SOME BASIC SPANISH (also, here is a link to a free web-based translation program that seems pretty handy- http://world.altavista.com/)
INTRODUCTION
Spanish is the fourth most-spoken language in the world. Originating in Spain, and spoken by most residents there, it is also spoken in Mexico and all of Central and South America except Brazil, Guyana and Surinam. Spanish is also spoken in Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean islands. Spanish is a first language for many people in the United States, especially in California, Texas, South Florida, and the Southwest. A romance language, Spanish is closely related to particularly Portuguese, to Italian, and to some extent to French. English and Spanish share approximately one third of the same words, although the pronunciation tends to be very different.
A little advice: DO NOT listen to anyone who tells you Spanish is an “easy” language to learn. Learning another language, assuming you are not of pre-school age, is DIFFICULT; DO NOT become discouraged because it’s easy for everyone else…because IT’S NOT!!
Spanish nouns have genders. Most words applied to persons have
natural gender: masculine like hombre ("male person") or feminine, like
mujer ("female person"). The gender of some animals, things, and some
words applied to persons doesn't follow any rule: they have grammatical
gender. Casa (house), rana (frog), and visita (visitor) are of the feminine
gender. Árbol (tree), sapo (toad) and genio (genius) are of the
masculine gender. Invitado, invitada (guest) and mono, mona (monkey)
have natural gender. Fortunately, the gender of a noun is usually (but
not always) indicated by the last letter of the word; -o indicates
masculine nouns, and -a indicates feminine nouns.
Adjectives also have gender and number. Like nouns, -o usually
indicates the masculine form of the adjective, and -a indicates the
feminine form. Adding an -s at the end of an adjective or noun makes it
plural. Adjectives need to match the noun they describe in both gender
and number. For example, borracho "drunk", when modifying las
mujeres ("the women"), makes las mujeres borrachas.
In this guide, where genders of nouns or adjectives comes up, we use
the form "o/a" to differentiate. It should be clear from context when to
use the feminine and when to use the masculine form.
Spanish spelling has the pleasant characteristic of being more or less
phonetic. This means that if you know how to pronounce the letters of a
word, it's relatively easy to sound out the word itself.
Besides having a very small number of vowel sounds and a high
predictablity of exactly what sound is represented by each letter,
Spanish has a very clear set of rules about where a stress normally
falls, and exceptions are noted with an "acute accent mark" ("´") over
the vowel of the stressed syllable. Normally, words that end in a vowel
or in "n" or "s" have the stress on the next-to-last syllable; all other
words without an explicit accent mark are stressed on the final syllable.
There are no "secondary stresses" within words.
a like 'a' in "art": casa
e like the first component of the diphthong 'ay' in "day" (este).
Since Spanish also has a diphthong 'ay', as in rey (see "ei"
below) you may consider to pronounce Spanish 'e' like the 'e' in
"get"
i like 'ee' in "see" or "deed"
o like the first component of the diphthong 'ow' in "low". The
vowel in "caught" will be equally understood, unless you
pronounce it like "cot". Anyway, the full diphthong "ow" does
not occur in Spanish, so you don't have to worry about
pronouncing clipped enough
u like 'oo' in "hoop"
ai, ay like 'eye': baile
au like 'ow' in 'cow': causa
ei, ey like 'ay' in "say": reina, rey
eu like 'yu' in "euro"
ia like 'ya' in 'Kenya': piano
ie like 'ye' in "yes": pie
io like 'yo': dio
iu like 'ew' in few: ciudad
oi, oy like 'oy' in "boy": soy
ou like 'ou' in "though" - Present only in foreign words: show
ua like 'wa' in "wallet": cuatro
ue like 'we' in "well": puedo
ui, uy like 'wi' in "winter": ruido
