Spanish Travel Phrases: 200 Lines You Will Actually Use
Not the phrases a book thinks you need. The ones a trip actually asks for.
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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
- 1
The button opens Memly and the whole deck lands in your account.
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Each card gets its own schedule, based on how well you actually recall it.
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They are your cards afterwards — rewrite, delete or reorganize them freely.
What's inside
Showing 100 representative cards from the full 200-card deck.
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Buenos días | Good morning. Used until about midday. Buenas tardes takes over after lunch. |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon. Used from after lunch until dark, which can be as late as ten in summer. |
| Buenas noches | Good evening; good night. Works both as a greeting after dark and as a farewell before bed. |
| ¿Qué tal? | How are you?. Informal and extremely common. A short Bien, gracias is a complete answer. |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? (formal). Use with older people, officials and anyone you address as usted. |
| Mucho gusto | Nice to meet you. Said on being introduced. Igualmente is the natural reply. |
| Encantado | Pleased to meet you. Men say encantado, women encantada. |
| Me llamo… | My name is…. Literally I call myself. Soy… also works. |
| ¿Cómo se llama? | What is your name? (formal). Drop to ¿Cómo te llamas? with people your own age. |
| Hasta luego | See you later. The default goodbye, even if you will never see the person again. |
| Hasta mañana | See you tomorrow. Use with hotel staff or anyone you will genuinely see the next day. |
| Por favor | Please. Goes at the end of a request as often as at the start. |
| Muchas gracias | Thank you very much. De nada is the standard reply. |
| De nada | You are welcome. Also heard as no hay de qué. |
| Lo siento | I am sorry. For apologies with substance. For bumping into someone use perdón. |
| Perdón | Excuse me; sorry. Use to squeeze past someone or to interrupt politely. |
| Disculpe | Excuse me (formal). The polite way to get a stranger's attention before asking something. |
| No hablo español | I do not speak Spanish. Add muy bien to soften it and keep the conversation going. |
| ¿Habla inglés? | Do you speak English?. Ask this after a Spanish greeting, not instead of one. |
| No entiendo | I do not understand. More useful than pretending. Follow with ¿Puede repetir? |
| ¿Puede repetir, por favor? | Could you repeat that, please?. Ask before the conversation moves on. |
| Más despacio, por favor | Slower, please. The single most useful phrase for a beginner. |
| ¿Cómo se dice… en español? | How do you say… in Spanish?. Point at the object and this phrase does the rest. |
| ¿Qué significa…? | What does… mean?. Use for a word you have just heard or read. |
| ¿Puede escribirlo? | Could you write it down?. Very useful for place names and prices. |
| Vale | OK. Ubiquitous in Spain. In Latin America use está bien. |
| Claro | Of course; sure. Warm agreement, softer than por supuesto. |
| ¿Dónde está el aeropuerto? | Where is the airport?. Swap in any place name after el or la. |
| ¿Dónde está la estación de tren? | Where is the train station?. Estación de autobuses for the bus station. |
| Un billete para…, por favor | One ticket to…, please. In Latin America say boleto or pasaje instead of billete. |
| ¿Ida o ida y vuelta? | Single or return?. The clerk will ask this. Answer with one of the two. |
| Ida y vuelta, por favor | Return, please. Round trip in American English. |
| ¿A qué hora sale el tren? | What time does the train leave?. Swap tren for autobús, avión or barco. |
| ¿A qué hora llega? | What time does it arrive?. Ask this immediately after the departure time. |
| ¿De qué andén sale? | Which platform does it leave from?. Puerta for a gate at the airport. |
| ¿Este tren va a…? | Does this train go to…?. Ask on the platform before boarding, not after. |
| ¿Hay que cambiar de tren? | Do I have to change trains?. Directo means it goes straight through. |
| El tren tiene retraso | The train is delayed. You will see and hear retraso on the boards. |
| ¿Cuándo sale el siguiente? | When does the next one leave?. Works for trains, buses and ferries alike. |
| ¿Dónde está la parada de autobús? | Where is the bus stop?. Parada de taxis for a taxi rank. |
| ¿Me avisa cuando lleguemos? | Will you tell me when we arrive?. Useful on a bus where stops are not announced. |
| ¿Cuánto es hasta el centro? | How much is it to the centre?. Ask before getting into an unmetered taxi. |
| ¿Puede poner el taxímetro? | Could you turn on the meter?. Polite and effective; the request is normal. |
| ¿Dónde está la salida? | Where is the exit?. Entrada is the entrance. |
| El depósito está lleno | The tank is full. Say this when returning a hire car. |
| Tengo una reserva | I have a reservation. The first thing to say at a hotel desk. |
| ¿Tiene habitaciones libres? | Do you have any rooms available?. Completo means fully booked. |
| ¿Incluye el desayuno? | Is breakfast included?. The answer is usually a plain sí or no. |
| ¿A qué hora hay que dejar la habitación? | What time is check-out?. La salida also means check-out in this context. |
| ¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi? | What is the wifi password?. Wifi is pronounced wee-fee. |
