Spanish Learning Resources
You can enjoy the Pamplona program without speaking Spanish. The course is in English, and many young Spaniards speak English. Additionally, Spaniards in general are very friendly and willing to help. Nevertheless, learning some language phrases and basics will allow you to get more out of your overseas study experience. For anyone wishing to begin to learn Spanish or to improve your Spanish language skills, the course offers an excellent opportunity for Spanish language exposure and learning.
This page offers a few tips and resources for learning and improving Spanish.
This page offers a few tips and resources for learning and improving Spanish.
This book is good for travelers or beginners interested in learning basic Spanish phrases. It's very portable and inexpensive (especially the e-book version of the book, which you can read on a compatible e-reader, tablet, smartphone, or computer), covering essentials in an easy-to-digest way.
Learn Spanish while Discovering Pamplona
USeful Links
http://www.spanishdict.com/
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dict_en_es/
http://www.bing.com/translator/
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dict_en_es/
http://www.bing.com/translator/
Spanish vocabulary, phrases, tips
Below, the Spanish translation is underlined, i.e.,
Engish. Spanish translation.
Yes. Sí.
No. No.
Please. Por favor.
Thanks/thank you. Gracias.
Thanks very much. Muchas Gracias.
How. ¿Como?
How are you? ¿Cómo está?
I am very well. Estoy muy bien.
What is your name (literally “how do you call yourself?”) ¿Cómo se llama?
My name is John. Me llamo Juan.
Where? ¿Donde?
Where is the bathroom? ¿Dónde esta el bano? or ¿Dónde esta los servicios?
Where is the bus/train station? ¿Dónde esta la estación de autobuse/estación de tren ?
Where is the subway? ¿Dónde esta el metro?
Where is the “old town”? ¿Dónde esta el centro? or ¿Dónde esta la ciudad vieja? or
¿Dónde esta la casca antigua?
Where is the exit? ¿Donde esta la salida? (In Barcelona, “sortida”, the catalan word for exit, is used.)
Where is the entrance? ¿Donde esta la entrada? (“Entrada” is the word for entrance in either Spanish or Catalan.)
Which? ¿Cual?
-- Which is my room? ¿Cual es mi habitacion?
-- Cual es?! What is this?! (as when someone is rude to you.)
Excuse me or pardon me. Con permisso or Perdone.
-- Excuse me, where is the park close to here?” ¿Perdone, Donda esta el parc cerca de aqui?
I'm sorry. Desculpe or Lo siento.
-- Excuse me (as in “I am sorry!” after bumping into someone on the metro, for example.) Desculpe!
-- I am sorry (to apologize.) Lo siento! (Note: If you say “Siento mucho” that translates to: “I sit down a lot!”)
I don't understand. No entiendo.
I don't speak Spanish. No hablo español.
I don't speak Spanish very well. No hablo español muy bien.
I speak a little Spanish. Hablo español un poco.
Do you speak English? ¿Habla inglés?
Speak slowly, please. Hable despacio por favor.
Repeat, please. Repita, por favor.
Do you speak English? ¿Habla inglés?
Where can I catch a taxi? ¿Donde puedo coger un taxi?
Is it near? ¿Está cerca?
Is it far? ¿Está lejos?
To the right. A la derecha.
To the left. A la izquierda.
Go straight ahead. Siga Adelante. Siga recto.
Take me to this address, please. Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor. Or just Dirección ______, por favor.
How much does it cost. ¿Cuánto es?
-- How much is the fare: ¿Cuánto es la tarifa? (More formally, but not necessary: ¿Cuánto cuesta?)
Stop here, please. Pare aquí, por favor. (More formally but not necessary: Detengaste aqui.)
Bus or metro stop. Parada. (Note: On subways/buses, the next stop “proixma parada” will be displayed/announced. So by paying attention, and you will know when to get off.)
A map of the city, please. Un plano de la ciudad, por favor.
A map of the metro, please. Un plano del metro, por favor.
Do you accept credit cards? ¿Accepta tarjeta de crédito?
Do you have wi-fi? ¿Tiene Wi-Fi? (Wi-Fi pronounced “Whiff-ee”)
Where are you from? ¿Donde es?
Engish. Spanish translation.
Yes. Sí.
No. No.
Please. Por favor.
Thanks/thank you. Gracias.
Thanks very much. Muchas Gracias.
How. ¿Como?
How are you? ¿Cómo está?
I am very well. Estoy muy bien.
