Madrid Vibe

Spanish phrasebook for travellers

The words and phrases you really need on a trip to Madrid, each with a simple phonetic guide for pronunciation. Because a few words of Spanish make all the difference.

Greetings & basics

  • Hello / hi

    Hola

    OH-lah

  • Good morning

    Buenos días

    BWEH-nos DEE-as

  • Good afternoon

    Buenas tardes

    BWEH-nas TAR-des

  • Good evening / good night

    Buenas noches

    BWEH-nas NO-ches

  • Thank you

    Gracias

    GRAH-thyas

  • Thank you very much

    Muchas gracias

    MOO-chas GRAH-thyas

  • You are welcome

    De nada

    deh NAH-dah

  • Please

    Por favor

    por fah-VOR

  • Yes

    Sí

    see

  • No

    No

    noh

  • Excuse me / sorry

    Perdón

    pehr-DON

  • Goodbye

    Adiós

    ah-DYOS

  • Do you speak English?

    ¿Habla inglés?

    AH-blah een-GLES

  • I do not understand

    No entiendo

    noh en-TYEN-do

Food & tapas

  • The menu, please

    La carta, por favor

    lah KAR-tah, por fah-VOR

  • The bill, please

    La cuenta, por favor

    lah KWEN-tah, por fah-VOR

  • Water

    Agua

    AH-gwah

  • It is very tasty

    Está muy rico

    es-TAH mwee REE-koh

  • One tapa, please

    Una tapa, por favor

    OO-nah TAH-pah, por fah-VOR

  • A coffee

    Un café

    oon kah-FEH

  • A small draft beer

    Una caña

    OO-nah KAH-nyah

  • Red wine

    Vino tinto

    BEE-noh TEEN-toh

  • I am vegetarian

    Soy vegetariano

    soy beh-heh-tah-RYAH-noh

  • No meat, please

    Sin carne, por favor

    seen KAR-neh, por fah-VOR

Transport & getting around

  • Where is...?

    ¿Dónde está...?

    DON-deh es-TAH

  • Left

    A la izquierda

    ah lah ees-KYER-dah

  • Right

    A la derecha

    ah lah deh-REH-chah

  • Straight ahead

    Todo recto

    TOH-doh REK-toh

  • Is it far?

    ¿Está lejos?

    es-TAH LEH-hos

  • The metro station

    La estación de metro

    lah es-tah-THYON deh MEH-troh

  • Stop here, please

    Pare aquí, por favor

    PAH-reh ah-KEE, por fah-VOR

Shopping & money

  • How much does it cost?

    ¿Cuánto cuesta?

    KWAN-toh KWES-tah

  • Too expensive

    Es muy caro

    es mwee KAH-roh

  • Can I pay by card?

    ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?

    PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah

  • Just looking

    Solo estoy mirando

    SOH-loh es-TOY mee-RAN-doh

  • I will take it

    Me lo llevo

    meh loh YEH-boh

Emergencies & help

  • Help!

    ¡Ayuda!

    ah-YOO-dah

  • Call a doctor

    Llame a un médico

    YAH-meh ah oon MEH-dee-koh

  • Hospital

    El hospital

    el os-pee-TAL

  • Pharmacy

    La farmacia

    lah far-MAH-thyah

  • The police

    La policía

    lah poh-lee-THEE-ah

  • I lost my passport

    He perdido el pasaporte

    eh pehr-DEE-doh el pah-sah-POR-teh

  • I need help

    Necesito ayuda

    neh-theh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah

Common questions

How do you say thank you in Spanish?

Thank you in Spanish is "Gracias" (GRAH-syas). For thank you very much you say "Muchas gracias" (MOO-chas GRAH-syas). It is a word that is warmly received all over Madrid.

Do you need to speak Spanish to travel in Madrid?

Not essential, but it helps. Madrid uses less English than some other European tourist cities, especially in neighborhood restaurants and markets. A few basic Spanish words, above all "thank you", "please" and "the bill, please", make all the difference and are warmly received.

How do I order tapas in a restaurant?

Say "Una tapa, por favor" (OO-na TAH-pa, por fah-VOR), meaning one tapa please. For a small beer ask for "una caña" (OO-na KAH-nya), the classic Madrid pairing. The phrasebook gives you all the basics with a simple phonetic guide.