50+ useful spanish phrases to help you during your trip to Spain

Learning even a few useful phrases in Spanish can significantly ease your trip. It will help you communicate with locals, order food, find your way, and get the most out of your stay in the country.

Why is it important to know useful Spanish phrases when traveling to Spain?

1. It facilitates communication with locals. Knowing even basic Spanish phrases will allow you to interact with locals, obtain information and assistance, and better understand the country's culture.

2. It boosts your confidence. When you can communicate in the language of the country you are visiting, you will feel more confident and comfortable.

3. It helps you avoid awkward situations. Not knowing the language can lead to misunderstandings and uncomfortable situations that could have been avoided.

4. It makes your trip more enjoyable. Being able to communicate with locals and understand their culture will enrich your travel experience.

Tips for learning useful phrases before traveling to Spain

Remember, learning a language is a process that requires time and effort. To speed it up, you should prepare well before your trip:

1. Download a language learning app. There are many free apps that can help you learn basic phrases and grammar. Some popular ones include Duolingo, Memrise, Babbel, and Rosetta Stone.

2. Listen to Spanish music and podcasts. This will help you get used to the sound of the language and improve your pronunciation. Look for Spanish songs you like and podcasts on topics that interest you.

3. Use online resources. There are many websites and YouTube channels that offer free Spanish lessons.

4. Set realistic goals. Don’t try to learn everything at once. Start with small goals, like learning 10 new phrases a day.

5. Make learning fun. Choose learning methods that you enjoy and don’t turn it into a boring task.

The main thing is not to give up. No matter how difficult it may seem to learn Spanish words and phrases at first, you will be able to communicate in Spanish during your trip to Spain!

Basic Spanish Phrases for Greetings

Of course, any communication starts with a greeting and introduction. To be able to introduce yourself to a Spaniard and be polite, you should learn these phrases:

• Buenos días! (Bwe-nos dee-as) – Good morning!

• Buenas tardes! (Bwe-nas tar-des) – Good afternoon!

• Buenas noches! (Bwe-nas no-ches) – Good evening!

• Hola! (O-la) – Hello!

• Cómo estás? (Ko-mo es-tas?) – How are you?

• Qué tal? (Ke tal?) – How’s it going?

• Cómo te llamas? (Ko-mo te lya-mas?) – What’s your name?

• Me llamo (your name): (Me lya-mo (your name)) – My name is (your name).

• Adiós! (A-dyos) – Goodbye!

• Hasta luego! (A-sta lwe-go) – See you later!

• Hasta pronto! (A-sta pron-to) – See you soon!

• Nos vemos! (Nos ve-mos) – See you!

• Hasta la vista! (A-sta la vees-ta) – See you later!

• Buen viaje! (Bwen vya-he) – Have a good trip!

These phrases will be useful for greeting, introducing yourself, and saying goodbye to a Spanish-speaking acquaintance.

Basic Spanish Phrases for Communicating at the Airport and in Transportation

In any case, you will need to use public transportation, especially if you are traveling to the beautiful country of Spain by air. To be confident and understand the basic terms, you should learn these Spanish phrases for transportation:

• Dónde está el control de pasaportes? (Don-de es-ta el kon-trol de pa-sa-por-tes?) – Where is passport control?

• Dónde puedo encontrar la puerta de embarque? (Don-de pwe-do en-kon-trar la pwer-ta de em-bar-ke?) – Where can I find the boarding gate?

• Cuánto tiempo falta para el vuelo? (Kwan-to tye-mpo fal-ta pa-ra el vwe-lo?) – How much time is left until the flight?

• He perdido mi equipaje (E per-dee-do mee e-kee-pa-he) – I have lost my luggage.

• Dónde puedo encontrar un taxi? (Don-de pwe-do en-kon-trar un tak-see?) – Where can I find a taxi?

• Dónde puedo comprar un billete? (Don-de pwe-do kom-prar un bee-yet-te?) – Where can I buy a ticket?

• Cuánto cuesta un billete para (destination)? (Kwan-to kwes-ta un bee-yet-te pa-ra (destination)?) – How much is a ticket to (destination)?

• A qué hora sale el autobús/tren? (A ke o-ra sa-le el au-to-bus/tren?) – What time does the bus/train leave?

