Starting to learn a new language can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to grammar and vocabulary. But don’t worry, you can start by learning simple Spanish phrases and expressions to begin communicating right away.
By mastering just a few basic expressions, you'll be able to handle basic interactions such as greeting people, making small talk, ordering in a restaurant, and more. So let’s get started!
Hola.Hello.Buenos días.Good morning.
Buenas tardes.Good afternoon.Strictly speaking, you should change buenos días to buenas tardes right after noon.
Buenas noches.Good evening. / Goodnight.Buenas noches is both a greeting and a way to say goodbye. Here are a couple of examples:
Buenas noches, ¿tienen mesa para dos? → “Good evening. Do you have a table for two?”
Nos vemos mañana. Que descanses, buenas noches. → “See you tomorrow. Sleep well, goodnight.”
As we’ve just seen, buenas noches is a common way to say goodbye . Here are some others:
Adiós.Bye.
Hasta luego.Bye. / See you later.In some regions in Spain, hasta luego is even more common than adiós.
Hasta pronto. See you soon.
Nos vemos.See you.
Que vaya bien.Wish you well. / Have a nice one.
Que tengas un buen día.
[informal]
Que tenga un buen día.
[formal]
Have a nice day.
Cuidase.Take care.
If you’re meeting someone for the first time, here are some polite Spanish phrases you can use to introduce yourself:
Me llamo…I’m…Soy…I am…
Mi nombre es…My name is…The three expressions above mean basically the same thing. However, Me llamo… is the most common one, and Mi nombre es… is the most formal one.
Encantada de conocerle, me llamo Rosita. → “Nice to meet you, I’m Rosita.”
Buenas tardes, señor. Mi nombre es Marcos. → “Good afternoon, sir. My name is Marcos.”
¿Cómo te llamas? What’s your name?
Encantado de conocerte.
[masculine]
Encantada de conocerte.
[feminine]Nice to meet you.
Mucho gusto. Nice to meet you.
¿De dónde es? Where are you from?
Soy de…I’m from…
Here are some informal ways to engage a conversation.
¿Qué tal? How's it going? / How are you doing?
¿Cómo estás?How are you?
¿Cómo va? How's it going?The three expressions above mean more-or-less the same thing, and they can be used in most conversations. However, each one has a slightly different shade.
"¿Qué tal?" is a versatile expression that can serve as a greeting. It can be used to inquire about the well-being of the other person, to ask about a specific situation, or simply as a friendly greeting without expecting a response.
¿Cómo estás? is also used mainly as a small talk phrase. You wouldn't expect the other person to get too deep with their answer unless it's someone close to you or if you have an intimate conversation.
¿Cómo va? is even more casual and generic than the two expressions mentioned above. It can be used as a greeting, too.
¡Hola, Amanda! ¿Cómo va?¿Qué tal, Jaime?
Estoy bien, gracias.I’m well, thank you.
Que te recuperes pronto.Get well soon.
Me alegro de verte.It is good to see you.
Saluda a … de mi parte. Say hello to … on my behalf.
Now that we got the greetings and introductions, let’s try to keep the conversation going! In this section, you’ll learn the most basic Spanish phrases for beginners that will help you master polite conversations with native Spanish speakers.
Here are the most important courtesy phrases in Spanish:
Gracias.Thank you.
Muchas gracias. Thank you so much.
De nada. You’re welcome.
Por favor.Please.
Perdón can be used in various forms. If you want to directly appeal to the person you’re saying sorry to, you can say the informal version (perdona) or the polite way (perdone). These words can also be used as a way to say “excuse me.”
But if you’re apologizing for something really serious, you should say perdóname (“forgive me”).
Perdón. Sorry.
Perdone, ¿me podría decir adónde al museo? → “Excuse me, could you tell me where the museum is?”
No debería comer su burrito , perdóname. → “I shouldn’t have eaten your burrito, please forgive me.”
Lo siento. I'm sorry.
Disculpa.
[informal]
Disculpe.
[formal]Excuse me.
No te preocupes. Don't worry.
No pasa nada. No worries.
Lo siento. I’m sorry.
No te preocupes.Don’t worry.
No pasa nada. No worries
Dining & Shopping Phrases
Dining out and going to the local Spanish-speaking shops will give you great opportunities to practice your Spanish. If you go to a restaurant, you´ll be able to politely ask for a table or order some food. Or when you go to shops, you’ll need to know how much the item you would like to buy.
¿Podría ayudarme, por favor? Could you help me, please?
¿Cuánto cuesta? How much is it?
¿Cuánto es? How much is it?
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? Can I pay with a credit card?
¿Puedo pagar con efectivo? Can I pay with cash?
¿Tienen mesa para + number+ personas? Do you have a table for … people?
Querría una mesa para … personas por favor. - I’d like a table for … people.
Tengo una reservación. I have a reservation.
Querría pedir…I’d like to order…
No como…I don’t eat…
Soy vegetariano / vegano.
[masculine]Soy vegetariana / vegana.
[feminine]I’m a vegetarian / vegan.
Asking for Help
Some of the most common situations where you might need to speak Spanish is when you’re in need of assistance.
¿Habla inglés? Do you speak English?
No le entiendo, lo siento. I don’t understand you, I’m sorry.
No hablo muy bien el español. I don’t speak Spanish properly.
¿Cómo se dice … en español? How do you say … in Spanish?
¿Dónde está…? Where is…?
¿Cómo puedo llegar a…? How can I get to…?
¡Ayuda!/¡Socorro! Help!
Necesito un médico. I need a doctor.
Llama a una ambulancia. Call an ambulance.
5. Final Thoughts
In this guide, you’ve learned the most common Spanish expressions for different situations. It’ll be a useful tool for you as you navigate your very first conversations in Spanish, and you can always refer back to it even as you progress in your studies.
Happy Learning