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Spanish phrasebook

From Wikitravel

Contents

• [+] Pronunciation Guide
  • Vowels
  • Consonants
  • Diphthongs
  • Accents and stress
• [+] Phrase list
  • Basics
  • Problems
  • Numbers
  • [+] Time
    • Clock time
    • Writing Time
    • Duration
    • Days
    • Months
    • Writing Dates
  • Colors
  • [+] Transportation
    • Bus and Train
    • Taxi
  • Lodging
  • Money
  • Eating
  • Bars
  • Shopping
  • Driving
  • Authority

Spanish (castellano or español) is the third most-spoken language in the world. Originating in Spain where it is also known as Castilian, and spoken by most residents there, with slightly different pronunciation from the rest of the world's Spanish speakers, as well as a few minimal vocabulary differences.

It is also spoken in Mexico and all of Central and South America except Belize, Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname. In the Caribbean, Spanish is also spoken in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Although the Philippines and Guam are former Spanish colonies, relatively few learned how to speak Spanish, and even fewer do so today. See the Filipino phrasebook and Chamorro (Guam, etc.) phrasebook. Spanish is a first language for many people in the United States, especially in California, Texas, South Florida, and elsewhere the Southwest.

A Western Romance language, Spanish is closely related to and at least partially mutually intelligible with the other romance languages, such as Portuguese, Catalan, French, Italian and Romanian. English and Spanish share variants of approximately one third of their words (via Latin), although the pronunciation tends to be very different.

[edit] Pronunciation Guide

Spanish spelling has the pleasant characteristic of being very phonetic, with only a few clearly-defined exceptions. This means that if you know how to pronounce the letters of a word, it's relatively easy to sound out the word itself.

Besides having a very small number of vowel sounds and a high predictablity of exactly what sound is represented by each letter, Spanish has a very clear set of rules about where a stress normally falls, and exceptions are noted with an "acute accent mark" ("´") over the vowel of the stressed syllable. Normally, words that end in a vowel, or in n or s, have the stress on the next-to-last syllable (muchacho = "mu-CHA-cho"); all other words without an explicit accent mark are stressed on the final syllable (hospital = "os-pee-TAL"). There are no secondary stresses within words. We need to remember that English speaking people tend to drag out the letters especially the vowels. There are NO long vowels in Spanish, plus there is no 'ay' sound in the Spanish 'e' since its short like the 'e' in 'met.'

[edit] Vowels

a 

like 'a' in "father".

e 

like 'a' in "date".

i 

like 'ee' in "see".

o 

like 'o' in "over".

u 

like 'oo' in "hoop".

y 

like 'ee' in "see".

[edit] Consonants

b 

like 'b' in "bed" (but no aspiration) at the beginning of a word and after 'm': boca. A soft vibration sound almost like English 'v' elsewhere. See v below.

c 

follows the same pronunciation pattern as in English. In most cases it is pronounced like 'k' in "kid": calle, doctor. When followed by 'e' or 'i', it is like 's' in "supper" (Latin America) or 'th' in "thin" (Spain): cine.

ch 

like 'ch' in "touch": muchacho

d 

like 'd' in "dog" at the beginning of a word; like 'th' is "this" between vowels: dedo, pronounced "De-tho"

f 

like 'f' in "fine": faro

g 

when followed by 'e' or 'i', like a throaty 'h' (general = heh-neh-RAHL), otherwise like 'g' in "go" (gato). In the clusters "gue" and "gui", the 'u' serves only to change the sound of the consonant and is silent (guitarra), unless it bears a diaeresis, as in "güe" and "güi" (pedigüeño).

gu, gü 

like 'Gu' in McGuire or 'w' in "wire" (agua, agüita)

h 

silent: hora= OR-ah

j 

like a throaty 'h' in "ha": jamón

k 

like 'k' in "kid": kilo The letter K is only used in foreign/imported words (karate, kilo, etc.).

