105 Essential Spanish Travel Phrases (with a Free Printable Cheat Sheet)

Here is a small secret about travelling in Spanish-speaking countries: you need far fewer words than you fear. A warm greeting, a way to ask the price, a polite request for the bill, and the phrase for "where is the bathroom" will carry you through most of a trip. Everything else is a bonus.

This is a working list of about 105 phrases, grouped by the moment you will actually reach for them. The border, the taxi, the cafe, the pharmacy. Each one comes with a rough pronunciation cue in italics, written the way an English speaker would sound it out. Skim it now, print the cheat sheet, and let the rest settle in gently over time.

A quick note on the cues: capital letters mark the stressed syllable, and Spanish vowels are pure and short. The Spanish "r" is tapped, a little like the middle of "butter" in American English. You do not need perfect. You need friendly and understandable, and those are much easier.

Greetings and simple courtesy

Start here. These are the phrases that change how strangers treat you, and they cost nothing to learn.

• Hola (hi) - OH-la
• Buenos días (good morning) - BWEH-nos DEE-as
• Buenas tardes (good afternoon) - BWEH-nas TAR-des
• Buenas noches (good evening / good night) - BWEH-nas NO-ches
• Por favor (please) - por fa-VOR
• Gracias (thank you) - GRA-see-as
• Muchas gracias (thank you very much) - MOO-chas GRA-see-as
• De nada (you're welcome) - deh NA-da
• Sí / No (yes / no) - see / no
• Perdón (sorry / excuse me) - pehr-DON
• Con permiso (excuse me, to pass by) - kon pehr-MEE-so
• Disculpe (excuse me, to get attention) - dis-KOOL-peh
• Lo siento (I'm sorry) - lo see-EN-to
• ¿Cómo está? (how are you? formal) - KO-mo es-TA
• Bien, gracias (well, thank you) - bee-EN GRA-see-as
• Adiós (goodbye) - ah-dee-OS
• Hasta luego (see you later) - AS-ta loo-EH-go
• Mucho gusto (nice to meet you) - MOO-cho GOO-sto

Two phrases worth memorising cold, because they rescue almost any conversation:

• ¿Habla inglés? (do you speak English?) - AH-bla in-GLES
• No hablo mucho español (I don't speak much Spanish) - no AH-blo MOO-cho es-pan-YOL

A trip does not reward the person with the most words, it rewards the one who greets people kindly and asks for help without apology.

At the airport and the border

Arrival is where nerves peak and where the vocabulary is, thankfully, very predictable. Officials ask the same handful of questions everywhere.

• Estoy de vacaciones (I'm on holiday) - es-TOY deh va-ka-see-OH-nes
• Estoy aquí por negocios (I'm here for business) - es-TOY a-KEE por neh-GO-see-os
• Me quedo una semana (I'm staying one week) - meh KEH-do OO-na seh-MA-na
• Aquí está mi pasaporte (here is my passport) - a-KEE es-TA mee pa-sa-POR-teh
• ¿Dónde está la aduana? (where is customs?) - DON-deh es-TA la a-DWA-na
• ¿Dónde recojo mi equipaje? (where do I collect my luggage?) - DON-deh reh-KO-ho mee eh-kee-PA-heh
• Mi maleta no llegó (my suitcase didn't arrive) - mee ma-LEH-ta no yeh-GO
• ¿Dónde está la parada de taxis? (where is the taxi rank?) - DON-deh es-TA la pa-RA-da deh TAK-sees
• Necesito wifi (I need wifi) - neh-seh-SEE-to WEE-fee
• ¿Hay un cajero automático? (is there an ATM?) - eye oon ka-HEH-ro ow-to-MA-tee-ko

Getting around: directions and transport

Once you are moving through a city, the same few structures repeat. Notice how many questions simply start with ¿Dónde está...? (where is...?). Learn that one opener and you can slot in almost any destination.

