# What Spanish phrases should I learn before visiting Spain?

> Basic Spanish phrases for Spain with easy pronunciation: hello, please, thank you, the bill, tap water, directions, numbers and help, plus Catalan for Barcelona.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/basic-spanish-phrases-for-tourists
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2026-10-07

**Spanish (Castilian) is understood everywhere in Spain. English gets you through hotels and the busy parts of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, but it thins out fast in small towns and family-run bars.** Two habits matter more than vocabulary: say *hola* or *buenos días* when you walk into a shop or bar, and use the polite *usted* forms with strangers. Most of Spain says the *c* in *gracias* and the *z* in *cerveza* like the English "th", and the respellings below are written that way.

## 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.

| English | Spanish | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hello | Hola | OH-lah | Any time, anyone. The h is silent. |
| Hi (casual) | Buenas | BWEH-nahs | Walking into a bar or shop, any time of day. |
| Good morning | Buenos días | BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs | Until lunch. |
| Good afternoon / evening | Buenas tardes | BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs | From lunch until it gets dark. |
| Good evening / good night | Buenas noches | BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs | After dark, as hello or goodbye. |
| How are you? (polite) | ¿Cómo está? | KOH-moh ehs-TAH | Strangers, older people, officials. |
| How are you? (casual) | ¿Qué tal? | keh TAHL | Friends and relaxed settings. |
| Nice to meet you | Encantado / Encantada | ehn-kahn-TAH-doh / ehn-kahn-TAH-dah | Men say encantado, women encantada. |
| Goodbye | Adiós | ah-DYOHS | Leaving. |
| See you later / bye | Hasta luego | AHS-tah LWEH-goh | The everyday goodbye, even to strangers. |
| See you tomorrow | Hasta mañana | AHS-tah mah-NYAH-nah | Leaving a hotel desk or a café you will be back at. |

## 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.

| English | Spanish | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Please | Por favor | por fah-BOR | After any request. |
| Thank you | Gracias | GRAH-thyahs | Everywhere. Latin America says GRAH-syahs. |
| Thank you very much | Muchas gracias | MOO-chahs GRAH-thyahs | For real help, or leaving a good meal. |
| You're welcome | De nada | deh NAH-dah | Reply to gracias. |
| I'm sorry | Lo siento | loh SYEHN-toh | A real apology. |
| Sorry / pardon | Perdón | pehr-DOHN | Bumping into someone. |
| Excuse me (attention) | Perdone / Disculpe | pehr-DOH-neh / dees-KOOL-peh | Stopping a stranger to ask something. |
| Excuse me (getting past) | Con permiso | kohn pehr-MEE-soh | On a crowded bus or in a doorway. |
| Yes | Sí | SEE | The accent separates it from si (if). |
| No | No | NOH | Answering a question. |
| No, thank you | No, gracias | NOH, GRAH-thyahs | Turning down a menu, a flyer or a second plate. |

## 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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/tipping-in-spain-restaurants-bars-propina-guide) covers when to round up.

| English | Spanish | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| A table for two, please | Una mesa para dos, por favor | OO-nah MEH-sah PAH-rah DOHS, por fah-BOR | At the door of a sit-down restaurant. |
| The menu, please | La carta, por favor | lah KAR-tah, por fah-BOR | El menú is the set lunch. |
| Delicious! | ¡Qué rico! | keh REE-koh | Telling the cook or waiter you liked it. |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! | sah-LOOD | Raising a glass. |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor | lah KWEHN-tah, por fah-BOR | When you are ready to go. |
| I'm vegetarian | Soy vegetariano / vegetariana | soy beh-heh-tah-RYAH-noh / beh-heh-tah-RYAH-nah | Men -o, women -a. |
| I'm allergic to... | Soy alérgico / alérgica a... | soy ah-LEHR-hee-koh / ah-LEHR-hee-kah ah | Add the food. Nuts are frutos secos (FROO-tohs SEH-kohs). |
| Tap water, please | Agua del grifo, por favor | AH-gwah dehl GREE-foh, por fah-BOR | Instead of bottled water. |

## 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.

| English | Spanish | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah | Asking the price of one item. |
| How much is it? (the total) | ¿Cuánto es? | KWAHN-toh EHS | At the till. |
| I'll take it | Me lo llevo | meh loh YEH-boh | Deciding to buy. |
| Do you take cards? | ¿Aceptan tarjeta? | ah-THEHP-tahn tar-HEH-tah | Before you queue at a small shop. |
| Cash | En efectivo | ehn eh-fehk-TEE-boh | Paying in cash. |