l 

like 'l' in "love": lápiz

ll 

like 'y' in "year": llamar

m 

like 'm' in "mother": mano

n 

like 'n' in "nice", and like 'n' in "anchor": noche, ancla

ñ 

like 'ny' in "canyon": cañón, piñata

p 

like 'p' in "pig": perro

q 

like 'q' in "quiche" (always with a silent "u"): queso, pronounced KAY-so

r, rr 

Spanish has two 'r' sounds both of which are different from their counterpart in English. Some effort should be made to approximate each of them, to help listeners distinguish between perro ("dog") and pero ("but")... or perhaps to understand you at all:


single r: This sound is created by putting the tip of the tongue up against where the front of the roof of the mouth meets the upper teeth, very similar to the action English speakers make to pronounce l or d. To an English-speaking ear, it may sound a bit like a combined "d-r". Take care to pronounce r separately when it follows a consonant; a blended English tr will not be recognized in the Spanish word otro ("other"), which should be pronouced more like "OHT-roh".
rolled r: Written "r" at the beginning of the word, or "rr" between vowels (cerro). It's a multiply vibrating sound. Whereas most English speakers can learn to tap out a single r, many adults learning Spanish find this sound impossible to produce; in this case, pronouncing it like a Spanish r or fumbling out a d-r will be better understood than pronouncing it like a long English r.

s 

like 'ss' in "hiss": sopa; in Spain, it is often pronounced like a soft "sh" at the end of a word or syllable.

t 

like 't' in "top": tapa

v 

like 'b' in "bed" (but no aspiration) at the beginning of a word and after 'm': vaca, pronounced BAH-kah. A soft vibration sound almost like English 'v' elsewhere. To distinguish v from b when spelling, one says "vay chica" or "bay grande" to indicate which; native Spanish speakers may not hear the difference between "vee" and "bee".

w 

like 'w' in "weight" in English words, whisky, pronounced "WEESS-kee"). Like 'b' in "bed" in Germanic words.

x 

like 'x' in "flexible" (flexible). Like 'ss' in "hiss" at beginning of a word (xilófono). Like a throaty 'h' in the words México, mexicano, Oaxaca, and oaxaqueño.

y 

like 'y' in "yes": payaso. Like 'y' in "boy": hoy. At the beginning of the word, it will sometimes be pronounced more like an English 'j': yo no se, pronounced "joh noh say".

z 

like 's' in "supper" (Latin America), like 'th' in "thin" (Spain): zorro. See c above.

[edit] Diphthongs

Most diphthongs can be approximated by blending the first vowel into the second in a single syllable.

ai, ay 

like 'eye': baile

au 

like 'ow' in "cow": causa

ei, ey 

like 'ay' in "say": reina, rey.

eu 

pronounced 'eh-oo': euro = "eh-OO-roh"

ia 

like 'ya' in "Kenya": piano

ie 

like 'ye' in "yes": pie = "pyeh"

io 

like 'yo': dio

iu 

like 'ew' in "few": ciudad = "see-you-THAHD"

oi, oy 

like 'oy' in "boy": soy

ua 

like 'wa' in "wallet": cuatro

ue 

like 'we' in "well": puedo

ui, uy 

like 'wee' in "ween": ruido

ui 

like 'ooy': cuido = "coo-wee-dough"

uo 

like "wa" in "water": averiguo

[edit] Accents and stress

Word stress can affect the meaning of the word and generally follows these rules:


If a word is marked with an accent, then that syllable receives the stress.

Additionally, if the accent marks a diphthong a syllable break occurs between the two vowels of the diphthong.

If a word is NOT marked with an accent, then

if the word ends in a consonant other than N or S, the stress occurs on the last syllable.
if the word ends in a vowel, N or S, the stress occurs on the next to last syllable.

Examples: (1st pronunciation: Spanish; 2nd pronunciation: Latin America; when there is only one, it's common)

círculo (THEER-koo-loh/SEER-koo-loh) → circle

circulo (theer-KOO-loh/seer-KOO-loh) → I circulate

circuló (theer-koo-LOH/seer-koo-LOH) → he/she/it circulated

estás (ehss-TAHSS) → you are

estas (EHSS-tahss) → these

origen (oh-REE-hehn) → origin

orígenes (oh-REE-hehn-ehss) → origins

ciudad (thyew-DAHD/syew-DAHD) → city

ciudades (thyew-DAHD-dehss/syew-DAH-dehss) → cities

An accent can also be used to differentiate between words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings:

él (he) el (the)

té (tea) te (you) (ex: I can't see you)

tú (you) (ex: you want to go there) tu (your)

mí (me) mi(my)

dé (I give or he/she/it give; but in present of subjunctive) de (of)

sí (yes) si (if)

se (a pronoun; difficult to explain here) sé (I know or be imperative of the verb "to be", spoken to the second person of singular)

más (more/plus) mas (but)

[edit] Phrase list

Note: For the most part, these examples give Latin American pronunciation, not Spanish.

