Hola from Costa Rica! I’ve spent the past week here, and consequently I’ve had the opportunity to sharpen my embarrassingly rusty Spanish skills. I was astonished at how much of the language came back to me — and also at how much was lost to time. If you’re traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, here’s a list of words and phrases you might want to memorize before you go, along with some that I wished I’d taken the time to relearn before my plane touched down in San Jose.
Pleasantries
- “Por favor.” Please.
- “Gracias.” Thank you.
- “De nada” or “con gusto” You’re welcome.
- “Buenas dias” or just “buenas”– “Good day,” used as a greeting.
- “¿Como esta?” How are you?
Traveling/Directions
- “¿Donde esta…?” Where is? If what you’re asking about is plural, use “¿Donde estan?”
- “Puente en mal estadio.” Bridge in poor condition.” We saw a lot of these signs on the way to our rural mountainside resort.
- “El taxi.” Taxi.
- “Gire a la derecha.” Turn right.
- “Gire a la izquierda.” Turn left.
- ” Un plano.” A map.
- “¿Por favor, puedo usar los servicios sanitarios?” Please, can I use your bathroom? (Also, muchas gracias to the wonderful Costa Rican woman who let a pregnant gringa she’d never met into her home to use her bathroom!)
Food/ Restaurants
- “La propina” The tip. In Costa Rica, this is generally included, though you may tip a little extra if the service was exceptional.
- “La cuenta, por favor.” Check, please.
- Soda : A restaurant serving inexpensive Costa Rican staples.
- “¿Acepta usted tarjetas de crédito?” Do you accept credit cards?
- “Quiero…” I want…
Language
- “Habla ingles?” Do you speak English?
- “Habla español?” Do you speak Spanish?
- “Lo siento, solo hablo un poquito de español.” I’m sorry, I only speak a little Spanish.
- “Hable despacio, por favor.” Speak more slowly, please.
Hotels
- “Quisiera hacer una reservación/ Tengo una reservación.” I would like to make a reservation/I have a reservation.
- “¿Podria llamarme un taxi, por favor?” Could you call me a taxi, please?
- ¿Tiene el hotel acceso a Internet? Does the hotel have internet access?
- “La llave.” Room key.
- “El aire acondicionado en mi cuarto no está funcionando.” The air conditioner in my room isn’t working.
Can you think of any other essential travel phrases? Share them in the comments!
Photo Credit: 
Some rights reserved by LeafLanguages