Spanish Phrases for Travel | The Basics

As I mentioned in my post on the benefits of foreign language for travel, I’m starting to put out more posts about languages and travel. The first language I will cover is…Spanish! If you’ve read my posts about Spain, you’ll know that I studied abroad there and speak it at about an intermediate (B2) level.
I love this language, and seeing it’s popularity, I am glad that I spent time learning it. As there are many countries around the world where Spanish is the primary language, it is pretty likely that you’ll hit one of these countries on your travels. This post will cover the basics of Spanish phrases for travel, which you can use as your pocket guide while traveling!
Background Information on Spanish
Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin! There are 442 million speakers of Spanish around the globe, and it is the official languages of 21 countries across Europe, Africa, and the Americas. It is a Romance language, meaning it comes from Latin. That means that learning Spanish will certainly help you with learning the other Romance languages. If that is something that interests you, of course :).
Spanish is a phoenetic language, which means that it has strict rules around the pronunciation of every letter. So unlike English, once you understand the sounds the letters make, you will be able to say most works correctly! Spanish is also a poetic language and generally more descriptive than English. Expect senteces to be about 15% – 25% longer than those in English! Know that there are regional differences to Spanish, but this post will apply to most Spanish-speaking countries you’d visit.
Your Spanish Travel Phrases Cheatsheet
Spanish Greetings
Below are basic Spanish greetings you’d use to greet or say goodbye to locals:
- Hello – Hola
- Hello/Goodbye – Chao
- Good morning – Buenos días
- Good afternoon – Buenas tardes
- Good night / evening – Buenas noches
- Good bye – Adiós
- What is your name? – ¿Cómo te llamas?
- My name is… – Me llamo…
- Nice to meet you – Mucho gusto / Encantado(a) a conocerle
- Have a great day! – ¡Que tengas un buen dia!
- See you later – Hasta luego
- How are you? – ¿Como estás?
- Very well – Muy bien
- Okay / So-so – Más o menos
RELATED: The Best Places to Visit in Spain
Essential Phrases
Essential phrases are those you’d use most frequently, outside of greetings of course :).
- Yes – Sí
- No – No
- Thank you – Gracias
- Thanks a lot – Muchas gracias
- You’re welcome – De Nada
- Excuse me – Perdón / Disculpe / Permiso
- I’m sorry – Lo siento
- Do you speak English? – ¿Hablas inlgés?
- I don’t speak English – No hablo inglés
- I don’t understand – No entiendo
- Please – Por favor
- Slowly – Despacio
- Repeat – Repita
- Where is the bathroom? – ¿Dónde está el baño?
- How much does it cost? – ¿Cuanto cuesta?

Days and Time
The days of the week and all other phrases related to telling time.
- Day – Día
- Week – Semana
- Month – Mes
- Year – Año
- Sunday – Domingo
- Monday – Lunes
- Tuesday – Martes
- Wednesday – Miércoles
- Thursday – Jueves
- Friday – Viernes
- Saturday – Sábado
- Minute – Minuto
- Hour – Hora
- Time – Hora / Tiempo
- What time is it? – ¿Qué hora es?
- It is 1:00 – Es la una
- It is 2:00 / 3:00 – Son las dos / tres
- What day is today? – ¿Qué día es hoy?
- Tomorrow – Mañana
- Yesterday – Ayer
- Morning – Mañana
- Midday – Mediodía
- Midnight – Medianoche
- Night – Noche
Directions
Phrases and words for getting around town.
- Where is…? – Dónde está…
- The bank – El banco
- The museum – El museo
- The park – El parque
- The hospital – El hospital
- The airport – El aeropuerto
- The church – La iglesia
- How do you get to…? – ¿Cómo se va a…?
- Left – Izquierda
- Right – Derecha
- Straight – Derecho
- Turn to the... – Gira a la…
Eating Out
Phrases and words to use when looking for or eating good food.
- Restaurant – El restaurante
- Breakfast – El desayuno
- Lunch – El almuerzo
- Dinner – La cena
- Appetizer – Entrada
- Main Course – Plato principal
- Desert – Postre
- What do you recommend? – ¿Qué nos recomienda?
- I would like (to order) – Querría…
- The bill please – La cuenta por favor

RELATED: The Top Things to Do in Cartagena, Colombia
Spanish Phrases for Travel | Final Thoughts….
That completes my list of the basic spanish phrases for travel! I hope that this list serves as a useful guide when you venture out to any of the 21 countries where Spanish is the official language! To get the most out of this list, you should practice often before taking your trip.
Even better than just using this list is practicing your new vocabulary with a real person! If this interests you, check out my favorite language resource, iTalki. You can use this site to practice with a tutor, formal teacher, or others just seeking to do a language exchange (for free!). The paid lessons have very cheap options, with some as low as $5 an hour. Check it out!
Related Posts:
- Barcelona in Four Days
- What to Do in Cartagena, Colombia
- Lima Travel Guide
- What to do in Cusco
- Climbing Machu Picchu Mountain

Handy – I have a son who lives in Spain – be good to throw a bit of Spanish at him next time we talk on the phone
Ha! I like that idea Ron 🙂
Thanks for a great article with some key phrases! There is enough here to help you get by when on holiday. I always try my best to communicate with the natives it only seems polite to do so as you are a guest in their country!
My thoughts exactly, Andy!
This is so much great information.
I took Spanish in high school.. a couple years ago at least and I still do remember some phrases.
A really helpful phrase I used frequently when I was in Mexico last November was – Hablas ingles? It saved me and my husband’s bums when we almost got stuck in a different place because our tour bus left without us.
Thanks!
Kahlua
Yes, that phrase is one of the best ones to know – can certainly help get you out of a bind, Kahlua!
I’m definitely pinning this! Spain will be a trip we take at some point and this is so handy. My husband studied abroad in Spain in college. ☺️
Glad you found this useful Laura!
Oh this is interesting! I wish I had the money to go abroad but I really love your posts!
Thanks, Audrey. Hope you can travel soon!
This is such a useful little post! Wish I read it about 6 weeks ago before I went on holiday lol
Haha – I understand that! You can always just use it for your next trip though 🙂