Useful Spanish phrases for beginners
When you start learning Spanish, it is good to have a set of phrases that you can rely on to get through most situations. We call this Useful Spanish Phrases for Beginners. These basic Spanish phrases are your Spanish language survival kit that you must know if you travel in Spanish speaking countries or meet Spanish speaking people.
In this article, you’ll learn how to greet and farewell people in Spanish and what to say in different situations. Practice welcoming someone in Spanish, or saying sorry, and numerous other essential Spanish phrases.
When you’re having trouble understanding someone
This one is at the top of the list because this is a widespread issue. If you have been studying Spanish in an educational setting, using the Internet, or using mobile apps, you are used to hearing well pronounced Spanish.
But you may have already found out that once you get into the real world, it can be hard to understand what people are saying. Also, every region of the world speaks Spanish in their dialect (style), making it even more challenging to understand.
In these situations, it’s better to know how to ask them to repeat what they said.
“Puede repetir, por favor?”
(Could you repeat, please?)
Sometimes you may have to ask the speaker to slow down their speech to understand what they are saying. In this case, you say:
“Podría hablar más despacio, por favor?”
(Could you speak slower, please?)
When asking how to say something in Spanish
No matter how advanced you are in your course, chances are they may be some words you won’t understand. In this situation, you can ask how to say something in Spanish. That will only work if the person you are talking to speaks some English.
“Cómo se dice [thing]?”
(How do you say [thing]?)
“Cómo se dice ‘table’?”
(How do you say “table”?)
When asking if someone speaks English
If you need to know if someone can speak to you in English, you can use this simple phrase.
“Habla inglés?”
(Do you speak English?)
When asking for directions
Especially useful when travelling and visiting new places, asking for directions is pretty straightforward in Spanish.
“Dónde está [thing]?”
(Where is the [thing]?)
For instance, this is how you would ask for something specific, like the bathroom in a coffee shop that you are in.
“Dónde está el baño?”
(Where is the bathroom?)
In case when you want to know where something generic is, like the nearest gas station, then you should ask a little differently, typically using “hay” instead of “está.”
“Dónde hay una gasolinera?”
(Where is a gas station?)
When you greet or say goodbye to someone
The following Spanish phrases are the most common greetings that are understood in every Spanish-speaking country.
Hola – Hi
Buenos días – Good morning
Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
Buenas noches – Good night
Cómo está? – How are you?
Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you
On the other side, the following are some ways of saying goodbye in Spanish.
Adiós – Goodbye
Nos vemos – See you later
Hasta luego – See you soon
Hasta mañana – See you tomorrow
When asking and thanking someone in Spanish
Some ways to ask for something and give thanks in Spanish are as follows.
Por favor – Please.)
Example: “Puedes ayudarme por favor?”
(Can you help me, please?)
Gracias – Thank you
“Muchas gracias”
(Thank you very much.)
If you study and remember the Spanish phrases in this post, they will benefit you as you use Spanish in real-world situations.
Remember, the key to learning Spanish is practice and consistency.
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