The Babbel Guide To Solo Female/LGBTQ Travel: How To … In 9 Different Languages
This is part 3 of The Babbel Guide To Solo Female/LGBTQ Travel. Here’s part 1 and part 2.
Use the links below to skip ahead to the section you need, or just start scrolling.
How to ask for directions
How to ask about the safest way to get around town
How to negotiate consent
How to say you’re waiting for a friend
How to let someone know if another person is making you uncomfortable
How to say hello and make friends
How to ask about common scams you should be aware of
How to ask for good places to eat (and avoid tourist traps)
How to ask for the pharmacy
How to ask about someone’s gender pronouns (and communicate your own)
How to ask for directions
“How do I get to ____ ?”
French: Comment puis-je me rendre à ___ ?
German: Wie komme ich zu _____ ?
Italian: Scusi, come arrivo a __?
Spanish: ¿Cómo puedo llegar a ___?
Portuguese: Como eu faço para chegar ao/à* ____?
Turkish: ___’()** nasıl gidebilirim?
Indonesian: Bagaimana cara ke _____?
Swedish: Hur kommer jag till _____?
Russian: Как добраться до ___ ? (Kak dobratsya do ___ ?)
*Conjugation depends on the noun that follows.
**The letter that appears here depends on the previous word.
“Where is the closest _____ ?”
French: Où est le/la… le/la plus proche __ ?
German: Wo ist der/die/das* nächste ____ ?
Italian: Scusi, dov’è il/la* ___ più vicino/a?
Spanish: ¿Dónde está el/la* _____ más cercano/a?
Portuguese: Onde fica o/a____ mais perto (daqui)?
Turkish: En yakın ___ nerede?
Indonesian: Dimanakah _____ terdekat?
Swedish: Var ligger närmaste ____?
Russian: Где ближайший/ближайшая/ближайшее ___? (Gde blizhajshij __?)
*Conjugation depends on the noun that follows.
How to ask about the safest way to get around town
“What’s the safest way for me to get around town?”
French: Quel est le moyen le moins dangereux pour me déplacer en ville ?
German: Welches Transportmittel ist am sichersten?
Italian: Qual è il modo più sicuro di girare per la città?
Spanish: ¿Cuál es la zona más segura para dar un paseo por la ciudad?
Portuguese: Qual é a maneira mais segura de dar uma volta na cidade/conhecer a cidade?
Turkish: Nasıl en güvenli şekilde şehri gezebilirim?
Indonesian: Apa transportasi paling aman di kota ini?
Swedish: Vilket är det säkraste sättet att ta sig runt i stan?
Russian: Как всего безопаснее передвигаться по городу? (Kak vsego bezopasneye peredvigatsya po gorodu?)
“Are the taxis around here safe?”
French: Est-ce que c’est dangereux de prendre un taxi par ici ?
German: Sind die Taxis hier in dieser Gegend sicher?
Italian: I taxi sono sicuri da queste parti?
Spanish: ¿Son los taxis de esta zona seguros?
Portuguese: É seguro andar de táxi/Uber aqui?
Turkish: Bu çevredeki taksiler güvenli mi?
Indonesian: Apakah taxi disini aman?
Swedish: Är det säkert att åka taxi här?
Russian: Здесь безопасно пользоваться такси? (Zdes bezopasno pol’zovatsya taksi?)
“Is the bus/metro safe for me to take?”
French: Est-ce que c’est dangereux si je prends le bus/métro ?
German: Ist dieser Bus/diese U-Bahn hier sicher?
Italian: È sicuro prendere l’autobus/la metro?
Spanish: ¿Es seguro tomar el bus/metro en esta zona?
Portuguese: É tranquilo*/seguro andar de ônibus/metrô aqui?
Turkish: Otobüs veya metro ulaşım için güvenli midir?
Indonesian: Apakah bis/kereta di sini aman?
Swedish: Är det säkert för mig att åka buss/tunnelbana här?
