Basic Spanish PhrasesThere is no easy way to start learning a foreign
language. At some point you just need to dive-in and not be embarrassed when you
say the wrong thing or can't understand what someone else tells you. (Think of
all the babbling you did as a baby before you could string together enough words
to form complete sentences.) Click on a category below to see some common
words and expressions that you can use to get started on the long, awkward process
of learning Spanish.
Meeting PeopleThere are exceptions of course, but as a general rule,
Spanish-speaking people tend to be very warm, patient, and understanding. They
love it when you attempt to speak their language, and even if you butcher it,
don't worry; they also have great senses of humor. These are some phrases you
can use to get to know people.
|
¡Hola!
¡Bienvenidos!
¡Buenos
Dias!
¡Buenas Tardes!
¡Buenas
Noches!
Me llamo…
¿Como se
llama Usted?
¿Como te llamas?
Mucho
gusto. / Encantado.
¿Que pasa?
¿Que
tal?
¿Como le va?
¿Como
te va?
¿Como está Usted?
¿Como
estás?
Estoy bien.
Estoy más
o menos.
Estoy asi asi.
Estoy mal.
Estoy
muy mal.
¿Y Usted?
¿Y tú?
¿Cómo?
Repita
por favor.
¿De dónde es Usted?
¿De
dónde eres?
Soy de…
¿Cuántos
años tiene Usted?
¿Cuántos años
tienes?
Yo tengo … años.
Lo
siento.
No entiendo.
No sé.
Hasta
luego. / Hasta la vista.
Hasta pronto.
Hasta
mañana.
Por favor.
Gracias.
De
nada.
Con permiso.
| Hi! /
Hello! Welcome! Good morning! Good
afternoon! Good evening! My
name is… What is your name? (polite) What
is your name? (informal) It's nice to meet you. What's
happening? What's up? How's
it going? (polite) How's it going? (informal) How
are you? (polite) How are you? (informal) I'm
doing well. I'm OK. I'm
so so. I'm not doing well. I'm
not at all well. And you? (polite) And
you? (informal) What? Could
you repeat that? Where are you from? (polite) Where
are you from? (informal) I'm from … How
old are you? (polite) How old are you? (informal) I
am … years old. I'm sorry. I
don't understand. I don't know. See
you later. See you soon. See
you tomorrow. Please. Thanks. You're
welcome. If you'll excuse me. |
Dates & TimesThe following words and phrases will help you plan out
events in the future as well as better understand what happened (and when) in
the past. When planning future events with Spanish-speakers you should be aware
that most latinos have very cavalier attitudes towards times and deadlines. People
may start arriving at 7:30 or even 8:00 for 7:00 meetings. (Unlike English, days
of the week and months of the year are not capitalized.)
|
El día
La
mañana
La tarde
La noche
Ayer
Hoy
Mañana
¿En
qué día?
En el domingo.
El
lunes
El martes
El miércoles
El
jueves
El viernes
El sábado
La
semana
El fin de semana
La fecha
¿Cuál
es la fecha de hoy?
Es el 24 de enero.
Es
el primero de febrero.
El marzo
El abril
El
mayo
El junio
El julio
El
agosto
El septiembre
El octubre
El
noviembre
El diciembre
El mes
En
unos meses.
El año
Hace tres años.
¿Qué
hora es?
Es la una.
Son las dos.
Son
las tres y cuarto.
Son las tres y quince.
Son
las cuatro y media.
Son las cinco cuarenta y cinco.
Son
las seis menos cuarto.
Son cuarto para las siete.
Son
diez para las ocho.
Es mediodía.
Es
medianoche.
¿Cuándo?
¿A
qué hora…?
A la una.
A las
dos.
| Day Morning Afternoon Evening
/ Night Yesterday Today Tomorrow On
what day? On Sunday. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Week Weekend The
date What is the date today? It's
January 24. It's the first of February. March. April May June July August September October November December Month In
a few months. Year Three
years ago. What time is it? It's
one o'clock. It's two o'clock. It's
three fifteen. It's three fifteen. It's
four thirty. It's five forty-five. It's
five forty-five. It's six forty-five. It's
seven fifty. It's noon.