[edit] Basics

Hello/Hi (informal)

Hola (OH-lah)

How are you? (informal)

¿Cómo estás? (KOH-moh ehss-TAHSS?)

How are you? (formal)

¿Cómo está usted? (KOH-mo ehss-TAH oos-TEHD?)

Fine, thank you

Muy bien, gracias. (MOOEY BYEHN, GRAH-thyahss)

What is your name?

¿Cómo te llamas? (KOH-moh TEH YAH-mahss?) (informal); ¿Cómo se llama usted? (KOH-moh SEH YAH-mah ooss-TEHD?) (formal)

Who are you? (informal)

¿Quién eres? (KIEN EH-rehss?)

Who are you? (formal)

¿Quién es usted? (KIEN EHSS oos-TEHD?)

My name is ______

Me llamo ______ (MEH YAH-moh _____ )

I am ______

Yo soy ______ (YO SOY ______)

Nice to meet you

Encantado/a (ehn-kahn-TAH-doh/ehn-kahn-TAH-dah)

It's a pleasure to meet you

Mucho gusto. (MOO-choh GOOST-oh)

Please

Por favor (POHR fah-BOHR)

Thank you

Gracias (GRAH-thyahss)

You're welcome

De nada (DEH NAH-dah)

Yes

Sí (SEE)

No

No (NOH)

Excuse me (getting attention)

Disculpe (dees-KOOL-peh)

Excuse me (begging pardon)

Perdón (pehr-DOHN)

I'm sorry

Lo siento (LOH SYEHN-toh)

Goodbye

Adiós (ah-DYOHSS) / Hasta luego (AHS-tah LWEH-goh)

I can't speak Spanish (well)

No hablo (bien) español (NOH AH-bloh (BYEHN) ehs-pah-NYOL)

Do you speak English? (informal)

¿Hablas inglés? (AH-blahss een-GLEHSS?)

Do you speak English? (formal)

¿Habla usted inglés? (AH-blah oos-TEHD een-GLEHSS?)

Is there someone here who speaks English? 

¿Hay alguien que hable inglés? (HAHEE AHL-gyen KEH AH-bleh een-GLEHSS?)

Help!

¡Ayuda! (ah-YOO-dah!) / ¡Socorro! (soh-KOH-roh!)

Good morning

Buenos días (BWEH-nohss DEE-ahss)

Good afternoon / Good evening

Buenas tardes (BWEH-nahss TAR-dehss)

Good evening / Good night

Buenas noches (BWEH-nahss NOH-chehss)

I don't understand

No entiendo (NOH ehn-TYEHN-doh)

Where is the toilet?

¿Dónde está el baño? (DOHN-deh ehss-TAH EHL BAH-nyoh?)

[edit] Problems

Leave me alone. 

Déjame en paz. (DEH-hah-meh ehn PAHS)

Don't touch me! 

¡No me toques! (noh meh TOH-kehs!)

I'll call the police. 

Llamaré a la policía. (yah-mah-REH ah lah poh-lee-SEE_ah)

Police! 

¡Policía! (poh-lee-SEE_ah!)

Stop! Thief! 

¡Alto, ladrón! (AHL-toh, lah-DROHN!)

I need help. 

Necesito ayuda. (neh-seh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah)

It's an emergency. 

Es una emergencia. (ehs oo-nah eh-mehr-HEHN-syah)

I'm lost. 

Estoy perdido/a (ehs-TOY pehr-DEE-doh/dah)

I lost my purse/handbag. 

Perdí mi bolsa/bolso/cartera. (pehr-DEE mee BOHL-sah / BOHL-soh / kahr-TEH-rah)

I lost my wallet. 

Perdí mi cartera/billetera. (pehr-DEE mee kahr-TEH-rah / bee-yeh-TEH-rah)

I'm sick. 

