Spanish · Essentials

Polite Spanish Essentials

Please, thank you, sorry, and the small phrases that make a stranger smile back.

88 entries ·Please, thanks, sorry · Audio on every entry · cross-checked

You walk into a small bakery in Seville. You want a coffee and one of those sugar-dusted pastries in the case. The woman behind the counter looks up. You have about two seconds. Knowing how to say por favor and gracias — and saying them the right way — is the difference between a transaction and a moment. She smiles. You smile. That is what this page is for.

Here you will find the core polite phrases: please, thank you, excuse me, sorry, you're welcome, and a handful of small connective words that signal to a Spanish speaker that you are trying, that you respect the language, and that you are not just pointing at things. Each phrase comes with its literal meaning, a note on when to use it, and a flag for when the formal and informal versions actually matter.

The page is organized simply. Greetings and basic courtesies come first, then apologies and getting someone's attention, then the phrases you reach for when a conversation starts going sideways — no entiendo, ¿puede repetir?, that kind of thing. You do not need to memorize all of it before your trip. Learn the first five and you will already sound more respectful than most tourists.

Every translation and audio clip on this page has been checked against native-speaker sources. If something sounds off to you, it probably is — use the feedback link and we will look at it.

30 essential Spanish phrases

Full index · ordered A → Z

Lo siento loh see-EN-toh
Absolutamente ab-soh-LOO-tah-MEN-tay
Pase usted PAH-seh oo-STED
¿En qué puedo ayudarle? en keh PWEY-doh ah-yoo-DAR-leh
¿Me puedes ayudar? meh POO-eh-des ah-yoo-DAR
¿Te puedo hacer una pregunta? teh PWEH-doh ah-SEHR OO-nah preh-GOON-tah
¿Podrías repetirlo, por favor? poh-DREE-ahs reh-peh-TEER-loh, pohr fah-VOHR
¿Me lo podría escribir? meh loh poh-DREE-ah es-kree-BEER
¿Cuánto cuesta? KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah
Claro que sí KLAH-roh keh SEE
¿Necesitas algo? neh-seh-SEE-tahs SAHL-goh
¿Necesitas ayuda? neh-seh-SEE-tahs ah-YOO-dah
¿Habla inglés? AH-blah een-GLAYS
¿Hablas español? ah-BLAHS ehs-pah-NYOHL
¿Entiendes? en-tee-EN-des
Exacto ek-SAHK-toh
Perdón pehr-DOHN
Disculpe dees-KOOL-peh
juego HWEH-goh
Adelante ah-deh-LAHN-teh
Él quiere el KYEH-reh
Ayuda ah-YOO-dah
¡Ayuda, por favor! ah-YOO-dah, por fah-VOR
Aquí ah-KEE
¿Cómo se dice? KOH-moh seh DEE-seh
¿Cómo se escribe? KOH-moh seh es-KREE-beh
¿Cuántos? KWAHN-tohs
¿Cuánto cuesta? KWAN-toh KWEHS-tah
¿Cuánto cuesta? KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah
No entiendo español. noh en-tee-EN-doh es-pah-NYOL
No quiero noh kee-EH-roh
No sé noh SEH
No me importa NOH meh eem-POR-tah
No hablo bien el español. noh AH-bloh bee-EHN ehl ehs-pah-NYOHL
No entiendo noh en-tee-EN-doh
No me importa NOH meh eem-POR-tah
No entiendo noh en-tee-EN-doh
Necesito neh-seh-SEE-toh
Necesito ayuda neh-seh-SEE-toh ah-YOO-dah
Entiendo en-tee-EN-doh
Quiero KYEH-roh
Te quiero teh kee-EH-roh
Me gustaría meh goo-stah-REE-ah
Preferiría no hacerlo preh-feh-REE-ree-ah no ah-SEHR-loh
Ahorita vuelvo ah-WEE-tah VWELL-voh
Solo estoy mirando. SOH-loh eh-STOY mee-RAHN-doh
Estoy perdido eh-stoy pehr-DEE-doh
Lo siento loh see-EN-toh
Ya regresé. yah reh-greh-SEH
Quizás kee-SAHS
Fue mi error fweh mee eh-ROR
No NOH
No hay de qué NOH eye deh KEH
No, gracias NOH, GRAH-thee-ahs
Ahora ah-OH-rah
Por supuesto. por-soo-PWEHS-toh
Un momento, por favor. oon moh-MEN-toh, por fah-VOR
Perdón pehr-DOHN
Perdón pehr-DOHN
Quizás kee-SAHS
Por favor por fah-VOR
Por favor y gracias por fah-VOR ee GRAH-see-ahs
Un momento, por favor. oo-n moh-MEN-toh, por fah-VOR
Perdón por la molestia pehr-DOHN pohr lah moh-LEHS-tee-ah
Hable despacio, por favor. AH-blay des-PAH-see-oh, por fah-VOR
Gracias GRAH-syahs
Muchas gracias MOO-chas GRAH-thee-ahs
Gracias de todos modos GRAH-thee-ahs deh TOH-dohs MOH-dohs
ese EH-seh
Así es AH-see EHSS
este ES-teh
martes MAR-tes
Necesitamos neh-seh-see-TAH-mohs
llevar puesto yeh-VAHR PWEHS-toh
¿Qué quieres decir? keh kee-EH-res dee-SEER
¿Qué significa eso? keh sig-nee-FEE-kah EH-soh
¿Qué hora es? keh OH-rah es
¿Cuándo? KWAHN-doh
¿Dónde está? DOHN-deh ehs-TAH
¿Dónde se encuentra usted? DOHN-deh seh ehn-KWEN-trah oo-STED
¿Dónde está? DON-deh es-TAH
Ganar gah-NAR
Sí see
Sí y no SEE ee NOH
Necesitas neh-seh-SEE-tahs
¿Quieres? KYEH-res
De nada deh NAH-dah
De nada deh NAH-dah

Frequently asked

will I embarrass myself trying to use polite Spanish if my accent is bad?

Almost certainly not. Spanish speakers, especially in service situations, respond warmly to the effort even when the accent is rough. Mispronouncing gracias is not offensive — not attempting it at all is what feels cold. Start with the phrase, not the perfect accent.

when do I use usted instead of tú in Spanish?

Use usted with anyone older than you, anyone in a service or professional role you have just met, and anyone whose age or status you cannot read quickly. In Spain people shift to tú faster than in Latin America, where usted stays in play longer even between people who know each other. When in doubt, start formal — nobody is ever offended by being addressed politely.

is perdón the same as disculpe or lo siento in Spanish?

They overlap but they are not interchangeable. Disculpe is for getting someone's attention or squeezing past them on a bus — it is light and practical. Perdón is a step up, used when you have actually bumped into someone or interrupted. Lo siento carries real weight and is reserved for genuine apologies, not small physical inconveniences.

do these polite phrases work in both Spain and Latin America?

Yes, all of them. The core courtesy vocabulary — por favor, gracias, disculpe, lo siento — is understood and appreciated everywhere Spanish is spoken. Where regional differences exist, such as de nada versus con gusto for 'you're welcome', the page notes it so you know what to expect when someone answers you.