It's midnight. When? What
time…? At one o'clock. At
two o'clock. |
TravelSome popular Hispanic tourist destinations can be so thoroughly
Americanized that you scarcely noticed you've left the U.S. But there are other
less well-known places just off the beaten path where knowing a little bit of
Spanish can make your travels much more rewarding. Regardless of where you're
headed, here are some helpful travel words and expressions.
|
El baño / Los servicios
El
aeropuerto
El avión
El vuelo
La
puerta
Las salidas
Las llegadas
¿Cuándo
sale…?
¿Cuándo llega…?
La
aduana
El pasaporte
El puerto
El
barco
La estacion de trenes
La parada
de autobuses
El taxi
El coche / El carro
El
mapa
El hotel
El restaurante
La
playa
La cancha de golf
La piscina
|
Bathroom Airport Airplane Flight Gate Departures Arrivals When
does … depart? When does … arrive? Customs Passport Port Ship Train
Station Bus Stop Taxi Car Map Hotel Restaurant Beach Golf
course Pool |
DirectionsA language barrier can leave men with yet another reason
not to stop and ask for directions, but if you're really in a bind, the following
expressions might be helpful. You'll realize of course once you've asked someone
a question, you may have no idea what they tell you, but if nothing else you can
always just head in the direction they pointed.
|
Señor… / Señora…
/ Señorita…
Perdóneme…
¿Podría
ayudarme…?
¿Podría decirme…?
¿Podría
indicarnos…?
¿Dónde está…?
¿Dónde
están…?
¿Sabe Usted dónde está…?
¿Sabe
Usted dónde están…?
Está por…
/ Está cerca de…
Está cerca.
Está
lejos.
Aquí
Allí
Entre
Hacia
Delante de
Debajo de
En
frente de
Al lado de
Detrás de
A la derecha
A la izquierda
Recto
/ Derecho
Unas … cuadras.
La milla
El
kilometro
Al norte.
Al este.
Al
sur.
Al oeste.
La calle
La
avenida
La careterra / La autopista
| Sir…
/ Ma'am… / Miss… Pardon me… Could
you help me…? Could you tell me…? Could
you show us…? Where is…? Where
are…? Do you know where … is? Do
you know where … are? It's around… / It's
near… It's nearby. It's
far away. Here There Between Towards In
front of Beneath, below Across
from, opposite Next to Behind To
the right To the left Straight About
… blocks. Mile Kilometer To
the north. To the east. To
the south. To the west. Street Avenue Highway |
Shopping/Food
| |
Gringo Pricing: Speaking English may cost you.
| |
Once you've gotten to where you're going, you're probably going to
want to do what every American tourist does: shop and eat. Many shopkeepers outside
of the U.S. are practiced at dealing with foreign travelers. You may be surprised
at how far English (and U.S. dollars) will get you. But you'll be much better
off (and get much better prices) when you at least try speaking your host's language.
This would also be a good time to brush up on your numbers
and the local exchange rate. By the way, Hispanic waiters typically will not bring
you the bill in a restaurant until you ask for it.
|
¿Cuánto es?
¿Cuántos
son?
¿Cuánto cuesta?
¿Cuánto
cuestan?
¡Qué va!
Barato
Caro
¿De
qué es?
¿De qué son?
¿Acepta
dólares?
Su cambio es…
¿Cual
es la tasa de cambio?
¿Podría ver el menú?
Las
bebidas / Los refrescos
El agua
La leche
La
cerveza
El vino
La taza
El
café
Las entradas / Los antojitos
El
plato típico
Las ensaladas
Los
huevos
La carne
El bistec
El
pollo
Los mariscos
La longosta
Los
camarones
El pan
El arroz
Los
frijoles
Los postres
El desayuno
El
almuerzo
La merienda
La cena
Quisiera
tener…
Quisiera pedir…
La cuenta
por favor.
