Helpful Spanish Phrases

If you are traveling to any of the 20 countries where Spanish is the official language, you need to learn some helpful Spanish phrases to make your visit easier and more enjoyable. In Spain itself the people are a very friendly lot who love meeting a visitor who at least tries to speak a few words.

The most obvious helpful Spanish phrases are things like, "¿Como estàs?" (how are you?), "Hasta luego," (until we meet next time), and "muchas gracias," (many thanks). Because English speakers have the polite habit of saying, "thank you" for just about everything, they assume that it will translate directly into Spanish. However, this is not one of the really helpful Spanish phrases as it isn't used in Spain or other countries in the same way.

Saying "por favor" or "thank you" is used by Spanish children when they speak to adults. They use it in the same way that English speakers would. Adults talking to each other tend not to use "por favor," unless they wish to demonstrate their impatience, and say it in a heavily accented rude manner. If in doubt, consider "por favor" as not one of the helpful Spanish phrases and leave it out. You will come across as being much more polite if you do.

The Spanish have a peculiar habit of saying "goodbye" when they meet, but keep on moving. The thinking seems to be that you are parting company soon anyway, so why waste time by saying "hello." The helpful Spanish phrases to use here are either, "hasta luego," or "adios."

Of course, it's also good to say, "buenos dias" (good day) too, or "buenas tardes" (good afternoon) if it's after the usual time for the midday meal, and "buenas noches" (good evening), which starts around 9pm or so, to people you meet. These are helpful Spanish phrases, but to get them right can be a struggle as there are no exact times to go by. A useful tip is to let the local person speak first and copy what they say back to them.

Spanish people appear to speak very fast sometimes. Your knowledge of the language may not be enough to pick out the individual words, so helpful Spanish phrases such as, "màs despacio" (more slowly), or "¿Podria hablar màs despacio?" (can you speak more slowly?), will come in very handy.

In Spanish towns and villages you may find that there are often no public toilet facilities, except for in the bars and cafés. Knowing how to ask for these in several different ways is probably among the most helpful Spanish phrases you can learn.

The usual word for toilet facilities is "servicios," but they can sometimes be labeled as "aseos," so it's wise to remember both terms. Asking where they are if you can't spot them involves saying, "¿Donde estàn los servicios?, which is more polite than asking for the "aseos."

Among the many helpful Spanish phrases must be, "do you speak English?" This, of course, should only be used as a last resort when all else fails. There are various ways to say this, but the easiest way is to simply say, "¿Habla inglés?"

You might also wish to say, "I don't speak Spanish, I only speak English." Saying that, the last of the helpful Spanish phrases offered in this article, would be rendered as, "No hablo español, sôlo hablo inglés." However, I sincerely hope that it isn't so and that you'll try to learn at least a little of the wonderfully rich Spanish language.

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