Traveling to a Spanish-speaking country soon? You don't need perfect grammar or a huge vocabulary to get around. Honestly, knowing just 50 basic words can completely change your experience.

These are the words you'll actually use—at restaurants, hotels, markets, and when you're lost (because let's face it, that happens). I've taught hundreds of students preparing for trips abroad, and these are the ones they tell me made the biggest difference.

1. Hola (Hello)

This one's easy. Use it everywhere—shops, restaurants, when you pass someone on the street.

Examples:

  • Hola, ¿cómo estás? (Hello, how are you?)
  • Hola, buenos días. (Hello, good morning.)

Memory trick: Think "hola hoop"—you say hola to everyone in your circle.

2. Adiós (Goodbye)

The classic farewell. You might also hear "chao" in casual settings, but adiós works everywhere.

Examples:

  • Adiós, hasta luego. (Goodbye, see you later.)
  • Adiós y gracias. (Goodbye and thank you.)

Pronunciation tip: Ah-dee-OHS. Stress that last syllable.

3. Por favor (Please)

Add this to any request. It's polite and locals appreciate the effort.

Examples:

  • Una cerveza, por favor. (One beer, please.)
  • ¿Puede ayudarme, por favor? (Can you help me, please?)

Memory trick: "Poor favor"—you're doing someone a favor by being polite.

4. Gracias (Thank you)

You'll use this constantly. It's pronounced GRAH-see-ahs.

Examples:

  • Gracias por todo. (Thank you for everything.)
  • Muchas gracias. (Thank you very much.)

Bonus: Add "muchas" before it to say "thank you very much."

5. De nada (You're welcome)

The standard response when someone thanks you.

Examples:

  • —Gracias. —De nada. (—Thank you. —You're welcome.)
  • No hay problema, de nada. (No problem, you're welcome.)

Literal meaning: "Of nothing"—basically saying "it's nothing."

6. Sí (Yes)

Simple and essential. Pronounced "see."

Examples:

  • Sí, entiendo. (Yes, I understand.)
  • Sí, por favor. (Yes, please.)

7. No (No)

Even simpler. Same pronunciation as English.

Examples:

  • No, gracias. (No, thank you.)
  • No entiendo. (I don't understand.)

8. Perdón (Excuse me / Sorry)

Use this when you bump into someone or need to get their attention.

Examples:

  • Perdón, ¿dónde está el baño? (Excuse me, where is the bathroom?)
  • Perdón por llegar tarde. (Sorry for being late.)

Note: "Disculpe" works too, especially in formal situations.

9. ¿Cuánto cuesta? (How much does it cost?)

Essential for shopping and markets.

Examples:

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? (How much does this cost?)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta un café? (How much does a coffee cost?)

Pronunciation: KWAN-toh KWEHS-tah.

10. Agua (Water)

You'll need this at restaurants and shops.

Examples:

  • Una botella de agua, por favor. (One bottle of water, please.)
  • ¿Tiene agua fría? (Do you have cold water?)

Tricky part: Even though it ends in "a," you say "el agua" (masculine article). Don't worry about why—just remember it.

11. Comida (Food)

General word for food or a meal.

Examples:

  • La comida está deliciosa. (The food is delicious.)
  • ¿Dónde hay buena comida? (Where is there good food?)

12. Baño (Bathroom)

You'll need this one eventually.

Examples:

  • ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the bathroom?)
  • Necesito ir al baño. (I need to go to the bathroom.)

Alternative: "Servicio" or "aseo" in some countries.

13. Hotel (Hotel)

Same word, just pronounced oh-TELL.

Examples:

  • ¿Dónde está mi hotel? (Where is my hotel?)
  • Voy al hotel. (I'm going to the hotel.)

14. Calle (Street)

Useful when asking for directions.

Examples:

  • ¿En qué calle está? (On what street is it?)
  • Vivo en esta calle. (I live on this street.)

Pronunciation: KAH-yeh (the "ll" sounds like a "y").