Estoy enfermo/a. (ehs-TOY ehn-FEHR-moh/mah)

I've been injured. 

Estoy herido/a. (ehs-TOY heh-REE-doh/dah)

I need a doctor. 

Necesito un medico. (neh-seh-SEE-toh OON MEH-thee-coh)

Can I use your phone? 

¿Puedo usar su teléfono? (PWEH-doh oo-SAHR soo teh-LEH-foh-noh?)

Can I borrow your cell phone? 

¿Me presta su celular? ((meh PREHS-tah soo seh-LOO-lahr?) (Latin America) ¿Me presta su móvil? ((meh PREHS-tah soo MOH-beel?) (Spain)

[edit] Numbers

0 

cero (SEH-roh)

1 

uno (OO-noh)

2 

dos (dohss)

3 

tres (trehss)

4 

cuatro (KWAH-troh)

5 

cinco (SEEN-koh)

6 

seis (SEH_ees)

7 

siete (see_EH-teh)

8 

ocho (OH-choh)

9 

nueve (noo_EH-beh)

10 

diez (dee_EHSS)

11 

once (OHN-seh)

12 

doce (DOH-seh)

13 

trece (TREH-seh)

14 

catorce (kah-TOHR-seh)

15 

quince (KEEN-seh)

16 

dieciséis (dee_EH-see-SEH_ees)

17 

diecisiete (dee_EH-see-see_EH-teh)

18 

dieciocho (dee_EH-see_OH-choh)

19 

diecinueve (dee_EH-see-NOO_EH-beh)

20 

veinte (VAIN-teh)

21 

veintiuno (VAIN-tee-OO-noh)

22 

veintidós (VAIN-tee-DOHSS)

23 

veintitrés (VAIN-tee-TREHSS)

30 

treinta (TRAIN-tah)

40 

cuarenta (kwah-REHN-tah)

50 

cincuenta (seen-KWEHN-tah)

60 

sesenta (seh-SEHN-tah)

70 

setenta (seh-TEHN-tah)

80 

ochenta (oh-CHEHN-tah)

90 

noventa (noh-BEHN-tah)

100 

cien (see-EHN)

200 

doscientos (dohs-see-EHN-tohss)

300 

trescientos (trehs-see-EHN-tohss)

500 

quinientos (kee-nee-EHN-tohss)

1000 

mil (MEEL)

2000 

dos mil (dohss MEEL)

1,000,000 

un millón (oon mee-JOHN)

1,000,000,000 

mil millones (Spain/Mexico); un billón (oon bee-JOHN, Latin America)

1,000,000,000,000 

un billón (Spain/Mexico); un trillón (oon tree-JOHN, Latin America)

half 

medio (MEH-dee-oh)

less 

menos (MEH-nohss)

more 

más (MAHSS)

[edit] Time

now 

ahora (ah-OH-rah)

later 

después (dehs-PWEHS)

before 

antes (ahn-TEHS)

morning 

mañana (mah-NYAH-nah)

afternoon 

tarde (TAHR-deh)

night 

noche (NOH-cheh)

[edit] Clock time

one o'clock AM 

la una de la madrugada; la una de la mañana (lah OOH-nah deh lah mah-droo-GAH dah; lah OOH-nah deh lah mah-NYAH-nah)

two o'clock AM 

las dos de la madrugada; las dos de la mañana (lahs DOHS deh lah mah-droo-GAH dah; lahss DOHS deh lah mah-NYAH-nah)

ten o'clock AM 

las diez de la mañana (lahs dee-EHS deh lah mah-NYAH-nah)

noon 

mediodía; las doce de la mañana (lahs DOH-seh deh lah mah-NYAH-nah)

one o'clock PM 

la una de la tarde (lah OOH-nah deh lah TAHR-deh)

two o'clock PM 

las dos de la tarde (lahs DOHS deh lah TAHR-deh)

ten o'clock PM 

las diez de la noche (lahs dee-EHS deh lah NOH-cheh)

midnight 

medianoche; las doce de la noche (meh-dee-yah-NOH-cheh ; lahs DOH-seh deh lah NOH-cheh)