What is your name (literally “how do you call yourself?”) ¿Cómo se llama?
My name is John. Me llamo Juan.
Where? ¿Donde?
Where is the bathroom? ¿Dónde esta el bano? or ¿Dónde esta los servicios?
Where is the bus/train station? ¿Dónde esta la estación de autobuse/estación de tren ?
Where is the subway? ¿Dónde esta el metro?
Where is the “old town”? ¿Dónde esta el centro? or ¿Dónde esta la ciudad vieja? or
¿Dónde esta la casca antigua?
Where is the exit? ¿Donde esta la salida? (In Barcelona, “sortida”, the catalan word for exit, is used.)
Where is the entrance? ¿Donde esta la entrada? (“Entrada” is the word for entrance in either Spanish or Catalan.)
Which? ¿Cual?
-- Which is my room? ¿Cual es mi habitacion?
-- Cual es?! What is this?! (as when someone is rude to you.)
Excuse me or pardon me. Con permisso or Perdone.
-- Excuse me, where is the park close to here?” ¿Perdone, Donda esta el parc cerca de aqui?
I'm sorry. Desculpe or Lo siento.
-- Excuse me (as in “I am sorry!” after bumping into someone on the metro, for example.) Desculpe!
-- I am sorry (to apologize.) Lo siento! (Note: If you say “Siento mucho” that translates to: “I sit down a lot!”)
I don't understand. No entiendo.
I don't speak Spanish. No hablo español.
I don't speak Spanish very well. No hablo español muy bien.
I speak a little Spanish. Hablo español un poco.
Do you speak English? ¿Habla inglés?
Speak slowly, please. Hable despacio por favor.
Repeat, please. Repita, por favor.
Do you speak English? ¿Habla inglés?
Where can I catch a taxi? ¿Donde puedo coger un taxi?
Is it near? ¿Está cerca?
Is it far? ¿Está lejos?
To the right. A la derecha.
To the left. A la izquierda.
Go straight ahead. Siga Adelante. Siga recto.
Take me to this address, please. Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor. Or just Dirección ______, por favor.
How much does it cost. ¿Cuánto es?
-- How much is the fare: ¿Cuánto es la tarifa? (More formally, but not necessary: ¿Cuánto cuesta?)
Stop here, please. Pare aquí, por favor. (More formally but not necessary: Detengaste aqui.)
Bus or metro stop. Parada. (Note: On subways/buses, the next stop “proixma parada” will be displayed/announced. So by paying attention, and you will know when to get off.)
A map of the city, please. Un plano de la ciudad, por favor.
A map of the metro, please. Un plano del metro, por favor.
Do you accept credit cards? ¿Accepta tarjeta de crédito?
Do you have wi-fi? ¿Tiene Wi-Fi? (Wi-Fi pronounced “Whiff-ee”)
Where are you from? ¿Donde es?
Short List Drinks and Food
Aqua. Water.
Agua de grifo. Tap water. (Safe and high quality in Pamplona, not automatically offered at restaurants in Europe.)
Quisera un agua de grifo. I would like a glass of tap water.
Aqua Tonica. Tonic water.
Café con leche. Latte. (Sometimes you’ll get a question whether you want hot milk, leche caliente.)
Café solo. Expresso.
Cortado. Small coffee like an expresso (with or without milk.)
Café Americano. Strong black American coffee of the usual size.
Tinto. Red Wine.
Quiseria una copa de tinto, por favor. I would like a glass of red wine. Or just ”un tinto, por favor.” (Note: do not ask for “tinta”. “tinta”=ink!)
Vino blanco. White wine.
Cerveza. Beer.
Cana. Small beer, about 6 ounces.
Jarra. Medium sized beer .
Cerveja con limon. Beer with lemon juice.
Oruja de heirbas (or “Oruja” or just “Heirbas.”) Basque liquor. (Light yellow served as an after-dinner drink. Sometimes given free after a larger meal.)
Paxtaran. Another Basque liquor, also an aperitif.
Sidra. Fermented cider (In Basque region, served in “Siderias”, restaurants with huge barrels of sidra.)
Agua de grifo. Tap water. (Safe and high quality in Pamplona, not automatically offered at restaurants in Europe.)
Quisera un agua de grifo. I would like a glass of tap water.
Aqua Tonica. Tonic water.
Café con leche. Latte. (Sometimes you’ll get a question whether you want hot milk, leche caliente.)
Café solo. Expresso.
Cortado. Small coffee like an expresso (with or without milk.)