## 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.

| English | Spanish | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Where is...? | ¿Dónde está...? | DOHN-deh ehs-TAH | Add the place: ¿Dónde está el museo? |
| Where is the toilet? | ¿Dónde está el baño? | DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAH-nyoh | Signs say servicios or aseos. |
| The train station | La estación de tren | lah ehs-tah-THYOHN deh TREHN | Asking directions or telling a taxi. |
| The airport | El aeropuerto | ehl ah-eh-roh-PWEHR-toh | Asking directions or telling a taxi. |
| Left | A la izquierda | ah lah eeth-KYEHR-dah | Following directions. |
| Right | A la derecha | ah lah deh-REH-chah | Following directions. |
| Straight ahead | Todo recto | TOH-doh REHK-toh | Following directions. |
| Ticket | Billete | bee-YEH-teh | Transport. For museums and shows: entrada. |
| One ticket to Seville, please | Un billete para Sevilla, por favor | oon bee-YEH-teh PAH-rah seh-BEE-yah, por fah-BOR | At a station ticket window. |

## 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).

| English | Spanish | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | uno | OO-noh | Before a noun: un billete. |
| 2 | dos | DOHS | Counting and prices. |
| 3 | tres | TREHS | Counting and prices. |
| 4 | cuatro | KWAH-troh | Counting and prices. |
| 5 | cinco | THEEN-koh | Counting and prices. |
| 6 | seis | SAYS | Counting and prices. |
| 7 | siete | SYEH-teh | Counting and prices. |
| 8 | ocho | OH-choh | Counting and prices. |
| 9 | nueve | NWEH-beh | Counting and prices. |
| 10 | diez | DYETH | Counting and prices. |
| 100 | cien | THYEHN | Ciento before smaller numbers. |
| 1,000 | mil | MEEL | Counting and prices. |

## 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.

| English | Spanish | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! / ¡Ayuda! | soh-KOH-rroh / ah-YOO-dah | Shouted in an emergency. |
| Call the police! | ¡Llame a la policía! | YAH-meh ah lah poh-lee-THEE-ah | To a bystander or staff. |
| I need a doctor | Necesito un médico | neh-theh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh | At a hotel desk or pharmacy. |
| I'm lost | Estoy perdido / perdida | ehs-TOY pehr-DEE-doh / pehr-DEE-dah | Men -o, women -a. |
| I don't understand | No entiendo | noh ehn-TYEHN-doh | When a reply goes over your head. |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? | AH-blah een-GLEHS | Polite form, for strangers. |
| Could you speak more slowly, please? | ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? | PWEH-deh ah-BLAR mahs dehs-PAH-thyoh, por fah-BOR | When the answer comes too fast. |

## 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.

| English | Catalan | Say it like | When to use it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hello | Hola | OH-luh | Any time. |
| Good morning | Bon dia | bohn DEE-uh | Until lunch. |
| Good afternoon | Bona tarda | BOH-nuh TAR-duh | Afternoon into early evening. |
| Good night | Bona nit | BOH-nuh NEET | Late evening and leaving. |
| Goodbye | Adeu | uh-DEH-oo | Leaving. |
| See you | A reveure | uh ruh-BEH-oo-ruh | A slightly warmer goodbye. |
| Please | Si us plau | see oos PLOW | After any request. |
| Thank you | Gràcies | GRAH-see-uhs | Everywhere. Merci is common in casual speech. |
| You're welcome | De res | duh RES | Reply to gràcies. |

_Catalan for Barcelona. An unstressed a or e sounds like the a in "sofa", written uh._

## 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](https://clevertourists.com/resources/things-to-know-before-visiting-spain) covers the rest.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do you say thank you in Spanish in Spain?

Gracias, said GRAH-thyahs in most of Spain, with a "th" sound. Muchas gracias means thank you very much, and de nada is the reply.

### Do I need to speak Spanish in Barcelona?

No. Nearly everyone in Barcelona speaks Spanish as well as Catalan, and hotels and attractions work in English. Catalan is the language of most signs and menus, and a bon dia or gràcies goes down well.

### Is English widely spoken in Spain?

In hotels and the busy parts of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville, yes. In small towns and family-run bars it thins out fast, so a few Spanish phrases make a real difference.

### How do you ask for the bill in Spain?

Say la cuenta, por favor. The bill does not arrive until you ask for it, because lingering at the table is normal.

### What is the emergency number in Spain?

112, free from any phone, for police, ambulance and fire anywhere in Spain.