Russian: У вас безопасно ездить на автобусе/метро? (U vas bezopasno ezdit’ na avtobuse/metro?)
*Informal.
“Stop the car, please.”
French: Arrêtez la voiture, s’il vous plaît
German: Halten Sie (den Wagen) an, bitte
Italian: Fermi la macchina, per favore
Spanish: Pare el coche, por favor
Portuguese: Pare o carro, por favor
Turkish: Arabayı durdurun/durdur lütfen
Indonesian: Tolong berhenti!
Swedish: Stanna bilen, tack.
Russian: Остановите машину, пожалуйста! (Ostanovite mashinu, pozhalujsta!)****
*Lit. “the car/vehicle;” can be left out.
**A more polite version: “Você poderia para o carro, por favor?”
***Formal/informal
****A more informal version would be: Останови машину, пожалуйста! (Ostanovi mashinu, pozhalujsta!)
How to negotiate consent
“Yes, I would like to go home with you/No, I would not like to go home with you.”
French: Oui, j’ai envie d’aller chez toi / Non, je n’ai pas envie d’aller chez toi
German: Ja, ich möchte mit dir nach Hause gehen / Nein, ich will nicht mit dir nach Hause gehen
Italian: Sì, mi piacerebbe venire a casa tua/No, non voglio venire a casa tua.
Spanish: Sí, me gustaría ir a tu casa/No, no quiero ir a tu casa
Portuguese: Sim, eu quero ir para sua casa/Eu não ir para a sua casa/Eu acho melhor não dormir na sua casa.*
Turkish: Evet, seninle evine gelmek isterim/Hayır, seninle evine gelmek istemiyorum.
Indonesian: Ya, saya mau pulang dengan anda/Tidak, saya tidak mau pulang dengan anda.
Swedish: Ja, jag vill gå hem med dig/Nej, jag vill inte gå hem med dig.
Russian: Да, я хочу пойти с тобой домой/Нет, я не хочу идти с тобой домой. (Da, ya khochu pojti s toboj domoj/Net, ya ne khochu idti s toboj domoj.)
*The last two phrases are both ways of turning someone down, but the second version is more polite.
“I’m okay with kissing, but I’m not interested in having sex.”
French: Je suis d’accord pour qu’on s’embrasse mais je ne veux pas qu’on couche ensemble
German: Küssen ist okay, aber ich will nicht mit dir schlafen
Italian: Mi va bene se ci baciamo, ma non voglio fare sesso con te
Spanish: Solo quiero que nos besemos, no quiero irme a la cama contigo
Portuguese: Eu estou de boas em só beijar, mas eu não estou a fim de transar*/Eu prefiro ficar beijando/nos beijinhos, eu não estou a fim de transar.
Turkish: Öpüşmek okay, ama seninle yatmak istemiyorum.
Indonesian: Kita ciuman saja, tidak bercinta/seks.
Swedish: Jag vill kyssas, men jag vill inte ha sex.
Russian: Я не против поцеловаться, но я не хочу секса. (Ya ne protiv potselovatsya, no ya ne khochu seksa.)
*Informal.
“I would like to use a condom/protection.”
French: Je voudrais que tu mettes un préservatif / je veux qu’on se protège
German: Ich möchte ein Kondom verwenden
Italian: Voglio usare un preservativo/Voglio fare solo sesso protetto
Spanish: Quiero usar: un condón/protección
Portuguese: Eu quero usar camisinha/preservativo.
Turkish: Prezervatif kullanmak istiyorum/Korunmak istiyorum.
Indonesian: Saya ingin pakai kondom.
Swedish: Jag vill använda kondom.
Russian: Я предпочитаю предохраняться. (Ya predpochitayu predokhranyatsya.)
“I like what you’re doing/I’m not comfortable with what you’re doing.”
