So you are planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country. You may have been studying the language for some time, or you may have been somewhat exposed to it by now, who hasn’t? Yet, as you may have picked up, the Spanish language has a couple of twists and turns in its structure and use.
In this post, you are going to find useful Spanish phrases that will help you find your way with ease. Also, we will tell you about the variations in form in different Spanish speaking societies. This way, you will be able to express yourself clearly and respectfully wherever you are.
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Let’s start off with some history
Spanish is the official language in more than 20 countries. If we look at its native speakers, it’s considered the second largest language. That comes with some benefits. A Spanish speaking person can make his or her way around over three continents with one language. That’s from Mexico, in North America, all through Central America and most of South America. Besides, there is Spain in Europe. Those are some reasons, here are some more.
Yet, due to its widespread use, the Spanish language has developed a whole lot of variations. These variations reflect the history and way of life in different societies.
The most remarkable variation is in the grammatical person. More precisely, in the second person. In English, for example, the word you is universal. But in Spanish, it may be tú, vos or usted. They all mean the same. However, depending on where you are, these forms may be an sign of respect. Or only one of them may be the standard use form.
According to the Real Academia Española these are variations for formal and informal expressions.
Usted is the most respectful form, and it is used when talking to elders or in formal circumstances. In conservative societies, this may be the adequate way to talk with strangers or service personnel.
The forms vos and tú are mostly considered informal. They tend to the way to talk amongst friends or family. In progressive societies, this can be an acceptable way to address strangers and service personnel. Or it may be the standard use.
The hierarchy or closeness implied by either vos or tú varies from culture to culture. Some find one of these more intimate, some find one of these to be snobbish or pedantic. It is best to figure this out before you get there. For example, in Argentina, the use of vos is standard. While in Mexico, the most used form is tú. And Central American countries use all three, depending on the circumstance.
Getting into the details of each form could fill up an entire book. But this is one of those things that are better picked up with practice. Anyway, the best advice you can have is to make some research ahead, and ask around once you get there. Spoiler alert: it could trigger interesting conversations with the locals.
So, considering all these variations, we have prepared this post. Here you will find examples of regular use. And also examples of their corresponding forms (learn more about Spanish verb conjugation). This way you will get the feeling for how to use them. Let’s get on to it then!
EXTRA TIP: Keep an eye on the marks over the vowels (á, é, í, ó, ú), and remember it indicates the tonic syllable of the word.
Greetings and common courtesies
Latin societies tend to be very warm and welcoming. So don’t be surprised if people say hi as they walk by you in the street. Or if you receive a somewhat effusive welcome as you walk into a shop or restaurant. Better yet, get prepared to play along.
For all these occasions, the following phrases will come in handy:
- Hello – Hola
- Good morning – Buenos días
- Good afternoon – Buenas tardes
- Good night – Buenas noches
- Goodbye – Adiós
- Please – Por favor
- Thank you – Gracias
- You’re welcome – De nada
- I am sorry – Perdón or disculpe
- Excuse me – Con permiso
- Yes – Sí
- No – No
Now let’s see some small talk questions and answers (here we will see some variations):
- How are you?
- ¿Cómo está? (usted form)
- ¿Cómo estás? (tú and vos form)
- I am fine, thank you? – Bien, gracias
- What is your name?
- ¿Cuál es su nombre? or ¿Cómo se llama? (usted form)
- ¿Cuál es tu nombre? or ¿Cómo te llamas? (tú form)
- ¿Cómo te llamás? (vos form)
- My name is… – Mi nombre es… or Me llamo…
- Nice to meet you
- Mucho gusto (This is a universal expression, but you can vary it to make it more personal)
- Gusto de conocerlo/la (gendered variations for usted form)
- Gusto de conocerte (tú and vos form)
- Can you help me?
