🇪🇸 SPAIN · SPANISH FOR AUSSIE TRAVELLERS
Essential phrases for travel in Spain.
THE SHORT ANSWER · LATIN AMERICAN SPANISH
The five phrases you'll use most in Spain are: Hola (hello), Chau (goodbye), Gracias (thank you), Por favor (please), Perdón (excuse me / sorry). Locals appreciate any effort — even rough pronunciation lands warmer than English-only.
What language do they speak in Spain?
Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, all the rest of Latin America. We flag Buenos Aires variants where they matter — the rest is neutral Latin Spanish that works anywhere from Cancun to Patagonia.
The 12 phrases that get you through day one
HELLO
Hola
OH-lah
In Argentina + Uruguay, men greet men with one kiss on the right cheek — even strangers, even in business. Don't recoil.
GOODBYE
Chau
CHOW
More common across Latin America than 'adiós', which sounds formal/final. 'Chau' works everywhere from BA to Mexico.
THANK YOU
Gracias
GRAH-see-ahs
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
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
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
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
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
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
'Con gas' = with bubbles (gas in the water). 'Sin gas' = without. Easy.
45 PHRASES · TAP TO HEAR · NO STREAKS
Learn the full Spanish traveller phrasebook
Paced to your trip date, with cultural context and mnemonics.
Phonetics are Aussie-friendly pronunciation guides — not academic IPA. Speak each one aloud before you need it.