French: J’aime ce que tu es en train de faire / Je n’aime pas ce que tu es en train de faire
German: Ich mag, was du machst / Ich fühle micht nicht wohl dabei, was du gerade machst
Italian: Mi piace (quello che stai facendo)/Non sono a mio agio (con quello che stai facendo)*
Spanish: Me gusta lo que haces/No me gusta lo que estás haciendo
Portuguese: Eu gosto disso/Eu não me sinto bem com o que você está fazendo.
Turkish: Yaptığın şey hoşuma gidiyor/Yaptığın şey hoşuma gitmiyor.
Indonesian: Saya suka dengan apa yang kamu lakukan/Saya tidak nyaman dengan apa yang kamu lakukan.
Swedish: Jag gillar det här/Jag gillar inte det här.**
Russian: Мне нравится то, что ты делаешь/Мне неприятно то, что ты делаешь. (Mne nravitsya to, chto ty delayesh/Mne nepriyatno to, chto ty delayesh.)
*”I like (what you’re doing) / I’m not comfortable (with what you’re doing)
**Lit. “I like this”/”I don’t like this”
“Please stop.”
French: Arrête
German: Bitte hör auf
Italian: Smetti subito*
Spanish: Por favor, para
Portuguese: Pare, por favor!
Turkish: Dur lütfen
Indonesian: Hentikan
Swedish: Sluta
Russian: Прекратите, пожалуйста! (Prekratite, pozhalujsta!)**
*Lit. “stop immediately.” Polite words like “please” might not work in this context.
**A more informal version: Прекрати, пожалуйста! (Prekrati, pozhalujsta!)
How to say you’re waiting for a friend
“I’m waiting for my friend/mom/dad/brother/sister/partner/boyfriend/girlfriend.”
French: J’attends mon ami/ma mère/mon père/mon frère/ma soeur/mon partenaire/ma partenaire/mon petit ami/ma petite amie
German: Ich warte auf meine/meinen* Freund(in)/Mutter/Vater/Bruder/Schwester/Partner(in)/Freund(in)
Italian: Scusa, sto aspettando un amico/un’amica/mia madre/mio padre/mio fratello/mia sorella/il mio compagno/la mia compagna/il mio ragazzo/la mia ragazza
Spanish: Estoy esperando a mi amigo(amiga)/madre/padre/hermano/hermana/pareja/novio/novia
Portuguese: Eu estou esperando meu amigo/minha amiga/minha mãe/meu pai/meu irmão/minha irmã/meu parceiro/minha parceira/meu namorado/minha namorada.
Turkish: Arkadaşımı/annemi/babamı/ağabeyimi/ablamı/sevgilimi/erkek arkadaşımı/kız arkadaşımı bekliyorum.
Indonesian: Saya menunggu teman/mama/papa/saudara****/pasangan/pacar***** saya.
Swedish: Jag väntar på min kompis/mamma/pappa/bror/syster/partner/pojkvän/flickvän.
Russian: Я жду друзей/маму/папу/брата/сестру/партнёра/парня/девушку. (Ya zhdu druzej/mamu/papu/brata/sestru/partnyora/parnya/devushku.)
*Changes depending on gender of noun that follows. Add letters in parentheses for feminine conjugation.
**Freund can be both a platonic friend as well as a boyfriend or girlfriend — it depends on the context and how you say it. It can sometimes lead to confusion, but in this context, it might not hurt to be ambiguous if you want to be left alone. To make the platonic distinction clear, you could say “Freund(in) von mir.”
***Spoken version: “abimi”
****For both “brother” and “sister”
*****For both “boyfriend” and “girlfriend”
How to let someone know if another person is making you uncomfortable
“Sorry to bother you, but that person over there is making me feel uncomfortable. Do you mind if I stand with you for a few minutes?”
French: Désolé/désolée* de vous déranger : cette personne là-bas m’importune. Est-ce que ça vous embête si je reste avec vous pendant quelques minutes?
German: Bitte entschuldigen Sie**, dass ich störe, aber ich fühle mich unbehaglich wegen dieser Person da drüben. Wäre es okay, wenn ich mich für ein paar Minuten zu Ihnen stelle?