ui like 'ooy': cuido
uo like "wa" in "water": averiguo
b like 'b' in "bed": boca
c when followed by 'e' or 'i', like 'c' in "cell" (Latin America) or
'th' in "thin" (Spain): cine; otherwise like 'k' in "kid": calle,
doctor
ch like 'ch' in "touch": muchacho
d like 'd' in "dog": dedo
f like 'f' in "fine": faro
g when followed by 'e' or 'i' like 'ch' in "loch" (general = hai-naiSpanish
RAHL), otherwise like "g" in "go" (gato). In the clusters "gue"
and "gui", the "u" is silent (guitarra), unless it bears a diaeresis,as in "güe" and "güi" (pedigüeño)gu, gü like 'Gu' in McGuire or 'w' in "wire" (agua, agüita)
h silent: hora
j like 'ch' in "loch": jabón
k like 'c' in "cat": kilo
l like 'l' in "love": lápiz
ll like 'y' in "yield" (Latin America) or the 'ly' sound in "million" (Spain): lluvia
m like 'm' in "mother": mano
n like 'n' in "nice", and like 'n' in "anchor": noche, ancla
ñ like 'ny' in "canyon": cañón, piñata
p like 'p' in "pig": perro
q like 'q' in "quiche" (always with a silent "u"): queso, pronounced KAY-so
r, rr Spanish has two "r" sounds which are very different form their
counterparts in most languages, and certainly very different
from the English. As a result most English speakers lisp their r's
when they come to Spanish. However, if you use your native
pronunciation it's unlikely that people understand cerro (hill)
when youn meant cero (zero), and they may not understand you
at all. Single flap r (ere): Always written "r", and never occurs at the
beginning of the word, this sound is created by putting the tip
of the tongue up against where the front of the roof of the
mouth meets the upper teeth, very similar to the action English
speakers make to pronounce l or t. This is not widely taught but
can be practiced by anyone. Particular care should be taken
when r appears after a consonant, eg in the word otro (other). tr
is a particular sound in English, which if you use in Spanish
will be an incomprehensible list. One must separate the two
sounds out, as in wha(t) (r) rubbish, clicking the r properly
rolled r (erre) Written "r" at the beginning of the word or after "l" "n" or "s"
(ropa, enredo). Written "rr" between vowels (cerro). It's a
multiply vibrating sound. Whereas all English can learn to tap
out a single r it seems that many adult non-Spanish speakers
simply do not have the ability to vibrate the tongue in the way
needed to pronounce rr
s like 'ss' in "hiss": sopa
t like 't' in "top": tapa
v like 'b' in "bed": vaca, pronounced BAH-kah
w like 'w' in "weight" in English words, whisky (pronounced
WEESS-kee). Like 'b' in "bed" in Germanic words
x like 'x' in "sex" (sexo). Like 'ss' in "hiss" at beginning of a word
(xilófono). Like 'ch' in "loch" in the words México, mexicano,
Oaxaca, and oaxaqueño
y like 'y' in "yes": payaso. Like 'y' in "boy": hoy
z like 's' in "supper" (Latin America), like 'th' in "thin" (Spain):
zorro. See c above
Word stress can affect the meaning of the word and generally follows
these rules:
• If a word is marked with an accent, then that syllable receives
the stress.
o Additionally, if the accent marks a dipthong a syllable break
occurs between the two vowels of the dipthong.
• If a word is NOT marked with an accent, then
1. if the word ends in a consonant other than N or S, the stress
occurs on the last syllable.
2. if the word ends in a vowel, N or S, the stress occurs on the next
to last syllable.
Examples:
Spanish Phrase Book – Page 6
círculo (SEER-koo-loh) → circle
circulo (seer-KOO-loh) → I circulate
circuló (seer-koo-LOH) → (s)he/it circulated
estás (ehss-TAHSS) → you are
estas (EHSS-tahss) → these
origen (oh-REE-hehn) → origin
orígenes (oh-REE-hehn-ehss) → origins
ciudad (syew-DAHD) → city
ciudades (syew-DAH-dehss) → cities
An accent can also be used to differentiate between words that are
pronounced the same but have different meanings:
si → if tu → your mi → my el →
the
sí → yes tú → you mí → me él → he
Hola. (OH-lah). For the formal equivalent of hola see good
morning, good afternoon, good evening, below.
