Moon Guatemala (Moon Handbooks) - Al Argueta (2015)
Resources
Spanish Phrasebook
Spanish commonly uses 30 letters—the familiar English 26, plus four straightforward additions: ch, ll, ñ, and rr, which are consonants.
PRONUNCIATION
Spanish pronunciation rules are straightforward and easy to learn, because—in contrast to English—they don’t change. Spanish vowels generally sound softer than in English. (Note: The capitalized syllables below receive stronger accents.)
Vowels
a like ah, as in “hah”: agua AH-gooah (water), pan PAHN (bread), and casa CAH-sah (house)
e like ay, as in “may:” mesa MAY-sah (table), tela TAY-lah (cloth), and de DAY (of, from)
i like ee, as in “need”: diez dee-AYZ (10), comida ko-MEE-dah (meal), and fin FEEN (end)
o like oh, as in “go”: peso PAY-soh (weight), ocho OH-choh (eight), and poco POH-koh (a bit)
u like oo, as in “cool”: uno OO-noh (one), cuarto KOOAHR-toh (room), and usted oos-TAYD (you); when it follows a “q” the u is silent; when it follows an “h” or has an umlaut, it’s pronounced like “w”
Consonants
b, ch, d, f, k, l, m, n, p, q, s, t, v, w, x, y, z pronounced almost as in English; h occurs, but is silent (not pronounced at all)
c like k as in “keep”: cuarto KOOAR-toh (room), corazón kor-a-SOHN (heart); when it precedes “e” or “i,” pronounce c like s, as in “sit”: cerveza sayr-VAY-sah (beer), encima ayn-SEE-mah (atop).
g like g as in “gift” when it precedes “a,” “o,” “u,” or a consonant: gato GAH-toh (cat), hago AH-goh (I do, make); otherwise, pronounce g like h as in “hat”: giro HEE-roh (money order), gente HAYN-tay (people)
j like h, as in “has”: jueves HOOAY-vays (Thursday), mejor may-HOR (better)
ll like y, as in “yes”: toalla toh-AH-yah (towel), ellos AY-yohs (they, them)
ñ like ny, as in “canyon”: año AH-nyo (year), señor SAY-nyor (Mr., sir)
r is lightly trilled, with tongue at the roof of your mouth like a very light English r, as in “ready”: pero PAY-roh (but), tres TRAYS (three), cuatro KOOAH-troh (four).
rr like a Spanish r, but with much more emphasis and trill. Let your tongue flap. Practice with burro (donkey), carretera (highway), and Carrillo (proper name), then really let go with ferrocarril (railroad).
Note: The single small but common exception to all of the above is the pronunciation of Spanish y when it’s being used as the Spanish word for “and,” as in Ron y Kathy. In such case, pronounce it like the English ee, as in “keep”: Ron “ee” Kathy (Ron and Kathy).
Accent
Native English speakers often make errors of pronunciation by ignoring accented, or stressed, syllables. All Spanish vowels—a, e, i, o, and u—may carry accents determining which syllable of a word is emphasized.
The rule for accent, the relative stress given to syllables within a given word, is straightforward. If a word ends in a vowel, an n, or an s, accent the next-to-last syllable; if not, accent the last syllable.
Pronounce gracias GRAH-seeahs (thank you), orden OHR-dayn (order), and carretera kah-ray-TAY-rah (highway) with stress on the next-to-last syllable.
Otherwise, accent the last syllable: venir vay-NEER (to come), ferrocarril fay-roh-cah-REEL (railroad), and edad ay-DAHD (age).
Exceptions to the accent rule are always marked with an accent sign: (á, é, í, ó, or ú), such as teléfono tay-LAY-foh-noh (telephone), jabón hah-BON (soap), and rápido RAH-pee-doh (rapid).
BASIC AND COURTEOUS EXPRESSIONS
Most Spanish-speaking people consider formalities important. Whenever approaching anyone for information or some other reason, do not forget the appropriate salutation—good morning, good evening, and so forth. Standing alone, the greeting hola (hello) can sound brusque.
Hello. Hola.
Good morning. Buenos días.
Good afternoon. Buenas tardes.
Good evening. Buenas noches.
How are you? ¿Cómo está usted?
Very well, thank you. Muy bien, gracias.
Okay; good. Bien.
Not okay; bad. Mal, feo.
So-so. Más o menos.
And you? ¿Y usted?
Thank you. Gracias.
Thank you very much. Muchas gracias.
You’re very kind. Muy amable.
You’re welcome. De nada.
Good-bye. Adios.
See you later. Hasta luego.
please por favor
yes sí
no no
I don’t know. No sé.
Just a moment, please. Momentito, por favor.
Excuse me, please (when you’re trying to get attention). Disculpe or Con permiso.
Excuse me (when you’ve made a mistake). Lo siento.
Pleased to meet you. Mucho gusto.
