Survival Phrases in Spanish

GreetingsHello | Hola | Ō-lăGood day | Buenos diás | BOY-nōs DĒ-ăsGoodbye (Peru) | Ciao | chowGoodbye (Mexico) | Adios | ă-dē-ŌSHow are you? | ¿Como esta? | CŌ-mōĕs-TĂI’m very well, thank you. | Muy bien, gracias. | Mūē BYĔN GRĂ-sē-ăsMy name is… | Me llamo... | mā-YĂ-mōWhat is your name? | ¿Cómo se llama? | CŌ-mō sā YĂ-măIt’s nice to meet you. | Mucho gusto. | MŪ-chō GŪ-stōGod bless you. | Dios de bendiga | dē-ŌS dā ben-DĒ-gă

EtiquettePlease | Por favor | PŌR fă-VŌRThank you (very much) | (Muchas) gracias | (MŪ-chăs) GRĂ-sē-ăsYou’re welcome | de nada (literally, “It’s nothing”) | dā NĂ-thăExcuse me | Perdón | pār-DŌNI’m sorry | Lo siento | lō sē-ĔN-tō

ShoppingHow much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | KWĂN-tō KWĔS-tă

Other Useful PhrasesYes | Sí | sēNo | No | nōWhere is the bathroom? | ¿Donde esta el baño? | DŌN-dā ĕs-TĂ ĕl BĂN-yōHow old are you? | Cuántos años tienes? | KWĂN-tōs Ă-nyōs TYĔN-āsI’m __ years old. | Tengo __ años. | TANG-gō __ Ă-nyōsI don’t understand | No entiendo | nō ĕn-tē-ĔN-dōI’m from the United States. | Soy de los Estados Unidos. | soy dā lōs ĕs-TĂ-dōs ū-NĒ-dōsHow do you say ___ in Spanish? | ¿Cómo se dice ___ en Español? | CŌ-mō sā DĒ-sā ____ ĕn ĕs-păn-YŌL?

Pronunciation tip: a single "r" in the middle of a word is slightly rolled - really just a quick flip of the tongue. If the "r" is doubled or at the beginning of a word the roll is a bit longer - two or three tongue flips. That's really the extent of the lingual gymnastics in this language. The rest of it is easy to pronounce. The grammar on the other hand... well.. opportunities for mental gymnastics abound.

Take a look at the ministry trips to Spanish-speaking destinations!

Click here for survival phrases in other languages.