30 Essential Spanish Phrases You Need To Know

Introduction

¡Hola! This is Lucía, from My Daily Spanish, and I’m going to teach you 30 basic phrases that you will use and hear everyday in Spanish. Whether you are starting to learn Spanish or are planning a trip, this video is perfect to learn the essentials. Read till the end because the last one is key. All the sentences are also written below, take a look. ¡Vamos! which means “Let’s go!”

30 Must-Know Spanish Phrases

1. Hola (Hello). When you meet somebody, it’s the most common way to greet them. ¡Hola!
2. Buenos días (Good morning). This is what we say in the morning, before 12PM or even 2PM, when we have lunch in Spain. For me, it’s morning until I have lunch. 
3. Buenas tardes (Good afternoon). Until the sun goes down, which in Spain is pretty late in summer, at 10PM, we say “Buenas tardes”. 
4. Buenas noches (Good night). “Buenas noches” can be used as a greeting or as a farewell. As a greeting when you greet somebody in the night and as a farewell the moment before we go to bed, we say “Buenas noches”. 
5. ¿Qué tal? (How are you?). It even counts as a greeting. We also have ¿Cómo estás? And ¿Cómo está usted? “¿Cómo estás?” is informal, and “¿Cómo está usted?” is formal. “¿Qué tal?” Works for both formal and informal situations. 
6. ¿Cómo te llamas? (What’s your name?). That would be informal. The formal version is “¿Cómo se llama?”
7. Me llamo… (My name is…). The reply to the last question. Me llamo Lucía. Me llamo Antonio. Just add your name there.
8. ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?). That would be informal. The formal version would be “¿De dónde es usted?” To reply, just say “Soy de…” Soy de Estados Unidos (I’m from the US)Soy de Australia (I’m from Australia)Soy de Inglaterra (I’m from England)Soy de Irlanda (I’m from Ireland)
9. ¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do for a living?). To ask for somebody’s job. The formal way would be “¿A qué se dedica?”. You can also hear “¿En qué trabajas?”, meaning the same.To reply, say “Soy” (I am) followed by your profession. Soy profesora (I am a teacher, female) or Soy profesor (I am a teacher, male,) for example.

If you would like to take a step further and study Spanish with its grammar explanations, in a structured way, you should download our Free Study Guide, which will guide you step by step while you learn Spanish on your own. 

10. Disculpa/Perdona (Excuse me). The formal versions are “Disculpe” and “Perdone”. 
11. Por favor (Please). Always say please and thank you.
12. Gracias (Thank you). “Muchas gracias” would be “Thank you very much”.
13. De nada (You’re welcome). They might reply that when you say “Gracias”. You can also hear “Un placer”, which means “A pleasure”.
14. ¿Qué es esto? (What is this?). Just point to something and say that when you want to know what it is. Or “¿Qué es eso?” if it’s something that is a little further.
15. ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? (How much is this?). Very common in a shopping context. You can also say “¿Cuánto es?” (How much is it?)
16. Sí (Yes) No (No). Important basics.
17. No hablo mucho español (I don’t speak much Spanish) 
18. ¿Puedes hablar más despacio? (Can you speak slower?). Very helpful when they start talking in very fast Spanish. “¿Puede hablar más despacio?” Would be the formal version.
19. No sé (I don’t know). There’s also “No lo sé”, which means exactly the same.
20. No entiendo (I don’t understand). You can also use “No lo he entendido” (I didn’t understand that)
21.  ¡Ayuda! (Help!). Also “¡Socorro!” which means the same.
22. ¿Me puedes ayudar? (Can you help me?). The formal way is “¿Me puede ayudar?”
23. ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the toilet?). We have different words to refer to the toilets. You can also say “¿Dónde están los aseos?” Or “¿Dónde está el servicio?” Meaning the same. They will show you the way to the toilets.
24. ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
25. ¿Hay wifi gratis aquí? (Is there free wi-fi here?). In Spain we pronounce “wi-fi” like “wee-fee.”
26. ¿Qué me recomienda? (What do you recommend?). You can get to know new yummy dishes by asking for recommendations at bars and restaurants. But check the price first, just in case they want you to order the most expensive thing on the menu. 

The next one can save lives.

27. Tengo alergia a… (I have a … allergy). “Soy alérgico a…” (I am allergic to…) if you are a man. If you are a woman, say “Soy alérgica a…” For example, if you are allergic to nuts, I would say “Tengo alergia a los frutos secos” or “Soy alérgica a los frutos secos”.
28. La cuenta, por favor (The bill, please). Or you can just draw in the air like you were signing when you make eye-contact with the waiter or waitress.
29. Adiós (Goodbye). This is a common farewell. We also have “Hasta mañana” (See you tomorrow) or “Hasta luego” (See you later). We usually say “Hasta luego” even if we are not going to see the other person in a while.

And the last one! I think this is the most important one because you will make anybody happy when you say it. Que tengas un buen día (Have a nice day) or just “Buen día”. (Good day).

If you make people happy they will be in a good mood and will want to make you happy too. I love saying this everywhere I go and I recommend you do too. 

Conclusion

If you want to know any other helpful sentence that I didn’t add here, leave it in the comments and I’ll reply with the translation in Spanish. Now, do you dare to put your new Spanish knowledge to the test? You can do this quiz for beginners I prepared here to check if you can remember these and if you know some other basic words. You can also learn a lot of new words with it. Check it out.