The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's Spanish
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent Spanish. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Buenos días | BWE-nos DEE-as |
| Hello (informal) | Hola | O-la |
| Goodbye | Adiós | a-DYOS |
| Thank you | Gracias | GRA-syas |
| Please | Por favor | por fa-VOR |
| Yes | Sí | SEE |
| No | No | NO |
| Sorry | Lo siento | lo SYEN-to |
| I don't understand | No entiendo | no en-TYEN-do |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Hablan inglés? | A-blan in-GLES? |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Buenos días | BWE-nos DEE-as |
| Good evening | Buenas tardes | BWE-nas TAR-des |
| How are you? | ¿Cómo estás? | KO-mo es-TAS |
| My name is... | Me llamo... | meh YA-mo |
| Nice to meet you | Mucho gusto | MU-cho GUS-to |
| I am from Israel | Soy de Israel | SOY de ees-ra-EL |
| See you | Nos vemos | nos VE-mos |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | ¿Dónde está la puerta? | DON-deh es-TAH lah PWER-tah |
| Is the flight delayed? | ¿El vuelo está retrasado? | el VWEL-o es-TAH reh-tra-SAH-do |
| Boarding pass | Tarjeta de embarque | tar-HEH-tah deh em-BAR-keh |
| My suitcase didn't arrive | Mi maleta no ha llegado | mee mah-LEH-tah no ah yeh-GAH-do |
| I have a connecting flight | Tengo un vuelo de conexión | TEN-goon VWEL-o deh koh-nek-SYON |
| Window/aisle seat | Asiento de ventana/pasillo | ah-SYEN-toh deh ven-TAH-nah/pah-SEE-yoh |
| Where is passport control? | ¿Dónde está el control de pasaportes? | DON-deh es-TAH el kon-TROL deh pah-sah-POR-tes |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | A esta dirección, por favor. | ah ES-tah dee-rek-SYON, por fa-VOR |
| How much to the center? | ¿Cuánto cuesta al centro? | KWAN-toh KWES-tah al SEN-troh |
| One ticket to... | Un billete para... | oon bee-YE-teh PAH-rah |
| Which platform? | ¿Qué andén? | keh an-DEN |
| Where is the bus station? | ¿Dónde está la estación de autobuses? | DON-deh es-TAH lah es-tah-SYON deh ow-toh-BOO-ses |
| Stop here, please. | Pare aquí, por favor. | PAH-reh ah-KEE, por fa-VOR |
| Is it far? | ¿Está lejos? | es-TAH LEH-hos |
| Turn left/right. | Gire a la izquierda/derecha. | HEE-reh ah lah ees-KYEHR-dah/deh-REH-chah |
| Straight | Recto | REK-toh |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation | tengo una reserva | TEN-go oo-NA re-SER-va |
| Check-in | registro de entrada | re-HIS-tro de en-TRA-da |
| Check-out | registro de salida | re-HIS-tro de sa-LI-da |
| Is breakfast included? | ¿el desayuno está incluido? | el de-sa-YU-no es-TA in-clu-I-do |
| Room key | llave de la habitación | YA-ve de la a-bi-ta-SYON |
| Wi-Fi password | contraseña de Wi-Fi | kon-tra-SE-nya de WAI-FAI |
| Can I leave my luggage? | ¿puedo dejar mi equipaje? | PUE-do de-JAR mi e-ki-PA-he |
| The air conditioner doesn't work | el aire acondicionado no funciona | el AI-re a-kon-di-syo-NA-do no fun-kyo-NA |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Table for two | Mesa para dos | ME-sa pa-ra DOS |
| The menu, please | El menú, por favor | el me-NU, por fa-VOR |
| What do you recommend? | ¿Qué recomienda? | KE re-ko-MIEN-da |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor | la KUEN-ta, por fa-VOR |
| Tap water | Agua del grifo | A-gua del GRI-fo |
| I have a nut allergy | Soy alérgico a los frutos secos | soy a-LER-chi-co a los FRU-tos SE-cos |
| No meat | Sin carne | sin KAR-ne |
| It was excellent | Estuvo excelente | es-TU-vo ek-se-LEN-te |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | PUE-do pa-GAR kon tar-HE-ta |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | KWAN-toh KWES-tah? |
| It's too expensive. | Es demasiado caro. | es de-ma-si-AH-doh KAH-roh. |
| Do you accept card? | ¿Aceptan tarjeta? | a-SEP-tan tar-HEH-tah? |
| I'm just looking. | Solo estoy mirando. | SOH-loh es-TOY mee-RAN-doh. |
| Can I have a receipt? | ¿Me puede dar un recibo? | meh PWEH-deh dar oon re-SEE-boh? |
| Where is an ATM? | ¿Dónde hay un cajero automático? | DON-deh ay oon ka-HEH-roh ow-toh-MAH-ti-koh? |
| A smaller size. | Una talla más pequeña. | OO-nah TAH-yah mahs peh-KEHN-yah. |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | Spanish | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | ¡Ayuda! | ai-YU-dah |
| Call a doctor. | Llama a un médico. | YA-mah ah oon ME-di-ko |
| Call the police. | Llama a la policía. | YA-mah ah lah po-li-SI-ah |
| Where is the pharmacy? | ¿Dónde está la farmacia? | DON-deh es-TAH lah far-ma-SI-ah |
| I don't feel well. | No me siento bien. | no meh SYEN-toh BYEN |
| I'm lost. | Estoy perdido/a. | es-TOY per-DI-do/per-DI-da |
| I need a hospital. | Necesito un hospital. | ne-se-SI-toh oon os-pi-TAL |
| It hurts here. | Me duele aquí. | meh DWEH-leh ah-KEE |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in Spanish?
"Gracias" (GRA-syas). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much Spanish do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where Spanish is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have Spanish as an official language?
Spanish is a main language in 19 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"¿Hablan inglés?" (A-blan in-GLES?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data