15. Derecha (Right)

As in the direction, not correctness.

Examples:

  • Gire a la derecha. (Turn right.)
  • Está a la derecha. (It's on the right.)

16. Izquierda (Left)

The opposite direction.

Examples:

  • Doble a la izquierda. (Turn left.)
  • El banco está a la izquierda. (The bank is on the left.)

Memory trick: Izquierda is longer and more complex—so is going left when you're lost.

17. Recto (Straight)

Keep going straight ahead.

Examples:

  • Siga recto. (Keep going straight.)
  • Todo recto hasta el final. (Straight ahead until the end.)

18. Cerca (Near / Close)

Describes something nearby.

Examples:

  • ¿Está cerca? (Is it close?)
  • Hay un restaurante cerca. (There's a restaurant nearby.)

19. Lejos (Far)

The opposite of cerca.

Examples:

  • ¿Está lejos? (Is it far?)
  • No está muy lejos. (It's not very far.)

20. Aquí (Here)

Point to where you are.

Examples:

  • Estoy aquí. (I'm here.)
  • Pon la maleta aquí. (Put the suitcase here.)

Pronunciation: Ah-KEE.

21. Allí (There)

Point to something in the distance.

Examples:

  • El museo está allí. (The museum is there.)
  • Vamos allí. (Let's go there.)

22. Ahora (Now)

Talking about the present moment.

Examples:

  • Voy ahora. (I'm going now.)
  • ¿Puedes hacerlo ahora? (Can you do it now?)

23. Después (After / Later)

Talking about what comes next.

Examples:

  • Después de comer. (After eating.)
  • Te llamo después. (I'll call you later.)

24. Mañana (Tomorrow / Morning)

Context tells you which meaning.

Examples:

  • Nos vemos mañana. (See you tomorrow.)
  • Salgo mañana por la mañana. (I'm leaving tomorrow morning.)

Confusing? Yeah, it means both. You'll figure it out from context.

25. Hoy (Today)

Pretty straightforward.

Examples:

  • ¿Qué haces hoy? (What are you doing today?)
  • Hoy hace calor. (It's hot today.)

26. Ayer (Yesterday)

The day before today.

Examples:

  • Llegué ayer. (I arrived yesterday.)
  • Ayer fue increíble. (Yesterday was incredible.)

27. Quiero (I want)

Super useful for ordering or requesting.

Examples:

  • Quiero un café. (I want a coffee.)
  • Quiero ir a la playa. (I want to go to the beach.)

Pronunciation: key-EH-roh.

28. Necesito (I need)

A bit more urgent than "quiero."

Examples:

  • Necesito ayuda. (I need help.)
  • Necesito un taxi. (I need a taxi.)

29. Tengo (I have)

Talking about possession.

Examples:

  • Tengo una reserva. (I have a reservation.)
  • No tengo dinero. (I don't have money.)

30. ¿Dónde? (Where?)

Start most direction questions with this.

Examples:

  • ¿Dónde está el metro? (Where is the subway?)
  • ¿Dónde vives? (Where do you live?)

31. ¿Cuándo? (When?)

Asking about time.

Examples:

  • ¿Cuándo sale el autobús? (When does the bus leave?)
  • ¿Cuándo llegamos? (When do we arrive?)

32. ¿Qué? (What?)

Basic question word.

Examples:

  • ¿Qué es esto? (What is this?)
  • ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

33. ¿Cómo? (How?)

Ask about methods or condition.

Examples:

  • ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
  • ¿Cómo se llama? (What's it called? / Literally: How is it called?)

34. ¿Por qué? (Why?)

Asking for reasons.

Examples:

  • ¿Por qué está cerrado? (Why is it closed?)
  • ¿Por qué no vienes? (Why aren't you coming?)

Note: Two words, unlike English.

35. Porque (Because)

The answer to "por qué."

Examples:

  • Porque tengo hambre. (Because I'm hungry.)
  • Porque quiero aprender. (Because I want to learn.)

Notice: One word when answering.

