Spanish Phrase Book for the Real World

by Rease Kirchner
Creative Commons photo by Schlaeger

Phrase books are great for travelers who are not fluent in the language of the country they are visiting, but let’s be honest, sometimes they leave a little something to be desired. Of course it’s important to know how to ask for directions, find a bathroom and order a meal, but what about if you want to talk to a local? Perhaps do some flirting or insulting? I’m going to give you some social stuff your average phrasebook might not include. If you are looking for the basics, don’t worry, text book stuff is at the end of the article! (PS- I did my best on phonetic spellings!)

The Good Stuff

Can I buy you a drink? – ¿Te invito a un trago? (tay in-vee-to ah oon trah-go)

Want to buy me a drink? – ¿Me invitas a un trago?(may in-vee-tahs  a oon trah-go)

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? – ¿Tienes un novio/novia? (tee-en-ehs oon no-vee-o/no-vee-ah)

Do you want to dance? – ¿Quieres bailar? (kee-ehr-ray-s bai-lar

You’re cute – Eres guapo/guapa (boy/girl, respectively) (eh-ray-s goo-wah-poh/goo-wah-pah)

Do you want to go out sometime? – ¿Quieres salir algún día? (kee-ehr-ray-s sah-leer ahl-goon dee-ah)

What are you doing tonight/tomorrow/this weekend? – ¿Qué haces esta noche/mañana/este fin de semana? (kay ah-say-s eh-stah no-chay/mahn-yah-nah/eh-stay feen day say-mah-nah)

Can I have your number? – ¿Me das tu número de teléfono? (or just “¿me das tu celular/teléfono?”) (may dah-s too noo-mer-o day teh-lay-foh-no)

Call me – Llámame (YA-mah-may)

I’ll call you – Te llamo (tay ya-mo)

Kiss me – Bésame (BAY-sah-may)

Another beer, please – Otra cerveza, por favor (oh-trah sehr-vay-sah por-fa-vor)

Can I have a cigarette? – ¿me das un cigarillo? (may dahs oon si-gah-ree-yo)

Do you have a condom? – ¿Tienes un condón? (tee-en-ehs oon kohn-dohn)

Do you smoke? – ¿Fumas? (Foo-mahs)

You’re disgusting – Eres asqueroso (eh-rays ahs-keh-roh-so)

Leave me alone – Déjame en paz (DAY-ha-may ehn pahs)

I have a boyfriend/girlfriend – Tengo novio/novia (teh-n-go no-vee-oh/no-vee-ah)

I’m not interested – No me interesa (No may in-ter-eh-sa)

Do you have a lighter? – ¿Tienes un encededor? (or, in slang- ¿Tienes un fuego? (tee-en-ehs oon en-sen-day-dor)

Text Book Stuff

What’s your name? – ¿Como te llamas? (koh-moh tay ya-mahs)

My name is… – Me llamo… (may ya-mo)

How old are you? – ¿Cuantos años tienes? (kwan-tohs ahn-yos tee-en-ehs)

Where is …? – ¿Dónde está…? (dohn-day eh-stah)

Is it close by? – ¿Está cerca? (eh-stah sehr-kah)

Is there an ATM close by? – ¿Hay un cajero automático cerca? (ai oon ka-her-roh au-toh-mah-tee-koh sehr-kah)

Do you speak English? – ¿Hablas inglés? (ah-blahs in-glays)

I want… – Yo quiero… (yo kee-ehr-roh)

Please – Por favor (por fa-vor)

Thank you – Gracias (grah-see-ahs)

You’re welcome – De nada (de nah-dah)

Excuse me – perdón (also- disculpa or if you need to get past someone you can say con permiso) (per-don/dee-skool-pah/con per-mee-soh)

Can you help me? – ¿Puedes ayudarme? (pway-dehs ah-yoo-dar-may)

I need… – Necesito (neh-seh-see-to)

I need a taxi – Necesito un taxi (neh-seh-see-to oon taa-xi)

I am from… – Soy de  (soy day)

Where are you from? – ¿De dónde eres? (day don-day ehr-ehs)

How much does it cost? – ¿Cuánto cuesta? (kwan-toh kway-stah)

How are you? – ¿Cómo estas? (koh-mo eh-stahs)

I am fine/bad – Estoy bien/mal (eh-stoy bee-en/maal)

The Bad Stuff

Want to learn the phrases no Spanish teacher in their right mind would ever teach you? Try these: 10 Phrases You Won’t Learn in Spanish Class.

Do you speak another language and want to submit a Real World Phrase Book? Leave us a comment with your email and we’ll make it happen.

Rease Kirchner a staff writer/Travel Advisor for Travelated. She is a US citizen currently living the ex-pat life in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is bilingual and an experienced traveler. She loves gaining and sharing knowledge of local cultures, customs and adventure. Her blog Mi Vida en Buenos Aires documents her life as a foreigner.