• ¿Dónde está...? (where is...?) - DON-deh es-TA
• ¿Dónde está el baño? (where is the bathroom?) - DON-deh es-TA el BAN-yo
• ¿Cómo llego a...? (how do I get to...?) - KO-mo YEH-go a
• A la derecha (to the right) - a la deh-REH-cha
• A la izquierda (to the left) - a la ees-kee-ER-da
• Todo recto (straight ahead) - TO-do REK-to
• Cerca / Lejos (near / far) - SER-ka / LEH-hos
• ¿Está cerca? (is it near?) - es-TA SER-ka
• Quiero ir a esta dirección (I want to go to this address) - kee-EH-ro eer a ES-ta dee-rek-see-ON
• Pare aquí, por favor (stop here, please) - PA-reh a-KEE por fa-VOR
• ¿Cuánto cuesta hasta el centro? (how much to the centre?) - KWAN-to KWES-ta AS-ta el SEN-tro
• Un billete a... (a ticket to...) - oon bee-YEH-teh a
• ¿A qué hora sale el tren? (what time does the train leave?) - a keh OH-ra SA-leh el tren
• ¿Este autobús va a...? (does this bus go to...?) - ES-teh ow-to-BOOS va a
• Estoy perdido / perdida (I'm lost) - es-TOY per-DEE-do / per-DEE-da

At the hotel

Checking in is friendly territory. Staff who deal with travellers all day are patient, and a warm buenas tardes goes a long way.

• Tengo una reserva (I have a reservation) - TEN-go OO-na reh-SER-va
• Una habitación para dos (a room for two) - OO-na a-bee-ta-see-ON PA-ra dos
• ¿Tiene una habitación libre? (do you have a free room?) - tee-EH-neh OO-na a-bee-ta-see-ON LEE-breh
• ¿A qué hora es el desayuno? (what time is breakfast?) - a keh OH-ra es el deh-sa-YOO-no
• ¿A qué hora es la salida? (what time is checkout?) - a keh OH-ra es la sa-LEE-da
• La llave, por favor (the key, please) - la YA-veh por fa-VOR
• No funciona el aire acondicionado (the air conditioning doesn't work) - no foon-see-OH-na el EYE-reh a-kon-dee-see-o-NA-do
• ¿Puede llamar un taxi? (can you call a taxi?) - PWEH-deh ya-MAR oon TAK-see
• ¿Puedo dejar mi equipaje aquí? (can I leave my luggage here?) - PWEH-do deh-HAR mee eh-kee-PA-heh a-KEE

Restaurant and cafe

This is where a trip becomes a pleasure, and where a little Spanish is most rewarded. Mealtimes in Spain run late, so do not panic if a kitchen is quiet at seven.

• Una mesa para dos (a table for two) - OO-na MEH-sa PA-ra dos
• La carta, por favor (the menu, please) - la KAR-ta por fa-VOR
• ¿Qué recomienda? (what do you recommend?) - keh reh-ko-mee-EN-da
• Para mí... (for me...) - PA-ra mee
• Quiero esto (I'll have this) - kee-EH-ro ES-to
• Una cerveza, por favor (a beer, please) - OO-na ser-VEH-sa por fa-VOR
• Una copa de vino tinto (a glass of red wine) - OO-na KO-pa deh VEE-no TEEN-to
• Agua con gas / sin gas (sparkling / still water) - AH-gwa kon gas / seen gas
• Un café con leche (a coffee with milk) - oon ka-FEH kon LEH-cheh
• Sin carne, por favor (no meat, please) - seen KAR-neh por fa-VOR
• Soy alérgico / alérgica a... (I'm allergic to...) - soy a-LEHR-hee-ko / a-LEHR-hee-ka a
• Está delicioso (it's delicious) - es-TA deh-lee-see-OH-so
• La cuenta, por favor (the bill, please) - la KWEN-ta por fa-VOR
• ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? (can I pay by card?) - PWEH-do pa-GAR kon tar-HEH-ta
• ¿Está incluida la propina? (is the tip included?) - es-TA in-kloo-EE-da la pro-PEE-na

Shopping and money

Markets, shops, and ticket counters all run on the same short exchange. The single most useful question of your whole trip lives here.

