Ruta de español para viajeros

This page is a survival kit for a short stay in Spain — the phrases that will get you a caña in a Madrid bar, into a hostal in Granada, onto the AVE to Sevilla, and out of trouble if something goes wrong. Everything here is peninsular: the vocabulary, the meal times, the form of address. If you have learned Latin American Spanish, expect vosotros in spoken exchanges, vale and venga punctuating every conversation, and coger as the neutral verb for "to take".

Two things hit you on day one. Spaniards speak fast — dropped final -s, swallowed d in -ado endings (cansao for cansado) — and loud, especially in bars. Neither is rudeness. It is the register of public sociability. Match the volume, ask people to repeat with ¿perdona?, and you will be fine.

Greetings and the polite frame

Spaniards greet generously and apologise generously, and the two pieces of vocabulary that smooth almost every transaction are por favor (please) and gracias (thank you). Add perdona (informal "excuse me") or perdone (formal) at the start of any request to a stranger and you are inside the polite frame.

A peninsular convention worth knowing on day one: buenos días until lunchtime (roughly 14:00), then buenas tardes until dinnertime (roughly 20:00 or 21:00), then buenas noches. The pivot is the meal, not the clock — see Expresiones de saludo for the full system. In bars and shops the very short buenas (with no time-of-day word) covers all three and is universally polite.

Ordering food and drinks — the bar script

The Spanish bar is a social institution. You stand at the counter (la barra) or sit at a table (una mesa). The bill is usually paid at the end, not drink by drink. The standard way to order is ¿me pones...? (literally "do you put me...?", functionally "can I have...?") — this informal construction is the everyday peninsular norm and sounds entirely polite at any bar.

The vocabulary you actually need: un café solo (espresso), un café con leche (white coffee), un cortado (espresso with a splash of milk), una caña (small draft beer, ~200 ml — the default order), un tercio (a 33 cl bottled beer), una clara (beer with lemonade), un vino tinto / blanco / rosado, un agua con gas / sin gas, un refresco (soft drink), un zumo (juice — jugo is Latin American). At the bar: una tapa (small plate), una ración (full plate), media ración (half plate, ideal for one person).

When you are ready to leave: la cuenta, por favor (the bill, please) or the slightly more colloquial ¿qué te debo? (what do I owe you?). At a simple bar you often pay at the counter on the way out rather than waiting for a bill at the table.

Restaurant scripts — and the all-important meal times

Lunch in Spain is the big meal of the day, served 14:00–16:00. Dinner starts at 21:00 at the earliest, often 22:00 in the south. Walk in at 19:30 expecting dinner and you will find the kitchen closed. The menú del día — a fixed-price three-course lunch with bread, drink, and coffee for 12–18 euros — is the single best value in Spain and is offered only at lunch on weekdays.

The structure is fixed: primer plato (starter — salad, soup, or pasta), segundo plato (main — meat or fish), postre (dessert), pan (bread, automatic), bebida (drink), and often café. For the regular menu, ask for la carta.

After eating, Spaniards practice la sobremesa — the period of sitting at the table, talking, finishing a coffee or a chupito (small after-dinner shot), making no move to leave. Waiters do not bring the bill until you ask. They are not ignoring you. They are being polite. Ask: ¿nos cobras, por favor? or la cuenta, cuando puedas.

Transport — getting around

Spain's transport network is one of the best in Europe. El metro in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Sevilla; el autobús for city buses (el bus informally) and el autocar for long-distance coaches; el tren de cercanías for regional commuter trains; el AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) for fast intercity trains (Madrid–Sevilla in 2h30); el taxi. Ride-shares: pedir un Uber / un Cabify.

Notice cojo el metro — coger (to take, grab, catch) is the everyday peninsular word for boarding transport. It carries no taboo meaning in Spain. See Coger sin estigma. Other essentials: un billete (ticket — de ida one-way, de ida y vuelta round-trip), un andén (platform), una parada (stop), hacer transbordo (to change trains).

For taxis: ¿está libre? (when flagging one down); ¿me lleva a...?; ¿me da un recibo? Taxis run on a meter (el taxímetro); flat airport rates exist in Madrid (30 € within the M-30 ring) and Barcelona (~39 €), set by city ordinance, not negotiated.

