Basic Spanish Words & Travel Phrases

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Basic Spanish words and travel phrases
Basic Spanish words and travel phrases for Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

During our own trips to Mexico I’ve compiled a list of basic Spanish words and travel phrases that I’ve personally found to be the most helpful in a variety of situations. With just a little time and effort these basic Spanish words can be memorized quickly and easily. And if you feel more comfortable having a cheat sheet with you on your trip, just print out the chart below and take it with you to Puerto Vallarta. You’ll find that using some basic Spanish words will greatly enhance your interaction with locals in town, employees at your hotel, and with tour providers. Although Puerto Vallarta is a tourist town where visitors can get by with only English, knowing some basic Spanish travel phrases will be quite helpful when dining at restaurants and when communicating with taxi drivers and bus drivers. These basic Spanish words will also come in very handy when shopping, bargaining with beach vendors, and when you’re out and about walking the safe and beautiful streets of Puerto Vallarta.

Another great language tool for your upcoming trip is a downloadable Spanish translation app (Google Translate) for your cell phone. You can translate using speech, camera (e.g., taking a photo of a menu in Spanish and the words are translated into English), handwriting and while off-line. At various times when my Spanish-speaking husband is not with me and I’ve been in a pinch, I’m happy to report that I’ve used this app with much success!

Most travelers quickly find that mastering and using just a few basic Spanish words and travel phrases on their vacations in Spanish-speaking countries really adds warmth and zest to their cultural experiences. When traveling internationally, bridging the language gap is rewarding, enjoyable and fun. And it’s a great way to make new friends!

BASIC SPANISH WORDS AND TRAVEL PHRASES

GREETINGS

BASIC PHRASES

Hello

Hola

Hello, my name is_________

Hola, me llamo___________

Good afternoon

Buenas tardes

It’s nice to meet you

Mucho gusto de conocerlo

Good evening

Buenas noches

What’s your name? 

¿Cómo te llamas?

Goodbye

Adiós

I’m from Canada

Soy de Canadá

Welcome

Bienvenido

I’m from the United States

Soy Americano

Welcome to Puerto Vallarta!

Bienvenidos a Puerto Vallarta!

I don’t speak Spanish

No hablo Español

BASIC VOCABULARY FOR DINING

I only speak a little Spanish

Hablo poquito (or: Solo hablo poquito Español)

Water

Agua

I don’t understand

No entiendo

Sparkling (carbonated) water

Agua con gas

Let’s go

Vámonos

Water without carbonation

Agua sin gas

OUT AND ABOUT

Bottled water

Una botella de agua

Shopping

Ir de compras

Breakfast

Desayuno

Market

Mercado

Lunch

Almuerzo

Jewelry

Joyería

Dinner

Cena

Silver jewelry

Joyería de plata

Appetizer

Aperitivo

Is it real

¿Es real?

Salad

Ensalada

Is it genuine 925 sterling silver? 

¿Es plata genuina de 925?

Soup

Sopa

How much?

¿Cuánto cuesta?

Dessert

Postre

What’s the price? 

¿Cuál es el precio?

I’m hungry

Tengo hambre

That’s expensive

Eso es caro

I want to eat

Quiero comer

That costs way too much

Eso cuesta demasiado

Meal

Comida

That’s cheap

Eso es barato

The menu

El menú

Do you have it in another color? 

¿Lo tienes en otro color?

I’m thirsty

Tengo sed

I love it! 

¡Me encanta!

I want to drink

Quiero beber

It’s perfect! 

¡Es perfecto!

Drink (beverage)

La bebida

Do you take credit cards? 

¿Aceptas tarjetas de crédito?

Cool drink

Refresco

Where’s the restroom?

¿Dónde está el baño?

Cool or cold

Frio

Taxi

Taxi

Ice

Hielo

Bus

Autobús

Hot (temperature)

Caliente

Car

Coche

Coffee

Café

Where’s the bus stop?

¿Dónde para el autobús?

Tea

Te

Parking

Estacionamiento

Milk

Leche

What time is it? 

¿Qué hora es?

Juice

Jugo

One minute, please

Un momento, por favor

Fruit

Fruta

Where is _____________? 

¿Dónde está ____________?

Meat

Carne

Is that near here? 

Esta cerca de aquí

Chicken

Pollo

Is it far? 

¿Está lejos?

Fish

Pescado

Left

Izquierda

Seafood

Mariscos

Turn left

Vira a la izquierda

Shrimp

Camarón

Right

Derecho

Lobster

Langosta

Turn right

Vira a la derecha

Fried

Frito

Straight

Derecho

Grilled

A la parrilla

Continue straight

Sigue derecho

Spicy hot

Picante

Continue forward

Sigue adelante

Bread

Pan

Turn around

Date vuelta

Butter

Mantequilla

Look over there

Mira allá

Potato

Papa

There it is

Allá esta

Rice

Arroz

Here

Aquí

Beans

Frijoles

North

Norte

Cheese

Queso

South

Sur

Eggs

Huevos

East

Este

Veggies

Verduras

BASIC COMMUNICATION

Vegetarian

Vegetariano

Yes

Waiter

Camarero

Yes, thank you

Sí, gracias

Fork

Tenedor

No

No

Knife

Cuchillo

No, thank you

No, gracias

Spoon

Cuchara

Please

Por favor

Napkin

Servilleta

Thank you

Gracias

Salt

Sal

Thank you very much

Muchas Gracias

Pepper

Pimienta

Excuse me

Disculpa

Sugar

Azúcar

Pardon me

Perdón

The bill, please

La cuenta, por favor

What’s happening

¿Qué pasa?

Tip

Propina

How beautiful

Qué  linda

HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR BASIC SPANISH WORDS & TRAVEL PHRASES

Learn Spanish, Feel Good:  Basic Spanish Words / Travel Spanish

Spanish Phrasebook: Basic Spanish Words and Useful Phrases