50+ Useful Spanish Phrases When Traveling To Latin America

This article will teach you 50+ useful Latin Spanish phrases for travel that will help you survive in the language during your next South America travel.

Take the time to learn a few important Spanish travel words, and you’ll be able to interact with people, get by in different settings, and have a lot more pleasurable and genuine experience on your trip.

First and foremost, here are some greetings to use upon arrival

The most fundamental thing you can learn in a foreign language is how to greet people. Nonetheless, its significance should not be underestimated.

Even if you aren’t proficient enough to carry on a lengthy discussion, a simple ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? (Hello, how are you?) would suffice.

You’ll be able to utilise these phrases as soon as you arrive at your location, whether it’s an airport, railway or bus station, or hotel.

People love it when you attempt to speak their language while visiting their nation, even if it’s just a few words.

#1 ¡Hola! – Hello

(O-la)

#2 ¡Buenos días! – Good morning!

(BWAY-nos DEE-as)

#3 ¡Buenas tardes! – Good afternoon/good evening!

(BWAY-nas TAR-des)

#4 ¡Buenas noches! – Good night

(BWAY-nas NOH-chays)

#5 ¿Cómo está? – How are you? (formal, to a stranger)

(KOH-moh eh-STAH)

#6 ¿Cómo estás? – How are you? (informal, to someone you know)

(KOH-moh eh-STAHS)

#7 Bien, gracias – I’m fine, thank you.

(bee-EN GRA-thee-as [Spain] / GRA-see-as [Latin America])

#8 ¿Cómo te llamas? – What’s your name?

(KOH-moh te YA-mas?)

#9 Me llamo… – My name is…

(May YA-moh… )

#10 Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you.

(MOO-choh GOO-stoh)

And, of course, don’t forget about basic politeness.

#11 Por favor – please

(por fa-BOR)

#12 Gracias – thank you

(GRA-thee-as [Spain] / GRA-see-as [Latin America])

If you are caught in a Spanish discussion, you can always rely on the following two phrases to help you out of a jam

#13 Yo (no) entiendo – I (don’t) understand

(yo no en-tee-EN-doh)

#14 ¿Habla inglés? – Do you speak English?

(Ab-la in-GLAYS)

Once you’ve completed greeting someone, you’ll need to be able to move on to the meat of your discussion, which means you will need to master a few frequent verbs

#15 Yo quiero un menú – I want a menu

(yo kee-EH-ro oon me-NOO)

#16 Yo quiero un taxi – I want a taxi

(YO kee-EH-ro oon taxi)

#17 Yo quiero una cerveza – I want a beer

(yo kee-EH-ro OO-na ser-BAY-za)

You may also use: if you want to be more polite (which is typically a good idea).

#18 Quisiera… – I would like … (lit. I would want)

(kee-see-EH-ra…)

Whether you’re searching for the restroom at a restaurant or a hotel to stay at, you’ll surely need to ask for directions at some point throughout your journey.

The most basic method to inquire where something is is to say ¿Dónde está? then the noun you’re searching for:

#19 ¿Dónde está el baño? – Where is the bathroom?

(DON-day es-TAH el BAH-nyo?)

#20 ¿Dónde está el banco? – Where is the bank?

(DON-day es-TAH el BAN-koh?)

#21 ¿Dónde está la calle [de Alcalá]? – Where is [Alcalá] Street?

(DON-day es-TAH la KA-yay de al-cal-AH?)

When travelling in Latin America, remember your etiquette when asking someone on the street for directions! Begin by saying: To catch someone’s attention, say:

#22 Disculpe – Excuse me

(Dis-KUL-pay)

#23 Con permiso/Perdone – Excuse me

(Con per-MEE-soh / Per-DOH-ney)

#24 Estoy perdido/Estoy perdida – I’m lost

(eh-stoy per-DEE-doh)

Asking for directions is one thing but it’s pretty pointless if you don’t know how to understand the directions that are given to you!

