Basic Spanish Phrases

By Noah M. Benjamin

It is completely possible to travel around Spanish-speaking countries with only very basic Spanish phrases in mind. I have spent a few months traveling through Central and South America and, although I speak very good Spanish by now, I would say 80% of my interactions involve only basic Spanish phrases!

Saying Hello

Most people in Latin American countries are very friendly. I often find myself greeting -- and being greeted by -- almost every person I pass by! Here are the most common phrases we exchange:

Hola - hello

Buenos dias - good morning

Buen dia - good morning (to just one person)

Como estas? - how are you

Bien, y tu? - good, and you?

Saying Good Bye

When you enter stores in Latin America, there are a surprisingly large amount of things you can say to mean "good bye". Here are those that I used most commonly:

Adios - good bye (universal)

Ciao - good bye (Central America)

Hasta luego - until later / see you later

If you are going to be traveling, I recommend just walking into a store or two and seeing what they say as you leave.

Study Your Spanish First

I do NOT recommend just blindly learning these phrases and no other Spanish at all. The reason for this is that you will not only sound very strange to Spanish speaking people, but you will likely not be able to retain these words without knowing SOME Spanish.

The easiest way to fit in some basic Spanish lessons is through audio learning in your car. Get a Spanish instruction CD, pop it in while you're driving around in your car, and you will build a very good base in Spanish in just about two weeks. How much time do you spend in your car - 10, 12 hours a week, more? Take advantage of that time!

These are basic Spanish phrases that I use most commonly in Latin America. There are more than that, but this is a good base. Build a base in Spanish and you will excel when speaking these phrases!

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