• Dónde está la parada de autobús/metro? (Don-de es-ta la pa-ra-da de au-to-bus/met-ro?) – Where is the bus/metro stop?

• Gracias por su ayuda (Gra-sy-as por su a-yu-da) – Thank you for your help.

Learning these phrases will help you communicate at the airport, on transportation, and make your trip more comfortable.

How to Order Food and Drinks in Spanish Establishments?

It would surely be a great mistake to visit Spain and not try the wonderful local cuisine of this country. Although most establishments are geared towards tourists, to fully immerse yourself in the local culinary atmosphere, you should know basic words in Spanish for dining establishments:

Qué me recomienda? (Keh meh reh-koh-mee-EN-dah?) – What do you recommend?

Me gustaría (dish/drink) (Meh goos-tah-REE-ah (dish/drink)) – I would like (dish/drink).

Puedo ver el menú? (PWEH-doh vehr ehl meh-NOO?) – Can I see the menu?

Tiene (allergen)? (TYEH-neh (allergen)?) – Does it have (allergen)?

Es vegetariano/vegano? (Ehs veh-heh-tah-REE-ah-noh/veh-GAH-noh?) – Is it vegetarian/vegan?

Sin (ingredient) (Seen (ingredient)) – Without (ingredient).

Con más (ingredient) (Kohn mahs (ingredient)) – With more (ingredient).

Me puede cambiar (dish) por (dish)? (Meh PWEH-deh kahm-bee-AHR (dish) pohr (dish)?) – Can you substitute (dish) with (dish)?

La cuenta, por favor (Lah KWEHN-tah, pohr fah-VOHR) – The bill, please.

Puedo pagar con tarjeta? (PWEH-doh pah-GAHR kohn tar-HEH-tah?) – Can I pay by card?

Tiene WiFi? (TYEH-neh WEE-fee?) – Is there Wi-Fi?

Dónde está el baño? (DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAH-nyoh?) – Where is the bathroom?

Muchas gracias (MOO-chahs GRAH-syahs) – Thank you very much.

Hasta luego (AH-stah loo-EH-goh) – See you later!

Learning these phrases will help you order food and drinks in Spanish establishments and make your dining experience more enjoyable.

How to Ask for Directions in Spain?

Knowing the following phrases in Spanish will help you easily communicate with locals and find the places you need if you don't know the way or need information on how to get somewhere:

Cómo puedo llegar a (destination)? (KOH-moh PWEH-doh yeh-GAHR ah (destination)?) – How can I get to (destination)?

Dónde está (place)? (DOHN-deh ehs-TAH (place)?) – Where is (place)?

Hay un autobús/metro que vaya a (destination)? (AY oon ow-toh-BOOS/MEH-troh keh VAH-yah ah (destination)?) – Is there a bus/metro that goes to (destination)?

Me puede indicar el camino? (Meh PWEH-deh een-dee-KAHR ehl kah-MEE-noh?) – Can you show me the way?

Disculpe, ¿cómo puedo llegar al museo? (Dees-KOOL-peh, KOH-moh PWEH-doh yeh-GAHR ahl moo-SEH-oh?) – Excuse me, how can I get to the museum?

Perdone, ¿dónde está la estación de tren? (Pehr-DOH-neh, DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah ehs-tah-SYON deh tren?) – Excuse me, where is the train station?

Hay un autobús que vaya al centro? (AY oon ow-toh-BOOS keh VAH-yah ahl SEN-troh?) – Is there a bus that goes to the city center?

Knowing these Spanish phrases will help you ask for directions in Spain and feel more comfortable.

How to Ask About Local Attractions and Interesting Places?

The following phrases in Spanish will help you find out what interesting places are in a particular city in Spain. You will be able to easily communicate with locals and get information about museums, historical sites, parks, restaurants, and other interesting locations:

Qué hay para ver aquí? (Keh AY pah-rah vehr ah-KEE?) – What is there to see here?

Cuáles son las atracciones turísticas más populares? (KWAH-lehs sohn lahs ah-trahk-SYOH-nehs too-REES-tee-kahs mahs poh-poo-LAH-rehs?) – What are the most popular tourist attractions here?

