sheets? – ¿Me pueden cambiar las toallas y las sábanas?
- Reception – la recepción
- Room key – la llave de habitación
- Single room – la habitación individual
- Double room – la habitación doble
Latin America, unfortunately, has a reputation for being more dangerous than European countries. Please do not let this hold you back from experiencing the amazing and rich cultures of Mexico, Colombia, and other places south of Texas. As long as you take normal precautions and are smart, you will have a fabulous time!
Hopefully, you will never have to use these phrases when abroad, however, it is better to be safe than sorry. With this vocabulary, you can feel safe and prepared in the event of an emergency.
Medical Emergency
If you remember anything from this emergency section, it should be this:
- Help me! – ¡Ayúdame!
These other phrases are useful and more related to details.
- I need to see a doctor – Necesito ir al médico.
- It hurts a lot – Me duele mucho.
- Call an ambulance! – ¡Llama una ambulancia!
Other Emergency
- Fire! – ¡Fuego!
- Everyone out. – Todo el mundo fuera.
- Assault! – ¡Asalto!
- Robbers! – ¡Ladrones!
- Call the police – Llama la policía
- Emergency exit – Salida de emergencia
- Police station – Comisaría
- I do not know him – No lo conozco
- They stole from me – Me han robado
With this list of daily Spanish words and phrases, you will not only survive in a Spanish-speaking country for your travels, but also thrive and navigate the world with confidence!
For more travel vocabulary, or if you want to learn Spanish, check out the LingoDeer app and learn on the go.
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