Memorise these phrases to help you understand what the friendly locals are trying to tell you when you ask for their help:

#25 Aquí – here

(Ah-KEE)

#26 Allí – there

(ay-EE)

#27 A la derecha – on the right

(A la de-RE-cha)

#28 A la izquierda – on the left

(A la iz-kee-ER-da)

#29 Derecho – straight ahead

(De-RE-cho)

#30 En la esquina – at the corner

(En la es-KEE-nah)

If you don’t want to walk everywhere, you’ll need to be able to learn about local transportation choices so you can get about wherever you are.

Here are a few basic words to help you find a bus, rail, or cab and get to your destination:

#31 ¿Dónde puedo encontrar un taxi? – Where can I get a taxi?

(DON-day PWAY-doh en-kon-TRAR oon taxi?)

#32 ¿Dónde está la parada de autobús más cercana? – Where’s the nearest bus stop?

(DON-day eh-STAH la pa-RAH-dah de ow-to-BOOS mas ser-KA-nah?)

#33 ¿Dónde está la estación de ferrocarril más cercana? – Where’s the nearest railway station?

(DON-day eh-STAH la es-tah-see-ON de ferro-carr-EEL mas ser-KA-nah?)

#34 ¿Cuánto cuesta un billete para… ? – How much does a ticket to … cost?

(KWAN-to KWES-ta oon bee-YET-ay PA-ra …)

#35 Un billete para… , por favor. – A ticket to … please.

(oon bee-YET-ay PA-ra … por fa-BOR)

Each Spanish-speaking nation has its distinct flavours and food that you should taste when you visit

Cooking is undoubtedly one of the major draws to places such as San Sebastian in Spain and Buenos Aires in Argentina, so make sure you have a basic understanding of food jargon before embarking on your tour!

To begin, you must be prepared to hear and comprehend certain inquiries in restaurants, such as:

#36 ¿Quieres algo para comer? – Would you like something to eat?

(kee-EH-res AL-go PA-ra koh-MER?)

#37 ¿Quieres algo para beber? – Would you like something to drink?

(kee-EH-res AL-go PA-ra beh-BER?)

#38 ¿Qué quieres comer? – What would you like to eat?

(KAY kee-EH-res koh-MER?)

When you read the menu, you’ll see that the offered cuisine is divided into distinct categories, exactly like an English menu:

#39 una entrada – an appetizer

(oo-na en-TRA-da)

#40 un plato principal – the main dish

(oon PLA-toh prin-si-PAL)

#41 un postre – a dessert

(oon POS-tray)

#42 una bebida – a drink

(OO-na beh-BEE-da)

#43 una sopa – soup

(OO-na SOH-pah)

#44 una ensalada – salad

(OO-na en-sa-LA-da)

#45 el pollo – chicken

(el POY-oh)

#46 la carne – the meat (beef)

(la CAR-nay)

#47 agua – water

(AG-wa)

#48 un vino tinto /blanco – red/white wine

(oon BEE-noh TIN-toh / BLAN-koh)

#49 una cerveza – beer

(OO-na ser-BAY-sa)

#50 un café – coffee

(oon ka-FAY)

If you’re not sure what to order, you may always ask your waiter for advice:

#51 ¿Qué me recomienda? – What do you recommend?

(kay may re-kom-ee-EN-dah?)

Most restaurants in Spanish-speaking nations would gladly recommend a particularly good local cuisine for you to try.

Finally, let’s go through a few simple words you may use to inquire about rates and pay the bill

#52 ¿Cuánto cuesta? – How much is it?

(KWAN-to KWES-ta?)

#53 La cuenta, por favor – The bill, please.

(la KWEN-ta por fa-BOR)

Once you’ve memorised these inquiry words, you’ll begin to see patterns in the Spanish language that will allow you to move away from the fundamental Spanish phrases that every visitor uses.

As you discover new words on your journey, you’ll be able to mix them with these inquiry words to create your statements and questions! And lastly, you can take help from iScribo which will correct your Spanish and make you sound like a native Spanish speaker.