Italian: Scusa il disturbo, ma quella persona mi sta dando fastidio. Ti dispiace se sto qui con te per qualche minuto? Sono molto a disagio.
Spanish: Disculpa que te moleste, pero esa persona me está poniendo incómodo/incómoda. ¿Te importa si me quedo aquí un momento?
Portuguese: Desculpa incomodar você, mas aquela pessoa ali está me fazendo sentir desconfortável. Será que eu poderia ficar aqui com você por alguns minutos?
Turkish: Pardon, şuradaki adam/kadın*** beni rahatsız ediyor, sizin yanınızda bir süre beklesem olur mu?
Indonesian: Maaf mengganggu, orang itu membuat saya tidak nyaman. Bolehkah saya berdiri dekat anda sebentar?
Swedish: Förlåt att jag stör, men den där personen lämnar mig inte ifred. Kan jag stå här ett tag?
Russian: Извините/Извини**** за беспокойство, но я боюсь вон того человека. Вы/Ты не против, если я постою с Вами/тобой несколько минут? (Izvinite/Izvini za bespokoistvo, no ya boyus’ von togo cheloveka. Vy/Ty ne protiv, esli ya postoyu s Vami/toboj neskol’ko minut?)****
*Changes in the written form depending on whether the speaker is male or female, but sounds exactly the same when it’s spoken.
**Use the formal Sie for people you don’t know, above approx. the age of 30. You could also say du depending on the situation.
***Man/woman
****Formal/informal
How to say hello and make friends
“Can I sit here?”
French: Est-ce que je peux m’asseoir ici ?
German: Darf ich mich setzen?
Italian: Ciao! Posso sedermi qui?
Spanish: ¿Puedo sentarme aquí?
Portuguese: Eu posso sentar aqui?
Turkish: Buraya oturabilir miyim?
Indonesian: Bolehkah saya duduk di sini?
Swedish: Kan jag sitta här?
Russian: Здесь свободно? (Zdes’ svobodno?)
“Hi! My name is ___ and I’m traveling alone. Can I join you for a drink?”
French: Bonjour ! Je m’appelle ___ et je voyage seul/seule*. Est-ce que je peux me joindre à vous pour prendre un verre ?
German: Hallo! Ich heiße ___ und reise allein. Hätten Sie Lust**, was mit mir zu trinken?
Italian: Ciao! Mi chiamo __ e sto viaggiando da solo/a. Posso unirmi per un drink?
Spanish: ¡Hola! Me llamo ___ y estoy viajando solo/sola. ¿Puedo tomarme algo contigo?
Portuguese: Oi! Meu nome é_____ e eu estou viajando sozinha. Eu posso tomar um drink com você(s)?
Turkish: Merhaba, benim adım _____. Yalnız seyahat ediyorum, size*** bir süreliğine katılabilir miyim?
Indonesian: Halo nama saya _____ dan saya travel sendirian. Bolehkah saya gabung?
Swedish: Hej! Jag heter ______ och jag reser ensam. Får jag göra dig/er**** sällskap på en drink?
Russian: Привет! Меня зовут ___. Я путешествую один/одна****. Можно пригласить тебя на напиток? (Privet! Menya zovut ___. Ya puteshestvuyu odin/odna. Mozhno priglasit’ tebya na napitok?)
*Changes in the written form depending on whether the speaker is male or female, but sounds exactly the same when it’s spoken.
**Use Hast du Lust if you’re trying to be informal.
***Formal.
***Addressing one person/multiple people.
****Male/female conjugation.
How to ask about common scams you should be aware of
“Are there any tourist scams I should be aware of around here?”
French: Est-ce qu’il y a des arnaques et pièges à touristes typiques auxquels je dois faire attention par ici ?
German: Gibt es hier irgendwelche Touristenfallen, von denen ich wissen sollte?
