What Spanish phrases should I learn before visiting Spain?

Greetings and goodbyes

Hola works at any time of day with anyone. Buenos días covers the morning, buenas tardes the afternoon and evening, and buenas noches is both "good evening" and "good night" once it is dark. Walking into a bar or a small shop, many people just say buenas, a short, casual form that works at any hour.

Hasta luego literally means "see you later", but in Spain it is the everyday "bye", said even to a shop assistant you will never see again.

Polite essentials

Spanish in Spain is direct. Ordering una caña (a small beer) at a busy bar without por favor is normal, not rude. You will still never go wrong adding por favor and gracias.

There are three kinds of "excuse me": perdone or disculpe to get someone's attention, perdón for a small bump, and con permiso (or just permiso) to squeeze past. Lo siento is a real apology ("I'm sorry"), not a way to catch a waiter's eye.

Eating and drinking

In Spain la carta is the menu. El menú usually means the menú del día, the fixed-price lunch, so asking for "el menú" may get you that rather than the full list.

The bill does not arrive until you ask for it; lingering is normal. The usual toast is ¡Salud! ("health"), the same word you say when someone sneezes. For tap water ask for agua del grifo: many places bring a jug, others would rather sell you a bottle. Tipping is small and optional; our Spain tipping guide covers when to round up.

Shopping and markets

Prices are fixed in shops and on food-market stalls, and haggling there is not done. Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, but carry some coins for small bars and market stalls.

Greet the stallholder or shop assistant before you start pointing, and say gracias, adiós or hasta luego on the way out, even if you bought nothing.

Getting around

For trains and buses the word is billete; for a museum, a match or a show it is entrada. Toilet signs usually say servicios or aseos, and in conversation el baño is the everyday word.

Directions often come back fast. Todo recto is "straight on", and it helps to watch where people point.

Numbers 1 to 10, 100 and 1,000

One hundred on its own is cien; in front of a smaller number it becomes ciento (ciento cincuenta, 150). Prices are in euros, said euros (EH-oo-rohs).

Help and emergencies

112 is the free emergency number for police, ambulance and fire anywhere in Spain. Use the polite usted forms with police and medical staff; the phrases below already are.

Catalan in Barcelona, and Basque and Galician

Catalan is co-official with Spanish in Catalonia and is the language of most street signs, menus and announcements in Barcelona. Nearly everyone there also speaks Spanish, so Spanish is never a problem; a bon dia or gràcies is a friendly touch that people notice. Catalan dropped the accent from adeu in its 2016 spelling reform, so older guides still show adéu.

Basque (euskara) is co-official in the Basque Country and in the Basque-speaking north of Navarre, and you will see it on signs in San Sebastián (Donostia) and Bilbao: kaixo (KAI-shoh) is hello, eskerrik asko (ehs-KEH-rreek AHS-koh) is thank you and agur (ah-GOOR) is goodbye. Galician (galego) is co-official in Galicia: ola (OH-lah) is hello, bos días (bohs DEE-ahs) is good morning and grazas (GRAH-thahs) is thank you. Spanish works everywhere in both regions.

Etiquette that matters more than words

Greet the room. Saying hola or buenos días when you walk into a small shop or bar, and adiós or hasta luego when you leave, is normal across Spain, and many people greet whoever is already in a lift. Skipping it reads as cold.

Use usted with strangers older than you, with officials and in formal settings. Younger Spaniards and many bar staff switch to the casual tú quickly; follow their lead.

Two kisses on the cheeks is the usual greeting between friends, and when a woman is introduced socially. Men usually shake hands with each other, and in a business setting a handshake is the safe default.

Don't call Catalan, Basque or Galician a dialect of Spanish. They are separate languages and it is the one remark likely to annoy people. Meal times run late, with lunch around 2pm and dinner from about 9pm, so a restaurant that is empty at 7.30pm is not a bad sign. Our things to know before visiting Spain covers the rest.

Frequently asked questions