The problem with travel phrasebooks is that they try to cover everything. They give you the phrase for "my hovercraft is full of eels" before they give you the phrase for "where is the bathroom." The result is a book you flick through on the plane and immediately forget.
This guide takes a different approach. Three real situations. The phrases you will actually need in each. And a word on how to make them stick before your trip.
At the café
Spanish cafés are one of the great pleasures of travel, and also one of the first places you will have to speak. The good news: the vocabulary is small and the same words come up every time.
Ordering:
- Un café con leche, por favor — A coffee with milk, please
- Un café solo — An espresso
- Un cortado — Espresso with a small amount of milk (very common in Spain)
- Una cerveza — A beer
- Un agua, por favor — A water, please
- ¿Tiene zumo de naranja? — Do you have orange juice?
Asking for things:
- La carta, por favor — The menu, please
- ¿Cuál es el menú del día? — What is the set menu?
- Para llevar — To take away
- Para aquí — To eat/drink here
Paying:
- La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please
- ¿Está incluido el servicio? — Is service included?
- ¿Se puede pagar con tarjeta? — Can I pay by card?
- Quédese con el cambio — Keep the change
The word you will use most: Por favor (please) and gracias (thank you). Use them more than you think is necessary. Spanish hospitality responds well to politeness.
On public transport
Getting around independently — bus, metro, train — requires a small but specific set of phrases. Learn these before you need them, not while standing at a ticket machine with a queue behind you.
Buying tickets:
- Un billete para [city], por favor — One ticket to [city], please
- ¿A qué hora sale el próximo tren? — What time does the next train leave?
- ¿Cuánto tarda? — How long does it take?
- ¿Tiene que hacer transbordo? — Do I need to change?
- De ida — Single (one way)
- De ida y vuelta — Return (round trip)
On the metro or bus:
- ¿Cuál es la próxima parada? — What is the next stop?
- ¿Pasa este autobús por [place]? — Does this bus go to [place]?
- Bájese aquí — Get off here (said to you — it means you have arrived)
- Perdona, ¿esta es la parada para...? — Excuse me, is this the stop for...?
When lost:
- Perdona, ¿me puede ayudar? — Excuse me, can you help me?
- ¿Dónde está...? — Where is...?
- ¿Cómo llego a...? — How do I get to...?
- A la derecha / A la izquierda / Todo recto — Right / Left / Straight ahead
Shopping
Spanish markets and small shops expect a level of interaction that supermarkets have trained us out of. Knowing a few phrases makes these experiences much more enjoyable.
In a shop:
- ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? — How much does this cost?
- ¿Tiene esto en otra talla? — Do you have this in another size?
- ¿Puedo probármelo? — Can I try it on?
- Me lo llevo — I'll take it
- Solo estoy mirando, gracias — Just looking, thanks
At a market:
- ¿A cuánto está el kilo? — How much per kilo?
- Póngame medio kilo de... — Give me half a kilo of...
- ¿Está maduro? — Is it ripe?
- ¿Qué recomienda? — What do you recommend?
Useful in any situation:
- No entiendo — I don't understand
- ¿Puede repetir más despacio, por favor? — Can you repeat that more slowly, please?
- ¿Habla inglés? — Do you speak English? (a useful fallback, though try Spanish first)
How to actually remember this before you go
Reading a list of phrases is not the same as being able to produce them under the mild stress of a real interaction. Three things help:
1. Learn them attached to situations, not as lists. Instead of studying "transport phrases," mentally rehearse the scenario: you are at the bus station, you need a ticket to Seville, the man at the window is waiting. What do you say? Practice that specific moment.
2. Say them aloud. Spanish pronunciation is consistent and not difficult for English speakers. But there is a gap between recognising a word on a page and being able to say it at normal speed. Speak the phrases — even quietly to yourself — until they feel automatic.
3. Review them the day before, not the week before. Spaced repetition works for long-term memory. But for a short trip, massed practice close to the event is actually more effective. Spend 20 minutes the evening before your flight going over the phrases for your first day.
The goal is not fluency. The goal is enough vocabulary to be useful, to show respect for the language, and to make interactions go smoothly. That bar is lower than you think — and the goodwill you earn from trying is genuine.