Spanish with Lucy

Imagine landing in Madrid, Barcelona, or Mexico City. The taxi driver greets you in rapid Spanish, the menu has no English translation, and the train announcement crackles over the loudspeaker in words you don't quite catch. Your stomach tightens.

I've watched countless students walk into my course with exactly this fear. And here's the thing: you don't need to be fluent to travel confidently. You just need the right 50 phrases, the ones that come up over and over again in real life.

This is that list. Organised by situation. With pronunciation that actually makes sense if you're an English speaker. Print it out, screenshot it, save it to your phone and your next trip will feel completely different.

A note before we begin

The Spanish in this guide leans toward European (Spain) Spanish, which is what you'll hear in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, and beyond. Where Latin American Spanish differs in a meaningful way, I'll flag it.

Pronunciation key:

• Vowels in Spanish are short and crisp never drawn out like in English
• TH in my guide means the soft "th" in "thin" (you'll hear this in Spain for the letters c before e/i, and z). In Latin America, the same sounds become a simple S.
• The Spanish R is a quick tap of the tongue against the roof of the mouth softer than English R. A rolled RR is just a longer version of the same tap.
• Stressed syllables in CAPS

Okay, let's go.

Greetings and basic politeness (phrases 1–8)

These are the eight phrases you'll use more than any others. Master them and you'll already feel more at ease the moment you arrive.

1. Hola (OH-la) Hello The universal Spanish greeting. Works any time of day, with anyone.

2. Buenos días (BWAY-nos DEE-as) Good morning Use it from waking until around 1 or 2pm.

3. Buenas tardes (BWAY-nas TAR-des) Good afternoon / Good evening Use it from early afternoon until around 8pm.

4. Buenas noches (BWAY-nas NO-ches) Good evening / Good night For nighttime greetings and when saying goodbye for the day.

5. Por favor (por fa-VOR) Please Add it onto any request. Politeness goes a long way in Spanish-speaking countries.

6. Gracias (GRA-thee-as) (Spain) / (GRA-see-as) (Latin America) Thank you

7. De nada (day NAH-da) You're welcome Literally "of nothing." You'll hear it after every gracias.

8. Perdón (per-DON) Sorry / Excuse me For squeezing past someone, getting attention, or apologising.

At the airport (phrases 9–14)

9. ¿Dónde está la puerta de embarque? (DON-day es-TA la PWAIR-ta day em-BAR-kay) Where is the boarding gate?

10. ¿Cuál es mi puerta? (kwal es mee PWAIR-ta) What's my gate?

11. He perdido mi maleta (ay per-DEE-do mee ma-LEH-ta) I've lost my suitcase

12. ¿Hay wifi gratis? (eye WEE-fee GRA-tees) Is there free wifi? The word hay (pronounced like English "eye") means "there is" or "there are." You'll use it constantly.

13. Tengo una escala en… (TEN-go OO-na es-KA-la en) I have a layover in…

14. ¿Dónde está la salida? (DON-day es-TA la sa-LEE-da) Where is the exit?

Getting around (phrases 15–22)

15. ¿Dónde está la estación de tren? (DON-day es-TA la es-ta-thee-ON day tren) Where is the train station?

16. Un billete para Barcelona, por favor (oon bee-YEH-tay PA-ra) A ticket to Barcelona, please. In Latin America, swap billete for boleto (bo-LAY-toh).

17. ¿Cuánto cuesta? (KWAN-toh KWAY-sta) How much does it cost?

18. A la izquierda  (a la eeth-kee-AIR-da) To the left

19. A la derecha (a la day-RAY-cha) To the right

20. Todo recto (TOH-do REK-toh) Straight ahead In Latin America, you'll more often hear derecho for "straight."

21. ¿Está lejos? (es-TA LAY-hos) Is it far?

22. Pare aquí, por favor (PA-ray a-KEE) Stop here, please. The phrase that saves you in every taxi.

At your hotel (phrases 23–28)

23. Tengo una reserva (TEN-go OO-na ray-SER-va) I have a reservation

24. ¿A qué hora es el check-in? (a kay OR-a es el chek-EEN) What time is check-in? Yes, "check-in" is used as-is, Spanish has adopted it.

25. ¿Está incluido el desayuno? (es-TA een-kloo-EE-do el day-sa-YOO-no) Is breakfast included?

26. La llave, por favor (la YAH-vay) The key, please

27. No hay agua caliente (no eye AH-gwa kal-ee-EN-tay) There's no hot water. A phrase I hope you never need, but worth knowing.

