Spanish Travel Phrases: 200 Lines You Will Actually Use

Not the phrases a book thinks you need. The ones a trip actually asks for.

200 cardsLast updated 2026-08-17

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Phrasebooks fail on the same two counts. They give you the phrase but not the moment — nobody tells you that in Spain the bill never arrives unless you ask for it, that a shop assistant expects solo estoy mirando, or that hasta luego is the normal goodbye even to a stranger you will never see again. And they are a book, so at the moment you need the line you are flipping pages instead of speaking. This deck covers 200 phrases across seven situations: greetings and small talk, airports and transport, hotels, restaurants, shops and money, directions and sights, and problems and health. Every card gives the Spanish, the English, and one line on when to use it or what will come back at you. Import it and the deck joins your spaced-repetition schedule, so the phrases you can already produce stretch out and vanish while the ones that still need a pause keep coming back. By the time you fly, what is left in rotation is a short list, not two hundred cards.

What happens when you add it

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Each card gets its own schedule, based on how well you actually recall it.
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What's inside

Showing 100 representative cards from the full 200-card deck.

Front	Back
Buenos días — what does it mean?	Good morning. Used until about midday.
Buenas tardes — what does it mean?	Good afternoon. Used from after lunch until dark, which can be as late as ten in summer.
Buenas noches — what does it mean?	Good evening; good night. Works both as a greeting after dark and as a farewell before bed.
¿Qué tal? — what does it mean?	How are you?. Informal and extremely common.
¿Cómo está usted? — what does it mean?	How are you? (formal).
Mucho gusto — what does it mean?	Nice to meet you. Said on being introduced.
Encantado — what does it mean?	Pleased to meet you. Men say encantado, women encantada.
Me llamo… — what does it mean?	My name is…. Literally I call myself.
¿Cómo se llama? — what does it mean?	What is your name? (formal).
Hasta luego — what does it mean?	See you later. The default goodbye, even if you will never see the person again.
Hasta mañana — what does it mean?	See you tomorrow. Use with hotel staff or anyone you will genuinely see the next day.
Por favor — what does it mean?	Please. Goes at the end of a request as often as at the start.
Muchas gracias — what does it mean?	Thank you very much. De nada is the standard reply.
De nada — what does it mean?	You are welcome. Also heard as no hay de qué.
Lo siento — what does it mean?	I am sorry. For apologies with substance.
Perdón — what does it mean?	Excuse me; sorry. Use to squeeze past someone or to interrupt politely.
Disculpe — what does it mean?	Excuse me (formal). The polite way to get a stranger's attention before asking something.
No hablo español — what does it mean?	I do not speak Spanish. Add muy bien to soften it and keep the conversation going.
¿Habla inglés? — what does it mean?	Do you speak English?. Ask this after a Spanish greeting, not instead of one.
No entiendo — what does it mean?	I do not understand. More useful than pretending.
¿Puede repetir, por favor? — what does it mean?	Could you repeat that, please?. Ask before the conversation moves on.
Más despacio, por favor — what does it mean?	Slower, please. The single most useful phrase for a beginner.
¿Cómo se dice… en español? — what does it mean?	How do you say… in Spanish?. Point at the object and this phrase does the rest.
¿Qué significa…? — what does it mean?	What does… mean?. Use for a word you have just heard or read.
¿Puede escribirlo? — what does it mean?	Could you write it down?. Very useful for place names and prices.
Vale — what does it mean?	OK. Ubiquitous in Spain.
Claro — what does it mean?	Of course; sure. Warm agreement, softer than por supuesto.
¿Dónde está el aeropuerto? — what does it mean?	Where is the airport?. Swap in any place name after el or la.
¿Dónde está la estación de tren? — what does it mean?	Where is the train station?. Estación de autobuses for the bus station.
Un billete para…, por favor — what does it mean?	One ticket to…, please. In Latin America say boleto or pasaje instead of billete.
¿Ida o ida y vuelta? — what does it mean?	Single or return?. The clerk will ask this.
Ida y vuelta, por favor — what does it mean?	Return, please. Round trip in American English.
¿A qué hora sale el tren? — what does it mean?	What time does the train leave?. Swap tren for autobús, avión or barco.
¿A qué hora llega? — what does it mean?	What time does it arrive?. Ask this immediately after the departure time.
¿De qué andén sale? — what does it mean?	Which platform does it leave from?. Puerta for a gate at the airport.
¿Este tren va a…? — what does it mean?	Does this train go to…?. Ask on the platform before boarding, not after.
¿Hay que cambiar de tren? — what does it mean?	Do I have to change trains?. Directo means it goes straight through.
El tren tiene retraso — what does it mean?	The train is delayed. You will see and hear retraso on the boards.
¿Cuándo sale el siguiente? — what does it mean?	When does the next one leave?. Works for trains, buses and ferries alike.
¿Dónde está la parada de autobús? — what does it mean?	Where is the bus stop?. Parada de taxis for a taxi rank.
¿Me avisa cuando lleguemos? — what does it mean?	Will you tell me when we arrive?. Useful on a bus where stops are not announced.
¿Cuánto es hasta el centro? — what does it mean?	How much is it to the centre?. Ask before getting into an unmetered taxi.
¿Puede poner el taxímetro? — what does it mean?	Could you turn on the meter?. Polite and effective; the request is normal.
