You are traveling to a Spanish speaking country and you do not know the language and you feel intimidated
Relax
Even just a little preparation before your trip can set you up for success
You probably already know hola but when you want to be a little less casual it is common to greet people based on the time of day
Hola buenos dias
Buenas tardes
At any time of day you can also just say buenas
It helps you avoid confusion and you do not have to remember the time of day
Buenas
Hola or depending on when you are watching this video buenos dias buenas tardes or buenas noches
Soy Esteban a Spanish teacher for Babbel
If you want to really learn espanol you should check out the resources Babbel offers and you can subscribe here
Today I am sharing a super quick survival guide for a Spanish speaking holiday
We will cover the basics of getting around asking for help and making the most of your trip
Whether you are wandering the Museo del Prado in Madrid or relaxing on the beach in Mexico
Empezamos
There are a bunch of ways to ask how someone is doing
Que tal
Como estas
Como te va
A simple go to response to all these questions is
Estoy bien gracias
If you want to know where something is you can ask
Donde esta plus the place you are looking for
Donde esta la playa
Donde esta el museo
Donde esta el metro
Gestures can help a lot but it also helps to know directions
A la izquierda
A la derecha
Sigue derecho or sigue recto
We all want to be polite when traveling
Perdon is very useful whether you bumped into someone or you are trying to get someones attention
Oh perdon
In that situation you can also say disculpa which is also helpful if you do not understand something
Disculpa estoy buscando el autobus hacia Teotihuacan
Disculpa no hablo espanol muy bien
You should learn what por favor and gracias mean before your trip
Please and thank you
Corny jokes aside you would be surprised how much those simple words and a smile can help you out
If you are ordering food or asking for the check in a restaurant you can just name the thing you want and add por favor and instant politeness
Un bocadillo de jamon por favor gracias
La cuenta por favor gracias
It is also fun to have other ways to ask for something
Here are a couple
Me traes un bistec por favor gracias
Me gustaria una Coca Cola por favor
Me traes una copa de vino rojo por favor
There are also different ways to ask how much something costs
Cuanto cuesta la cerveza
Cuanto es
And if you do not know the word in Spanish that is fine you can smile and point
Cuanto cuesta esto
Two other helpful words are mas and menos
Me trae mas agua por favor
Menos comida por favor
All right lets put it all together
Lets say you are in a cafe
Buenos dias
Buenas que tal
Estoy bien gracias
Disculpa no hablo espanol muy bien
No te preocupes
Un cafe con leche por favor
Claro
Gracias y perdon agua
Una botella de agua
Si por favor gracias
Cuanto cuesta
Dos euros
Okey
Algo mas
No gracias
Serian 4 20
Ok cuatro veinte veinte gracias
A ti que tenga un buen dia
Here are some simple alternatives to adios
Hasta luego
Chao
It might seem challenging to learn a new language before your vacation but a little really does go a long way
In my experience people appreciate the effort a lot
They are not judging us as harshly as we sometimes fear
The most important thing is to have fun with it
Check out Babbel if you want to go deeper and no matter what enjoy the process
Buen viaje