Asking for directions

The verb of choice for "where is" is estar, not ser — locations are always estar. The everyday phrasing is ¿dónde está...? (where is...?). For more politeness, ¿me podría decir dónde está...? (could you tell me where... is?).

Direction vocabulary: a la derecha / a la izquierda, todo recto (straight ahead — peninsular; derecho in much of Latin America), al final de la calle, en la esquina, enfrente de (across from). The verb quedar is used colloquially for "to be located" alongside estar: ¿queda lejos? sounds entirely natural.

Accommodation

Three tiers, in descending order of price and formality: un hotel (rated by stars, with a reception desk and full service), un hostal (a budget guesthouse — not the same as English "hostel"; it is a small family-run lodging with private rooms), una pensión (a very simple boarding house, often just a few rooms above a bar, cheapest of the three). The English-style backpacker dormitory is called un albergue or un hostel (the English word, sometimes).

Key vocabulary: una habitación individual / doble, con baño privado, el desayuno (breakfast — ask ¿está incluido?), la llave, el ascensor, aire acondicionado (not universal in budget places), wifi (¿cuál es la contraseña del wifi?).

Shopping and money

Spain is on the euro (el euro, plural los euros; the cent is el céntimo). Card payment is universal for transactions above about five euros, often accepted below that too — but small bars and bakeries may still prefer cash for small orders, and a few will say en efectivo, por favor (cash only, please). ATMs are cajeros automáticos, often shortened to un cajero.

Bargaining is not a feature of Spanish shopping. Prices are fixed in shops, supermarkets, and at the chain stores in tourist areas. You can occasionally negotiate at a flea market (el rastro in Madrid, los encantes in Barcelona) or for large purchases like a used car, but trying to haggle in a normal shop will draw a confused look. Sales (las rebajas) happen twice a year — January and July — and discounts are real.

For takeaway food: para llevar (to take away) versus para tomar aquí (to have here). For coffee: un café para llevar gets you the to-go cup.

Numbers, times, and dates — the bare minimum

Numbers in conversation: uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez (1–10); veinte, treinta, cuarenta, cincuenta (20, 30, 40, 50); cien (100), mil (1000). For prices: cinco euros con cincuenta (five euros fifty) or in writing 5,50 € — Spain uses a comma as the decimal separator and a dot for thousands (1.250,00 €).

Times: son las tres de la tarde (it's 3pm), son las nueve y media de la noche (it's 9:30pm). Spain uses the 24-hour clock in writing and in formal announcements (train tickets, opening hours), and the 12-hour clock in conversation. La una takes singular (es la una), all other hours take plural (son las dos, son las tres).

Dates are written day-month-year (25/05/2026 means 25 May 2026 — not 5 May, as the American month-day-year format would read it). Months are lowercase: enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre.

Emergencies

The single Europe-wide emergency number is 112, free from any phone, in any language (operators speak Spanish, English, French, and German). Police-specific: 091 (national police, Policía Nacional), 092 (local police, Policía Municipal), 062 (Civil Guard, Guardia Civil, common in rural areas and on highways).

Vocabulary you hope to never need: ¡socorro! / ¡auxilio! (help!), un médico, un hospital, una farmacia (pharmacy — late-night rotation, look for the green cross), la policía, la ambulancia, la embajada, me han robado (I've been robbed), he perdido el pasaporte, no me encuentro bien (I don't feel well).

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• The meal clock is the single biggest adjustment for visitors: lunch 14:00–16:00, dinner 21:00 onwards. Plan accordingly or you will eat at empty tourist traps.
• ¿Me pones...? (informal) and ¿me trae...? (formal) are your default ordering frames. Both are entirely polite.
• Una caña is the standard small beer. Un café con leche is the standard coffee. Una tapa may or may not be free — ask if you are not in Granada or León.
• Bills are paid at the end, and you must ask for them. Waiters do not hover.
• Coger is the neutral verb for "to take" in Spain — taxis, buses, the metro, an apple. The Latin American taboo does not apply.
• Spain uses vosotros — when a group of three is addressed, expect ¿qué queréis vosotros? not ¿qué quieren ustedes? The plural informal form is alive and constant.
• Tipping is modest. Bargaining is not a thing. Cash is welcome under five euros; cards work everywhere above that.
• Emergency number is 112, free, multilingual, all-services.