What about language?
<< back to frequently asked questions
It is always useful to speak the language when visiting a country, but never let this put you off the Camino - you will always get by! A basic knowledge of Spanish, via evening classes or home-study tapes, will however add enormously to your enjoyment. English is not spoken in rural Spain and is rarely spoken in towns - even in tourist offices.
Make an effort to communicate in Spanish and you will be surprised at the progress you make - especially if you carry a small dictionary. Once you reach Galicia you may find that people answer you in Galician ('gallego') which is related to Portuguese. And of course sign language can be hilarious and a good way to break down barriers!
SPANISH - grammar guidelines
| c | soft before e and i, hard otherwise ; 'cerca' (near) is pronounced 'therka' |
| g | as for c - guttaral h sound before e and i and a hard g otherwise; 'gigante' (giant) becomes 'higante' |
| h | is always silent |
| j | has a guttural h sound similar to that of g; 'jamon' (ham) is pronounced 'hamon' |
| ll | is easiest to say simply as y, so 'tortilla' (omelette) becomes 'torteeya' |
| n | is as in Eng. unless there's a tilda (accent) on it when it is pronounced ny; 'Espana' (Spain) sounds like 'Espanya' |
| qu | is pronounced like an Eng. k |
| v | sounds more like b; 'vino' sounds like 'beano' |
| z | is the same as a soft c; so 'cerveza' (beer) becomes 'thervetha' |
Vowels are straightforward, but remember, that even when they come together they keep their separate sounds; thus 'real' (royal) is pronounced 'rayahl'. Dictionary don't forget that in Spanish ch, ll, and n count as separate letters and are listed after the cs, ls and ns, respectively. One of the most useful words is 'hay' (pronounced 'aye') which means 'there is'. By changing inflection it becomes 'is there' e.g. 'Hay una playa aqui?' (is there a beach here?); "Hay una habitacion?" ( have you a room?); or even 'Hay pan?' (is there any bread?). Bars often display signs like "Hay gamba.' meaning we have prawns. In shops it is better to use the phrase 'Tiene usted . . ?' - do you have - though it is enough to just say e.g. "Tiene queso?' if you want some cheese, or 'Tiene hora?' if you want the time. Pronouns - 'usted' is you, 'yo' is I , 'nosotros' is we, but are rarely used in the spoken language. |
|
SPANISH - Common Phrases
| Hello pilgrim, have a good pilgrimage! | Hola peregrino, buen Camino! |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| OK | Vale |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Thank you very much | Muchas gracias |
| You're welcome | De nada |
| Please | Por favor |
| Excuse me | Discúlpeme |
| Sorry/excuse me | perdone |
| Hello | Hola/¡Ola! |
| Welcome | Bienvenido |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| So long/see you later | Hasta luego |
| Can you help me, please? | ¿Puedes ayudarme, por favor? |
| Good morning | Buenos días |
| Good afternoon | Buenas tardes |
| Good evening | Buenas noches |
| Good night | Buenas noches |
| I do not understand | No entiendo |
| How do you say this in [Spanish]? | ¿Cómo se dice esto en [Español]? |
| Do you speak ... | Habla usted ... |
| English | inglés |
| French | francés |
| German | alemán |
| Spanish | español |
| I | Yo |
| We | Nosotros |
| You singular, familiar | Tú |
| You singular, formal | Usted |
| You plural | Ustedes Vosotros |
| They | Ellos (m), Ellas (f) |
| What is your name? | ¿Cómo se llama usted?/ ¿Cuál es su nombre? |
| My name is …. | Me llamo … |
| Nice to meet you | Encantado de conocerle/mucho gusto |