- Puede ayudarme (usted form)
- Puedes ayudarme (tú form)
- Podés ayudarme (vos form)
Language related phrases
Depending on the situation, you may want to have these phrases in mind. Let’s say you are not feeling very confident in your Spanish, or you may be getting into important matters. You may need to ask people to slow down, repeat what they have said, or even switch to English. Here are some useful examples:
- I’m sorry, I don’t understand
- Disculpe, no entiendo (usted form)
- Disculpa, no entiendo (tú form)
- Disculpá, no entiendo (vos form)
- Can you repeat, please?
- ¿Puede repetir, por favor? (usted form)
- ¿Puedes repetir, por favor? (tú form)
- ¿Podés repetir, por favor? (vos form)
- Can you speak more slowly, please?
- ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? (usted form)
- ¿Puedes hablar más despacio, por favor? (tú form)
- ¿Podés hablar más despacio, por favor? (vos form)
- Do you speak English?
- ¿Habla inglés? (usted form)
- ¿Hablas inglés? (tú form)
- ¿Hablás inglés? (vos form)
- I don’t speak Spanish well – Yo no hablo muy bien español
Directions and transactions
Whenever you are in a foreign country, asking for directions is a crucial skill. Along with that, you will certainly need to ask for schedules and prices. This is what we will dive into next:
- Where is? – ¿Dónde está? (singular form) / ¿Dónde están? (plural form)
- Where is the hotel? – ¿Dónde está el hotel?
- Where is the room? – ¿Dónde está la habitación?
- Where is the restaurant? – ¿Dónde está el restaurante?
- Where is the entrance? – ¿Dónde está la entrada?
- Where is the bathroom? – ¿Dónde está el baño?
- Where is the station? – ¿Dónde está la estación?
- Where is the bank? – ¿Dónde está el banco?
- Where is the cashier? – ¿Dónde está la caja? or ¿Dónde está el cajero?
- Where is the store? – ¿Dónde está la tienda?
- Where is the supermarket? – ¿Dónde está el supermercado?
- When is the flight? – ¿Cuándo es el vuelo?
- At what time does the flight leave? – ¿A qué hora sale el vuelo?
- When does the bus leave? – ¿Cuándo sale el bus?
- At what time does the bus leave? – ¿A qué hora sale el bus?
- What time is it? – ¿Qué hora es?
- Money – Dinero
- Cash – Efectivo or Dinero en efectivo
- How much does it cost? – ¿Cuánto cuesta?
- What is the price? – ¿Cuál es el precio?
- I would like a… – Quisiera un… or Quiero un…
- Can I try this? – ¿Puedo probarmelo? – ¿Lo puedo probar?
- I am just looking, thank you. – Gracias, solo estoy viendo or Gracias, solo estoy mirando.
- Do you take credit cards? – ¿Aceptan tarjetas de crédito?
Food and restaurant related phrases
Wherever you are, you will need to find your way around eating and eating and all things related. So here are some basic and very useful words and phrases:
- Breakfast – Desayuno
- Lunch – Almuerzo
- Dinner – Cena
- Snack – Refacción
- Dessert – Postre
- I want a table, please – Quiero una mesa, por favor.
- I want to see the menu / Can I see the menu? – Quiero ver el menú / ¿Puedo ver el menú?
- What do you recommend?
- ¿Qué me recomienda? (usted form)
- ¿Qué me recomiendas? (tú form)
- ¿Qué me recomendás? (vos form)
- I am ready to order
- Estoy listo para ordenar (masculine form)
- Estoy lista para ordenar (feminine form)
- Estamos listos para ordenar (plural form)
- I would like to drink… – Me gustaría tomar…
- I would like some dessert – Me gustaría algo de postre
- I want the check – Quiero la cuenta
Get ready to explore!
We hope you find these phrases useful. We are sure they will help you wherever you go. Keep in mind that practice is the best way to develop your confidence and grasp every detail of a language. Join our Spanish conversation program here to improve your skills. Native Spanish speakers are waiting to talk with you.