You Must Learn These Chunks For Your First Trip to a Spanish-Speaking Country!
Mi gente (my people), are you planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, pero, ¿NO HABLAS ESPAÑOL? (but, YOU DON’T SPEAK SPANISH?)
Te tengo buenas noticias. (I have good news for you.) Today, I am teaching you the 25 lifesaver chunks that you need if you’re traveling to Spain, Mexico, or another country, without knowing a word in Spanish.
Yo soy Paulísima, (I am Paulisima) Spring Spanish teacher and Bienvenidos a México. (Welcome to Mexico.)
1. At the airport and on board
When we were at the airport, these are the chunks that you will need:
People would ask:
¿Me permite ver sus documentos: certificado de vacunación, pasaporte y pase de abordar?
(May I see your documents: vaccination certificate, passport, and boarding pass?)
You would need to say:
¡Claro, aquí tiene!
(Sure, here you are!)
If you’re not sure of what they are talking about, you could ask:
¿Qué documentos necesita?
(What documents do you need?)
In the airplane, we were asked:
¿Gustaría algo de comer o de beber?
(Would you like something to eat or drink?)
For that, you could reply:
¡Sí, me gustaría comprar un sandwich!
(Yes, I would like to buy a sandwich!)
Or
¡No, por el momento no quiero nada, gracias!
(No, for the moment I don't want anything, thank you!)
We didn’t have any luggage, but I told her that if she ever gets lost and needs directions, you just need to know ¿Dónde está…? (Where is…?) And then you add whatever you’re looking for, i.e.:
- ¿Dónde está…el baño (the bathroom)
- ¿Dónde está…el área de equipaje? (the luggage area)
- ¿Dónde está…el transporte terrestre? (the land transport)
Mi gente, (my people) a little bit of context. A few weekends ago, I went to Acapulco on a trip with one of my English-speaking friends, and I realized that if it wasn’t for the fact I was a Spanish speaker, they would have struggled during the trip.
Therefore, as the good teacher I am, I decided to use this cool opportunity to teach my friend some lifesaver chunks she would need next time she needs to go by herself. I took note of all of these chunks, and here is the video lesson for you.
Feel free to watch the lesson about asking for directions by Maria Fernanda. Do subscribe to the Spring Spanish YouTube channel, so we can continue making these videos for you!
2. Hotel and restaurant
If you arrive at the hotel or to a restaurant, and they only speak Spanish, no worries: just use this chunk: tengo una reservación a nombre de (I have a reservation under the name of) and insert your name. También, apréndete estas frases que son muy útiles. (Also, learn these phrases that are very useful.)
- No tengo reservación. (I don’t have a reservation.)
- Mesa para dos, por favor. En el área de fumar. (Table for 2, please. In the smoking area.)
- Soy alérgico a los mariscos. (I’m allergic to seafood.)
- Soy alérgico a los lácteos. (I’m allergic to dairy.)
- Soy alérgico al gluten. (I’m allergic to gluten.)
Disculpe, soy alérgico al gluten.
(I’m allergic to gluten.)
Gracias por decirme.
(Thanks for telling me.)
Chunk alert! Gracias por decirme (Thanks for telling me) is a good chunk to learn by heart as a whole. For more chunks like this that will be super useful when speaking Spanish, download the free Essential Chunking Kit!
Continuemos. Imagínate que estás interesado en comprar el buffet, o que quieres saber qué beneficios trae tu habitación de hotel. (Let’s continue. Imagine that you are interested in buying the buffet or want to know what perks your hotel room includes.)
¿Qué incluye?
(What does it include?)
Todo, pero no incluye bebidas alcohólicas.
(Everything, but it doesn’t include alcoholic drinks.)
¿Qué incluye?
(What does it include?)
Incluye desayuno.
(It includes breakfast.)
¿Acepta tarjeta de crédito?
(Do you accept credit card?)
No, solo efectivo.
(No, just cash.)
Claro, Visa y Mastercard, pero no aceptamos American Express.
(Sure, Visa and Mastercard, but we don’t accept American Express.)
¿Me puede traer…?
(Can you please get me…?)
¿Me puede traer una piña colada por favor?
(Can you please get me a piña colada?)
¿Me puede traer una margarita por favor?
(Can you please bring me a margarita?)
¿En las rocas o frozen?
(On the rocks or frozen?)
¿Tiene alguna promoción o descuento?
(Do you have any promotion or discount?)
Ofrecemos descuentos para turistas nacionales.
(We offer discounts for national tourists.)
3. General Lifesavers
This one you’ll need everywhere:
¿Cuánto cuesta?
(How much is this?)
Cuesta 20 pesos.
(It’s 20 pesos.)
Las siguientes preguntas las puedes preguntar en la recepción de tu hotel o al administrador de tu Airbnb (These next questions can be asked to the front desk of your hotel or to the administrator of your Airbnb):
Necesito ayuda, por favor.
(I need help, please.)
Sí, claro, ¿qué necesitas?
(Yes, sure, what do you need?)
¿Dónde está…?
(Where is.?)
¿Dónde está el hospital?
(Where is the hospital?)
¿Dónde está la farmacia?
(Where is the pharmacy?)
¿Dóndeestá el baño, el restaurante, la piscina, mi habitación?
(Where is: the hospital, the pharmacy, the nightclub, the bathroom, the restaurant, the pool, my room?)
Possible answers:
- Está en la esquina (It’s on the corner)
- Está al fondo a la derecha (It’s at the end to the right)
- Está al fondo a la izquierda (It’s at the end to the left)
- A la derecha (To the right)
- Todo derecho (Straight ahead)
¿Cuál es el número de teléfono de: la policía, la embajada, emergencias?
(What is the phone number for: the police, the embassy, emergencies?)
¿Cuál es el número de teléfono de emergencias?
(What is the phone number for emergencies?)
Claro, el número es 911.
(Sure, the number is 911.)
¿Es seguro caminar por aquí?
(Is it safe to walk around here?)
Si, puede caminar y tomar el autobús sin problema.
(Yes, you can walk and take the bus without a problem.)