| How are you? | ¿Cómo estás?/ ¿Qué pasa? |
| How are things? | ¿Qué tal? |
| Good | Bien |
| I am fine thank you | Muy bien gracias |
| Bad | Mal |
| So so | Más o menos, Así así |
| It is nice weather today | Hace buen día |
| Wife | la esposa |
| Husband | el esposo, el marido |
| Daughter | la hija |
| Son | el hijo |
| Mother | la madre |
| Father | el padre |
| Friend | el amigo (m), la amiga (f) |
| Birthday | los cumpleaños |
| Happy Birthday | Feliz cumpleaños |
| Good night and sleep well | Hasta mañana, que descanses |
| What is your e-mail address? | ¿Cuál es tu dirección de correo electrónico? |
| I love you | Te quiero |
| Can one… | Se puede… |
| I'd like… | Quiero… |
| I don't know | No se |
| Do you know… | Sabe… |
| Tell me… | Digame… |
| Look | mira |
| Listen | oiga |
| What | que |
| When | cuando |
| Let's go | vamos |
| Okay, that's fine, thanks a lot | Vale, muy bien, muchas gracias |
| That's very kind of you | Es muy amable |
SPANISH - Numbers
| zero | cero |
| one | uno |
| two | dos |
| three | tres |
| four | cuatro |
| five | cinco |
| six | seis |
| seven | siete |
| eight | ocho |
| nine | nueve |
| ten | diez |
| eleven | once |
| twelve | doce |
| thirteen | trece |
| fourteen | catorce |
| fifteen | quince |
| sixteen | dieciséis |
| seventeen | diecisiete |
| eighteen | dieciocho |
| nineteen | diecinueve |
| twenty | veinte |
| twenty one | veintiuno, veinte y uno |
| thirty | treinta |
| forty | cuarenta |
| fifty | cincuenta |
| sixty | sesenta |
| seventy | setenta |
| eighty | ochenta |
| ninety | noventa |
| one hundred | cien |
| one thousand | mil |
| one million | un millón |
SPANISH - Shopping
| How much does this cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? ¿Cuál es el precio? |
| What is this? | ¿Qué es? |
| I'll buy it | Lo compro |
| I would like to buy… | Me gustaría comprar… |
| Do you have… | ¿Tiene usted…? |
| Do you accept credit cards? | ¿Aceptan tarjetas de crédito? |
| Open | Abierto |
| Closed | Cerrado |
| Post office | la oficina de correo/correos |
| Stamps | los sellos, los timbres, las estampillas |
| (two) stamps | (dos) sellos |
| Postcard | la postal |
| A little | Un poco |
| More | mas |
| A lot | mucho |
| All | todo |
| That | eso |
| This | esto |
| Museum | el museo |
| Bank | el banco |
| Change | cambio |
| Pharmacy, Chemists | la farmacia |
| I have blisters | Tengo ampollas |
| Shoemaker | Zapatero |
| Store, Shop | la tienda |
SPANISH - Food
| What is your favourite meal? | ¿Cuál es tu plato preferido? |
| Would you like to have some coffee? | ¿Te apetece un café? |
| Restaurant | el restaurante |
| Cheers | ¡Salud! |
| Bon appetit | ¡Que aproveche! |
| Breakfast | el desayuno |
| Lunch | el almuerzo la comida |
| Dinner | la cena |
| Vegetarian | vegetariano (m) vegetariana (f) |
| Kosher | Conforme al régimen alimenticio judío |
| Please bring the bill | ¿Me trae la cuenta por favor? |
| What (hot) snacks do you have? | ¿Que tapas (de cocina) tienen? |
| I'd like 2 plates/2 glasses | Quiero dos platos (dos vasos) |
| What's this? | Que es esto? |
| How much is it? | Cuanto es? |
| What's this called in Spanish? | ¿Como se llama esto español? |
| Bread | el pan |
| Beverage | la bebida |
| Coffee | el café |
| Tea | el té |
| Milk | leche |
| Juice | el jugo, el zumo |
| Water | el agua |
| Beer | la cerveza |
| Wine | el vino |
| Red Wine | vino tinto |
| Salt | la sal |
| Pepper | la pimienta |
| Meat | la carne |
| Beef | la ternera, la carne de vaca, el res |
| Pork | el puerco |
| Fish | el pescado |
| Poultry | las aves |
| Vegetable | las verduras |
