10 Useful Spanish Phrases

If you're visiting a foreign country, it's best to learn at least a few key phrases. I've found that when I attempt to speak to locals in their native language, they appreciate the effort. Don't be shy!

I've compiled a list of 10 key words and phrases that you should learn if you are traveling to a Spanish-speaking country. You may be surprised how far you can get with just these 10 phrases.

1. Por favor - Please
2. Gracias - Thank you
3. Dos personas, por favor - Two people, please
4. Disculpe - Excuse me (this is to get someone's attention). If you accidentally step on someone's foot, you'll want to use perdone instead.
5. Cuanto cuesta? - How much does it cost?
6. Quisiera - I/he/she would like
7. Un/una - one
8. La cuenta, por favor - Check, please
9. Inglés - English
10. Dónde está el baño? - Where is the bathroom? Or, if you're in Spain, you can say, Dónde están los aseos?

In Spanish, words that end in a vowel, -n, or -s have the stress on the penultimate (second-to-last) syllable, whereas words that end in a consonant other than -n or -s have the stress on the last syllable. However, in some cases there will be an accent mark (e.g., é) which means the accented vowel gets the stress (overriding the first two rules).

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