Lesson 12 · 7 min read
30 Essential Spanish Phrases for Beginners
If you only memorize one lesson, make it this one. These are the high-frequency phrases that keep a conversation polite and moving, even when you don't know many words yet.
1. Politeness
Spanish politeness is carried less by extra words than by verb form: choosing usted over tú is itself the courtesy. "Por favor" and "gracias" are used somewhat more sparingly than English please and thank you, so their absence is not the rudeness an English speaker might hear.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| por favor | please |
| gracias | thank you |
| muchas gracias | thank you very much |
| de nada | you're welcome |
| perdón | sorry / excuse me |
| con permiso | excuse me (to pass) |
| lo siento | I am sorry |
2. When you don't understand
These are the most valuable phrases in the whole lesson, because they keep a conversation alive instead of ending it. "No entiendo" states the problem, "¿Puede repetir?" asks for another go, and "¿Cómo se dice… en español?" turns the other person into your dictionary.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| No entiendo. | I don't understand. |
| No hablo mucho español. | I don't speak much Spanish. |
| ¿Habla inglés? | Do you speak English? |
| Más despacio, por favor. | Slower, please. |
| ¿Cómo se escribe? | How do you spell it? |
3. Getting help and basics
Worth learning before you need them. "Ayuda" is the shout; "necesito ayuda" is the sentence. "¿Dónde está…?" will find you a bathroom, a pharmacy or a police station, and "estoy perdido" (perdida if you are female) explains the situation in two words.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Sí / No | Yes / No |
| ¿Me puede ayudar? | Can you help me? |
| Necesito ayuda. | I need help. |
| ¿Dónde está el baño? | Where is the bathroom? |
| No sé. | I don't know. |
| Está bien. | It's fine / okay. |
4. Keeping a conversation going when you are lost
The instinct when you stop understanding is to nod and hope. That ends the conversation — the other person keeps going at the same speed and you fall further behind. The phrases below do the opposite: they hand control back to you and signal that you are still trying. The most valuable of them is ¿Cómo se dice… en español? It turns whoever you are talking to into a live dictionary, and people almost always enjoy being asked. Paired with ¿Puede repetir, por favor? and más despacio, it is enough to survive nearly any exchange.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo se dice… en español? | How do you say… in Spanish? | ¿Cómo se dice 'key' en español? — How do you say 'key' in Spanish? |
| ¿Puede repetir, por favor? | Could you repeat that, please? | Perdone, ¿puede repetir, por favor? — Sorry, could you repeat that please? |
| Más despacio, por favor | More slowly, please | Más despacio, por favor, estoy aprendiendo. — More slowly please, I'm learning. |
| Un momento, por favor | One moment, please | Un momento, por favor, lo busco. — One moment please, I'll look it up. |
| ¿Habla inglés? | Do you speak English? | Perdone, ¿habla inglés? — Excuse me, do you speak English? |
Use it in context
These are the phrases that get you unstuck when the conversation runs ahead of you.
- Perdón, ¿me puede ayudar?
Excuse me, can you help me? - No entiendo. ¿Puede repetir, por favor?
I don't understand. Could you repeat that, please? - Más despacio, por favor. No hablo mucho español.
Slower, please. I don't speak much Spanish. - ¿Cómo se dice \'help\' en español?
How do you say 'help' in Spanish? - ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor?
Where is the toilet, please? - —Muchas gracias. —De nada.
'Thank you very much.' 'You're welcome.'
Both are correct — they mean different things
Saying you do not speak Spanish
No hablo español. — I don't speak Spanish.
No sé español. — I don't know Spanish.
Both are correct and both are said. Hablar is about producing the language in the moment; saber frames it as knowledge you have or have not acquired.
Common mistakes
Estoy embarazada → Estoy avergonzado / avergonzada
Embarazada means pregnant. This is the most famous false friend in Spanish and it is worth learning before you need it.
Estoy bueno → Estoy bien
Estar bueno means good-looking or tasty. To say you are well, use bien — bueno is an adjective, bien is the adverb the verb needs.
Quick check
Someone thanks you. You say… — De nada / Lo siento
Show the answer
De nada — Lo siento is an apology, not a reply to thanks.
You need to squeeze past someone. You say… — Con permiso / Está bien
Show the answer
Con permiso — Perdón works here too.
¿Cómo ___ dice en español? — se / te
Show the answer
se — The impersonal se: how is it said, not how do you say it.