Learning Spanish travel phrases can help make the most of any journey, whether that means visiting a Spanish-speaking country on vacation or backpacking through one. Learning these useful idioms will allow your brain to expand while making the most of your experience!
Here are a few key words and phrases to help navigate Latin America! From “entrada” to “boleto,” here are a few essential terms and expressions for you to make your way around its beautiful places!
Basic Spanish Vocabulary
Due to Spain being so accessible from the UK, it’s no secret that it’s one of the top learning destinations for UK Spanish learners. So to help prepare you for your trip abroad, here is a list of basic Spanish vocabulary that should be in your memory prior to travelling:
No matter if it’s an airport transfer or ordering at a restaurant, knowing some key words and phrases is invaluable. These include nouns, verbs, interrogative words and cognates between English and Spanish language that sound the same (such as directions vs direcciones and perfect vs perfecto), impatience vs impaciente and invitation vs invitacion as well as much vs mucho).
As well as learning basic greetings and conversational phrases in Spanish, it is useful to become acquainted with key greetings and conversational phrases that vary depending on the time of day, such as Mucho gusto!, Como te llamas?, Please, Necesito un cuarto para __ personas and Tienes amenidades de bano? These phrases will all come in handy while traveling abroad – join over 559 million other speakers around the globe who speak this beautiful language today with Preply! To become proficient quickly!
Spanish Travel Phrases
No matter where your travels take you in Spanish-speaking countries, it is always beneficial to brush up on some basic travel phrases before leaving home. Keep it simple so you can easily memorize them before your vacation begins and use them throughout your holiday without resorting to pointer gestures merely as an attempt at communication! No one wants to become that tourist who makes no effort in speaking the local language – no one wants to become one of those tourists who try speaking the local tongue but ultimately resort to pointer gestures as their only form of expression!
Armed with these basic Spanish travel phrases will prove indispensable in many situations. Additionally, this list provides many of the words and phrases commonly associated with travel such as days of the week, stress syllables and essential question words:
No matter if it’s for two people or you need to order lunch out of a menu, these travel phrases will help you communicate confidently in Spanish. Also learning a few basic Spanish travel phrases will prevent embarrassing miscommunication mistakes which could leave you looking foolish! Understanding cognates (words that share common roots between Spanish and English languages) and knowing how to pronounce these will also allow you to sound much more fluent when conversing with locals.
Spanish Transportation Vocabulary
Buses, trains, cars or planes provide transport from Madrid to Buenos Aires or Tulum to Mallorca; understanding Spanish transportation vocabulary will aid your travels as you encounter locals who do not speak English.
Some of these words vary based on country, such as “auto” used in Mexico but translated from Latin as car and kocsi being Hungarian for wagon. Others are more universal such as “ferrocarril” meaning train in both Latin and Spanish (ferro), or avion which refers to aircraft in both languages.
To gain more knowledge, read this article on Spanish travel slang and how it’s used. No matter if it’s your first or tenth trip abroad, these Spanish travel phrases and vocabulary will equip you to successfully traverse the globe.
Are you interested in expanding your vocabulary for an immersive experience? Sign up now for one of the Homeschool Spanish Academy’s free online Spanish classes to expand your vocabulary! Our flexible schedule, earned high school credit and live instruction support students on their journey towards fluency. Learn more here about our programs or feel free to reach out with any inquiries! We look forward to serving our community!
Spanish Food Vocabulary
Immerse yourself in another culture by experiencing their cuisine. Local dishes often reflect the cultural identity of an area and taste delicious too! From Mexican tacos and Argentine asado to Peruvian ceviche and more – Spanish and Latin American cuisine has something delicious for everyone!
When dining at a restaurant or cafeteria overseas, knowing the appropriate Spanish words to order food and drinks is essential. From asking for a menu to showing appreciation after your meal has ended, this list of Spanish food vocabulary words will assist in your dining experience.
“La carta” [lah kar-tuh] refers to the menu. To request one, say something like this: “Puedo darme la carta, por favor?” or even: “Can I get some menu items?” (Can someone give me some menu items?)
Saffron (oro rojo) and seafood are two additional useful Spanish food vocabulary words to know, commonly referred to as the “red gold” of Spain. Saffron gives dishes their golden hue and earthy flavor, used in classics such as paella and gambas al ajillo (shrimp with tomato and chili sauce) as well as Basque-style codfish known as bacalao a la vizcana (Basque codfish with an additional creamy topping).
Be sure to brush up on the essentials of grocery shopping and cooking in Spanish by practicing at a Hispanic grocery store, watching food preparation process unfold before your very eyes, or by using an immersive language learning platform such as FluentU that turns authentic videos into personalized lessons – try it for free today!