¿Cómo estás? (KOH-moh ehss-TAHSS?) (informal); ¿Cómo está
usted? (KOH-mo ehss-TAH oo-stehd?) (formal)
Fine, thank you.
Muy bien, gracias. (mooey BYEHN, GRAH-syahss)
¿Cómo te llamas? (KOH-moh tay YAH-mahss?) (informal);
¿Cómo se llama usted? (KOH-mo say YAH-mah ooss-TAID?) (formal)
My name is ______ .
Me llamo ______ . (may YAH-moh _____ .)
Nice to meet you.
Encantado/a. (EHN-kahn-TAH-doh)
Please.
Por favor. (POHR fah-BOHR)
Thank you.
Gracias. (GRAH-SYAHSS)
You're welcome.
De nada. (day NAH-dah)
Yes.
Sí. (SEE)
No.
No. (NOH)
Excuse me. (getting attention)
Disculpe. (dees-KOOL-pay)
Excuse me. (begging pardon)
Perdón. (pair-DOHN)
I'm sorry.
Lo siento. (loh SYEHN-toh)
Adiós. (ah-DYOHSS)
Goodbye (informal)
Hasta luego. (AH-stah LWAY-goh)
I can't speak Spanish [well].
No hablo español [bien]. (noh AH-blow EHS-pahn-YOL [BYEHN])
¿Hablas inglés? (AH-blahss een-GLAYSS?) (informal); ¿Habla
usted inglés? (AH-blah oos-TAID een-GLAYSS?)
¿Hay alguien que hable inglés? (eye ahl-GYEN kay AH-blay een-
GLAYSS?)
Ayuda! (ah-YOU-dah!); Socorro! (soh-COH-row!)
Good morning.
Buenos días. (BWAY-nohss DEE-ahss)
Good afternoon.
Buenas tardes. (BWAY-nahss TAR-dayss)
Good evening (when it's dark)
Buenas noches. (BWAY-nahss NOH-chayss)
Good night.
Buenas noches. (BWAY-nas NOH-chayss)
I don't understand.
No entiendo. (noh ehn-TYEHN-doh)
¿Dónde está el baño? (DOHN-day ehss-TAH ehl BAHN-yoh?)
Leave me alone.
Déjame en paz. (DAY-hah-may en PASS)
¡No me toques! (noh may TOH-kayss!)
I'll call the police.
Llamaré a la policía. (yah-mah-RAY ah lah po-lee-SEE-ah)
Policía! (poh-lee-SEE-ah!)
¡Alto, al ladrón! (AHL-toh ahl lah-DROAN!)
I need help.
Necesito ayuda. (ne-say-SEE-toh ah-YOU-dah)
It's an emergency.
Es una emergencia. (ayss oo-nah AY-mayr-HEN-syah)
I'm lost.
Estoy perdido/a (ay-STOY payr-DEE-doh/dah)
I lost my purse/handbag.
Perdí mi bolsa/bolso/cartera. (payr-DEE mee BOHL-sa / BOHL-so
/ cahr-TAY-rah)
I lost my wallet.
Perdí mi cartera/billetera. (payr-DEE mee BOHLcahr-TAY-rah /
bee-yay-TAY-rah; the last may also be said as beel-yay-TAY-rah)
I'm sick.
Estoy enfermo/a. (ay-STOY ayn-FAYR-moh/mah)
I've been injured.
Estoy herido/a. (ay-STOY ay-REE-doh/dah)
I need a doctor.
Necesito un doctor. (nay-say-SEE-toh OON dohk-TOHR)
¿Puedo usar su teléfono? (PWAY-doh oo-SAHR soo tay-LAY-fohnoh?)