36. Ayuda (Help)

Can be a noun or verb.

Examples:

  • ¡Ayuda! (Help!)
  • ¿Me puede ayudar? (Can you help me?)

37. Abierto (Open)

Describing a place that's open.

Examples:

  • ¿Está abierto? (Is it open?)
  • El restaurante está abierto. (The restaurant is open.)

38. Cerrado (Closed)

The opposite.

Examples:

  • Está cerrado los lunes. (It's closed on Mondays.)
  • La tienda está cerrada. (The store is closed.)

39. Bueno (Good)

Describe something positive.

Examples:

  • Es muy bueno. (It's very good.)
  • Buena idea. (Good idea.)

Fun fact: Changes to "buen" before masculine nouns: "un buen día" (a good day).

40. Malo (Bad)

The opposite.

Examples:

  • El tiempo está malo. (The weather is bad.)
  • Mala suerte. (Bad luck.)

41. Grande (Big / Large)

Size matters.

Examples:

  • Una pizza grande. (A large pizza.)
  • Es muy grande. (It's very big.)

Shortens to "gran" before nouns: "una gran ciudad" (a great city).

42. Pequeño (Small)

The opposite of grande.

Examples:

  • Un café pequeño. (A small coffee.)
  • Mi habitación es pequeña. (My room is small.)

43. Caliente (Hot)

Temperature, not spicy.

Examples:

  • El café está caliente. (The coffee is hot.)
  • Agua caliente. (Hot water.)

For spicy: Use "picante."

44. Frío (Cold)

Temperature again.

Examples:

  • Hace frío. (It's cold.)
  • Una bebida fría. (A cold drink.)

45. Caro (Expensive)

Your wallet won't like this one.

Examples:

  • Es muy caro. (It's very expensive.)
  • Los hoteles son caros. (Hotels are expensive.)

46. Barato (Cheap / Inexpensive)

Much better.

Examples:

  • ¿Hay algo más barato? (Is there something cheaper?)
  • Este restaurante es barato. (This restaurant is inexpensive.)

47. Rápido (Fast / Quick)

Speed things up.

Examples:

  • ¡Rápido! (Quick!)
  • Un taxi rápido. (A fast taxi.)

48. Lento (Slow)

Take your time.

Examples:

  • Habla más lento, por favor. (Speak more slowly, please.)
  • El servicio es lento. (The service is slow.)

49. Mucho (A lot / Much)

Quantity or intensity.

Examples:

  • Muchas gracias. (Thank you very much.)
  • Tengo mucho calor. (I'm very hot.)

Changes form: Mucho/mucha/muchos/muchas depending on what you're describing.

50. Poco (A little / Few)

The opposite.

Examples:

  • Un poco de agua. (A little water.)
  • Hablo poco español. (I speak a little Spanish.)

Encouraging note: If you can say "hablo poco español," you're already using two of these words.

Practice Time

Try filling in the blanks with the right Spanish word:

  1. _, ¿dónde está el baño? (Excuse me, where is the bathroom?)
  2. Quiero una cerveza _, por favor. (I want a cold beer, please.)
  3. ¿_ cuesta? (How much does it cost?)
  4. Gire a la _. (Turn right.)
  5. Necesito _ con mi maleta. (I need help with my suitcase.)

Translation challenge: Translate this sentence: "The hotel is far, but there's a restaurant nearby."

Ready for Your Trip?

Learning these 50 words won't make you fluent, but they'll get you through most everyday situations. The key is actually using them—don't worry about sounding perfect. Spanish speakers appreciate when you try, even if you mix up a word or two.

Start with the basics: greetings, please, thank you, and asking where things are. Once those feel natural, the rest comes easier. Print this list or save it on your phone so you can reference it when you're standing in front of a menu or trying to find your hotel.

The best part about learning these words? You'll notice them everywhere once you start paying attention. Street signs, restaurant menus, conversations around you—suddenly Spanish doesn't feel quite so foreign.

Have fun out there, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. That's how you learn.