The 12 phrases to learn before any trip, in any language
· Ben Ward
Phrasebooks are built around nouns. The station, the menu, the pharmacy. Point at the word, hand over the page, get a transaction done. That much works.
What a phrasebook doesn't prepare you for is the answer. You ask where the platform is, and the person doesn't hand you a noun back, they say four sentences, at speed, and now you're standing there with a book full of words for things and nothing for what just happened to you.
The twelve phrases below split into two jobs. Eight of them get things done: greeting someone, getting a stranger's attention, saying thank you, ordering, asking where something is, asking the price, asking for the bill, and naming an allergy. Those are the transactions, and they're worth having exactly right.
The other four keep you in the conversation once your transaction has already started talking back. Saying you're still learning. Asking someone to slow down. Asking how to say a word you don't have. And, last and on purpose, asking whether they speak English, which is the one phrase here that ends the conversation rather than continuing it, so it's the one to hold in reserve rather than open with.
Twelve phrases, said with the right tone, is enough to be a person who's trying rather than a tourist pointing at a page. Here's the list in English before it splits by language:
- Hello
- Excuse me
- Thank you
- I'd like ..., please
- Where is ... ?
- How much is it?
- The bill, please
- I'm allergic to ...
- I'm still learning [language]
- Can you say that more slowly?
- How do you say ... ?
- Do you speak English?
If losing the thread after any of these is the part you're actually worried about, there's a longer piece on the repair phrases that keeps a conversation alive once you don't catch the answer.
Find your language below.
Spanish
| English | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Hello. | Buenos días |
| Excuse me. | Disculpe |
| Thank you. | Gracias |
| I'd like ..., please. | Quisiera ..., por favor |
| Where is ... ? | ¿Dónde está ... ? |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| The bill, please. | La cuenta, por favor |
| I'm allergic to ... . | Soy alérgico/alérgica a ... |
| I'm still learning Spanish. | Todavía estoy aprendiendo español. |
| Can you say that more slowly? | ¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor? |
| How do you say ... ? | ¿Cómo se dice ... ? |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
The greeting tracks the clock: Buenos días until roughly early afternoon, then Buenas tardes, then Buenas noches for evening. To get a waiter's attention, Disculpe with eye contact is the safer bet. Oiga still gets used, especially by older speakers in Spain, but it reads more brusque than Disculpe to plenty of others. And match your own gender in "I'm allergic": alérgico if you're male, alérgica if you're female.
Try it: Spanish conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant, disputing a charge on the bill, or rebooking a cancelled flight.
French
| English | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Hello. | Bonjour ! |
| Excuse me. | Excusez-moi |
| Thank you. | Merci |
| I'd like ..., please. | Je voudrais ..., s'il vous plaît |
| Where is ... ? | Où est ..., s'il vous plaît ? |
| How much is it? | C'est combien ? |
| The bill, please. | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| I'm allergic to ... . | Je suis allergique à ... |
| I'm still learning French. | J'apprends encore le français. |
| Can you say that more slowly? | Vous pouvez parler plus lentement, s'il vous plaît ? |
| How do you say ... ? | Comment on dit ... ? |
| Do you speak English? | Vous parlez anglais ? |
Bonjour switches to Bonsoir once evening sets in, so walking into a restaurant for dinner and saying Bonjour reads as a small miss. The one habit that reliably reads as rude here isn't grammar, it's skipping the greeting before you ask anything, even a price. Say it first, every time, before Excusez-moi or your question. And the bill in a restaurant is l'addition; at a hotel it's la note instead.
Try it: French conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant.
Japanese
| English | Phrase | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Hello. | こんにちは | Konnichiwa |
| Excuse me. | すみません | Sumimasen |
| Thank you. | ありがとうございます | Arigatou gozaimasu |
| I'd like ..., please. | ○○をお願いします | ○○ wo onegaishimasu |
| Where is ... ? | ○○はどこですか? | ○○ wa doko desu ka? |
| How much is it? | いくらですか? | Ikura desu ka? |
| The bill, please. | お会計をお願いします | Okaikei wo onegaishimasu |
| I'm allergic to ... . | ○○のアレルギーがあります | ○○ no arerugii ga arimasu |
| I'm still learning Japanese. | まだ日本語を勉強中です。 | Mada nihongo wo benkyouchuu desu. |
| Can you say that more slowly? | すみません、もう少しゆっくりお願いします。 | Sumimasen, mou sukoshi yukkuri onegaishimasu. |
| How do you say ... ? | ○○は日本語で何と言いますか? | ○○ wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka? |
| Do you speak English? | 英語を話せますか? | Eigo wo hanasemasu ka? |
Konnichiwa only covers late morning to early evening, which is why many travellers just lead with sumimasen instead of tracking the clock. Sumimasen is also the actual word that gets a clerk or waiter's attention: say it once, a little raised, rather than waving.
