Top 25 Useful Travel Phrases & Tips In Spanish

By Ivy do Carmo

If you are planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, you have probably already taken care of some important things, such as booking your flight and the hotel and choosing the touristic attractions you want to visit, right? However, have you also thought about learning some basic Spanish phrases to get by while you are there?

“Why should I bother learning phrases in Spanish if everybody speaks English?”, you might ask yourself. Well, first of all, it is quite presumptuous to assume that every one in the world speaks English (besides being a mistake). I can guarantee you that, even in tourist locations, you will find many people that simply do not speak English. This is why it is so important to prepare ahead and learn some phrases in Spanish.

To be honest, even if everybody did speak English, I could still mention several advantages in learning at least some basic Spanish phrases. Besides not being spotted out as a tourist and reducing the chance of people wanting to take advantage of you, trying to speak the local language makes you truly experience the culture and connect  with the local people.

You probably already know the basic greetings in Spanish. Let’s remember some of them:

Hola – Hello

Buenos días – Good morning

Buenas tardes – Good afternoon

Buenas noches – Good evening / Good night

Adiós – Goodbye

¿Qué tal? / ¿Cómo estás? – How are you?

Estoy bien, ¿y tú? – I am fine, and you?

¿Cómo te llamas? / ¿Cuál es tu nombre? – What is your name?

Me llamo… / Mi nombre es… – My name is…

Muchas gracias – Thank you very much

De nada – You’re welcome

Perdón / Lo siento / Disculpe – I am sorry

Por favor – Please

Con permiso / Perdone – Excuse me

Sí – Yes

No – No

It is never too much to revise these basic words. If you have already mastered them, how about learning some sentences that are pretty useful in Spanish and that you can use in the airport, the hotel, the restaurants, the stores and even on the street? You will feel more confident if you memorize these sentences before you travel.

When you encounter a person you must speak to, especially if you have to talk about more complex or long subjects, you could first ask if they speak English. How do you do that in Spanish? It is quite simple:

¿Hablas inglés?
(Do you speak English?)

If the person does speak English, you found the solution to your linguistic problems. What if the person doesn’t? Then you can start by saying that you do not speak Spanish very well. This will indicate that the natives should speak more slowly and use simple words, thus making it easier for you to understand them. This is important because let’s be honest: Spanish speakers do seem to talk pretty fast! Here is how you can say that you are not fluent in Spanish and make you life easier when they talk to you:

No hablo español muy bien.
(I do not speak Spanish very well.)

If even after this explanation, the native still says something too fast or uses words you do not know, you can show you did not comprehend him by saying one of these sentences:

Lo siento, no entiendo.
(I’m sorry, I do not understand.)

No he comprendido.
(I did not comprehend.)

¿Puede repetir, por favor?
(Can you repeat, please?)

¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor?
(Can you speak more slowly, please?)

You are now prepared to ask for directions. Easy, right? Another thing we ask a lot while traveling is the price of products or services. After all, everybody loves shopping! Do you know how to ask the price of something in Spanish? If you want to bring some souvenirs home, you better learn!

Spanish Travel Phrases: Asking For The Price

First of all, memorize that “money” in Spanish is dinero. To ask for the price of a product, you can use either of the sentences below:

¿Cuánto cuesta?
(How much does it cost?)

¿Qué precio tiene?
(What is the price?)

You can simply ask one of the questions above and point to the object of your interest that the person will surely understand you. Or you complete the sentence with the thing you are interested in buying. Here are some other useful sentences to use when you are shopping:

Quería un / una…
(I want a…)

Talla pequeña/ media/ grande
(Size small / medium / large)

A mirar, no más.
(I’m just looking.)

Puedo probarlo? / Me puedo probar?
(Can I try it on?)

¡Me quedan perfectos! Me los llevo.
(They fit perfectly! I will take them.)

Aceptan tarjetas de credito?
(Do you take credit cards?)

Now that you are prepared to ask for directions and to go shopping, how about we learn some sentences that are useful in Spanish to go to a restaurant? After all, you eating is something you will definitely do a lot there!

Spanish Travel Phrases: At a Restaurant

Even though many restaurants provide bilingual menus, it will not hurt to learn a few phrases to get by in a Spanish restaurant. This will come in handy especially if the waiter does not speak English, what happens more often than you think. First, let’s see how to say the different kinds of meals in Spanish:

Desayuno
(Breakfast)

Almuerzo
(Lunch)

Cena
(Dinner)

Use the verb quiero to say what you want:

Quiero una mesa, por favor.
(I want a table, please.)

Quiero ver el menú.
(I want to see the menu.)

Quiero la cuenta.
(I want the check.)

You can replace the verb quiero for quisiera, that means “I would like” and it is more formal and polite. You can also say ¿Puedo? (“Can I?”) to ask for something. Let’s now see some basic foods and drinks you can order at a restaurant.

Agua
(Water)

Vino tinto / vino blanco
(Red wine / white wine)

Cerveza
(Beer)

Café
(Coffee)

Jugo
(Juice)

Entrada
(Appetizer)

Ensalada
(Salad)

Sopa
(Soup)

Hamburguesa
(Hamburger)

Pollo
(Chicken)

Carne
(Meat)

Pescado
(Fish)

Cerdo
(Pork)

Pasta
(Pasta)

Postre
(Dessert)

Frutilla
(Strawberry)

Naranja
(Orange)

Plátano
(Banana)

Piña
(Pineapple)

Here are some other useful words related to restaurants that it is important that you know:

Plato
(Dish)

Servilleta
(Napkin)

Vaso / Copa
(Glass)

Tenedor
(Fork)

Cuchillo
(Knife)

Cuchara
(Spoon)

Azúcar
(Sugar)

Sal
(Salt)

Endulzante
(Sweetener)

We have already seen how to ask for directions, how to ask for the price of something and how to get by at a restaurant. Let’s check now some other useful words and phrases to use when you travel in Spanish speaking countries.

Other Useful Words

Ya / De acuerdo
(Ok)

¿Qué pasa?
(What is going on?)

¿Qué hora es?
(What time is it?)

Aeropuerto
(Airport)

Vuelo
(Flight)

Maleta / Equipaje
(Bag / Baggage)

Boleto
(Ticket)

Asiento
(Seat)

Teléfono
(Telephone or cell phone)

Habitación
(Room)

Propina
(Tip)

Tienda
(Store)

Bus
(Bus)

Auto
(Car)

Metro
(Subway)

Hace calor
(It’s hot)

Hace frío
(It’s cold)

Lluvia
(Rain)

Necesito de ayuda / un medico
(I need help / a doctor)

Es una emergencia
(It is an emergency)

Fecha
(Date)

Lunes
(Monday)

Martes
(Tuesday)

Miércoles
(Wednesday)

Jueves
(Thursday)

Viernes
(Friday)

Sábado
(Saturday)

Domingo
(Sunday)

Cero
(Zero)

Uno / Una
(One)

Dos
(Two)

Tres
(Three)

Cuatro
(Four)

Cinco
(Five)

Seis
(Six)

Siete
(Seven)

Ocho
(Eight)

Nueve
(Nine)

Diez
(Ten)

You are definitely more prepared for your trip than you were at the beginning of this article! Practice using these words and do not forget to take a mini-dictionary with you. However, you do not have to worry very much. Spanish people usually are very friendly with tourists and they will have patience with you. The most important thing is that you put an effort and get out of your comfort zone to fully experience your trip!

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