La propina
| How
much is it? How much are they? What
does it cost? What do they cost? You've
got to be joking! Inexpensive Expensive What's
it made of? What are they made of? Do
you accept (U.S.) dollars? Your change is… What
is the exchange rate? Could I see the menu? Drinks Water Milk Beer Wine Cup Coffee Appetizers Local
/ regional dish Salads Eggs Meat Steak Chicken Seafood Lobster Shrimp Bread Rice Beans Desserts Breakfast Lunch Snack Dinner I
would like to have… I would like to order… The
bill please. Tip |
Getting HelpWe all hope to stay safe, well, and healthy on our travels,
but just in case it's not a bad idea to have some of these words and phrases ready
to go.
|
¡Ayuda! / ¡Auxilio!
Estoy
enfermo.
Estoy enferma.
Me siento mal.
Necesito…
La
policía
¡Me han robado!
Los
bomberos
¡Fuego! / ¡Incendio!
El
doctor / El médico
El hospital
La
ambulancia
Me duele…
Tengo dolor
de…
La cabeza
El brazo
La
mano
La pierna
El pie
Soy
alérgico a…
Soy alérgica a…
Soy
diabético.
Soy diabética.
Tengo
diarrea.
| Help! I'm
sick. (if you are a male) I'm sick. (if you are a female) I
don't feel well. I need… Police I've
been robbed! Firefighters Fire! Doctor Hospital Ambulance My
… hurts. I have a pain in … Head Arm Hand Leg Foot I'm
allergic to… (if you are a male) I'm allergic
to… (if you are a female) I'm diabetic. (if you
are a male) I'm diabetic. (if you are a female) I
have diarrhea. |
MedicalAs if all the years of medical school weren't enough work,
medical personnel are increasingly finding that to provide effective health care,
it's important to know a little Spanish. When a translator isn't available, knowing
a handful of these words can be very helpful.
|
¿Dónde te duele?
La
sangre
El hueso
El hueso roto
Los
pulmones
La respiración
La tos
El
corazón
El infarto
Los ojos
Los
oídos
La nariz
La boca
La
garganta
El estómago
El dolor
La
fiebre
La inflamación
Los síntomas
La
enfermera
El doctor / El médico
La
examinación
La prueba
La inyección
Las
pastillas / Las píldoras
La receta
La
radiografía
El yeso
La medicina
La
cirugía
El hospital
El dentista
Los
dientes
Necesitamos…
Necesito…
Necesitas…
|
Where does it hurt? Blood Bone Broken
Bone Lungs Breathing Cough Heart Heart
attack Eyes Ears Nose Mouth Throat Stomach Pain Fever Swelling Symptoms Nurse Doctor Examination Test Shot Pills Prescription X-Ray Cast Medicine Surgery Hospital Dentist Teeth We
need to…
I need to…
You need to…
|
ConstructionRight or wrong it's a fact that on many construction sites
Spanish is an important (if not the dominant) language. The following words and
phrases can help Spanish-speakers and English-speakers understand each other.
Be aware, however, that just like in English, there are many slang terms and regional
dialects to deal with (especially with tools). And you might be surprised to see
that Hispanic workers might just understand you better in English than when you
try out your Spanish.
|
¡Cuidado!
¡Ojo!
Las
botas
Los guantes
El casco
La
cerca
El muro
La pared
¿Cómo
se llama?
La pala
El martillo
El
clavo
El dril
El destornillador
El
tornillo
La llave
El perno
La
tuerca
La serrucha
Los alicates / Las
pinzas
El balde
La pulgada
El
pie
La yarda
El carrillo
El
camión / El truque
La zanja
El
hoyo
La tierra
El cemento
La
madera
Los ladrillos
El metal
El
alambre
La pintura
La electricidad
La
escoba
La basura
El basurero
Limpia…
Traiga…
Lleva…
Excava…
Pon…
Carga…
Descarga…
Enciende…
Apaga…
|
Careful! Heads up! / Look out! Boots Gloves Hard
hat Fence Wall (outdoor) Wall
(of a building) What's it called? Shovel Hammer Nail Drill Screwdriver Screw Wrench Bolt Nut Saw Pliers Bucket Inch Foot Yard Wheelbarrow Truck Trench Hole Dirt Cement Wood Bricks Metal Wire Paint Electricity Broom
Trash Trash container Clean… Bring… Carry… Dig… Put… Load… Unload… Turn
on… Turn off… | | 
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