50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases // Travel Essentials

50 Must-Know Spanish Words & Phrases & FREE QUIZ

Not all words are created equal.

Some words are just used more frequently than others. And on that note, Spanish is no exception and has its own set of frequently used words.

👉 Knowing these words will ease any interaction you may have in Spanish.

So with that in mind, becoming familiar with these must-know Spanish words and phrases will help build your vocabulary foundation and propel your social skills when speaking Spanish.

Then at the end, don’t forget to test your knowledge with our free quiz!

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || The Pleasantries

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Basic Inquiries

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Conversation Starters

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Travel Essentials

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Miscellaneous

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Quiz

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || FAQs

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases ||
The Pleasantries

👉 For certain, when speaking Spanish, you are bound to hear any of the following polite greetings in your everyday conversations, so might as well incorporate them from the start into your vocabulary for easy and ready reference!

Play Hola (Hello)

This greeting is widely used as a way to say “hello”, admissible in practically any context.

Play Adiós (Goodbye) or Play hasta luego (See you later)

Both forms of bidding goodbye are common and used interchangeably.

Play Buenos días (Good morning)

A polite morning greeting that is used frequently as well, instead of a simple “hello”, provided the time of day corresponds to the greeting, which is usually from the morning up until Spanish lunchtime.

Play Buenas tardes (Good afternoon)

A polite way to say “hello” in the afternoon up until the evening.

Play Buenas noches (Good evening/Good night)

Although it is more adept to use when bidding someone goodnight or as a parting greeting in the evening, it can also be used as a way of greeting someone a good evening.

Play Por favor (Please)

This word is a must in any language.

Play Gracias (Thank you) or Play muchas gracias (Thank you very much)

This must-know word is self-explanatory!

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Play De nada or Play No hay de qué (You’re welcome)

Both can be used interchangeably to signify “you’re welcome”. The phrase Play no hay de qué may come across as a bit more cordial but is just as commonly used.

Play Perdón (Sorry/Excuse me)

The word Play perdón can be used either as a form of apology or a way to excuse oneself.

Play Lo siento (I’m sorry) Another common and must-know way of saying you’re sorry or apologizing.

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50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases ||
Basic Inquiries

After the pleasantries and the introductions, usually follow the basic inquiries like
“How are you” and the like.

👉 Here are some must-know inquiries you will surely hear and use when speaking Spanish:

Play ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
¿Cómo estás? or ¿Qué tal estás?

These can be your go-to phrases when asking someone how they are doing or how they are feeling.

Play ¿Qué tal?
¿Qué tal? (How are you?)

This is a more casual and simplified version of ¿Qué tal estás? and is used frequently in less cordial contexts.

¿Cómo te va? or ¿Cómo va? (How’s it going?) is used in less formal contexts to ask someone how things are going.

¿Qué pasa? (What’s up?). You will hear this more casual way of greeting someone often when in a more relaxed setting or with close friends or peers.

👉 Some of the frequently and commonly used replies to the basic inquiries mentioned and that must be in your Spanish phraseology bank are:

Bien, gracias (Good, thanks), or any variations to the phrase like Muy bien, gracias (Very well, thanks) or Estoy bien, gracias (I am well, thanks).

Play Bien, como siempre (Good, as always) or just plain, Como siempre (As always).

If one is not feeling upbeat or well, then these variations are in order: Play No muy bien, gracias (Not very well, thanks). No estoy bien (I am not well).

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Conversation Starters

👉 Here are some basic and must-know conversation starters that can give you a lot of mileage when getting a conversation started in Spanish:

Play ¿Cómo te llamas? (What’s your name?) is a perfectly polite way to ask someone’s name. And your go-to reply would be Me llamo… (My name is…), or you could directly introduce yourself, Hola, soy… (Hello, I’m…) or Hola, me llamo… (Hello my name is…)

Play ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?) is an acceptable way to inquire about someone’s background.

As for the common reply in Spanish to the question of where you are from, a commonly used one would be Play Soy de… (I am from…)

Play Encantado/a de conocerte (Pleased to meet you) or simply Encantado/a, both translate to “Pleased to meet you” and can be used in both formal and informal settings.

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50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases ||
Travel Essentials

There are indispensable phrases when on the go and traveling, like asking for directions or details on taking public transportation or ordering at a restaurant or café, to name a few.

👉 Here are some of the travel essential phrases you will need when moving around in Spain:

When asking for directions, you can use phrases such as: 

Play ¿Me podría ayudar, por favor? (Could you help me please?)

Play ¿Cómo puedo llegar a…? (How can I get to…?)

Play ¿Dónde está…? (Where is…?)

Play ¿Para llegar a…? (To get to…?)

Play ¿Dónde está la parada de metro más cerca? (Where is the nearest subway station?)

When taking public transportation, this phrase will come in handy. You can substitute the Spanish word metro for bus if need be.

Play ¿Los servicios por favor? (The bathroom please?)
or Play ¿Dónde están los servicios, por favor? (Where are the restrooms please?) are your go-to phrases when asking where the restrooms are.

Play ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much?) or Play ¿Cuánto vale? (How much?), both can be used just as well to ask how much something costs.

Play Quisiera… (I would like…) is a phrase that is used when asking for or ordering something, like for example: Quisiera un café con leche. (I would like a café latte.)

Play La cuenta, por favor (The check, please) would be your go-to phrase when you’re at a restaurant and want to ask for the bill.

Play No entiendo (I don’t understand) or Play ¿Puede repetirlo? (Could you repeat?) or Play ¿Me podría ayudar, por favor? (Could you help me please?) can help you out when you’re in a pickle or don’t understand something.

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50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Miscellaneous

👉 Other must-know terms and phrases in Spanish that can come in handy are:

Now that you’ve mastered the knowledge above, why not explore these essential resources?

👉 How to say No in Spanish

👉Reflexive Pronouns in Spanish

👉 Have a good day in Spanish

🌍 And for a more global challenge, make sure to take a look at Questions Words in Chinese and Question Words in Japanese

50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || Quiz

How well do you know your Spanish swear words?

Whether you knew some (or all) of them before reading this article, or on the contrary just learnt a bunch of them, take our quick fire quiz to see how well you remember them.

Share your results in the comments, and good luck!

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50 Must-Know Spanish Words and Phrases || FAQs

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