Café Americano. Strong black American coffee of the usual size.
Tinto. Red Wine.
Quiseria una copa de tinto, por favor. I would like a glass of red wine. Or just ”un tinto, por favor.” (Note: do not ask for “tinta”. “tinta”=ink!)
Vino blanco. White wine.
Cerveza. Beer.
Cana. Small beer, about 6 ounces.
Jarra. Medium sized beer .
Cerveja con limon. Beer with lemon juice.
Oruja de heirbas (or “Oruja” or just “Heirbas.”) Basque liquor. (Light yellow served as an after-dinner drink. Sometimes given free after a larger meal.)
Paxtaran. Another Basque liquor, also an aperitif.
Sidra. Fermented cider (In Basque region, served in “Siderias”, restaurants with huge barrels of sidra.)
Food Short List
Bocadillos. Sandwiches. (Boca=mouth, dillos is a diminutive, so “bocadillos” are “bite size things”=sandwiches.)
Merluza. Hake. (You may have had this light-colored fish in the U.S. at restaurants such as Legal Seafoods or McCormick & Schmick’s.)
Bacalau. Cod. (Cod is harvested in the north Atlantic, and exported in salted form to Spanish/Portuguese-speaking countries in the old and new worlds. The Catholic church’s many-year prohibition on meat-eating on Friday contributed to this trade. Typically restaurants desalt the cod and then serve it. It tastes fresh, and is usually quite good.)
Chorizo de sidra. Little sausages marinated in fermented sider, served as an appetizer.
Patas bravas. Roasted or fried potatos with a “salsa brava” (hot sauce,) and sometimes also with mayonnaise.
Pimiento de Padron. Little green peppers, fried and salted, and served as an appetizer.
Pulpo a la Gallega. Octopus Galician style.
Ensalada. Salad.
Ensalada mixta. Mixed salad, often with eggs and tuna (atun.) Try asking for the salad you want. I usually request una ensalada con tomate, cebolla, y olivas solemente (a salad with tomato, onions, and olives only).
Lechuga. Lettuce.
Pinchos ("pintxos" in the Basque region, and “tapas” in Spanish) Tasty and sophisticated snack/finger food; you order different kinds; eat with beer or red wine.
Merluza. Hake. (You may have had this light-colored fish in the U.S. at restaurants such as Legal Seafoods or McCormick & Schmick’s.)
Bacalau. Cod. (Cod is harvested in the north Atlantic, and exported in salted form to Spanish/Portuguese-speaking countries in the old and new worlds. The Catholic church’s many-year prohibition on meat-eating on Friday contributed to this trade. Typically restaurants desalt the cod and then serve it. It tastes fresh, and is usually quite good.)
Chorizo de sidra. Little sausages marinated in fermented sider, served as an appetizer.
Patas bravas. Roasted or fried potatos with a “salsa brava” (hot sauce,) and sometimes also with mayonnaise.
Pimiento de Padron. Little green peppers, fried and salted, and served as an appetizer.
Pulpo a la Gallega. Octopus Galician style.
Ensalada. Salad.
Ensalada mixta. Mixed salad, often with eggs and tuna (atun.) Try asking for the salad you want. I usually request una ensalada con tomate, cebolla, y olivas solemente (a salad with tomato, onions, and olives only).
Lechuga. Lettuce.
Pinchos ("pintxos" in the Basque region, and “tapas” in Spanish) Tasty and sophisticated snack/finger food; you order different kinds; eat with beer or red wine.
Cooking Terms
A la plancha. On the grill. e.g. “Sepia a la plancha,”grilled cuttlefish.
Asado. Roasted.
Coicido. Cooked.
Guisada. Stewed.
Frito. Fried.
Asado. Roasted.
Coicido. Cooked.
Guisada. Stewed.
Frito. Fried.
Eating Out and Ordering Food in Spain
In European countries, people in enjoy leisurely meals, and the way of interacting with waiters is quite different than in the U.S. In the United States, you are used to having a waiter stop by every so often to ask how’s the food, and then to deliver the bill without request. In Europe, wait people typically don't check in on your table, and they don't deliver the bill without request. You always have to ask for it – by catching the wait person’s attention. To make the request in Spain you say “la cuenta, por favor.” This system allows you to hang out as long as you want. For example, you can order a cup of coffee at a coffee shop with wi-fi and hang out for several hours without being pressured to leave.