Italian: C’è qualche “trappola per turisti” che dovrei evitare?
Spanish: ¿Qué trampas para turistas debería evitar en esta zona?
Portuguese: Há algum golpe por aqui contra turista a que eu deva ficar alerta?
Turkish: Buralarda turist olarak dikkat etmem gereken bir şey var mı?
Indonesian: Adakah penipuan kepada turis yang harus saya waspadai?
Swedish: Finns det några vanliga sätt att blåsa turister på, som jag borde veta om?
Russian: Здесь много воруют? (Zdes’ mnogo voruyut?)*
*”Are there a lot of robberies around here?”
How to ask for good places to eat (and avoid tourist traps)
“What are some good restaurants/bars around here where the locals hang out?”
French: Est-ce qu’il y a des bons restaurants/bars sympas fréquentés par des gens du coin dans les environs ?
German: Kennen Sie gute Restaurants/Bars, wo die Leute von hier hingehen?
Italian: C’è qualche bel bar/buon ristorante qui vicino, magari frequentato da gente del posto?
Spanish: ¿Conoces algún restaurante o bar donde suele ir la gente de aquí?
Portuguese: A quais restaurantes/bares na região as pessoas daqui vão?
Turkish: Lokaller bu civarda hangi restoranlarda/barlarda takılır?
Indonesian: Dimana restoran/bar yang biasa dikunjungi orang lokal?
Swedish: Vet du några bra restauranger/barer här omkring, dit lokalbefolkningen går?
Russian: Какие рестораны/бары Вы бы мне посоветовали? (Kakiye restorany/bary Vy by mne posovetovali?)*
*Formal version. A more informal version: Какие рестораны/бары ты бы мне посоветовал/а? (Kakiye restorany/bary ty by mne posovetoval/a?)
How to ask for the pharmacy
“Where is the nearest pharmacy?”
French: Où se trouve la pharmacie la plus proche ?
German: Wo ist die nächste Apotheke?
Italian: Dov’è la farmacia più vicina?
Spanish: ¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana?
Portuguese: Onde fica a farmácia mais próxima?
Turkish: En yakın eczane nerede?
Indonesian: Dimanakah apotik terdekat?
Swedish: Var ligger närmaste apotek?
Russian: Где ближайшая аптека? (Gde blizhajshaya apteka?)
“I’m looking for: cold medicine/headache medicine/tampons/pads/condoms”
French: Je cherche des médicaments contre le rhume/contre le mal de tête/des tampons/des serviettes hygiéniques/des préservatifs
German: Ich hätte gerne… etwas gegen Erkältung/etwas gegen Kopfschmerzen/Tampons/Kondome
Italian: Vorrei: qualcosa per il raffreddore/qualcosa per il mal di testa/tamponi/assorbenti/preservativi
Spanish: Necesito: algo para el resfriado/algo para el dolor de cabeza/tampones/condones
Portuguese: Eu preciso de um medicamento para resfriado/dor de cabeça/absorvente interno/absorventes/camsinhas
Turkish: Soğuk algınlığı ilacı/Baş ağrısı ilacı/Tampon/Ped/Prezervatif almak istiyorum.
Indonesian: Saya mencari: obat flu/obat sakit kepala/tampon/pembalut/kondom
Swedish: Jag letar efter förkylningsmedicin/värktabletter/tamponger/bindor/kondomer.
Russian: Мне нужно/нужны*: лекарство от простуды/головной боли/тампоны/прокладки/презервативы. (Mne nuzhno/nuzhny: lekarstvo ot prostudy/golovnoj boli/tampony/prokladki/prezervativy.)
*Declension depends on the noun that follows. Cold and headache medicine take the first form (neutral), and tampons/pads/condoms take the second form (plural).
