Most apps teach you to say "the cat eats the apple" after 200 days. We teach you to order coffee, handle a taxi, and ask for help on day one. Phrase-first. With the cultural context big apps skip.
01 · PICK YOUR LANGUAGE
14 LANGUAGES
02 · WHEN DO YOU FLY (OPTIONAL)
Trip date
We'll pace your phrases against the calendar — no streaks, just the daily push you need.
SPEAK SLOWLY
HELLO
Hola
OH-lah
REAL TALK
In Argentina + Uruguay, men greet men with one kiss on the right cheek — even strangers, even in business. Don't recoil.
GOODBYE
Chau
CHOW
REAL TALK
More common across Latin America than 'adiós', which sounds formal/final. 'Chau' works everywhere from BA to Mexico.
THANK YOU
Gracias
GRAH-see-ahs
MEMORY HOOK
Imagine thanking someone for a basket of fresh-cut grass — 'grah-see-us'.
PLEASE
Por favor
por fah-VOR
EXCUSE ME / SORRY
Perdón
per-DOHN
REAL TALK
Use to push past someone, get attention, or apologise for bumping into them. Same word, three jobs.
YES / NO
Sí / No
SEE / NOH
DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?
¿Habla inglés?
AH-blah een-GLES
REGIONAL
In Argentina you'll often hear ¿Hablás inglés? (ah-BLAHS) — the 'voseo' verb form. Either is understood.
A TABLE FOR TWO, PLEASE
Una mesa para dos, por favor
OO-nah MEH-sah PAH-rah dohs por fah-VOR
THE MENU, PLEASE
La carta, por favor
lah KAR-tah por fah-VOR
REAL TALK
Ask for 'la carta', not 'el menú'. 'Menú' often means a fixed-price set meal in Spain + Latin America — you may not get the full list.
THE BILL, PLEASE
La cuenta, por favor
lah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR
REAL TALK
Bills don't come automatically — you have to ask. Don't wait 20 minutes wondering where it is.
I'M ALLERGIC TO…
Soy alérgico/a a…
soy ah-LEHR-hee-koh ah
REAL TALK
Take this seriously — write the specific allergen on your phone in Spanish and SHOW them too. Verbal-only is risky for severe allergies.
WATER PLEASE — STILL / SPARKLING
Agua, por favor — sin gas / con gas
AH-gwah por fah-VOR — seen gahs / kohn gahs
MEMORY HOOK
'Con gas' = with bubbles (gas in the water). 'Sin gas' = without. Easy.
ONE COFFEE, PLEASE
Un café, por favor
oon kah-FEH por fah-VOR
REAL TALK
In BA, 'un café' usually means a small espresso. Want a long coffee with milk? Ask for 'un café con leche' (kohn LEH-cheh).
TO [PLACE], PLEASE
A …, por favor
ah … por fah-VOR
REAL TALK
Show the taxi driver the address on your phone too. Spanish street names are often unfamiliar to your tongue — letting them read it avoids confusion.
HOW MUCH IS IT?
¿Cuánto cuesta?
KWAHN-toh KWES-tah
MEMORY HOOK
'When-toe coast-uh' — like asking how much the toe cost.
STOP HERE, PLEASE
Pare aquí, por favor
PAH-reh ah-KEE por fah-VOR
WHERE IS…?
¿Dónde está…?
DOHN-deh es-TAH
MEMORY HOOK
'Don-day is-tah' — channel a posh butler asking 'Don, what day is the bathroom?'
DO YOU ACCEPT CARDS?
¿Aceptan tarjeta?
ah-SEP-tahn tar-HEH-tah
REAL TALK
Just say 'tarjeta' — locals understand it means credit/debit card. No need to specify 'tarjeta de crédito'.
CASH ONLY?
¿Sólo efectivo?
SOH-loh eh-fek-TEE-voh
REAL TALK
Many smaller spots in Latin America are cash-only — and in Argentina, paying cash in USD often gets you a better rate (the Blue Dollar). Always carry some.
WHERE IS THE ATM?
¿Dónde hay un cajero?
DOHN-deh eye oon kah-HEH-roh
MEMORY HOOK
'Cajero' = 'cash-share-oh'. Pretend the ATM is sharing its cash with you.
HELP!
¡Ayuda!
ah-YOO-dah
I NEED A DOCTOR
Necesito un médico
neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh
WHERE IS THE PHARMACY?
¿Dónde hay una farmacia?
DOHN-deh eye OO-nah far-MAH-see-ah
REAL TALK
Latin American pharmacies handle a lot of stuff that needs a GP back home — antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, the lot. Often the first stop for minor issues.
WHERE IS THE HOSPITAL?
¿Dónde está el hospital?
DOHN-deh es-TAH el ohs-pee-TAHL
I DON'T UNDERSTAND
No entiendo
noh en-tee-EHN-doh
COULD YOU SPEAK MORE SLOWLY?
¿Puede hablar más despacio?
PWEH-deh ah-BLAR mahs des-PAH-see-oh
TAKE IT OFFLINE
The cheat sheet is a one-page branded PDF — every phrase with phonetics, organised by situation. Print it, save it offline, hand it to mum so she stops asking. Phone batteries die. Paper doesn't.
Audio uses your browser's built-in speech engine — pronunciation is functional but not perfect. We're working on recorded audio from local speakers for the next drop. The cheat sheet is fixed and stays in your library.