28. ¿Me puede ayudar? (may PWAY-day a-yoo-DAR) Can you help me?

At restaurants and cafés (phrases 29–38)

This is where most travelers freeze. These ten phrases cover almost every situation.

29. Una mesa para dos, por favor (OO-na MAY-sa PA-ra dos) A table for two, please

30. La carta, por favor (la KAR-ta) The menu, please Note: menú (me-NOO) usually means the daily set meal, not the menu. La carta is what you want.

31. ¿Qué me recomienda? (kay may reh-ko-mee-EN-da) What do you recommend?

32. Soy alérgico a los frutos secos (soy a-LAIR-hee-ko a los FROO-tos SAY-kos) I'm allergic to nuts. Women say alérgica instead of alérgico. Swap "los frutos secos" for whatever you're allergic to.

33. Sin cebolla, por favor (seen the-BO-ya) Without onion, please. Sin means "without", use it for any ingredient you want to skip.

34. Agua con gas / sin gas (AH-gwa kon gas / seen gas) Sparkling / still water

35. La cuenta, por favor (la KWEN-ta) The bill, please. In most of Spain and Latin America, you have to ask for the bill, it never just appears.

36. ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? (PWAY-do pa-GAR kon tar-HEH-ta) Can I pay by card?

37. Estaba delicioso — es-TA-ba day-lee-thee-OH-so — It was deliciousA small compliment that makes a big impression.

38. ¿El servicio está incluido?  (el ser-VEE-thee-oh es-TA een-kloo-EE-do) Is service included? In Spain, tipping is modest and often not expected. 

Shopping and money (phrases 39–43)

39. ¿Cuánto vale? (KWAN-toh VA-lay) How much is it? A more casual alternative to ¿Cuánto cuesta?

40. Solo estoy mirando (SO-lo es-TOY mee-RAN-do) I'm just looking

41. ¿Tiene una talla más grande? (tee-EH-nay OO-na TA-ya mas GRAN-day) Do you have a bigger size? Swap grande for pequeña (peh-KAY-nya) for smaller.

42. ¿Aceptan tarjeta? (a-THEP-tan tar-HEH-ta) Do you accept card?

43. ¿Dónde hay un cajero automático? (DON-day eye oon ka-HAIR-oh ow-toh-MA-tee-ko) Where is there an ATM?

In an emergency (phrases 44–47)

I hope you never need these. But knowing them gives you peace of mind.

44. Necesito ayuda (neh-theh-SEE-toh a-YOO-da) I need help

45. Llame a la policía (YAH-may a la po-lee-THEE-ah) Call the police

46. Me siento mal (may see-EN-toh mal) I feel ill

47. ¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana?  (DON-day es-TA la far-MA-thee-ah mas ther-KA-na) Where is the nearest pharmacy?

Connecting with locals (phrases 48–50)

These are the phrases that turn a transactional trip into a memorable one.

48. ¿De dónde eres? (day DON-day EH-rays) Where are you from?

49. Soy de Inglaterra / Estados Unidos / Australia (soy day) I'm from England / the US / Australia

50. Me encanta tu país (may en-KAN-ta too pa-EES) I love your country. A simple compliment that opens doors.

How to actually remember these

Reading through this list once won't stick. Here's what works:

Group practice by situation. Don't try to memorise all 50 at once. Pick one section (say, restaurants) the week before your trip. Drill those ten phrases until they feel automatic.

Say them out loud. Spanish lives in your mouth, not your head. Read each phrase aloud at least three times, pronunciation only sticks through speaking, not silent reading.

Use them on day one. The moment you arrive, force yourself to use hola, gracias, and por favor in every interaction. The first time a local responds warmly to your effort, you'll never look back.

Practice retrieval, not re-reading. Instead of re-reading the list, cover the Spanish column and try to recall it from the English. This single change does more for memory than any other study technique.

Want this list in your pocket?

I have a free printable PDF you can keep on your phone, save offline, and pull up when you need it. Download the 50 Essential Spanish Travel Phrases here, it's free!

And if you want to actually understand the responses you'll get back, not just deliver the phrases, that's what my Spanish for Travel beginner course is built for. 5 short lessons designed for busy adults, no grammar overwhelm, and you can speak real travel Spanish before your next flight. The first lesson is free!

Buen viaje. (BWEN vee-AH-hay) Have a good trip.