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Home / Tips & ideas / Language learning / Top 10 useful things to say in Spanish

Top 10 useful things to say in Spanish

January 2, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 9 Comments

One of the things which I like about travelling is learning to communicate in different languages, even if it’s only a few words. I’ve studied various languages over the years and I’ve spent time working as an English teacher in both Italy and Spain. I look very English and it often surprises people in Italy and Spain when I speak to them in their language. I like being able to talk to locals in their own language when we travel and I think that we sometimes get better treatment in places where we speak the language. I enjoy trying to work out the meaning of foreign words and I try to learn a few words of the local language when I’m visiting a new place too because I think that people really appreciate it.

I think that it’s great for kids to learn a few words of a new language when they’re on holiday. I always try to persuade mine to at least say please, thanks, hello and goodbye in the local language of wherever we are. It’s good for their confidence and it’s polite. It also helps them in their formal language learning at school: one of the biggest barriers to learning a language is the fear of making a mistake. In order to learn a language you have to be prepared to make mistakes, mispronounce things and be misunderstood. You have to be prepared to sound funny and maybe a bit stupid and not to mind. The most important thing is just to try to communicate, to say something and not to worry about getting it wrong. So if kids can learn to say a few words on holiday in the local language without feeling self-conscious when they’re getting an ice cream or a drink or looking for the toilets then that’s going to help them in their language lessons in general.

Printables

I’m creating a series of printable sheets of key words in different languages. Each printable will contain our top 10 useful things to say when you’re travelling. Next to the English will be the translation and the pronunciation. I’ve limited it to 10 things to say because when I was teaching English to children I remember that 10 was the number of new words that most of them could learn in a lesson. My kids have chosen the words to include and they agreed on most of them easily, except for one. My son, always a worrier, was adamant that we should include help!, in case of emergencies. My daughter disagreed but I decided to include it.

Spanish words. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Top 10 useful things to say in Spanish

Our first Top 10 useful things to say in…. printable is for Spanish. I’m adding printables for other languages too – see links below.

Spanish printable

If you’d like to use the Spanish printable you can download it for free by clicking the link below.

10 useful things to say in Spanish

This is what it looks like:

Spanish words image. Copyright Gretta Schifano

And here are my other language printables:

10 useful things to say in Portuguese

10 useful things to say in Dutch

10 useful things to say in French

10 useful things to say in German

10 useful things to say in Italian

Spain

If you’d like to read about our travels in Spain, here are some posts which you might enjoy:

What’s it like to stay at La Manga Club?

Human towers in Girona

Things to do on the Costa Brava with kids

10 things I learnt in Menorca

Cartagena, Spain. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Cartagena, Spain. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Over to you

Do you like learning different languages? I’d love to know what you think so do let me know.

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Related

Categories: Language learning, Spain
Tags: language learning, printable, Spanish

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Franglaise Mummy says

    January 13, 2015 at 11:14 am

    What a great idea! I’m massively into language-learning, having studied French and Spanish at university and having taught English and French as foreign languages. I always get our eldest (youngest still doesn’t speak really) to practise saying things in the language of the country we’re visiting, it just makes things more interesting and fun for them too I find.
    Franglaise Mummy recently posted…Why France is on the brink of civil warMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Trish - Mum's Gone To says

    January 4, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    Great idea Gretta. I try to speak a little of the lingo when abroad but always become unstuck when they reply! Was caught out in Paris when I practised a few sentences in my best accent and the hotel receptionist immediately replied in rapid French.
    Good to get the children involved early on, though my son was terribly shy.
    Trish – Mum’s Gone To recently posted…Review of The Exhibitionist Hotel – South KensingtonMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      January 4, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      Mine are very shy too but I’ve always got them to say a few things when we’re away. Well done for trying out your French. I did A’ Level French at school but it’s very rusty now!

      Reply
  3. Cathy (MummyTravels) says

    January 2, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    What a great idea. I totally agree – I’ve always loved languages, and my parents encouraged me to try my French from an early age despite terminal shyness. I’ve started with my two-year-old as well, getting her to say hola and adios when we were in the Canary Islands, which went down very well, even if she’s only parroting the sounds.

    I always try to learn a few words whenever I visit a new country along the lines of your list, perhaps with ‘I’m sorry I don’t understand’, ‘more slowly please’, ‘do you speak English?’ and ‘a glass/two glasses/a bottle of white wine’ 🙂
    Cathy (MummyTravels) recently posted…2015 Travel resolutionsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      January 2, 2015 at 4:45 pm

      Good suggestions, thank you, especially ‘I don’t understand’. We decided against including ‘do you speak English’ because my daughter pointed out that it’s better to say that in English!

      Reply
  4. Mari says

    January 2, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    I love this idea, it’s so helpful and allows even the little ones to learn as they can take a printable with them
    Mari recently posted…2015 the year of the Smash Book and AcceptanceMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      January 2, 2015 at 4:45 pm

      Glad you like it, thanks Mari.

      Reply
  5. Nicola Baird says

    January 2, 2015 at 11:15 am

    My dad said you should always be able to say yes, no and my friend will pay!

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      January 2, 2015 at 4:46 pm

      What a very shrewd man!

      Reply

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