[edit] Writing Time

When speaking, times are given in AM/PM form (but saying de la mañana (morning), de la tarde (afternoon), de la noche (evening/night) or de la madrugada (late night) to distinguish between AM and PM. On the other hand, in most countries times are rendered in 24-hour format, with a colon separating hours and minutes:

9 o'clock AM 

nueve de la mañana (spoken: NWEH-beh deh la mah-NYAH-nah), 9:00 (written)

12:30 PM 

doce y media de la mañana (spoken: DOH-seh ee MEH-dee-ah deh la mah-NYAH-nah), 12:30 (written)

1 o'clock PM 

una de la tarde (spoken: OOH-nah deh lah TAHR-deh), 13:00 (written)

10 o'clock PM 

diez de la noche (spoken: dee-EHS deh la NOH-cheh), 22:00 (written)

2 o'clock AM 

dos de la madrugada or dos de la mañana (spoken: DOHS deh la mah-droo-GAH-dah or DOHS deh la mah-NYAH-nah), 2:00 (written)

[edit] Duration

_____ minute(s) 

_____ minuto(s) (mee-NOO-toh(s))

_____ hour(s) 

_____ hora(s) (OH-rah(s))

_____ day(s) 

_____ día(s) (DEE-ah(s))

_____ week(s) 

_____ semana(s) (seh-MAH-nah(s))

_____ month(s) 

_____ mes(es) (MEHS-(ehs))

_____ year(s) 

_____ año(s) (AH-nyoh(s))

[edit] Days

today 

hoy (OH-ee)

yesterday 

ayer (aah-JEHR)

tomorrow 

mañana (surely you know how to pronounce this word: mah-NYAH-nah)

this week 

esta semana (EHS-tah seh-MAH-nah)

last week 

la semana pasada (lah seh-MAH-nah pah-SAH-dah)

next week 

la semana que viene (lah seh-MAH-nah keh vee-EH-neh)

Monday 

lunes (LOOH-nehss)

Tuesday 

martes (MAHR-tehss)

Wednesday 

miércoles (mee-EHR-coh-lehss)

Thursday 

jueves (HOO-EH-behss)

Friday 

viernes (vee-EHR-nehss)

Saturday 

sábado (SAH-bah-doh)

Sunday 

domingo (doh-MEEN-goh)

The week begins on Mondays.

[edit] Months

January 

enero (eh-NEH-roh)

February 

febrero (feh-BREH-roh)

March 

marzo (MAR-thoh)

April 

abril (ah-BREEL)

May 

mayo (MAH-joh)

June 

junio (HOO-nee-oh)

July 

julio (HOO-lee-oh)

August 

agosto (aah-GUS-toh)

September 

septiembre (sep-TEE-EHM-breh)

October 

octubre (ok-TOO-breh)

November 

noviembre (no-VEE-EHM-breh)

December 

diciembre (dee-CEE-EHM-breh)

[edit] Writing Dates

Dates are given in day-month-year form. All spoken and written, long and short forms follow this pattern:

May 7th, 2003 

7 de mayo del 2003

October 23rd, 1997 

23 de octubre del 1997

Day-month constructions (4 de julio, for example) are not usually abbreviated. In the rare cases that an abbreviation is used, the number of the month is not used, but its initial letter is. Usual examples are:

23-F 

23 de febrero, date of a failed coup d'état in Spain (1981)

11-S 

11 de septiembre, date of the attack to the Twin Towers (2001) (and of the Chilean coup in 1973).

[edit] Colors

black 

negro (NEH-groh)

white 

blanco (BLAHN-koh)

gray 

gris (GREESS)

red 

rojo (ROH-hoh)

blue 

azul (ah-SOOL)

yellow 

amarillo (ah-mah-REE-joh)

green 

verde (BEHR-deh)

orange 

naranja (nah-RAHN-hah), anaranjado (ah-nah-rahn-HA-doh)

purple 

púrpura (POOR-poo-rah) , morado (moh-RAH-doh), violeta (vee-oh-LEH-tah)

brown 

marrón (mah-RROHN) (it should be noted "marrón" is used to describe color of objects) , café (kah-FEH) (used mostly for skin color, clothing and fabric), castaño (kahss-TAH-nyo) (is used primarily for skin color, eye color and hair color).

