Basic sentences in Spanish for travelers

Learn Spanish with these greetings, ask for directions and order food

It is not that difficult to make yourself understood in Spanish (many of the people who speak Spanish in Latin America and Europe are very nice when your pronunciation fails and they help you make yourself understood better). A combination of pantomime and basic Spanish words can help you travel in a country like Mexico. Please and thank you always go well, and if you have a book with some phrases, it would help you a lot too.

Learn more details about the language in our intensive Spanish course, you will learn the language in a pleasant environment in any of our Spanish schools.

Greet people in Spanish

If you only plan to learn a phrase in Spanish, try to make it a way of greeting. Locals will always appreciate your effort to speak their language, so learning how to greet them will help you have a better time in our Spanish schools.

Hello: hola (oh-lah)

Good morning: Buenos días (bway-nos dee-ahs)

Good afternoon: Buenas tardes (bway-nahs tar-des)

Good evening: Buenas noches (bway-nahs noh-chess)

How are you?: ¿Cómo está? (coh-moh es-tah)

Good, thank you: Bien, gracias (bee-ehn, grah-see-ahs)

Can you speak English?: ¿Habla inglés? (hah-blah een-glays)

Ask for directions

As a traveler, some of the most common phrases you can learn are those that are related to asking for directions. Maybe you need to ask someone where a hotel is nearby, where the bathroom is located or where you can get some food, and of course, you will need to understand their answer as well in our Spanish schools.

Where is…?: ¿Dónde está…? (Dhohn-dheh ehs-TAH)

Where is a restaurant?: ¿Dónde hay un restaurante? (Dhohn-dheh eye oon rest-ore-rahn-tay)

Where is the restroom?: ¿Dónde está el baño? (Dhohn-dheh ehs-tah el ban-yo)

How far?: ¿A qué distancia? (Ah kay dhees-tan-syah)

Right: A la derecha (Ah lah dey-ray-chah)

Left: A la izquierda (Ah lah eez-key-ayr-dah)

Ahead: Derecho (De-rey-choh)

Can you help me?: ¿Puede ayudarme? (Pweh-dhe ah-yoo-dh-ahr-meh)

Please: Por favor (por fav-ore)

Thank you: Gracias (gra-see-uhs)

Eat in a restaurant

When you are not asking locals for directions, maybe it is because you are asking for food and drinks in restaurants. After all, you will find the best food in places where they don’t have the English menu for tourists, trust us. Learn the basics in restaurants and you will be able to enjoy the best food you have ever tried on your travels.

We invite you to practice these words and more at our Spanish school Bogota or Mexico for an extraordinary language experience!

How much is it?: ¿Cuanto cuesta? (Kwahn-toh kweh-stah)

The bill, please: La cuenta, por favor (Lah kwhen-tah, por-fav-ore)

That was delicious: Estuvo delicioso (est-ooh-vo del-ish-ee-oh-so)

I am vegetarian: Soy vegetariano/a (soy veg-et-air-ee-an-oh/ah)

A table: Una mesa (oona me-sah)

A menu: Un menú (oon mey-noo)

A drink: Una bebida (oon-ah beh-beed-ah)

Beer: Cerveza (ser-vay-sah)

Red or white wine: Vino tinto o blanco (vee-noh teen-toh o blahn-coh)

Water: Agua (ahg-wah)

A coffee: Un café (uhn cah-fey)

Sandwich: Torta (tore-tah)

Burger: Hamburguesa (ham-burg-ess-ah)

Chicken: Pollo (poy-oh)

Spicy: Picante (pick-ant-ay)

If at the end of the day you consider staying longer in a Spanish-speaking place, we suggest you visit Alegre Spanish School and learn about our cursos de español for tourists.