What is your name? ¿Cómo se llama usted?
Do you speak English? ¿Habla usted inglés?
Is English spoken here? (Does anyone here speak English?) ¿Se habla inglés?
I don’t speak Spanish well. No hablo bien el español.
I don’t understand. No entiendo.
How do you say... in Spanish? ¿Cómo se dice...en español?
My name is... Me llamo...
Would you like... ¿Quisiera usted...
Let’s go to... Vamos a...
TERMS OF ADDRESS
When in doubt, use the formal usted (you) as a form of address.
I yo
you (formal) usted
you (familiar) tu
he/him él
she/her ella
we/us nosotros
you (plural) ustedes
they/them ellos (all males or mixed gender); ellas (all females)
Mr., sir señor
Mrs., madam señora
miss, young lady señorita
wife esposa
husband esposo
friend amigo (male); amiga (female)
sweetheart novio (male); novia (female)
son; daughter hijo; hija
brother; sister hermano; hermana
father; mother padre; madre
grandfather; grandmother abuelo; abuela
TRANSPORTATION
Where is...? ¿Dónde está...?
How far is it to...? ¿A cuánto está...?
from...to... de...a...
How many blocks? ¿Cuántas cuadras?
Where (Which) is the way to...? ¿Dónde está el camino a...?
the bus station la terminal de autobuses
the bus stop la parada de autobuses
Where is this bus going? ¿Adónde va este autobús?
the taxi stand la parada de taxis
the train station la estación de ferrocarril
the boat el barco
the airport el aeropuerto
I’d like a ticket to... Quisiera un boleto a...
first (second) class primera (segunda) clase
round-trip ida y vuelta
reservation reservación
baggage equipaje
Stop here, please. Pare aquí, por favor.
the entrance la entrada
the exit la salida
the ticket office la oficina de boletos
(very) near; far (muy) cerca; lejos
to; toward a
by; through por
from de
the right la derecha
the left la izquierda
straight ahead recto
in front en frente
beside al lado
behind atrás
the corner la esquina
the stoplight el semáforo
a turn una vuelta
right here aquí
somewhere around here por acá
right there allí
somewhere around there por allá
street; boulevard calle; bulevar
highway carretera
bridge; toll puente; peaje
address dirección
north; south norte; sur
east; west oriente (este); poniente (oeste)
ACCOMMODATIONS
hotel hotel
Is there a room? ¿Hay cuarto?
May I (may we) see it? ¿Puedo (podemos) verlo?
What is the rate? ¿Cuál es el precio?
Is that your best rate? ¿Es su mejor precio?
Is there something cheaper? ¿Hay algo más económico?
a single room un cuarto sencillo
a double room un cuarto doble
double bed cama matrimonial
twin beds camas gemelas
with private bath con baño
hot water agua caliente
shower ducha
towels toallas
soap jabón
toilet paper papel higiénico
blanket frazada; chamarra
sheets sábanas
air-conditioned aire acondicionado
fan ventilador
key llave
manager gerente
FOOD
I’m hungry. Tengo hambre.
I’m thirsty. Tengo sed.
menu lista; menú
order orden
glass vaso
fork tenedor
knife cuchillo
spoon cuchara
napkin servilleta
soft drink refresco
coffee café
tea té
drinking water agua pura; agua potable
bottled carbonated water agua mineral
bottled uncarbonated water agua sin gas
beer cerveza
wine vino
milk leche
juice jugo
cream crema
sugar azúcar
cheese queso
snack refacción
breakfast desayuno
lunch almuerzo
daily lunch special el menú del día
dinner cena
the check la cuenta
eggs huevos
bread pan
salad ensalada
fruit fruta
mango mango
watermelon sandía
papaya papaya
banana banano
apple manzana
orange naranja
plantain plátano
lime limón
fish pescado
shellfish mariscos
shrimp camarones
meat (without) (sin) carne
chicken pollo
pork puerco
beef; steak res; bistec
bacon; ham tocino; jamón
fried frito
roasted asada
barbecue; barbecued barbacoa; al carbón
SHOPPING
money dinero
money-exchange bureau casa de cambio
I would like to exchange travelers checks. Quisiera cambiar cheques de viajero.
What is the exchange rate? ¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio?
How much is the commission? ¿Cuánto cuesta la comisión?
Do you accept credit cards? ¿Aceptan tarjetas de crédito?
money order giro
How much does it cost? ¿Cuánto cuesta?
What is your final price? ¿Cuál es su último precio?
expensive caro
cheap barato; económico
more más
less menos
a little un poco
too much demasiado
HEALTH
Help me please. Ayúdeme por favor.
I am ill. Estoy enfermo.
Call a doctor. Llame un doctor.
