60 Common Spanish Phrases for Everyday Conversations and Travel

A small set of phrases covers a surprising amount of real conversation. Below are 60 you will use again and again, grouped by situation. They are neutral Spanish that works across Latin America and Spain; where usage differs, it is noted.

A tip before you start: learn each phrase as a sound, not a list of words. Listen to it, repeat it at normal speed, and it will come out automatically when you need it.

Greetings and goodbyes

1. Hola — Hello
2. Buenos días — Good morning
3. Buenas tardes — Good afternoon / evening (until it gets dark)
4. Buenas noches — Good evening / good night
5. ¿Cómo estás? — How are you? (informal)
6. ¿Cómo está usted? — How are you? (formal)
7. Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? — Fine, thanks. And you?
8. Mucho gusto — Nice to meet you
9. Hasta luego — See you later
10. Nos vemos — See you
11. Adiós — Goodbye

Polite expressions

1. Por favor — Please
2. Gracias / Muchas gracias — Thank you / Thank you very much
3. De nada — You're welcome
4. Perdón — Sorry / Excuse me (to get past or apologise)
5. Disculpe — Excuse me (to get someone's attention, formal)
6. Lo siento — I'm sorry
7. Con permiso — Excuse me (when passing someone)
8. No pasa nada — No problem / It's fine

Understanding each other

1. No entiendo — I don't understand
2. ¿Puede repetir, por favor? — Can you repeat, please?
3. Más despacio, por favor — More slowly, please
4. ¿Cómo se dice … en español? — How do you say … in Spanish?
5. ¿Qué significa …? — What does … mean?
6. ¿Habla inglés? — Do you speak English?
7. Hablo un poco de español — I speak a little Spanish

Getting to know someone

1. ¿Cómo te llamas? — What's your name?
2. Me llamo … — My name is …
3. ¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?
4. Soy de … — I'm from …
5. ¿A qué te dedicas? — What do you do (for work)?
6. Estoy aprendiendo español — I'm learning Spanish

Getting around

1. ¿Dónde está …? — Where is …?
2. ¿Dónde está el baño? — Where is the bathroom?
3. ¿Cómo llego a …? — How do I get to …?
4. ¿Está lejos? — Is it far?
5. A la derecha / A la izquierda — To the right / To the left
6. Todo recto / Derecho — Straight ahead (todo recto in Spain, derecho in much of Latin America)
7. Un boleto para …, por favor — A ticket to …, please (un billete in Spain)

At a restaurant or café

1. Una mesa para dos, por favor — A table for two, please
2. ¿Me trae la carta, por favor? — Could you bring me the menu? (el menú is also common)
3. Quisiera … — I would like …
4. ¿Qué me recomienda? — What do you recommend?
5. Sin …, por favor — Without …, please
6. La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please
7. ¿Aceptan tarjeta? — Do you take cards?

Shopping

1. ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much does it cost?
2. Es muy caro — It's very expensive
3. Solo estoy mirando — I'm just looking
4. Me lo llevo — I'll take it
5. ¿Tiene otro color / otra talla? — Do you have another colour / size?

Feelings and reactions

1. ¡Qué bien! — Great!
2. ¡Claro! — Of course!
3. Vale / Está bien — OK (vale is typical of Spain)
4. No sé — I don't know
5. Tengo hambre / Tengo sed — I'm hungry / I'm thirsty
6. Estoy cansado / cansada — I'm tired

Emergencies

1. ¡Ayuda! — Help!
2. Necesito un médico — I need a doctor
3. Llame a la policía — Call the police

How to make these phrases stick

Reading this list once will not make the phrases come out in a real conversation. What works:

• Say each phrase out loud at full speed. ¿Dónde está el baño? should come out as one smooth unit, not four separate words. Our pronunciation guide explains how words link together.
• Shadow them in context. Phrases are easier to remember when you hear them inside a short dialogue — ordering food, asking for directions. That is exactly how MimicSpanish lessons are built.
• Pick the ones you need. Planning a trip? Prioritise getting around and restaurants. In Vocabulary you can open a set and tick only the words and phrases you want to review.
• Review a few every day. Five phrases a day reviewed at the right time beat sixty read once.

Formal and informal "you"

Spanish has two ways to say "you": tú (informal, friends and people your age) and usted (formal, strangers, older people, service settings). If you are unsure, usted is the safe choice. In much of Latin America, ustedes is used for "you all" in every situation; in Spain, vosotros is the informal plural.

¡Buena suerte! — Good luck!