| Fruit | la fruta |
| Potato | la patata, la papa |
| Salad | la ensalada |
| Dessert | el postre |
| Ice cream | el helado |
SPANISH - Directions & Places
| Where | donde |
| Where is the bathroom? | ¿Dónde está el baño? |
| Left | la izquierda |
| Right | la derecha |
| Straight | derecho, directo |
| Up | arriba |
| Down | abajo |
| Far | lejos |
| Near | cerca |
| Here | aquí |
| There | alli |
| Long | largo (m), larga (f) |
| Short | corto (m), corta (f) |
| Map | el mapa |
| Tourist Information | Información turística |
| Street | calle |
| Police station | la estación de policía; la comisaría de policía |
| Hospital | el hospital |
| School | la escuela |
| Church | la iglesia |
| Chapel | ermita |
| Restrooms | los baños/ los sanitarios/ los servicios |
| Ladies | damas |
| Gents | caballeros |
| Square | la plaza |
| Mountain | la montaña |
| Hill | la colina |
| Valley | el valle |
| Ocean | el océano |
| Lake | el lago |
| River | el río |
| Bridge | el puente |
| Park | parque |
| Exit | salida |
| Ticket (to) | billete (para) |
| The train station | el estacion de tren/ferrocarriles |
| Have a good trip | Buen viaje |
| Return | ida y vuelta |
| How do I get to . . . ? | ¿Para ir a . . . ? |
| Where is the bus station? | ¿Donde esta el estacion de autobuses? |
| Where could I get a taxi? | ¿Dónde puedo encontrar un taxi? |
| The bus stop for (Finisterre) | la parada del autobus para (Finisterre) |
| Where does the bus to (Pamplona) leave from? | ¿De donde sale el autobus para (Pamplona)? |
| Is this the train for Burgos? | ¿Es este el tren para Burgos? |
| Stop here please | para aqui, por favor |
| What time does it leave (arrive in Santiago?) | ¿A que hora sale (llega en Santiago?) |
| Where's the road to Astorga? | ¿Donde esta la carretera para Astorga? |
| I'm going to . . . | voy a . . . |
| Where are you going? | ¿Donde va ? |
| Is there a refuge nearby? | ¿Hay una refugio cerca? |
| I'd like a room | Quiero una habitación |
| It's for one person/2 people | Es para una persona/dos personas |
| It's for one night/one week | Es para une noche /una semana |
| It's fine | Esta bien |
| It's no good | No esta bien |
| I'll take it, how much is it? | ¿La tomo, cuanto es? |
| It's very expensive, I won't take it | Es muy caro, no la tomo |
| Have you a cheaper room? | ¿Tiene alguna otra casa mas barata? |
| With a shower (hot/cold) | Con ducha (caliente/frio) |
| Can we camp (near) here? | ¿Se puede acampar aqui (cerca)? |
| I need a dentist/doctor | Necesito un dentista/medico |
SPANISH - Time
| What time is it? | ¿Qué hora es? |
| Now | ahora |
| later | mas tarde |
| Seven thirteen | Son las siete y trece |
| Three fifteen | Son las tres y quince |
| A quarter past three | Son las tres y cuarto |
| Eleven thirty | Son las once treinta [rare] |
| Half past eleven | Son las once y media |
| One forty-five | Es la una cuarenta y cinco |
| A quarter to two | Cuarto para las dos. Las dos menos cuarto. |
| Day | el día |
| Week | la semana |
| Month | el mes |
| Year | el año |
| Spring | la primavera |
| Summer | el verano |
| Fall, Autumn | el otoño |
| Winter | el invierno |
| Today | hoy |
| Yesterday | ayer |
| Tomorrow | mañana |
| Monday | lunes |
| Tuesday | martes |
| Wednesday | miércoles |
| Thursday | jueves |
| Friday | viernes |
| Saturday | sábado |
| Sunday | domingo |
| January | enero |
| February | febrero |
| March | marzo |
| April | abril |
| May | mayo |
| June | junio |
| July | julio |
| August | agosto |
| September | septiembre |
| October | octubre |
| November | noviembre |
| December | diciembre |
