Spanish travel phrases for Latin America: the ones you will actually use
Phrasebooks give you hundreds of sentences. On a real trip you use about twenty, again and again. These are the ones that get you through the airport, the taxi, the restaurant and the moment you do not understand.
Arriving
- Vengo de vacaciones. I am here on holiday.
- Me quedo una semana. I am staying a week.
- ¿Dónde tomo un taxi? Where do I get a taxi?
Getting around
- ¿Cuánto cuesta hasta el centro? How much is it to the centre? Agree on the price before you get in.
- Disculpe, ¿cómo llego a…? Excuse me, how do I get to…?
- ¿Está lejos? Is it far?
Eating out
- ¿Me trae la carta, por favor? Could I have the menu, please?
- ¿Qué me recomienda? What do you recommend?
- La cuenta, por favor. The bill, please.
When it breaks down
- Más despacio, por favor. Slower, please.
- ¿Puede repetir, por favor? Can you say that again?
- ¿Qué significa…? What does … mean?
What changes from country to country
The core is the same everywhere; the everyday words are not. A bus is a camión in Mexico, a micro or combi in Peru and a colectivo in Argentina. Avocado is aguacate in Mexico and Colombia and palta in Peru and Argentina. In Argentina you will also hear vos instead of tú.
The free Spanish Survival Kit covers 18 of these situations, one per page, with the differences marked by country.