Spanish Survival Phrases

[Mark_Frobose]

To get us started, here are some basic Spanish phrases, that you may have heard before. (Can you translate without reading the English that follows? I bet you can.)

• ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor = Where’s the bathroom please?
• ¿Cuánto cuesta? = How much is it?
• La cuenta por favor. = The bill, please.
• Te quiero = I love you
• Por favor = Please
• Gracias = Thank You
• De nada = You’re Welcome

[thewanderingjew]

These phrases made me smile. The only one I remember from my past is:

¿Cómo está usted? = How are you?

I studied French but my kids studied Spanish. Obviously, not much got through to me! Still, those were happy times!

It is funny though, how some foreign phrases almost become "English" phrases since they are so much a part of our language usage.

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Mark_Frobose wrote:

To get us started, here are some basic Spanish phrases, that you may have heard before. (Can you translate without reading the English that follows? I bet you can.)

• ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor = Where’s the bathroom please?
• ¿Cuánto cuesta? = How much is it?
• La cuenta por favor. = The bill, please.
• Te quiero = I love you
• Por favor = Please
• Gracias = Thank You
• De nada = You’re Welcome

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[AIRKNITTER]

Hello Mark,

This is going to be a rough ride! Although I took Spanish in high school and never used it I now live in an area with a large Spanish speaking population and would like to communicate in their language more fluently than the little I remember from High School.

Muchas Gracias,

Aine

[awesomelyautumn]

what about

 Hola, Como Estas?  hi, how are you?

[2010bc]

Hola Mark--

My name is Beverly.  I've been looking forward to this class.  I love the politeness and civility of Spanish.  I can see this class is going to be a lot of fun.  Thanks.

[Mark_Frobose]

Gracias por participar = Thanks for participating

We can use this same construction for any infinitive = the dictionary definition of a verb

For example.

Gracias por llamar = Thank you for calling

This also works well with cognates - pagar = to pay

Gracias por pagar = Thank you for paying

Gracias por ordenar = Thanks for ordering

And of course ....

Gracias por decirme que va a ser difícil = Thanks for telling me it's going to be difficult.

But it isn't going to be a rough ride at all.  It will be fun.

Pero no va a ser del todo difícil.  Va a ser fácil.

Ask I and I will answer.  Relax and we'll learn together.

Mark

[Mark_Frobose]

Very Good = Muy bien

You may also say ... ¿Qué tal?

In the familiar you may say ¿Cómo te va? = Literally 'How's it going for you'

In the formal you would say ¿Cómo le va? (same meaning)

¿Más preguntas?  (More questions?)

Marcos

[Mark_Frobose]

I can see that you're going to be a great student.

Se nota.  (You can tell)

Vas a ser una gran estudiante. (You're going to be a great student)

Send your questions and I shall answer.

Mark

[Nadine]

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Mark_Frobose wrote:

To get us started, here are some basic Spanish phrases, that you may have heard before. (Can you translate without reading the English that follows? I bet you can.)

• ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor = Where’s the bathroom please?
• ¿Cuánto cuesta? = How much is it?
• La cuenta por favor. = The bill, please.
• Te quiero = I love you
• Por favor = Please
• Gracias = Thank You
• De nada = You’re Welcome

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Hi Mark. I'm really looking forward to this class. I haven't had any formal schooling in Spanish. I'm just taking it up on my own. However, they just recently started a beginner's Spanish conversation class at my Senior Center. I had to chuckle at what you put at the top of your first list of Survival Phrases:

• ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor = Where’s the bathroom please?

That was at the top of our first agenda as well. We also knocked around different ways of asking the question because someone in the class said when she was in Mexico someone thought she wanted a bath. The best offering I heard was: ¿Donde está el Juan?

[Anna_Louise]

Hi everyone!

I don't know any Spanish but remember my son learning it for a year before he decided he wanted to learn French. 

Anna Louise

[fcsteach]

Hola Marcos,

I don't know any Spanish, but I'm anxious to learn.  Are we supposed to be listening to the CD, or are you going to assign lessons from it?  What should we be doing to learn it?

[Mark_Frobose]

That's a good one.

You can also say "¿Dónde está el excusado?" but it is less popular.

Mark

[Mark_Frobose]

Now is your chance to learn.

Learn is 'aprender'.

You can now say ... Voy a aprender español.

I'm going to learn Spanish.

More on this tomorrow.

Marcos

[caritasSS]

Awesome!

[Anna_Louise]

Hola!  Voy a aprender español.   Gracias!

[Mark_Frobose]

No hay de que - Don't mention it

My pleasure - El gusto es mío

Eres buena alumna - You're a good student

Adelante - Onward and Upward

Marcos

[Mark_Frobose]

Bien gracias,  ¿y tú?

Fine thanks, and you?

[DSaff]

Great phrases!  =)

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Mark_Frobose wrote:

No hay de que - Don't mention it

My pleasure - El gusto es mío

Eres buena alumna - You're a good student

Adelante - Onward and Upward

Marcos

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[dulcinea3]

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Nadine wrote:

• ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor = Where’s the bathroom please?

That was at the top of our first agenda as well. We also knocked around different ways of asking the question because someone in the class said when she was in Mexico someone thought she wanted a bath. The best offering I heard was: ¿Donde está el Juan?

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That's true, it does literally mean bath!  Some Spaniards might know what you mean, but make fun of you by taking it literally.  In Spain, most people would ask

'¿Dónde están los servicios?'.  Even using 'cuarto del baño' (bathroom) might avoid being taken so literally, although they might still want to show you the room that the bathtub is in.

[Nadine]

If everyone has not already discovered it, there are some great Spanish sayings at the end of the Text Introduction on page xi. I love these!