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Bus and Train

How much is a ticket to _____? 

¿Cuánto cuesta un boleto/pasaje a _____? (KwAHntoh kwEHSta oon bohLEHtoh ah ___)

One ticket to _____, please. 

Un boleto/pasaje a _____, por favor. (Oon bohLEHtoh ah _______, pour FAHvor.)

Where does this train/bus go? 

¿A donde va este tren/autobús?

Where is the train/bus to _____? 

¿Donde está el tren/autobús hacia _____?

Does this train/bus stop in _____? 

¿Para este tren/autobús en _____?

When does the train/bus for _____ leave? 

¿Cuando marcha/parte/sale el tren/autobús hacia _____ ?

When will this train/bus arrive in _____? 

¿Cuando llegará este tren/autobús a _____?

How do I get to _____ ? 

¿Cómo puedo llegar a _____ ?

...the train station? 

...la estación de tren?

...the bus station? 

...la estación de autobuses?

...the airport? 

...al aeropuerto?

...downtown? 

...al centro?

...the youth hostel? 

...al hostal?

...the _____ hotel? 

...el hotel _____ ?

...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? 

...el consulado de Estados Unidos/ Canadiense/Australiano/Británico/?

Where are there a lot of... 

¿Dónde hay muchos...

...hotels? 

...hoteles?

...restaurants? 

...restaurantes?

...bars? 

...bares?

...sites to see? 

...sitios para visitar?

Can you show me on the map? 

¿Puede enseñarme/mostrarme en el plano?

street 

calle (CAH Yeh)

Turn left. 

Gire/doble/da vuelta a la izquierda.

Turn right. 

Gire/doble/da vuelta a la derecha.

left 

izquierda

right 

derecha

straight ahead 

recto adelante , sigue derecho

towards the _____ 

hacia el/la_____

past the _____ 

pasado el/la _____

before the _____ 

antes de _____

Watch for the _____. 

busque el/la _____.

intersection 

intersección , cruce

north 

norte

south 

sur

east 

este

west 

oeste

uphill 

hacia arriba

downhill 

hacia abajo

[edit] Taxi

Taxi! 

¡Taxi!

Take me to _____, please. 

Lléveme a _____, por favor.

How much does it cost to get to _____? 

¿Cuanto cuesta ir hasta/a _____?

Leave me there, please. 

Déjeme ahí, por favor.

[edit] Lodging

Do you have any rooms available? 

¿Hay habitaciones libres?

How much is a room for one person/two people? 

¿Cuanto cuesta una habitación para una persona/para dos personas?

Does the room come with... 

¿Tiene la habitación...

...bedsheets? 

...sábanas?

...a bathroom? 

...baño?

...a telephone? 

...teléfono?

...a TV? 

...televisión?

May I see the room first? 

¿Puedo ver la habitación primero?

Do you have anything quieter? 

¿Tiene algo un poco más tranquilo?

...bigger? 

...más grande?

...cleaner? 

...más limpio?

...cheaper? 

...más barato?

OK, I'll take it. 

Muy bien, la tomaré.

I will stay for _____ night(s). 

Me quedaré ______ noches(s).

Can you suggest other hotels? 

¿Puede recomendarme otros hoteles?

Do you have a safe? 

¿Hay caja fuerte?

...lockers? 

...taquillas? ; casilleros

Is breakfast/supper included? 

¿El desayuno/la cena va incluido/a?

What time is breakfast/supper? 

¿A qué hora es el desayuno/la cena?

Please clean my room. 

Por favor, limpie mi habitación.

Can you wake me at _____? 

¿Puede despertarme a las _____?

I want to check out. 

Quiero dejar el hotel.

[edit] Money

Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? 

¿Aceptan dólares estadounidenses/australianos/candienses?

Do you accept British pounds? 

¿Aceptan libras esterlinas? (same)

Do you accept euros? 

¿Aceptan euros?

Do you accept credit cards? 

¿Aceptan tarjeta de crédito?

Can you change money for me? 

¿Me puede cambiar dinero?

Where can I get money changed? 

¿Dónde puedo cambiar dinero?

Can you change a traveler's check for me? 

¿Me puede cambiar cheques de viajero?

Where can I get a traveler's check changed? 