1 uno/a (OO-noh)
2 dos (doss)
3 tres (tress)
4 cuatro (KWA-tro)
5 cinco (SEEN-ko)
6 seis (SAISS)
7 siete (SYE-te)
8 ocho (O-cho)
9 nueve (NWAI-be)
10 diez (DYESS)
11 once (OHN-say)
12 doce (DOH-say)
13 trece (TRAY-say)
14 catorce (kah-TOHR-say)
15 quince (KEEN-say)
16 dieciseis (DYEESS-ee-SAYSS)
17 diecisiete (DYEESS-ee-SYAY-tay)
18 dieciocho (DYEESS-ee-OH-choh)
19 diecinueve (DYEESS-ee-NWAY-bay)
20 veinte (BAYN-tay)
21 veintiuno (BAYN-TYOO-noh)
22 veintidos (BAYN-tee-DOHSS)
23 veintitres (BAYN-tee-TRAYSS)
30 treinta (TRAYN-tah)
40 cuarenta (kwah-RAYN-tah)
50 cincuenta (seen-KWAYN-tah)
60 sesenta (say-SAYN-tah)
70 setenta (say-TAYN-tah)
80 ochenta (oh-CHAYN-tah)
90 noventa (noh-BAYN-tah)
100 cien (syehn)
200 doscientos (dos-SYEHN-tos)
300 trescientos (tres-SYEHN-tos)
500 quinientos (kee-NYEHN-tos)
1000 mil (MEEL)
2000 dos mil (dohss MEEL)
Spanish Phrase Book – Page 11
1,000,000 un millón (oon mee-YOHN)
half medio (MAY-dyoh)
less menos (MAY-nohss)
more más (MAHSS)
now ahora (ah-OH-rah)
later después (day-SPWAYSS)
before antes (ahn-TAYSS)
morning mañana (mah-NYAH-nah)
afternoon tarde (TAHR-day)
night noche (NOH-chay)
one o'clock AM la una de la madrugada; la una de la mañana (lah OOHnah
day lah mah-drooh-GAH dah; lah OOH-nah day lah mahn-YAH-nah)
two o'clock AM las dos de la madrugada; las dos de la mañana (lahss
DOHSS day lah mah-drooh-GAH dah; lahss DOHSS day lah mahn-YAH-nah)
ten o'clock AM las diez de la mañana (lahss dee-AYSS day lah mahn-
YAH-nah)
noon mediodía; las doce de la mañana (lahss DOH-say day
lah mahn-YAH-nah)
one o'clock PM la una de la tarde (lah OOH-nah day lah TAHR-day)
two o'clock PM las dos de la tarde (lahss DOHSS day lah TAHR-day)
ten o'clock PM las diez de la noche (lahss dee-AYSS day lah NOHchay)
midnight medianoche; las doce de la noche (may-dee-yah-NOHchay;
lahss DOH-say day lah NOH-chay)
When speaking, times are given in AM/PM form (but saying de la
mañana (morning), de la tarde (afternoon), de la noche (evening/night)
or de la madrugada (late night) to distinguish between AM and PM. On
the other hand, in most countries times are rendered in 24-hour format,
with a colon separating hours and minutes:
9 o'clock AM
nueve de la mañana (spoken: noo-WEH-vay day la mahn-YAHnah),
9:00 (written)
12:30 PM
doce y media de la mañana (spoken: DOH-say ee MAY-dee-yah
day la mahn-YAH-nah), 12:30 (written)
1 o'clock PM
una de la tarde (spoken: OOH-nah day lah TAHR-day), 13:00
(written)
10 o'clock PM
diez de la noche (spoken: dee-AYSS day la NOH-chay), 22:00
(written)
2 o'clock AM
dos de la madrugada or dos de la mañana (spoken: DOHSS day
la mah-drooh-GAH-dah or DOHSS day la mahn-YAH-nah), 2:00
(written)
__ minute(s) __ minuto(s) (mee-NOOH-toh(ss))
__ hour(s) __ hora(s) (OHR-ah(ss))
__ day(s) __ día(s) (DEE-aah(ss))
__ week(s) __ semana(s) (say-MAH-nah(ss))
__ month(s) __ mes(es) (MAYSS-(ayss))
__ year(s) __ año(s) (AH-nyoh(ss))
yesterday ayer(I-air)
tomorrow mañana (surely you know how to pronounce this word:
mahn-YAH-nah)
this week esta semana (EHS-tah say-MAH-nah)
last week la semana pasada (lah say-MAH-nah pah-SAH-dah)
next week la semana que viene (lah say-MAH-nah kay vee-AYNay)
