A Spanish Cheat Sheet for Travelers in Mexico
Posted by TC
Why not practice your Spanish in Cancun and the Mayan Riviera? You will save the $4.99 price of my Cancun and Mayan Riviera 5-Day Itinerary the first time you follow my advice on a bus, restaurant or cenote.
A Spanish Cheat Sheet for Travelers in Mexico
When traveling in any foreign land, whether Mexico, China, Germany or Quebec, it’s a good idea to learn some basic phrases in the local language.
At one time I must have known how to say hello, goodbye, thank you, sorry, bathroom, andbeer in at least 10 languages.
Starting your conversation in the local language shows respect, and it will earn respect.
A small effort – memorizing some phrases or keeping a cheat sheet in your pocket – will instantly separate you from hordes of travelers loudly making demands in English.
So no matter if you’re in an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, where even the elevator speaks English, learn a little Spanish. Start with:
¿Habla usted inglés? Do you speak English?
No hablo español I don’t speak Spanish
Tip: Find a way to hear how Spanish words are pronounced while you learn them. Don’t pronounce them as you would English or they won’t make much sense.
Then learn some more essentials:
Hola Hello
Adiós Goodbye
Sí Yes
No No
Por favor Please
Gracias Thank you
Gracias is also how you say no thanks. Translating the no as in no, gracias is unnecessary.
Tip: When someone wants to sell you something that you don’t want, a quick gracias with a firm tone of voice conveys no thanks. If you apologize or feign interest, they will persist and may become a nuisance.
Here are a few more you may find important:
Baño Bathroom
Cerveza Beer
Perdón A catch-all excuse me or sorry
Disculpa Sorry, excuse me (when you want someone’s attention)
Con Permiso Excuse me (when you want someone to let you get by)
¿Mande? The Mexican way to ask what? when you don’t understand what someone said.
Greetings are very important in Mexico. Mexicans use them before engaging in any communication – in a store, restaurant, hotel, etc. It’s polite if you use these at the right time of day:
Buenos días Good morning
Buenas tardes Good afternoon (used until after sundown)
Buenas noches Good night (but not in the sense of going to bed)
You can also say:
¿Qué tal? What’s up?
¿Qué pasó? What’s up?
¿Qué onda? What’s up? (used in Mexico)
Once you’ve learned all of the above, learn more questions. Questions are the key to any conversation:
¿Cómo estás? How are you?
¿Cómo te llamas? What’s your name?
¿De dónde eres? Where are you from?
¿Erés de aquí? Are you from here?
¿Que hora es? What time is it?
¿Donde esta X? Where is X (downtown, the hotel, the restaurant, the park etc.)
¿Donde estamos? Where are we?
Learn the question words: who, what, where, when, why, how…
¿Quién? Who?
¿Qué? What?
¿Dónde? Where?
¿Cuándo? When?
¿A que hora? When/what time?
¿Por qué? Why?
¿Cómo? How?
¿Cuánto? How much?
¿Cuántos? How many?
¿Cada cuanto? How often?
¿Por cuánto tiempo? How long?
Then learn some vocabulary words to use with your question words:
Restaurante Restaurant
Hotel Hotel
Parque Park
Centro Downtown
Tip: learn the cognates, words that are the same in both languages. Pronunciation is different, so listen to how they’re spoken.
Beware the false cognates, words that look the same but have different meanings:
Apenado Embarrassed
Embarazada Pregnant
Mexican slang
Mexican Spanish is full of slang. Learn some, but be careful with the vulgar ones! Many words frequently spoken among men aren’t appropriate at the dinner table.
These are all harmless and common:
Chido Cool
Chela Beer
Camión Bus
¿Neta? Really?
¡No manches! No way/come on
Mexican slang is a deep subject. Check out my Top Ten Mexican Slang and its sequel, Top Twenty Mexican Slang.
Ordering food and drinks
You will do this all the time:
Una cerveza por favor A beer please
Otra (cerveza) por favor Another (beer) please
¿Me puedes dar dos tacos por favor? Can you give me two tacos please?
¿Cuánto cuesta esto? How much does this cost?
You’ll want to learn the words for regional food, too. These don’t have English translations, so if you see them on a menu that’s in both languages, don’t let an unappetizing English translation put you off.
Some common (and good) Mexican food:
Tacos al pastor Pastor tacos, seasoned pork. Good
Alambre Like fajitas, meat cooked with onions and peppers
Gringa A flour tortilla folded flat with cheese and meat
Enchiladas Rolled-up tortillas, chicken (usually), cheese, lettuce, green sauce
Chilaquiles Nachos with cheese in green sauce
Huarache A big, thick, flat tortilla with beans, cheese, sauce, and anything
Pozole Red soup, chicken (usually), big corn, vegetables (really good)
Mole A sauce of many ingredients, can be red, green, black, and more
Chiles rellenos Stuffed bell peppers
Chiles en nogada Perhaps my favorite food in Mexico
Coctel de camarón Shrimp cocktail
Filete de pescado Filet of fish, can be prepared many ways
You can find more in my Guide to Authentic Eating in Mexico (coming soon).
Transportation
Bus is the easiest way to travel around Mexico. In most cases you’ll need to buy bus tickets in Spanish.
Uno para Guadalajara por favor One (ticket) for Guadalajara
Dos para Playa del Carmen Two (tickets) for Playa del Carmen
Tres para el aeropuerto Three for the airport
¿A que hora sale el camión? What time does the bus leave?
Tip: Learn the numbers, 1-20 and then 20-100
To learn more Spanish while traveling, you have two options:
1. Buy a traveler’s phrasebook.
These have sections for any situation you might encounter, like the doctor’s office or a supermarket.
You won’t really learn Spanish with one of these, though it won’t hurt. They are good to have in an emergency.
This one isn’t for travelers, but it’s a good starting point for Spanish, being that it’s less focused on translations and more on learning:
Tip: If you have a Spanish phrasebook, then before you go to the pharmacy or wherever you must speak Spanish, write down what you want to say and hand it over. If you really don’t know Spanish, you won’t know how to pronounce the phrases and no one will understand you anyway.
2. Actually learn Spanish
I have some suggestions for learning Spanish here: Study Spanish.
Why not buy a workbook and study as you travel. I recommend this one:
It’s paperback size, easy to use, and perfect for the total beginner or intermediate student.
Traveling is your best opportunity to learn. Write down words you hear often. Write down phrases you think you’ll need. Use them as much as possible.
Ask questions all the time. Read the newspaper. Carry a notebook. Keep your ears open. Be willing to get stuck in some situations where you understand nothing.
It will pay off. Being immersed in a Spanish-speaking country while traveling is your absolute best way to learn the language.
If you have the right attitude, that is.
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ivan