¿Dónde me pueden cambiar cheques de viajero?

What is the exchange rate? 

¿A cuánto está el cambio?

Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? 

¿Dónde hay un cajero automático?

[edit] Eating

A table for one person/two people, please. 

Una mesa para una persona/dos personas, por favor. (OO-nah MAY-sah pah-rah OO-nah pehr-SOH-nah / dohss pehr-SOH-nahs pohr fah- BOHR)

Can I look at the menu, please? 

¿Puedo ver el menú, por favor? (PWAY-doh behr ehl meh-NOO pohr fah-BOHR?)

Can I look in the kitchen? 

¿Puedo entrar a la cocina?

Is there a house specialty? 

¿Hay alguna especialidad de la casa?

Is there a local specialty? 

¿Hay alguna especialidad regional/de la zona?

I'm a vegetarian. 

Soy vegetariano/a.

I don't eat pork. 

No como cerdo.

I only eat kosher food. 

Sólo como comida kosher. (In a restaurant they will stare at you, since "kosher" is as Spanish as "empanada" is English.)

Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) 

¿Puede poner poca aceite/poca mantequilla/poca grasa?

fixed-price meal 

menú del día

à la carte 

a la carta

breakfast 

desayuno

lunch 

comida (Spain, Mexico), almuerzo (South America)

supper 

cena (everywhere)

I want _____. 

Quiero _____.

I want a dish containing _____. 

Quisiera un plato que lleve _____.

chicken 

pollo. (POH-yoh)

beef 

ternera (tehr-NEH-rah), vacuno (bah-KOO-noh), res (rehss)

fish 

pescado (pehs-KAH-doh)

ham 

jamón (hah-MOHN)

sausage 

salchicha (sahl-CHEE-chah), vienesa (byeh-NAY-sah)

cheese 

queso

eggs 

huevos

salad 

ensalada

(fresh) vegetables 

verdura (fresca)

(fresh) fruit 

fruta (fresca)

bread 

pan

toast 

tostada

noodles 

fideos

rice 

arroz

beans 

alubias , porotos, frijoles, judías, habichuelas

May I have a glass of _____? 

¿Me puede poner/traer un vaso de _____?

May I have a cup of _____? 

¿Me puede poner/traer una taza de _____?

May I have a bottle of _____? 

¿Me puede poner/traer una botella de _____?

coffee 

café

tea (drink) 

té

juice 

zumo , jugo

water 

agua

(bubbly) water 

agua con gas (if you say agua, if you ask at the bar, it will be tap water (for free), at the table it is normally bottled); Agua mineral is bottled water

beer 

cerveza

red/white wine 

vino tinto/blanco

May I have some _____? 

¿Me puede dar un poco de _____?

salt 

sal

black pepper 

pimienta

butter 

mantequilla , manteca (in Argentina)

Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server')

¡camarero! (Spain), ¡mesero! (Latin America), ¡mozo! (Argentina)

I'm finished. 

He acabado, terminé (The first phrase can refer to the finishing of a completely unrelated physiological activity)

It was delicious. 

Estaba delicioso/muy bueno/muy rico (Arg.).

Please clear the plates. 

Puede llevarse los platos.

The check, please. 

La cuenta, por favor.

Note that you must ask for the bill. A gringo was known to have waited until 2 in the morning because he was too shy to ask :).

[edit] Bars

Do you serve alcohol? 

¿Hay alcohol?

Is there table service? 

¿Hay servicio a la mesa?

A beer/two beers, please. 

Una cerveza/dos cervezas, por favor.

A glass of red/white wine. 

Un vaso de vino tinto/blanco.

A pint (of beer) 

Una jarra de cerveza (normally it will be half a liter, not really a pint, but the size is similar); In Chile or Argentina un schop might be anywhere from 300cc to one liter, in Spain the common is a caña which is 20 cl in a tube glass, also you can ask for un quinto (20 cl bottle) or un tercio (33 cl bottle)

A glass of draft beer 

Un schop (oon SHOHP) (Only in Chile and Argentina), in Spain you can ask for Cerveza negra, not very common in spanish Bares, but easy to find in Pubs (Pub=small club where just drinks are served).

_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer). 

_____ con _____. In Spain, Cubata is Coke with whiskey

A bottle. 