Monday lunes (LOOH-nayss) - Week Begins On This Day
Tuesday martes (MAHR-tayss)
Wednesday miércoles (mee-AIR-coh-layss)
Thursday jueves (WHAY-vayss)
Friday viernes (vee-AIR-nayss)
Saturday sábado (SAH-bah-doh)
Sunday domingo (doh-MEEN-goh)
January enero (eh-NEH-ro)
February febrero (feh-BREH-ro)
March marzo (MAR-zo)
April abril (ah-BRIL)
May mayo (MAY-o)
June junio (HOO-nio)
July julio (HOO-lio)
August agosto (ah-GO-sto)
September septiembre/setiembre (se-TEE-YEM-bray)
October octubre (ok-TOO-brey)
November noviembre (no-VEE-YEM-bray)
December diciembre (dee-CEE-YEM-bray)
Dates are given in day-month-year form. All spoken and written, long
and short forms follow this pattern:
3 de octubre de 2003
21 de mayo de 1997
Day-month constructions (4 de julio, for example) are not usually
abbreviated. In the rare cases than an abbreviation is used, the number
of the month is not used, but its initial letter is. Usual examples are:
23-F
23 de febrero, date of a failed coup d'êtat in Spain (1981)
11-S
11 de septiembre, date of the attack to the Twin Towers (2001)
(and of the Chilean coup in 1973).
black negro (NAY-groh)
white blanco (BLAHN-koh)
gray gris (GREESS)
red rojo (ROH-hoh)
blue azul (ah-SOOL)
yellow amarillo (AH-mah-REE-yoh)
green verde (BAYR-day)
orange naranja (nar-AHN-hah), anaranjado (ah--nah-ran-HAdo)
purple púrpura (POOR-poor-ah) , morado (moor-AH-do),
violeta (vee-oh-LEH-tah)
brown marrón (mah-RON) , café (kah-FAY), castaño (kah-
STAN-yo)
¿Cuánto cuesta un billete/pasaje a _____? (KwAHno kwEHSta
oon beYEHta a ___)
One ticket to _____, please.
Un billete/pasaje a _____, por favor. (Oon beYEHta a _______,
pour FAHvor.)
¿A donde va este tren/bus?
¿Donde está el tren/autobús hacia _____?
¿Para este tren/autobús en _____?
¿Cuando marcha/parte/sale el tren/autobús hacia _____ ?
¿Cuando llegará este tren/autobús a _____?
¿Cómo puedo llegar a _____ ?
...the train station?
...la estación de tren?
...the bus station?
...la estación de autobuses?
...the airport?
...al aeropuerto?
...downtown?
...al centro?
...the youth hostel?
...al albergue juvenil?
...the _____ hotel?
...el hotel _____ ?
...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate?
...el consulado de Estados Unidos/Canadiense/Australiano/Británico/?
Where are there a lot of...
¿Dónde hay muchos...
...hotels?
...hoteles?
...restaurants?
...restaurantes/restoranes?
...bars?
...bares?
...sites to see?
...sitios para visitar?
¿Puede enseñarme/mostrarme en el plano?
street
calle (CAH Yeh)(Mexico) CAH sjeh (Spain)
Turn left.
Gire/doble/da vuelta a la izquierda.
Turn right.
Gire/doble/da vuelta a la derecha.
left
izquierda
right
derecha
straight ahead
recto adelante , sigue derecho
towards the _____
hacia el/la_____
past the _____
pasado el/la _____
before the _____
antes de _____
Watch for the _____.
busque el/la _____.
intersection
intersección , cruce
north
norte
south
sur
east
este
west
oeste
uphill
hacia arriba
downhill
hacia abajo
¡Taxi!
Take me to _____, please.
Lléveme a _____, por favor.
¿Cuanto cuesta ir hasta/a _____?
Take me there, please.
Déjeme ahí, por favor.
¿Hay habitaciones libres?