| No hay agua caliente | There is no hot water. Reception will understand immediately. |
| Necesito más toallas | I need more towels. Sábanas for sheets, almohada for a pillow. |
| ¿Puede llamarme un taxi? | Could you call me a taxi?. Give the time you need it for. |
| Una mesa para dos, por favor | A table for two, please. Say it on arrival rather than seating yourself. |
| ¿Cuál es el menú del día? | What is the set menu today?. The best value lunch in Spain, usually three courses. |
| Para mí… | For me…. The natural way to order once the waiter turns to you. |
| Soy vegetariano | I am vegetarian. Vegetariana if you are female. Add sin carne ni pescado to be clear. |
| ¿Lleva leche? | Does it contain milk?. Lleva is the natural verb for what a dish contains. |
| Agua del grifo, por favor | Tap water, please. Agua con gas is sparkling, sin gas still. |
| Está muy rico | It is delicious. Rico is used far more than delicioso in speech. |
| La cuenta, por favor | The bill, please. Bills are almost never brought unasked in Spain. |
| Pagamos por separado | We are paying separately. Or say a medias to split it down the middle. |
| ¿Dónde están los servicios? | Where are the toilets?. Baño in Latin America. |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much does it cost?. The single most useful shopping phrase. |
| Es demasiado caro | It is too expensive. Neutral in a market, rude in a shop with fixed prices. |
| Me lo llevo | I will take it. Literally I am taking it with me. |
| ¿De qué está hecho? | What is it made of?. Useful for leather, wool and ceramics. |
| En efectivo | In cash. Say it when the terminal is broken. |
| ¿Hay comisión? | Is there a fee?. Ask before withdrawing at a private cash machine. |
| ¿Están abiertos los domingos? | Are you open on Sundays?. Many Spanish shops are not. |
| Un kilo de…, por favor | A kilo of…, please. Medio kilo is half a kilo, cien gramos a hundred grams. |
| ¿Dónde estoy? | Where am I?. Say it while showing a map. |
| ¿Se puede ir andando? | Can I walk there?. A caminar in Latin America. |
| A la derecha | To the right. Gire a la derecha is turn right. |
| Al final de la calle | At the end of the street. Often paired with a la derecha. |
| Está a cinco minutos | It is five minutes away. Distances are given in time as often as in metres. |
| ¿Puede enseñármelo en el mapa? | Could you show me on the map?. The most reliable follow up to any direction. |
| ¿Hay una farmacia cerca? | Is there a pharmacy nearby?. Look for the green cross. |
| ¿Dónde está la parada más cercana? | Where is the nearest stop?. Works for buses, trams and the metro. |
| ¿A qué hora abre el museo? | What time does the museum open?. Cierra for closes. |
| ¿Se pueden hacer fotos? | Is photography allowed?. Sin flash is a common restriction. |
| ¿Dónde se compran las entradas? | Where do I buy tickets?. Taquilla is the ticket office. |
| Ayuda | Help. One word, said loudly, in a genuine emergency. |
| Llame a una ambulancia | Call an ambulance. The emergency number across Spain is 112. |
| Me encuentro mal | I feel ill. More natural than estoy enfermo for sudden illness. |
| Tengo fiebre | I have a fever. Tengo tos is I have a cough. |
| ¿Necesito receta? | Do I need a prescription?. Spanish pharmacists can advise on minor problems. |
| He perdido el pasaporte | I have lost my passport. Report it at the comisaría and to your embassy. |
| ¿Puede ayudarme? | Could you help me?. Polite and works in any situation. |
| Se me ha roto | It has broken. The reflexive form avoids blaming yourself. |
| Estoy esperando a alguien | I am waiting for someone. Useful when you are approached. |
| ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it?. Answers come as son las… plus the hour. |
| Mañana | Tomorrow; morning. Context decides which. Por la mañana is in the morning. |
| La semana que viene | Next week. El mes que viene is next month. |
| Estoy de vacaciones | I am on holiday. Por trabajo is on business. |
| ¿Qué me recomienda ver? | What do you recommend I see?. Locals give better answers than guidebooks. |
| Está lloviendo | It is raining. Llueve also works and is shorter. |
| Salud | Cheers. Also said when someone sneezes. |
| No pasa nada | It is no problem. Reassuring reply to an apology. |
| ¿Me puede ayudar con esto? | Could you help me with this?. Point at the thing while asking. |
Frequently asked
Does importing this deck use AI credits?
No. Importing uses the saved deck as published; it does not run AI generation or use AI credits. The complete deck can therefore be imported on the free plan.
What happens if I import the deck twice?
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.
Can I use it on the web app and the phone app?
Yes. The deck is added to your account, so the same cards and the same progress are available in the web app, the iOS app and the Android app.
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.
Spanish Travel Phrases: 200 Lines You Will Actually Use
Add every card on the free plan. Importing runs no AI generation and spends no AI credits. You'll need a Memly account.
Related tools
Phrases and usage notes are written by Memly and reflect everyday Peninsular Spanish, with Latin American alternatives flagged where the difference matters. Health and emergency phrases are provided for communication only and are not medical or legal advice. Scope reviewed 2026-08-17.