¿Dónde está la salida? — what does it mean?	Where is the exit?. Entrada is the entrance.
El depósito está lleno — what does it mean?	The tank is full. Say this when returning a hire car.
Tengo una reserva — what does it mean?	I have a reservation. The first thing to say at a hotel desk.
¿Tiene habitaciones libres? — what does it mean?	Do you have any rooms available?. Completo means fully booked.
¿Incluye el desayuno? — what does it mean?	Is breakfast included?. The answer is usually a plain sí or no.
¿A qué hora hay que dejar la habitación? — what does it mean?	What time is check-out?. La salida also means check-out in this context.
¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi? — what does it mean?	What is the wifi password?. Wifi is pronounced wee-fee.
No hay agua caliente — what does it mean?	There is no hot water. Reception will understand immediately.
Necesito más toallas — what does it mean?	I need more towels. Sábanas for sheets, almohada for a pillow.
¿Puede llamarme un taxi? — what does it mean?	Could you call me a taxi?. Give the time you need it for.
Una mesa para dos, por favor — what does it mean?	A table for two, please. Say it on arrival rather than seating yourself.
¿Cuál es el menú del día? — what does it mean?	What is the set menu today?. The best value lunch in Spain, usually three courses.
Para mí… — what does it mean?	For me…. The natural way to order once the waiter turns to you.
Soy vegetariano — what does it mean?	I am vegetarian. Vegetariana if you are female.
¿Lleva leche? — what does it mean?	Does it contain milk?. Lleva is the natural verb for what a dish contains.
Agua del grifo, por favor — what does it mean?	Tap water, please. Agua con gas is sparkling, sin gas still.
Está muy rico — what does it mean?	It is delicious. Rico is used far more than delicioso in speech.
La cuenta, por favor — what does it mean?	The bill, please. Bills are almost never brought unasked in Spain.
Pagamos por separado — what does it mean?	We are paying separately. Or say a medias to split it down the middle.
¿Dónde están los servicios? — what does it mean?	Where are the toilets?. Baño in Latin America.
¿Cuánto cuesta? — what does it mean?	How much does it cost?. The single most useful shopping phrase.
Es demasiado caro — what does it mean?	It is too expensive. Neutral in a market, rude in a shop with fixed prices.
Me lo llevo — what does it mean?	I will take it. Literally I am taking it with me.
¿De qué está hecho? — what does it mean?	What is it made of?. Useful for leather, wool and ceramics.
En efectivo — what does it mean?	In cash. Say it when the terminal is broken.
¿Hay comisión? — what does it mean?	Is there a fee?. Ask before withdrawing at a private cash machine.
¿Están abiertos los domingos? — what does it mean?	Are you open on Sundays?. Many Spanish shops are not.
Un kilo de…, por favor — what does it mean?	A kilo of…, please. Medio kilo is half a kilo, cien gramos a hundred grams.
¿Dónde estoy? — what does it mean?	Where am I?. Say it while showing a map.
¿Se puede ir andando? — what does it mean?	Can I walk there?. A caminar in Latin America.
A la derecha — what does it mean?	To the right. Gire a la derecha is turn right.
Al final de la calle — what does it mean?	At the end of the street. Often paired with a la derecha.
Está a cinco minutos — what does it mean?	It is five minutes away. Distances are given in time as often as in metres.
¿Puede enseñármelo en el mapa? — what does it mean?	Could you show me on the map?. The most reliable follow up to any direction.
¿Hay una farmacia cerca? — what does it mean?	Is there a pharmacy nearby?. Look for the green cross.
¿Dónde está la parada más cercana? — what does it mean?	Where is the nearest stop?. Works for buses, trams and the metro.
¿A qué hora abre el museo? — what does it mean?	What time does the museum open?. Cierra for closes.
¿Se pueden hacer fotos? — what does it mean?	Is photography allowed?. Sin flash is a common restriction.
¿Dónde se compran las entradas? — what does it mean?	Where do I buy tickets?. Taquilla is the ticket office.
Ayuda — what does it mean?	Help. One word, said loudly, in a genuine emergency.
Llame a una ambulancia — what does it mean?	Call an ambulance. The emergency number across Spain is 112.
Me encuentro mal — what does it mean?	I feel ill. More natural than estoy enfermo for sudden illness.
Tengo fiebre — what does it mean?	I have a fever. Tengo tos is I have a cough.
¿Necesito receta? — what does it mean?	Do I need a prescription?. Spanish pharmacists can advise on minor problems.
He perdido el pasaporte — what does it mean?	I have lost my passport. Report it at the comisaría and to your embassy.
¿Puede ayudarme? — what does it mean?	Could you help me?. Polite and works in any situation.
Se me ha roto — what does it mean?	It has broken. The reflexive form avoids blaming yourself.
Estoy esperando a alguien — what does it mean?	I am waiting for someone. Useful when you are approached.
¿Qué hora es? — what does it mean?	What time is it?. Answers come as son las… plus the hour.
Mañana — what does it mean?	Tomorrow; morning. Context decides which.
La semana que viene — what does it mean?	Next week. El mes que viene is next month.
Estoy de vacaciones — what does it mean?	I am on holiday. Por trabajo is on business.
¿Qué me recomienda ver? — what does it mean?	What do you recommend I see?. Locals give better answers than guidebooks.
Está lloviendo — what does it mean?	It is raining. Llueve also works and is shorter.
Salud — what does it mean?	Cheers. Also said when someone sneezes.
No pasa nada — what does it mean?	It is no problem. Reassuring reply to an apology.
¿Me puede ayudar con esto? — what does it mean?	Could you help me with this?. Point at the thing while asking.