¿Cuanto cuesta una habitación para una persona/para dos
personas?
Does the room come with...
¿Tiene la habitación...
...bedsheets?
...sábanas?
...a bathroom?
...baño?
...a telephone?
...teléfono?
...a TV?
...televisión?
¿Puedo ver la habitación primero?
¿Tiene algo un poco más tranquilo?
...bigger?
...más grande?
...cleaner?
...más limpio?
...cheaper?
...más barato?
OK, I'll take it.
Muy bien, la tomaré.
I will stay for _____ night(s).
Me quedaré ______ noches(s).
¿Puede proponerme otros hoteles?
¿Hay caja fuerte?
...lockers?
...taquillas? ; casilleros
¿El desayuno/la cena va incluido/a?
¿A qué hora es el desayuno/la cena?
Please clean my room.
Por favor, limpie mi habitación.
¿Puede despertarme a las _____?
I want to check out.
Quiero dejar el hotel.
¿Aceptan dólares americanos/australianos/candienses?
¿Aceptan libras británicas?
¿Aceptan euros? You don't need this sentence in Spain :-)
¿Aceptan tarjeta de crédito?
¿Me puede cambiar dinero?
¿Dónde puedo cambiar dinero?
¿Me puede cambiar cheques de viaje?
¿Dónde me pueden cambiar cheques de viaje?
¿A cuánto está el cambio?
¿Dónde hay un cajero automático?
A table for one person/two people, please.
Una mesa para una persona/dos personas, por favor. (OO-nah
MAY-sah pah-rah OO-nah pehr-SOH-nah / dohss pehr-SOH-nahs
pohr fah- BOHR)
Can I look at the menu, please?
¿Puedo ver el menú, por favor? (PWAY-doh behr ehl meh-NOO
pohr fah-BOHR?)
¿Puedo entrar a la cocina?
¿Hay alguna especialidad de la casa?
Spanish Phrase Book – Page 22
¿Hay alguna especialidad regional/de la zona?
I'm a vegetarian.
Soy vegetariano/a.
I don't eat pork.
No como cerdo.
I only eat kosher food.
Sólo como comida kosher. (In a restaurant they will stare at you,
since "kosher" is as Spanish as "empanada" is English.)
Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard)
¿Puede poner poca aceite/poca mantequilla/poca grasa?
fixed-price meal
menú del día
a la carte
a la carta
breakfast
desayuno
lunch
comida (Spain, Mexico), almuerzo (South America)
supper
cena (everywhere), comida (South America)
I want _____.
Quiero _____.
I want a dish containing _____.
Quisiera un plato que lleve _____.
chicken
pollo. (POH-yoh)
beef
ternera (tehr-NEH-rah), vacuno (bah-KOO-noh), res (rehss)
fish
pescado (pehs-KAH-doh)
ham
jamón (hah-MOHN)
sausage
salchicha (sahl-CHEE-chah), vienesa (byeh-NAY-sah)
cheese
queso
eggs
huevos
salad
ensalada
(fresh) vegetables
verdura (fresca)
(fresh) fruit
fruta (fresca)
bread
pan
toast
tostada
noodles
fideos
rice
arroz
beans
alubias , porotos, frijoles, judías, habichuelas
¿Me puede poner/traer un vaso de _____?
¿Me puede poner/traer una taza de _____?
¿Me puede poner/traer una botella de _____?
coffee
café
tea (drink)
té
juice
zumo , jugo
water
agua
(bubbly) water
agua con gas (if you say agua, is without gas); Agua mineral is
bottled water with gas, unless you ask for agua mineral sin gas.
beer
cerveza
red/white wine
vino tinto/blanco
¿Me puede dar un poco de _____?
salt
sal
black pepper
pimienta
butter
mantequilla , manteca (in Argentina)
Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server'):
¡camarero!, ¡mesero! (preferred)
I'm finished.
He acabado, terminé (The first phrase can refer to the finishing of
a completely unrelated physiological activity)
It was delicious.
Estaba delicioso.
Please clear the plates.
Puede llevarse los platos.
The check, please.