Una botella.

whiskey 

whisky (WEESS-key)

vodka 

vodka

rum 

ron

water 

agua

tonic water 

agua tónica

orange juice 

zumo/jugo de naranja

Coke (soda) 

Coca-Cola

Do you have any bar snacks? 

¿Tiene algo para picar? (In Spain they will give you tapas, depends a lot on the bar.)

One more, please. 

Otro/a ______, por favor.

Another round, please. 

Otra ronda, por favor.

When is closing time? 

¿Cuándo cierran?

[edit] Shopping

Do you have this in my size? 

¿Tiene esto de mi talla?

How much is this? 

¿Cuánto cuesta?

That's too expensive. 

Es demasiado caro.

Would you take Visa/American dollars? 

¿Aceptan Visa/dólares?

expensive 

caro

cheap 

barato

I can't afford it. 

Es muy caro para mí.

I don't want it. 

No lo quiero.

You're cheating me. 

Me está engañando.

I'm not interested. 

No me interesa.

OK, I'll take it. 

De acuerdo, me lo llevaré.

Can I have a bag? 

¿Tiene una bolsa?

Can you ship it to my country? 

¿Puede enviarlo a mi país?

I need... 

Necesito...

...batteries. 

...pilas.

...cold medicine. 

...medicamento para el resfriado.

...condoms.

...preservativos/condones.

...English-language books. 

...libros en inglés.

...English-language magazines. 

...revistas en inglés.

...an English-language newspaper. 

...un periódico/diario en inglés.

...an English-Spanish dictionary. 

...un diccionario inglés-español.

...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) 

...analgésico (Aspirina, Ibuprofeno).

...a pen. 

...una pluma/ un bolígrafo.

...postage stamps. 

...sellos(Spain)/estampillas(Latin América).

...a postcard. 

...una postal.

...a razor. 

...una hoja de afeitar/rasuradora (machine)

...shampoo. 

...champú.

...stomach medicine. 

.... medicamento para el dolor de estómago

...soap. 

...jabón.

...sunblock lotion. 

...crema solar.

...tampons. 

...tampones.

...a toothbrush. 

... un cepillo de dientes.

...toothpaste. 

...pasta de dientes.

...an umbrella. 

...un paraguas.

...writing paper. 

...papel para escribir.

[edit] Driving

I want to rent a car. 

Quiero alquilar un coche.

Can I get insurance? 

¿Puedo contratar un seguro?

STOP (on a street sign) 

STOP (Spain), ALTO (México), PARE (Chile, Argentina, Perú)

one way 

dirección única

no parking 

no aparcar , no estacionar

speed limit 

límite de velocidad , velocidad máxima

gas/petrol station 

gasolinera , estación de bencina (Chile), estación de servicio (Argentina)

gas/petrol 

gasolina , bencina (Chile), nafta (Argentina)

diesel 

gasóleo , diesel DEE-sel (Latin America), gasóil/diésel (DYEH-sel) (Spain)

[edit] Authority

I haven't done anything wrong. 

No he hecho nada malo. (NOH eh eh-choh NAH-dah MAH-loh)

Please, there has been a mistake. 

Por favor, hubo un malentendido. (pohr-fah-VOHR oo-boh oon mahl-ehn-tehn-DEE-doh)

It was a misunderstanding. 

Fue un malentendido. (FOO-EH oon MAHL-ahn-tehn-DEE-doh)

Where are you taking me? 

¿Adónde me lleva? (AHDOHN-deh meh JEH-vah?)

Am I under arrest? 

¿Estoy arrestado/a? (ehss-TOY AH-RRehs-TAH-doh/dah?)

I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. 

Soy ciudadano estadounidense/australiano/inglés/canadiense.

I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. 

Quiero hablar con la embajada/el consulado estadounidense/australiano/inglés/canadiense.

I want to talk to a lawyer. 

Quiero hablar con un abogado. (KeeYEH-roh ah-BLAHR cohn oon AH-boh-GAH-doh)

Can I just pay a fine now? 

¿Puedo pagar la multa ahora? (PWEH-doh pah-GAR lah MOOL-tah ah-OH-rah?)

I confess. 

Yo confieso (yoh con-FI-EH-so)