E x p l o r e t h e w o r l d. B r i n g i t s b e a u t y h o m e.
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E x p l o r e t h e w o r l d. B r i n g i t s b e a u t y h o m e.
You don’t need to speak fluent Spanish to make your trip easier. A friendly hola, a well-timed por favor, and a few practical phrases can go a surprisingly long way. Save these 50 Spanish travel words and phrases for airports, hotels, restaurants, sightseeing, and those little everyday moments when you need a helping hand.
Travel tip: Screenshot the infographic above before heading out for the day. Then keep this pronunciation guide handy for the phrases you’re less confident saying aloud.
1. Hola — Hello / Hi
Pronounced: OH-lah
2. Buenos días — Good morning
Pronounced: BWEH-nos DEE-ahs
3. Buenas tardes — Good afternoon
Pronounced: BWEH-nas TAR-des
4. Buenas noches — Good evening / Good night
Pronounced: BWEH-nas NOH-ches
5. ¿Cómo estás? — How are you?
Pronounced: KOH-moh es-TAS
6. Por favor — Please
Pronounced: por fah-VOR
7. Gracias — Thank you
Pronounced: GRAH-thyahs
8. De nada — You’re welcome
Pronounced: deh NAH-dah
9. Perdón — Excuse me / Sorry
Pronounced: pehr-DON
10. Lo siento — I’m sorry
Pronounced: loh SYEN-toh
11. ¿Dónde está el aeropuerto? — Where is the airport?
Pronounced: DON-deh es-TAH el ah-eh-roh-PWEHR-toh
12. Tengo un vuelo a… — I have a flight to…
Pronounced: TEN-goh oon BWEH-loh ah…
13. ¿A qué hora es el embarque? — What time is boarding?
Pronounced: ah keh OH-rah es el em-BAR-keh
14. Pasaporte, por favor — Passport, please
Pronounced: pah-sah-POR-teh por fah-VOR
15. Equipaje — Luggage
Pronounced: eh-kee-PAH-heh
16. Tengo una reservación — I have a reservation
Pronounced: TEN-goh OO-nah reh-sehr-bah-THYON
17. ¿Cuánto cuesta por noche? — How much is it per night?
Pronounced: KWAN-toh KWES-tah por NOH-cheh
18. ¿A qué hora es el check-in? — What time is check-in?
Pronounced: ah keh OH-rah es el CHEK-in
19. ¿A qué hora es el check-out? — What time is check-out?
Pronounced: ah keh OH-rah es el CHEK-out
20. Wi-Fi, por favor — Wi-Fi, please
Pronounced: WEE-fee por fah-VOR
21. Menú, por favor — Menu, please
Pronounced: meh-NOO por fah-VOR
22. ¿Qué recomienda? — What do you recommend?
Pronounced: keh reh-koh-MYEN-dah
23. No como carne — I don’t eat meat
Pronounced: noh KOH-moh KAR-neh
24. ¿Tiene opciones vegetarianas? — Do you have vegetarian options?
Pronounced: TYEH-neh op-THYOH-nes beh-heh-tah-RYAH-nas
25. La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please
Pronounced: lah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR
26. Delicioso — Delicious
Pronounced: deh-lee-THYOH-soh
27. Agua — Water
Pronounced: AH-gwah
28. Café — Coffee
Pronounced: kah-FEH
29. Cerveza — Beer
Pronounced: thehr-BEH-thah
30. Vino — Wine
Pronounced: BEE-noh
31. ¿Dónde está la parada de autobús? — Where is the bus stop?
Pronounced: DON-deh es-TAH lah pah-RAH-dah deh ow-toh-BOOS
32. ¿Cuánto cuesta el boleto? — How much is the ticket?
Pronounced: KWAN-toh KWES-tah el boh-LEH-toh
33. Quiero ir a… — I want to go to…
Pronounced: KYEH-roh eer ah…
34. ¿Dónde está…? — Where is…?
Pronounced: DON-deh es-TAH…
35. Recto — Straight ahead
Pronounced: REK-toh
36. A la izquierda — To the left
Pronounced: ah lah eeth-KYEHR-dah
37. A la derecha — To the right
Pronounced: ah lah deh-REH-chah
38. Cerca — Near
Pronounced: THEHR-kah
39. Lejos — Far
Pronounced: LEH-hos
40. Pare aquí, por favor — Stop here, please
Pronounced: PAH-reh ah-KEE por fah-VOR
41. ¿Qué lugares recomienda? — What places do you recommend?
Pronounced: keh loo-GAH-res reh-koh-MYEN-dah
42. ¿Cuánto cuesta la entrada? — How much is the entrance fee?
Pronounced: KWAN-toh KWES-tah lah en-TRAH-dah
43. Es hermoso — It’s beautiful
Pronounced: es ehr-MOH-soh
44. Me encanta — I love it
Pronounced: meh en-KAN-tah
45. ¿Puedo tomar una foto? — Can I take a photo?
Pronounced: PWEH-doh toh-MAR OO-nah FOH-toh
46. No entiendo — I don’t understand
Pronounced: noh en-TYEN-doh
47. ¿Habla inglés? — Do you speak English?
Pronounced: AH-blah een-GLES
48. Poco a poco, por favor — Slowly, please
Pronounced: POH-koh ah POH-koh por fah-VOR
49. Necesito ayuda — I need help
Pronounced: neh-theh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah
50. ¡Hasta luego! — See you later!
Pronounced: AHS-tah LWEH-goh
If you’re visiting Spain, you’ll often hear c before e or i, and z, pronounced rather like the “th” in “think.” That’s why gracias appears here as GRAH-thyahs and cerveza as thehr-BEH-thah.
However, across most of Latin America, those sounds are pronounced more like an English s. So gracias sounds closer to GRAH-syahs and cerveza to sehr-BEH-sah.
Don’t get too hung up on perfect pronunciation, though. Speak slowly, smile, and give it a go. A simple hola, por favor, and gracias can take you surprisingly far.
¡Buen viaje!
TravelandHome Tip: I find that the basic words and phrases are sufficient to sail through my holiday. And on the odd occasion when I need a little bit more, I open my Google Translate application. The Google Translate application comes in handy when you find yourself shopping for groceries, like when you are on a self-catering holiday because you can scan the products’ labels for instant translation!