The 10 words and phrases you need for your first day abroad

I think that traveling is one of the best ways to take your language skills to next level. When you leave the classroom and begin doing life in the language you are studying, you make quantum leaps, especially if you are traveling to one of the over 20 countries that have Spanish as an official language.  Even if you skip the classroom and choose to study language on your own, your first trip abroad will be impactful. To get you started, here is my list of 10 words that you will need for your first 24hrs abroad:

Este

Este (pronounced, eh-stay) means ‘this ’.

Ese

Ese (pronounced, eh-say) means ‘that ’.

Plato

Plato (pronounced, plah- toe) means ‘dish ’. Paired with your first three words, you can walk into a restaurant and distinguish between este plato (this dish) or ese plato (that dish) to let your waiter know your basic preferences.

Quiero

Quiero (pronounced key-eh-roh) means ‘I want ’. For example, you can say “quiero este plato’ (I want this dish) or ‘quiero ese plato’ (I want that dish).

No quiero

No quiero means ‘I don’t want ’. And you can use it to distinguish further between what dish you do or do not want.

Por favor

Por favor (pronounced pohr- fah-vohr) means ‘please ’. After you order your food, you can politely tell the waiter please. For example, Quiero este plato, por favor (I want this dish, please).

Gracias

Gracias (pronounced grah-see-ahs) means ‘thank you ’. Once your order is complete, thank you is always a great way to round off the conversation.

Agua

Agua (pronounced ah-gwah) means ‘water ’. Inevitably, your waiter may ask if you would like water while you look over the menu. In most Spanish-speaking countries, you will have the option to order Agua con gas, ‘sparkling water’ (pronounced ah-gwah cohn gahs) or Agua natural, ‘spring water’ (pronounced ah-gwah nah-too-rahl). You may say something like, Quiero agua natural, por favor. Gracias! (I’d like spring water please. Thank you!)

Cuenta

Cuenta (pronounced coo-ehn-tah) means ‘check ’. La cuenta means ‘the check’. When asking for the check after your first meal, you can say to the waiter, ‘Quiero la cuenta, por favor’ (I’d like the check please) or ‘la cuenta, por favor’ (the check, please).

¿Cuánto es?

¿Cuánto es? (pronounced coo-ahn-toe ehs) means ‘How much is it?’This is a general question to ask when inquiring about individual items on the menu or the bill as a whole. For example, ¿Cuánto es, este plato? (How much is this dish?)

**Bonus**

Quiere

Quiere (pronounced key-eh-ray) means he, she, or you want. If you want to show off your new skills and order for a friend or two, you can say ‘él quiere este plato, por favor’ (he wants this dish, please), ‘ella quiere este plato’ (she wants this dish) and even answer the question, ¿Qué quiere usted? (what do you want?)

Try them out and let me know your results!

Cheers to your success,

Dr. Cort