The one exception to this rule is at very crowded tapas or pinchos bars. In that case, you pay in cash immediately after getting your pincho, because there is no way for the servers to keep track of who has ordered what.
You can say “I would like” to place orders request at a bar/restaurant in two ways:
Quisiera un café con leche, por favor. I would like a coffee with milk, please.
Me gustaria una cerveja, pro favor. I would like a beer, por favor.
If you want to say you are done with your meal, you can say “Eso es todo!”
The one exception to this rule is at very crowded tapas or pinchos bars. In that case, you pay in cash immediately after getting your pincho, because there is no way for the servers to keep track of who has ordered what.
You can say “I would like” to place orders request at a bar/restaurant in two ways:
Quisiera un café con leche, por favor. I would like a coffee with milk, please.
Me gustaria una cerveja, pro favor. I would like a beer, por favor.
If you want to say you are done with your meal, you can say “Eso es todo!”
Drinking Water
The Spanish government says drinking water is safe everywhere in Spain, and I personally never have had a problem drinking tap water in Spain. That said, it is more customary to drink tap water in some locations than others. Tap water quality is very high in Granada, Madrid, and Pamplona as the water comes from aquifers in these areas. Instead of buying bottled water in restaurants in these places, you can save yourself the money by asking for “agua de grifo” (water from the tap), which is not automatically offered in Europe as in the U.S.
In Barcelona, most restaurants we encountered will not serve tap water. They insist you buy water, saying that the local water is not good enough for drinking. We either broke down and bought bottled water, or used a plastic water bottle with a filter (such as these) to filter tap water.
In Barcelona, most restaurants we encountered will not serve tap water. They insist you buy water, saying that the local water is not good enough for drinking. We either broke down and bought bottled water, or used a plastic water bottle with a filter (such as these) to filter tap water.
Words of Visigothic Origin in Spanish
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visigoths for the Visigoth incursion into Spain.
guardia ( guard )
espia ( spy )
ropa ( clothes )
hato ( bundle )
ataviar ( attire )
brote ( shoot, outbreak )
estribo ( stirrup )
parra ( vine )
casta ( caste, breed )
tapa ( lid )
aspa ( sail, blade )
jabon ( soap )
falda ( skirt )
cofia ( cap )
guerra ( war )
guante ( glove )
guardar ( save, keep )
sala ( room )
espuela ( spur )
orgullo ( pride )
rico ( rich )
fresco ( fresh )
compañia ( company )
ufano ( proud )
compañero ( companion )
ganso ( goose )
agasajar ( fete )
ganar ( gain )
esquilar ( shear )
bando ( edict, faction )
botin ( booty )
tregua ( truce )
bandera ( flag )
guia ( guide )
hacha ( axe )
baron ( baron, influential member )
varon ( male )
sopa ( soup )
toalla ( towel )
botin ( booty )
brida ( bridle )
blanco ( white )
gris ( grey )
burgo (town)
dardo (dart)
esgrimir (to brandish, wield)
espuela (spur)
albergue
anca
talar
bandido
robar
rapar
galardon
heraldo
estaca
guadaña
arpa
toldo
banco
guisar ( cook )
guardia ( guard )
espia ( spy )
ropa ( clothes )
hato ( bundle )
ataviar ( attire )
brote ( shoot, outbreak )
estribo ( stirrup )
parra ( vine )
casta ( caste, breed )
tapa ( lid )
aspa ( sail, blade )
jabon ( soap )
falda ( skirt )
cofia ( cap )
guerra ( war )
guante ( glove )
guardar ( save, keep )
sala ( room )
espuela ( spur )
orgullo ( pride )
rico ( rich )
fresco ( fresh )
compañia ( company )
ufano ( proud )
compañero ( companion )
ganso ( goose )
agasajar ( fete )
ganar ( gain )
esquilar ( shear )
bando ( edict, faction )
botin ( booty )
tregua ( truce )
bandera ( flag )
guia ( guide )
hacha ( axe )
baron ( baron, influential member )
varon ( male )
sopa ( soup )
toalla ( towel )
botin ( booty )
brida ( bridle )
blanco ( white )
gris ( grey )
burgo (town)
dardo (dart)
esgrimir (to brandish, wield)
espuela (spur)
albergue
anca
talar
bandido
robar
rapar
galardon
heraldo
estaca
guadaña
arpa
toldo
banco
guisar ( cook )
Arabic Influence on Spanish (From the Moorish Historical Period)
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_language_influence_on_the_Spanish_language.
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