• ¿Cuánto cuesta? (how much is it?) - KWAN-to KWES-ta
• ¿Cuánto es? (how much is it, at the till?) - KWAN-to es
• Es muy caro (it's very expensive) - es mwee KA-ro
• ¿Tiene algo más barato? (do you have anything cheaper?) - tee-EH-neh AL-go mas ba-RA-to
• Solo estoy mirando (I'm just looking) - SO-lo es-TOY mee-RAN-do
• Me llevo esto (I'll take this) - meh YEH-vo ES-to
• ¿Acepta tarjeta? (do you take card?) - a-SEP-ta tar-HEH-ta
• En efectivo (in cash) - en eh-fek-TEE-vo
• ¿Me da un recibo? (may I have a receipt?) - meh da oon reh-SEE-bo
• ¿A qué hora cierran? (what time do you close?) - a keh OH-ra see-EH-ran

Numbers make prices painless. The essentials: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco (1 to 5), then diez (ten), veinte (twenty), cincuenta (fifty), and cien (one hundred). If a number blurs past you, just say escríbalo, por favor (es-KREE-ba-lo por fa-VOR), "write it down, please."

Pharmacy and emergencies

You will very likely never need this section, and that is exactly why it belongs on the card. The Spanish pharmacy, marked by a green cross, is a small marvel: pharmacists give real advice for minor complaints, and you can often skip the doctor entirely.

• Necesito una farmacia (I need a pharmacy) - neh-seh-SEE-to OO-na far-MA-see-a
• Me siento mal (I feel unwell) - meh see-EN-to mal
• Me duele aquí (it hurts here) - meh DWEH-leh a-KEE
• Me duele la cabeza (I have a headache) - meh DWEH-leh la ka-BEH-sa
• Necesito algo para el dolor (I need something for pain) - neh-seh-SEE-to AL-go PA-ra el do-LOR
• ¿Necesito receta? (do I need a prescription?) - neh-seh-SEE-to reh-SEH-ta
• Llame a un médico (call a doctor) - YA-meh a oon MEH-dee-ko
• Llame a una ambulancia (call an ambulance) - YA-meh a OO-na am-boo-LAN-see-a
• Es una emergencia (it's an emergency) - es OO-na eh-mer-HEN-see-a
• Ayuda (help) - a-YOO-da
• He perdido mi pasaporte (I've lost my passport) - eh per-DEE-do mee pa-sa-POR-teh
• ¿Dónde está el hospital? (where is the hospital?) - DON-deh es-TA el os-pee-TAL

The general emergency number across Spain and the wider EU is 112. Worth saving before you fly.

A few Spain versus Latin America differences

Your phrases will work across the Spanish-speaking world, but a handful of small things shift depending on where you land. None of them will strand you.

• You (plural). In Spain, casual "you all" is vosotros. Across Latin America it is ustedes for everyone. If in doubt, ustedes is understood everywhere.
• The lisp that isn't. In much of Spain, "c" (before e/i) and "z" sound like the "th" in "think," so gracias leans towards GRA-thee-as. In Latin America it is a plain "s." Both are correct.
• Coffee. A café con leche is universal, but Spain's café solo (an espresso) is a tinto in Colombia, which elsewhere means red wine. When unsure, point.
• Cash words. "Money" is dinero everywhere, but slang varies wildly (pasta in Spain, plata in much of Latin America). Stick to dinero and you are always clear.
• Getting attention. Disculpe works everywhere to flag a waiter or passerby. It is polite, neutral, and never wrong.

Print it, then let it settle

The fastest way to make these stick is not to cram. Print the one-page cheat sheet, tuck it in your bag, and glance at it while you wait for coffee. The phrases you use will lodge themselves in a day or two, entirely without effort.

If a few of them start to feel like old friends and you find yourself wanting more, travel vocabulary happens to be the gentlest possible on-ramp to a light, no-pressure flashcard habit. A handful of cards a day, reviewed when the app knows you are about to forget, is enough to keep a language quietly growing between trips. That is the whole idea behind Sojourna: a few calm minutes, no streaks to protect, no guilt if you miss a day. If that sounds like your pace, you can start free and bring your first ten phrases with you.

For now, though, you already have enough. Print the card, say hola with a smile, and enjoy the trip. It really is easier than you fear.