Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- These 50 phrases cover 90% of what you'll need as a traveller in Spain or Latin America
- Pronunciation guides use English approximations — not perfect, but close enough to be understood
- Even attempting Spanish earns you goodwill. Locals appreciate the effort.
- Group these into flashcard sets or practice with daily language games before your trip
Knowing even a handful of Spanish phrases transforms the travel experience. You'll get better service at restaurants, friendlier interactions with locals, and access to places that tourists who only speak English simply miss.
You don't need to be fluent. You need 50 phrases, the confidence to use them, and the willingness to butcher the pronunciation occasionally. Locals won't mind — they'll appreciate that you tried.
Here's everything you need, organised by situation.
Quick Pronunciation Guide
Spanish pronunciation is refreshingly consistent. A few rules cover almost everything:
- Vowels are always the same: a = "ah", e = "eh", i = "ee", o = "oh", u = "oo"
- J sounds like the English "h" (jalapeño = "hah-lah-PEH-nyoh")
- LL sounds like "y" in most countries (calle = "KAH-yeh")
- Ñ sounds like "ny" (España = "ehs-PAH-nyah")
- H is always silent (hotel = "oh-TEL")
- R at the start of a word is rolled; RR is always rolled
- Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, unless there's an accent mark
Don't overthink it. Spanish is one of the most phonetically consistent languages in the world. If you can read the word, you can more or less say it.
Greetings and Basics (Phrases 1–10)
These are your bread and butter. Use them everywhere, multiple times a day.
| # | Spanish | Pronunciation | English | |---|---------|--------------|---------| | 1 | Hola | OH-lah | Hello | | 2 | Buenos días | BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs | Good morning | | 3 | Buenas tardes | BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs | Good afternoon | | 4 | Buenas noches | BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs | Good evening/night | | 5 | Por favor | por fah-VOR | Please | | 6 | Gracias | GRAH-thee-ahs (Spain) / GRAH-see-ahs (Latin America) | Thank you | | 7 | De nada | deh NAH-dah | You're welcome | | 8 | Sí / No | see / noh | Yes / No | | 9 | Perdón / Disculpe | per-DON / dees-KOOL-peh | Sorry / Excuse me | | 10 | Adiós / Hasta luego | ah-dee-OHS / AHS-tah LWEH-goh | Goodbye / See you later |
Pro tip: "Hasta luego" is more common than "adiós" in everyday life. It's warmer and less final.
Getting Around (Phrases 11–20)
Navigation phrases save you when Google Maps fails — and it will, in narrow old-town streets.
| # | Spanish | Pronunciation | English | |---|---------|--------------|---------| | 11 | ¿Dónde está…? | DON-deh ehs-TAH | Where is…? | | 12 | …el baño | el BAH-nyoh | …the bathroom | | 13 | …la estación de tren | lah ehs-tah-see-ON deh tren | …the train station | | 14 | …el aeropuerto | el ah-eh-roh-PWER-toh | …the airport | | 15 | A la derecha | ah lah deh-REH-chah | To the right | | 16 | A la izquierda | ah lah eeth-kee-EHR-dah | To the left | | 17 | Todo recto / derecho | TOH-doh REHK-toh / deh-REH-choh | Straight ahead | | 18 | ¿Está lejos? | ehs-TAH LEH-hohs | Is it far? | | 19 | Necesito un taxi | neh-seh-SEE-toh oon TAK-see | I need a taxi | | 20 | ¿Cuánto cuesta el billete? | KWAN-toh KWEHS-tah el bee-YEH-teh | How much is the ticket? |
Pro tip: In Latin America, "boleto" is more common than "billete" for ticket. Context matters, and both are understood.
At Restaurants and Cafés (Phrases 21–32)
Food is arguably the best part of travel in Spanish-speaking countries. These phrases make the experience smoother.
| # | Spanish | Pronunciation | English | |---|---------|--------------|---------| | 21 | Una mesa para dos, por favor | OO-nah MEH-sah PAH-rah dohs | A table for two, please | | 22 | La carta / El menú, por favor | lah KAR-tah / el meh-NOO | The menu, please | | 23 | ¿Qué recomienda? | keh reh-koh-mee-EN-dah | What do you recommend? | | 24 | Quiero… / Me gustaría… | kee-EH-roh / meh goos-tah-REE-ah | I want… / I would like… | | 25 | …un café con leche | oon kah-FEH kon LEH-cheh | …a coffee with milk | | 26 | …una cerveza | OO-nah ser-VEH-sah (Spain) / ser-BEH-sah (Latin America) | …a beer | | 27 | …agua sin gas / con gas | AH-gwah seen gahs / kon gahs | …still water / sparkling water | | 28 | Soy vegetariano/a | soy beh-heh-tah-ree-AH-noh/nah | I'm vegetarian | | 29 | Soy alérgico/a a… | soy ah-LEHR-hee-koh/kah ah | I'm allergic to… | | 30 | La cuenta, por favor | lah KWEN-tah, por fah-VOR | The bill, please | | 31 | ¿Está incluida la propina? | ehs-TAH een-kloo-EE-dah lah proh-PEE-nah | Is the tip included? | | 32 | Estaba delicioso | ehs-TAH-bah deh-lee-see-OH-soh | It was delicious |
Pro tip: In Spain, you generally don't tip more than rounding up. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, 10–15% is standard. Asking phrase 31 shows cultural awareness.
