Spanish for travellers: the phrases that cover 90% of your trip
The phrases you'll actually reach for at the hotel desk, in the taxi, and at the till.
Most of a trip is the same few moments on repeat. You check in. You find the metro. You order a coffee, then a meal, then ask for the bill. You buy something. Occasionally something goes wrong. Learn the handful of Spanish phrases that cover those moments and you have most of a trip handled.
This guide is sorted by scenario, in roughly the order you'll meet them. The phrases default to European, Castilian Spanish, with a note where Latin America says it differently. We've checked the accents and the gender agreement, because getting el and la right is half of sounding like you've done this before.
Arriving and your hotel
Your first real exchange is usually a reception desk. Keep it polite and simple.
Tengo una reserva a nombre de...
"I have a reservation under the name of..." Open with this at the front desk.
¿A qué hora es la salida?
"What time is check-out?" Ask on arrival so you're not caught out on the last morning.
¿Tienen wifi? ¿Cuál es la contraseña?
"Do you have wifi? What's the password?" The second question is the one you actually need.
¿Me puede recomendar un sitio para comer cerca?
"Can you recommend somewhere to eat nearby?" Reception staff give better tips than any app.
How do you get around in Spanish?
Taxis, the metro, and the inevitable moment you're standing on a corner with no idea which way to go. A few phrases cover all three.
¿Me lleva a esta dirección, por favor?
"Can you take me to this address, please?" Say it while showing the address on your phone.
¿Cuánto cuesta hasta el centro?
"How much is it to the centre?" Agree the rough cost before you set off.
¿Dónde está la estación de metro más cercana?
"Where's the nearest metro station?" Swap metro for whatever you're hunting for.
Perdone, ¿cómo se va a la plaza mayor?
"Excuse me, how do I get to the main square?" Perdone is the polite way to stop a stranger.
Un billete, por favor.
"One ticket, please." In much of Latin America a ticket is un boleto, not un billete.
Tú or usted?
With staff, drivers, and anyone you don't know, start with usted and its verb forms (¿me lleva? rather than ¿me llevas?). It reads as respectful, never cold. Younger people may switch you to tú, and you follow their lead. In much of Latin America people move to tú faster, but starting formal is never the wrong call.
Eating and drinking out
This is where you'll spend the most time and the most words. Spain rewards a little patience and the right phrase at the right moment.
Una mesa para dos, por favor.
"A table for two, please." Change the number as needed: para uno, para cuatro.
¿Qué me recomienda?
"What do you recommend?" Honest and useful, and it tends to get you the good stuff.
Para mí, esto, por favor.
"For me, this one, please." Point at the menu. Nobody minds, and it always works.
Soy alérgico a los frutos secos.
"I'm allergic to nuts." A woman says alérgica. Swap the food for whatever applies to you.
La cuenta, por favor.
"The bill, please." The standard ask for a table service restaurant.
"¿Me cobra?" at the till
At a bar or a café, when you walk up to pay rather than waiting for a bill at the table, the natural phrase is ¿me cobra?, roughly "can you charge me?" It sounds local in a way la cuenta doesn't quite manage at a counter. On tipping: it isn't expected the way it is in the US. Rounding up or leaving small change is plenty.
When Spain eats
Meals run later than you might expect. Lunch is the main event, usually from around two, and dinner often doesn't start before nine. Many kitchens close in the afternoon. If you turn up hungry at seven, you may find the dining room empty and the staff on a break.
Shopping and markets
Markets and small shops are some of the best Spanish practice you'll get, because the exchanges are short and the stakes are low.
¿Cuánto cuesta esto?
"How much is this?" The phrase you'll use most at any stall or shop.
¿Lo tiene en otra talla?
"Do you have it in another size?" For clothes. For shoe size, ask about el número.
Solo estoy mirando, gracias.
"I'm just looking, thanks." Polite and clear when you'd rather browse in peace.
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
"Can I pay by card?" Worth asking at markets and smaller places that prefer cash.
What do you say in an emergency in Spanish?
You hope not to need these. Learn them anyway, because the moment you do need them is the worst moment to be reaching for a phone.
Necesito ayuda.
"I need help." Short, clear, and understood everywhere.
Llame a una ambulancia, por favor.
"Call an ambulance, please." For police, say a la policía. The general emergency number across Spain and the EU is 112.
No me encuentro bien.
"I don't feel well." A natural way to tell a pharmacist or doctor something's wrong.
¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana?
"Where's the nearest pharmacy?" Spanish pharmacists handle a lot of minor complaints directly.
He perdido mi pasaporte.
"I've lost my passport." Swap in la cartera for wallet or el móvil for phone.
The small courtesies that earn goodwill
None of these are difficult. All of them change how people respond to you.
Buenos días. / Buenas tardes.
"Good morning." / "Good afternoon." Open every shop, café, and desk exchange with one of these.
Por favor. / Gracias. / De nada.
"Please." / "Thank you." / "You're welcome." The basics, and they go a long way.
Perdone, ¿habla inglés?
"Excuse me, do you speak English?" Asking in Spanish first is the courtesy that earns the answer.
Lo siento, no hablo mucho español.
"Sorry, I don't speak much Spanish." A friendly opener that buys you patience.
If you want to check a word or settle a small argument about spelling, the Diccionario de la lengua española from the Real Academia Española is the authority most Spanish speakers reach for.
How do you make these phrases actually stick?
Here's the honest problem with any phrase list, this one included. Reading it is not the same as being able to say it when a real person is waiting for an answer. You can know ¿me cobra? perfectly on the page and still freeze at the counter.
That gap closes with one thing: saying the words out loud, before the trip, until they stop feeling like a foreign object in your mouth. This is the whole idea behind why your own phrases stick. The lines you'll actually use, in your own voice, are the ones your memory holds onto.
That's what Litani is built for. Instead of memorising a static list, you speak the moments you expect on your trip, the hotel check-in, the dinner order, the taxi address, and Litani turns each one into something you can practise saying out loud. It listens and tells you how close you got. You can read more about what's different about Litani, or just start with a phrase you know you'll need.
Frequently asked questions
Should I learn Castilian or Latin American Spanish for travel?
Learn whichever matches your destination, but the differences are small for travel. Speakers everywhere will understand you. The main swaps are vocabulary, like billete in Spain versus boleto in much of Latin America, and the pronunciation of c and z.
Do I need to use usted with everyone in Spain?
No, but it's the safer default with strangers, staff, and older people. It reads as respectful, never stiff. If the other person switches to tú, follow their lead. Spain uses tú a little more freely than some Latin American countries.
How much Spanish do I really need for a short trip?
Less than you'd think. The phrases in this guide cover the situations that repeat: arriving, getting around, eating, shopping, and the occasional problem. Greetings and a polite 'do you speak English?' do most of the social work.
Is tipping expected in Spain?
Not the way it is in the US. Rounding up or leaving small change is normal and appreciated. There's no fixed percentage, and nobody will chase you for it.
What's the best way to remember travel phrases before I go?
Say them out loud, repeatedly, in advance. Silent reading doesn't build the reflex you need when someone is waiting for your reply. Practising your own likely phrases in your own voice is far more durable than memorising a generic list.
Turn your life into practice
Capture a real moment, say it out loud, and start speaking with confidence.
Try Litani free