Hay algún lugar histórico cerca? (AY ahl-GOON loo-GAHR ees-TOH-ree-koh SEHR-kah?) – Are there any historical sites nearby?

Me puede recomendar algún lugar interesante para visitar? (Meh PWEH-deh reh-koh-mehn-DAHR ahl-GOON loo-GAHR een-teh-reh-SAHN-teh pah-rah vee-see-TAHR?) – Can you recommend any interesting places to visit?

Cuánto cuesta la entrada? (KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah lah ehn-TRAH-dah?) – How much is the entrance fee?

A qué hora abre/cierra? (Ah keh OH-rah AH-breh/see-EH-rrah?) – What time does it open/close?

Cómo puedo llegar allí? (KOH-moh PWEH-doh yeh-GAHR ah-YEE?) – How can I get there?

Hay algún tour disponible? (AY ahl-GOON toor dees-poh-NEE-bleh?) – Are there any tours available?

Disculpe, qué hay para ver en esta ciudad? (Dees-KOOL-peh, keh AY pah-rah vehr ehn ehs-tah syoo-DAHD?) – Excuse me, what is there to see in this city?

Perdone, me puede recomendar algún lugar bonito para visitar? (Pehr-DOH-neh, meh PWEH-deh reh-koh-mehn-DAHR ahl-GOON loo-GAHR boh-NEE-toh pah-rah vee-see-TAHR?) – Excuse me, can you recommend any beautiful places to visit?

Hay algún museo cerca? (AY ahl-GOON moo-SEH-oh SEHR-kah?) – Are there any museums nearby?

These Spanish phrases will help you make your trip richer and more interesting. You will be able to see all the beautiful places, try local cuisine, and learn a lot about the culture and history of Spain.

Basic Spanish Phrases for Shopping

Knowing Spanish phrases for shopping will help you confidently and easily buy everything you need in Spain. You will be able to freely communicate with sellers, find out about prices, sizes, and colors of goods, and even ask for discounts.

Dónde puedo encontrar (item)? (DOHN-deh PWEH-doh ehn-kohn-TRAR (item)?) – Where can I find (item)?

Tienen (item)? (TYEH-nehn (item)?) – Do you have (item)?

Me puede ayudar a encontrar (item)? (Meh PWEH-deh ah-yoo-DAHR ah ehn-kohn-TRAR (item)?) – Can you help me find (item)?

Qué talla tiene? (Keh TAH-yah TYEH-neh?) – What size is this?

Lo tienen en talla (size)? (Loh TYEH-nehn ehn TAH-yah (size)?) – Do you have this in size (size)?

De qué color es? (Deh keh koh-LOR ehs?) – What color is this?

Me gustaría (item) en color (color) (Meh goos-tah-REE-ah (item) ehn koh-LOR (color)) – I would like (item) in (color).

Cuánto cuesta? (KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah?) – How much does it cost?

Hay algún descuento? (AY ahl-GOON dehs-KWEHN-toh?) – Is there any discount?

Acepta tarjetas de crédito? (Ah-SEP-tah tar-HEH-tahs deh KREH-dee-toh?) – Do you accept credit cards?

Me gustaría comprar (item) (Meh goos-tah-REE-ah kom-PRAHR (item)) – I would like to buy (item).

Lo tomaré (Loh toh-mah-REH) – I’ll take it.

Puedo pagar con tarjeta? (PWEH-doh pah-GAHR kohn tar-HEH-tah?) – Can I pay by card?

Phrases for Miscellaneous Situations in Spain

For other situations that might occur in this warm country, the following Spanish phrases will additionally help:

Hablas inglés? (AH-blahs een-GLEHS?) – Do you speak English?

No hablo español (NOH AH-bloh ehs-pah-NYOL) – I don't speak Spanish.

Dónde está el baño? (DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAH-nyoh?) – Where is the bathroom?

Me puede dar una recomendación? (Meh PWEH-deh dar OO-nah reh-koh-mehn-dah-SYON?) – Can you give me a recommendation?

Hay WiFi?

Even if you do not speak Spanish perfectly, learning a few basic phrases will significantly improve your stay in Spain. Don't be afraid to communicate with people! The locals will appreciate your efforts to learn their language and will be happy to help you.