Spanish for travel: the phrases, and lessons before you go
For a trip to Spain or Latin America, you need about 40 phrases, the numbers, and the confidence to ask someone to slow down. The phrase list below covers greetings, directions, food, money and emergencies, with how to say each one. If you want to actually hold a conversation on the trip, a handful of one-to-one lessons before you fly does far more than an app: online anywhere in NZ or in person in Auckland and Wellington, from a $25 trial.
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Who are travel Spanish lessons for?
People with a trip booked to Spain, Mexico, South America or Central America who want to do more than point at menus: backpackers, couples on a big OE, people walking the Camino, and anyone visiting a partner's family. Most start from zero a few months before they fly and work only on what the trip needs.
- A trip booked to Spain or Latin America
- Walking the Camino de Santiago
- Meeting a partner's Spanish-speaking family
- A gap year, OE or volunteering abroad
What do you learn in travel Spanish lessons?
The situations the trip will put you in: the airport, the hotel, ordering food, buses and directions, shopping and the chemist, and small talk with the people you meet. Your tutor role-plays each one until you can do it without thinking, and teaches the version of Spanish spoken where you are going, because Spain and Latin America differ.
Situations, not grammar
Each lesson is a scene from the trip: checking in, ordering, asking the way, a problem at the hotel. You rehearse it out loud until it is automatic.
The Spanish of where you are going
Spain uses vosotros and calls a car a coche; most of Latin America uses ustedes and says carro or auto. Your tutor teaches the version you will hear.
Understanding the answer
Asking is the easy part. Listening practice at real speed means you follow the reply, and you learn the phrases that make people slow down.
What Spanish phrases do you need for travel?
Start with greetings and please and thank you, then the questions that solve problems: where is, how much is, do you have, and I don't understand. Learn the numbers to 100 for prices and times. The pronunciation guides below use English sounds; stress the syllable in capitals.
Greetings and manners
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Hola, buenos días | OH-lah, BWEH-nos DEE-as | Hello, good morning |
| Buenas tardes / buenas noches | BWEH-nas TAR-des / BWEH-nas NOH-ches | Good afternoon / good evening |
| Por favor | por fa-BOR | Please |
| Gracias | GRAH-syas (Spain: GRAH-thyas) | Thank you |
| Perdón / disculpe | per-DON / dees-KOOL-peh | Sorry / excuse me |
When you don't understand
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| No entiendo | noh en-TYEN-doh | I don't understand |
| ¿Puede hablar más despacio? | PWEH-deh ah-BLAR mas des-PAH-syoh | Can you speak more slowly? |
| ¿Habla inglés? | AH-blah een-GLES | Do you speak English? |
| ¿Cómo se dice…? | KOH-moh seh DEE-seh | How do you say…? |
Getting around
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Dónde está…? | DON-deh es-TAH | Where is…? |
| ¿Dónde está el baño? | DON-deh es-TAH el BAH-nyoh | Where is the bathroom? |
| Un billete / un boleto a…, por favor | oon bee-YEH-teh / oon boh-LEH-toh ah | A ticket to…, please (Spain / Latin America) |
| ¿A qué hora sale el autobús? | ah keh OH-rah SAH-leh el ow-toh-BOOS | What time does the bus leave? |
| A la derecha / a la izquierda / todo recto | ah lah deh-REH-chah / ah lah ees-KYER-dah / TOH-doh REK-toh | On the right / on the left / straight ahead |
Food, drink and paying
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Una mesa para dos, por favor | OO-nah MEH-sah PAH-rah dos | A table for two, please |
| Quisiera… | kee-SYEH-rah | I'd like… |
| La cuenta, por favor | lah KWEN-tah por fa-BOR | The bill, please |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | KWAN-toh KWES-tah | How much is it? |
| ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah | Can I pay by card? |
| Soy vegetariano / vegetariana | soy beh-heh-tah-RYAH-noh / -nah | I'm vegetarian |
At the hotel
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tengo una reserva | TEN-goh OO-nah reh-SER-bah | I have a booking |
| ¿Tiene una habitación libre? | TYEH-neh OO-nah ah-bee-tah-SYON LEE-breh | Do you have a room free? |
| ¿Está incluido el desayuno? | es-TAH een-kloo-EE-doh el deh-sah-YOO-noh | Is breakfast included? |
If something goes wrong
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Ayuda! | ah-YOO-dah | Help! |
| Necesito un médico | neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh | I need a doctor |
| ¿Dónde está la farmacia? | DON-deh es-TAH lah far-MAH-syah | Where is the pharmacy? |
| He perdido mi pasaporte | eh per-DEE-doh mee pah-sah-POR-teh | I've lost my passport |
Which Spanish levels do you teach?
We teach 4 levels, A1 to B2: from introducing yourself and ordering food at A1 up to holding a real conversation with native speakers at B2. Your tutor confirms where you are in your first lesson and tells you what comes next.
- A1Order a coffee, say who you are, ask for directions
- A2Get around on holiday, talk about your week
- B1Chat with your partner's family, follow a slow podcast
- B2Hold a real conversation, work in Spanish
Questions about spanish for travel
How many lessons do I need before a trip?
For the phrases above and simple exchanges, five to ten weekly lessons is a realistic target, which is why the 10-lesson pack ($400 online, $450 in person, valid for 6 months) suits a trip a few months away. Starting three months out gives time to practise between lessons. See pricing.
Is Spanish in Spain different from Latin America?
Yes, but not so much that you can't be understood in both. Spain uses vosotros for 'you all' and pronounces z and soft c like the English 'th'; Latin America uses ustedes and an 's' sound. Everyday words differ too: a car is a coche in Spain and a carro or auto in much of Latin America, and a bus ticket is a billete in Spain and a boleto in most of Latin America. Tell us where you are going and your tutor teaches that version.
Can I just use an app or a translator?
For signs and menus, a translator app is fine and worth having. For a conversation, it is slow and awkward, and it does nothing for understanding what people say back to you. Lessons are for the part apps don't cover: speaking out loud and following a reply at real speed.
Can I learn travel Spanish online from New Zealand?
Yes. Travel Spanish is almost entirely speaking and listening, which works well over video, and online lessons cover all of New Zealand. In Auckland and Wellington you can also meet a tutor in person. See online Spanish lessons.
I'm walking the Camino. Is that different?
Slightly. The Camino de Santiago is in Spain, so you learn Spain's Spanish: albergues (pilgrim hostels), asking about the route and the next town, ordering the pilgrim menu, and looking after your feet at the farmacia. Tell us when you book and your tutor plans around it.
What level will I reach?
Most travellers aim for A1 to A2: introducing yourself, handling everyday transactions and simple conversations. The levels page explains what each level means, and the free level test shows where you start if you learned some Spanish at school.
Also see: Private tutor, Online lessons, Beginners, Kids, NCEA Spanish, Evening classes, In-person classes, Conversation classes, Business Spanish, Intermediate & advanced, DELE exam preparation · Pricing