Frequently asked

Does importing this deck use my AI allowance?

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Nothing is duplicated. Cards you already have are skipped and only newly added cards come across. Including re-imports after deleting, each official deck can be imported three times per account.

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Can I edit the cards after importing?

Yes. Imported cards are yours: you can edit both sides, delete cards you do not need, change tags, and move cards to another deck.

What is in the deck?

47 greetings and small talk, 28 airport and transport, 19 hotel, 28 restaurant, 23 shopping and money, 27 directions and sights and 28 problems and health, 200 in total. One phrase per card, so no phrase appears twice.

Do I need to know grammar first?

No. Every card is a complete line you can say as it stands. Where a phrase has a slot you will want to fill — a place name, a food, a body part — the note tells you what goes in it, so one card gives you a family of sentences rather than a single fixed sentence.

Which Spanish is this?

Peninsular Spanish, because that is where most of these situations are named differently. Where a word changes across the Atlantic — billete and boleto, servicios and baño, coger and tomar — the note gives the Latin American form so the card works on either side.

How long before a trip should I start?

Two to three weeks is enough for 200 phrases at a relaxed pace, because spaced repetition stops showing you what you already produce. Starting the night before still helps, but you will be recognising the phrases rather than saying them.

Editorial method and sources

Memly's editors use the primary sources below to check scope and terminology, then independently write and review the cards.

Instituto Cervantes: A1-A2 travel, accommodation and transport vocabulary