Spanish
When going on holiday it is always handy and polite to know the basics of the language of the country you visit. To connect with local people is much easier when making an effort. Spanish people love it when you make such an attempt.
Did you know that between 320 and 400 million people around the world speak Spanish as their first language and millions more as their second language? Therefor Spanish is one of the most widespread and important languages of the world today.
First some remarks about the pronunciation
A double -ll- is pronounced as -lj-
A -v- is pronounced as a -b-
A -h- is a silent letter
A -u- is pronounced as -oe-
A -ñ- is pronounced as -nj-, this is also the 27th letter of the Spanish alfabet!
A -j- is pronounced as a strong -g-
So, let’s get started with some basic sentences to help you getting around.
The basics
| Hello mister, madam | Hola señor, señora |
| Please | Por favor |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| You are welcome | De nada |
| Yes/No | Si/No |
| Good morning | Buenos días |
| Good afternoon | Buenos tarde |
| Good evening/night | Buenas noche |
| Good bye | Hasta luego |
| Welcome | Bienvenidos |
| Excuse me | Disculpe |
| I am sorry | Lo siento |
| 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 | uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez |
Small talk
| How are you | Cómo estás or qué tal? |
| Fine, thanks | Bien, gracias |
| And you | Y tu? |
| What is your name? | Como te llamas? |
| My name is/I am | Me llamo Christina/soy Cristina |
| Nice to meet you | Mucho gusto |
| What are you doing? | Qué haces? |
| Do you live here? | Vives aquí? |
| The weather is lovely | Hace bien tiempo |
| I come from … | Soy de ... Inglaterra (UK), soy de Holanda |
| I do not understand | No entiendo/no comprendo |
| I do not speak Spanish | No hablo Español |
| I speak a little Spanish | Hablo un poco Español |
| Do you speak English? | Hablas Inglés? |
Getting around
| Where is the tourist office? | Dónde está la oficina de turismo? |
| Excuse me | Perdoname |
| May I ask you something? | Puedo preguntarte algo? |
| Do you have a map? | Tienes un mapa? |
| Where is ...(see places of interest) | Dónde es ....? |
| To the left | A la izquirda |
| To the right | A la derecha |
| Straigth ahead | Todo derecho |
Places of interest
| The beach | La playa |
| The shop | La tienda |
| The church | La iglesia |
| The museum | El museo |
| The market | El mercado |
| The port | El puerto |
| The restaurant | El restaurante |
| The street | La calle |
| The city | La cuidad |
| The village | El pueblo |
In the shop
| How much? | Cuánto cuesta? |
| How much is this/that? | Cuánto cuesta este/Cuánta es eso? |
| I am looking for ... | Busco ... |
| This/a souvenir | Este/un recuerdo |
| These sunglasses | Estas gafas de sol |
| Suncream | Crema solar |
| Water | Agua |
| Flip flops | Chancletas |
| Anything else? | Algo mas? |
| No, nothing else. Thank you | No, (nada mas). Gracias |
In a restaurant
| I would like to have … | Quisiera ... |
| Do you have a table? | Tienes una mesa? |
| Por 2 (persons) | Para dos (personas) |
| I would like to make a reservation | Quisiera reservar una mesa para 2 personas |
| At 8 o’clock | A las ocho |
| At half past 8 | A las ocho y media |
| To what name? | A que nombre? |
| The menu | El menú |
| Waiter (m/v) | Camero/a |
| What would you like to drink/Something to drink? | Qué quieres beber/Algo de beber? |
| I would like to have/For me/her/him | Quisiera ..../Para mi/ella/el |
| Still water/sparkling water | Aqua sin gas/con gas |
| A glass of wine | Una copa de vino or un vino |
| A white/red wine | Un vino blanco/tinto |
| A small beer | Una caña |
| First course/second course/dessert | El primer plato/secundo plato |
| Dessert | Postre |
| Sandwich | Sandwich/Bocadillo/Pitufo |
| Soup | Sopa |
| Meat | Carne |
| Chicken | Pollo |
| Lamb | Codero |
| Fish | Pescado |
| Seafood | Mariscos |
| French fries | Papas fritas |
| Omelet | Tortilla |
| Homemade | Casera |
| Cheers! | Salud! |
| Enjoy your dinner | Buen provecho/Que aproveche |
Buena suerte!
June, 11th 2020