Take me to... Lléveme a...
hospital hospital; sanatorio
drugstore farmacia
pain dolor
fever fiebre
headache dolor de cabeza
stomach ache dolor de estómago
burn quemadura
cramp calambre
nausea náusea
vomiting vomitar
medicine medicina
antibiotic antibiótico
pill; tablet pastilla
aspirin aspirina
ointment; cream pomada; crema
bandage venda
cotton algodón
sanitary napkins use brand name, e.g., Kotex
birth control pills pastillas anticonceptivas
contraceptive foam espuma anticonceptiva
condoms preservativos; condones
toothbrush cepillo dental
dental floss hilo dental
toothpaste crema dental
dentist dentista
toothache dolor de muelas
POST OFFICE AND COMMUNICATIONS
long-distance telephone teléfono de larga distancia
I would like to call... Quisiera llamar a...
collect a cobrar
station to station a quien contesta
person to person persona a persona
credit card tarjeta de crédito
post office correo
general delivery lista de correo
letter carta
stamp estampilla, timbre
postcard postal
air mail correo aéreo
registered registrado
money order giro
package; box paquete; caja
string; tape cuerda; cinta
AT THE BORDER
border frontera
customs aduana
immigration migración
tourist card tarjeta de turista
inspection inspección; revisión
passport pasaporte
profession profesión
marital status estado civil
single soltero
married; divorced casado; divorciado
widowed enviudado
insurance seguros
title título
driver’s license licencia de conducir
gas station gasolinera
car carro
gasoline gasolina
unleaded sin plomo
full, please lleno, por favor
tire llanta
tire repair shop vulcanizadora or pinchazo
air aire
water agua
oil (change) (cambio de) aceite
grease grasa
My...doesn’t work. Mi...no sirve.
battery batería
radiator radiador
alternator alternador
generator generador
tow truck grúa
repair shop taller mecánico
tune-up afinación or tune-up
VERBS
Verbs are the key to getting along in Spanish. They employ mostly predictable forms and come in three classes, which end in ar, er, and ir, respectively:
to buy comprar
I buy, you (he, she, it) buys compro, compra
we buy, you (they) buy compramos, compran
to eat comer
I eat, you (he, she, it) eats como, come
we eat, you (they) eat comemos, comen
to climb subir
I climb, you (he, she, it) climbs subo, sube
we climb, you (they) climb subimos, suben
Here are more (with irregularities indicated):
to do or make hacer (regular except for hago, I do or make)
to go ir (very irregular: voy, va, vamos, van)
to go (walk) andar
to love amar
to work trabajar
to want desear, querer
to need necesitar
to read leer
to write escribir
to repair reparar
to stop parar
to get off (the bus) bajar
to arrive llegar
to stay (remain) quedar
to stay (lodge) hospedar
to leave salir (regular except for salgo, I leave)
to look at mirar
to look for buscar
to give dar (regular except for doy, I give)
to carry llevar
to have tener (irregular but important: tengo, tiene, tenemos, tienen)
to come venir (similarly irregular: vengo, viene, venimos, vienen)
Spanish has two forms of “to be”:
to be estar (regular except for estoy, I am)
to be ser (very irregular: soy, es, somos, son)
Use estar when speaking of location or a temporary state of being: “I am at home.” “Estoy en casa.” “I’m sick.” “Estoy enfermo.” Use ser for a permanent state of being: “I am a doctor.” “Soy doctora.”
NUMBERS
zero cero
one uno
two dos
three tres
four cuatro
five cinco
six seis
seven siete
eight ocho
nine nueve
10 diez
11 once
12 doce
13 trece
14 catorce
15 quince
16 dieciseis
17 diecisiete
18 dieciocho
19 diecinueve
20 veinte
21 veinte y uno or veintiuno
30 treinta
40 cuarenta
50 cincuenta
60 sesenta
70 setenta
80 ochenta
90 noventa
100 cien
101 ciento y uno
200 doscientos
500 quinientos
1,000 mil
10,000 diez mil
100,000 cien mil
1,000,000 millón
one-half medio
one-third un tercio
one-fourth un cuarto
TIME
What time is it? ¿Qué hora es?
It’s one o’clock. Es la una.
It’s three in the afternoon. Son las tres de la tarde.
It’s 4am. Son las cuatro de la mañana.
six-thirty seis y media
a quarter till eleven un cuarto para las once
a quarter past five las cinco y cuarto
an hour una hora
today hoy
tomorrow mañana
yesterday ayer
a week una semana
a month un mes
a year un año
after después
before antes
last night anoche
the next day el día siguiente
DAYS OF THE WEEK
Monday Lunes
Tuesday Martes
Wednesday Miércoles
Thursday Jueves
Friday Viernes
Saturday Sábado
Sunday Domingo
MONTHS
January Enero
February Febrero
March Marzo
April Abril
May Mayo
June Junio
July Julio
August Agosto
September Septiembre
October Octubre
November Noviembre
December Diciembre