At Hotels and Accommodation (Phrases 33–38)
| # | Spanish | Pronunciation | English | |---|---------|--------------|---------| | 33 | Tengo una reserva | TEN-goh OO-nah reh-SEHR-bah | I have a reservation | | 34 | ¿Tiene habitaciones disponibles? | tee-EH-neh ah-bee-tah-see-OH-nehs dees-poh-NEE-blehs | Do you have rooms available? | | 35 | ¿A qué hora es el check-out? | ah keh OH-rah ehs el check-out | What time is check-out? | | 36 | La llave, por favor | lah YAH-beh, por fah-VOR | The key, please | | 37 | No funciona el aire acondicionado | noh foon-see-OH-nah el AH-ee-reh ah-kon-dee-see-oh-NAH-doh | The air conditioning doesn't work | | 38 | ¿Hay wifi? ¿Cuál es la contraseña? | eye WEE-fee? kwal ehs lah kon-trah-SEH-nyah | Is there wifi? What's the password? |
Pro tip: "Check-out" and "wifi" are used as-is in Spanish — don't try to translate them.
Shopping and Money (Phrases 39–43)
| # | Spanish | Pronunciation | English | |---|---------|--------------|---------| | 39 | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | KWAN-toh KWEHS-tah | How much does it cost? | | 40 | Es muy caro | ehs moo-ee KAH-roh | It's very expensive | | 41 | ¿Tiene algo más barato? | tee-EH-neh AHL-goh mahs bah-RAH-toh | Do you have something cheaper? | | 42 | ¿Aceptan tarjeta? | ah-SEP-tahn tar-HEH-tah | Do you accept card? | | 43 | Me lo llevo | meh loh YEH-boh | I'll take it |
Pro tip: In markets (mercados), haggling is common and expected. In shops, it's not. Learn to read the room.
Emergencies and Problems (Phrases 44–48)
Hopefully you won't need these — but memorise them anyway.
| # | Spanish | Pronunciation | English | |---|---------|--------------|---------| | 44 | Necesito ayuda | neh-seh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah | I need help | | 45 | Llame a la policía | YAH-meh ah lah poh-lee-SEE-ah | Call the police | | 46 | Necesito un médico | neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh | I need a doctor | | 47 | Me he perdido | meh eh per-DEE-doh | I'm lost | | 48 | Me han robado | meh ahn roh-BAH-doh | I've been robbed |
Social and Friendly (Phrases 49–50)
These two earn you more goodwill than all the others combined.
| # | Spanish | Pronunciation | English | |---|---------|--------------|---------| | 49 | No hablo mucho español, pero intento | noh AH-bloh MOO-choh ehs-pah-NYOL, PEH-roh een-TEN-toh | I don't speak much Spanish, but I'm trying | | 50 | Tu país es precioso | too pah-EES ehs preh-see-OH-soh | Your country is beautiful |
Phrase 49 is magic. Say it with a smile, and watch people's attitude shift. They'll speak more slowly, help you more patiently, and often switch to simpler words. Trying matters more than succeeding.
How to Actually Memorise These Before Your Trip
A list of 50 phrases is useless if you can't recall them when a waiter is staring at you expectantly. Here's how to make them stick:
1. Start With the Top 20
Don't try to learn all 50 at once. Master phrases 1–20 first (greetings + getting around). These cover 70% of tourist interactions. Add the rest once these feel automatic.
2. Use Spaced Repetition
Review phrases on a schedule: today, tomorrow, three days later, one week later. This is how your brain moves information into long-term memory. Tools like Anki work well for this, or just use a stack of index cards.
3. Practice With Games
TutorLingua's daily language games are built around exactly this kind of vocabulary practice. Spell Cast tests your ability to form Spanish words from letter tiles, and Lingua Connections groups words by category — exactly the thematic approach that travel phrases follow.
Playing for 10 minutes a day in the weeks before your trip builds the kind of automatic recall you need when a taxi driver asks you a question.
4. Say Them Out Loud
Reading is not enough. You need to hear yourself saying these words. Record yourself and compare with native pronunciation on Forvo. It feels silly. Do it anyway.
5. Create Scenarios
Walk through your trip mentally. You arrive at the airport — what do you say to the taxi driver? You check in — what phrases do you need? You sit down at a restaurant — practice the full sequence from getting a table to paying the bill.
Beyond the Basics
These 50 phrases are a foundation. If you're inspired to go further — and many travellers are, once they experience the joy of connecting with people in their language — here are your next steps:
- Learn how long it really takes to learn Spanish — realistic timelines based on research
- Play daily Spanish games to build vocabulary gradually — even five minutes a day adds up
- Find a Spanish tutor for conversation practice before your trip. Even three or four sessions can dramatically improve your confidence and pronunciation.
The best time to start practising is three weeks before your trip. The second best time is right now.
Want to go beyond tourist phrases? Play free daily Spanish games to build your vocabulary, or book a session with a Spanish tutor who can help you practise real conversations. Your next trip to Spain or Latin America will be a completely different experience.