La cuenta, por favor. Note that in Chile you must ask for the check. A gringo was known to have waited until 2 in the morning because he was too shy to ask :-)
¿Hay alcohol?
¿Hay servicio a la mesa?
A beer/two beers, please.
Una cerveza/dos cervezas, por favor.
A glass of red/white wine.
Un vaso de vino tinto/blanco.
A pint (of beer)
Una jarra de cerveza (normally it will be half a liter, not really a
pint, but the size is similar); In Chile un schop might be anywhere
from 300cc to one liter.
Un schop (oon SHOHP) (Only in Chile)
_____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer).
_____ con _____. In Spain, Cubata is Coke with whiskey
A bottle.
Una botella.
whiskey
whisky (WEESS-key)
vodka
vodka
rum
ron
water
agua
tonic water
(agua) tónica
orange juice
zumo/jugo de naranja
Coke (soda)
Coca-Cola
¿Tiene algo para picar? (In Spain they will give you tapas,
depends a lot from the bar.)
One more, please.
Otro/a ______, por favor.
Another round, please.
Otra ronda, por favor.
¿Cuándo cierran?
¿Tiene esto de mi talla?
¿Cuánto cuesta?
That's too expensive.
Es demasiado caro.
¿Aceptan Visa/dólares?
expensive
caro
cheap
barato
I can't afford it.
Es muy caro para mí.
I don't want it.
No lo quiero.
You're cheating me.
Me está engañando.
I'm not interested.
No me interesa.
OK, I'll take it.
De acuerdo, me lo llevaré.
¿Tiene una bolsa?
¿Puede enviarlo a mi país?
I need...
Necesito...
...batteries.
...pilas.
...cold medicine.
...medicamento para el resfriado.
...condoms.:
...preservativos/condones.
...English-language books.
...libros en inglés.
...English-language magazines.
...revistas en inglés.
...an English-language newspaper.
...un periódico/diario en inglés.
...an English-Spanish dictionary.
...un diccionario inglés-español.
...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen)
...medicamento para el dolor (Aspirina, Ibuprofeno).
...a pen.
...un bolígrafo.
...postage stamps.
...sellos/estampillas.
...a postcard.
...una postal.
...a razor.
...una hoja de afeitar.
...shampoo.
...champú.
...stomach medicine.
.... medicamento para el dolor de estómago
...soap.
...jabón.
...sunblock lotion.
...crema solar.
...tampons.
...tampones.
...a toothbrush.
... un cepillo de dientes.
...toothpaste.
...pasta de dientes.
...an umbrella.
...un paraguas.
...writing paper.
...papel para escribir.
I want to rent a car.
Quiero alquiler un coche.
¿Puedo contratar un seguro?
STOP (on a street sign)
STOP (Spain), ALTO (México), PARE (Chile, Argentina, Perú)
one way
dirección única
no parking
no aparcar , no estacionar
speed limit
límite de velocidad , velocidad máxima
gas/petrol station
gasolinera , estación de bencina (Chile)
gas/petrol
gasolina , bencina (Chile), nafta (Argentina)
diesel
gasóleo , diesel DEE-sel (Latin America), diésel (DYEH-sel)
(Spain)
I haven't done anything wrong.
No he hecho nada malo. (NOH ay AY-choh NAH-dah MAH-loh)
It was a misunderstanding.
Es un malentendido. (AYSS oon MAHL-ayn-tayn-DEE-doh)
¿Dónde me lleva? (DOHN-day may YAY-bah?)
¿Estoy arrestado/a? (ay-STOY AHRR-ay-STAH-doh/dah?)
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.
Soy ciudadano estadounidense/australiano/inglés/canadiense.
embassy/consulate.
Quiero hablar con la embajada/el consulado
estadounidense/australiano/inglés/canadiense.
I want to talk to a lawyer.
Quiero hablar con un abogado. (KYAY-roh ah-BLAHR cohn oon
AH-boh-GAH-doh)
¿Puedo pagar la multa ahora? (PWAY-doh pah-GAR lah MOOLtah
ah-OH-rah?)