Traveling to a Spanish Speaking Country? Be Sure to Learn These Phrases!

Are you planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country? There are a total of 21 countries in the world whose native language is Spanish. You’ve probably heard of most of them:

Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Argentina…

While most are situated in Central and South America; Andorra and Gibraltar, which are located in Europe, carry great popularity with the Spanish language as well.

Traveling to a Spanish speaking country can be an exciting experience. The food is prepared differently, the currency looks different, the people may be more outgoing. The most important difference, however; is the language surrounding you on the street signs, billboards, magazines, and everyday conversation: Spanish!

The Spanish language can be seen as very similar to the English language, particularly due to the many Spanish cognates that exist. Here is an example of a few:

With words like these, why did they even make another language? If only it was that simple.

Unfortunately, many words in Spanish are not similar to english. What’s worse, there could even be a list of false cognates! Here is an example of a few:

What’s the Easiest Way to Learn Spanish for a Tourist Like Myself?

Knowing a couple words of the native language of the country you are in can make the biggest difference in your trip! Aside from the ability to deal with emergencies, situations in which you are pressed for time, and situations in which you don’t want to come off as a tourist; learn Spanish can make you feel like a local!

So what is the easiest way to learn Spanish in order to help you get the most out of your trip?

Odds are, if you are planning a trip, you are limited on your free time. Perhaps you are working extra hours to compensate for the vacation days. Perhaps you are out shopping for that last piece of clothing, or you are struggling to close the zipper on that over stuffed piece of luggage (we’ve all been there..isn’t it just great when it finally closes?).

Our suggestion: learn just the tourist phrases.

Think about it, the Spanish language, like any language, is gigantic!

Would you rather learn how to say “the radiator is broken” or “how much does this cost?”?

That’s why we created our Spanish for Tourists course, which will pair you up with a native Spanish speaker over video chat for a 55 minute lesson, geared towards the Spanish you will use on your trip. The good news is, by creating an account with us, you get a free lesson!

Here are some phrases to start you off:

Not too bad huh? With just a little practice, no one will know you’re a tourist 😉

Enjoy your trip, and be sure to interact with a couple locals!

They’ll be shocked to know you’re not “from around here”

About Spanish Virtually: Spanish Virtually teaches Spanish online over video chat, with professors from all over the world. All classes are 1-on-1 and are personalized based on the learning motives of the student.