How to ask about someone’s gender pronouns (and communicate your own)
“I am male/female/queer/transgender”
French: Je suis un homme/une femme/homosexuel/homosexuelle/transgenre*
German: Ich bin männlich/weiblich/queer/transgender
Italian: Sono un uomo/una donna/queer/transgender
Spanish: Soy: un hombre/una mujer/queer/transgénero
Portuguese: Eu sou um homem/uma mulher/um homem (transgênero)/uma mulher (transgênero); O meu gênero é não-binário**
Turkish: Ben erkeğim/kadınım/queerim/transım
Indonesian: Saya pria/wanita/homoseksual/transgender
Swedish: Jag är man/kvinna/queer/trans
Russian: Я мужчина/женщина/квир/трансгендер. (Ya muzhchina/zhenshchina/kvir/transgender.)
*Homosexuel/homosexuelle would be the most neutral term in French, as “queer” isn’t often used orally. You could also just say trans instead of transgenre.
**”I am male/female/a trans man/a trans woman; I’m non-binary.” One thing to be aware of is that gender identity is rarely expressed in such a straight-forward manner in Brazil (and perhaps other countries too). If you’re not in the company of people you feel comfortable around, or if you’re not among people who have a nuanced understanding of gender, it might be better to simply ask that one not refer to you using gendered pronouns (see below).
“I go by she/he/they”
French: Vous pouvez vous adresser à moi en utilisant elle/il/ille/iel
German: Mein bevorzugtes Pronomen ist er/sie/sie
Italian: Quando parli di me, per favore usa il femminile/il maschile
Spanish: Mi pronombre es él/ella/elle****
Portuguese: Eu prefiro que você: se refira a mim usando o pronome ela/se refira a mim usando o pronome ele/não use nenhum pronome para se referir a mim******
Turkish: There is only one all-encompassing pronoun in Turkish, so this wouldn’t apply.
Indonesian: Indonesian also uses one pronoun.
Swedish: Mitt pronomen är hon/han/hen.
Russian: Ты можешь употреблять он/она/они, обращаясь ко мне. (Ty mozhesh upotreblyat’ on/ona/oni, obrashchayas’ ko mne.)******
*In French, the neutral pronouns are still not really defined; these are probably the most commonly used gender-neutral pronouns within the community, but not everyone will understand these.
**You might encounter Germans who use gender-neutral pronouns like sier and xier, but most people are unlikely to understand these outside of queer and activist spaces.
***Sadly, the Italian language doesn’t have neutral pronouns to express non-binary descriptives. The use of the plural is avoided due to cultural implications: It is, in fact, considered classist in the everyday language. The linguistic non-binary issue is currently a topic of discussion in the LGBT community, which introduced the use of the * in written language to avoid declination (mostly as an act of activism), but has not yet found a solution for the spoken language. In conclusion: using the plural as a literal translation of “they” is not a solution and can only cause misunderstanding. For more background on this, click here.
****For more background on gender neutrality in Spanish, click here.
*****There doesn’t appear to be a well-known gender-neutral pronoun in Portuguese, so many suggest finding a way to phrase things that don’t involve gendering someone if that’s what they prefer.
******Russian is another gendered language that doesn’t have a well-established gender-neutral pronoun. Some non-binary people in Russia take the masculine “он” because it aligns with other terms that are more neutral, some feminist communities use female as a default gender and separate the female suffix with “_,” and some use “они” (“they”). For more background, click here.
“What are your gender pronouns?”
French: Comment souhaitez-vous être désigné/désignée lorsque l’on parle de vous?*
German: Welche Pronomen bevorzugst du?
Italian: Quando parlo di te, che genere o pronome devo usare?
Spanish: ¿Cuáles son tus pronombres?
Portuguese: Quais pronomes você quer que eu use com você?
Turkish: There is only one all-encompassing pronoun in Turkish, so this wouldn’t apply.
Indonesian: Indonesian also uses one pronoun.
Swedish: Vilket pronomen använder du?
Russian: В каком роде к тебе обращаться? (V kakom rode k tebe obrashchatsya?)
*For someone you know well, you would use “comment souhaites-tu… de toi ?“