Try it: Japanese conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant, disputing a charge on the bill, or rebooking a cancelled flight.
Italian
| English | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Hello. | Buongiorno |
| Excuse me. | Scusi |
| Thank you. | Grazie |
| I'd like ..., please. | Vorrei ..., per favore |
| Where is ... ? | Scusi, dov'è ...? |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa? |
| The bill, please. | Il conto, per favore |
| I'm allergic to ... . | Sono allergico/a a ... |
| I'm still learning Italian. | Sto ancora imparando l'italiano. |
| Can you say that more slowly? | Può parlare più lentamente, per favore? |
| How do you say ... ? | Come si dice ... in italiano? |
| Do you speak English? | Parla inglese? |
Buongiorno holds until mid-to-late afternoon, then Buonasera takes over; salve is the safe fallback if you're not sure which applies. And keep strangers in the Lei form (Scusi, Parla), not tu, even though a phrasebook might list the casual version first.
Try it: Italian conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant.
German
| English | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Hello. | Guten Tag. |
| Excuse me. | Entschuldigung. |
| Thank you. | Danke. |
| I'd like ..., please. | Ich hätte gern ..., bitte. |
| Where is ... ? | Wo ist ...? |
| How much is it? | Was kostet das? |
| The bill, please. | Zahlen, bitte! |
| I'm allergic to ... . | Ich bin allergisch gegen ... |
| I'm still learning German. | Ich lerne noch Deutsch. |
| Can you say that more slowly? | Könnten Sie das bitte langsamer sagen? |
| How do you say ... ? | Wie sagt man ... auf Deutsch? |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? |
Guten Tag switches to Guten Abend once evening sets in, so use the evening version walking into a restaurant for dinner. Nobody brings the bill unasked in Germany or Austria, so catch the waiter's eye and say Zahlen, bitte as they pass rather than waiting to be noticed. And keep Sie with any stranger regardless of age; du is for peers only, no matter what a shortcut-minded phrasebook suggests.
Try it: German conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant.
Mandarin Chinese
| English | Phrase | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Hello. | 你好。 | nǐ hǎo |
| Excuse me. | 不好意思。 | bù hǎoyìsi |
| Thank you. | 谢谢。 | xièxiè |
| I'd like ..., please. | 我要...，谢谢。 | wǒ yào ..., xièxiè |
| Where is ... ? | ...在哪里？ | ... zài nǎlǐ |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？ | duōshao qián |
| The bill, please. | 买单，谢谢。 | mǎidān, xièxiè |
| I'm allergic to ... . | 我对...过敏。 | wǒ duì ... guòmǐn |
| I'm still learning Chinese. | 我还在学中文。 | wǒ hái zài xué zhōngwén |
| Can you say that more slowly? | 你可以说慢一点吗？ | nǐ kěyǐ shuō màn yìdiǎn ma |
| How do you say ... ? | 这个中文怎么说？ | zhège zhōngwén zěnme shuō |
| Do you speak English? | 你会说英语吗？ | nǐ huì shuō yīngyǔ ma |
你好 works as a greeting at any hour, since Mandarin doesn't split "good morning" from "good afternoon" the way English does in everyday speech. To actually get a waiter over, call out 服务员 across the room; that's normal here, not rude. And 买单 for the bill is standard nationwide, not just in the south.
Try it: Mandarin Chinese conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant.
Portuguese (Brazil)
| English | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Hello. | Bom dia! |
| Excuse me. | Com licença |
| Thank you. | Obrigado |
| I'd like ..., please. | Eu queria ..., por favor |
| Where is ... ? | Onde fica ...? |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa? |
| The bill, please. | A conta, por favor |
| I'm allergic to ... . | Eu sou alérgico/a a ... |
| I'm still learning Portuguese. | Ainda estou aprendendo português. |
| Can you say that more slowly? | Pode falar mais devagar, por favor? |
| How do you say ... ? | Como se diz ... ? |
| Do you speak English? | Você fala inglês? |
Bom dia covers morning, Boa tarde takes over around midday, and Boa noite handles evening, and Brazilians notice when you use the wrong one. Com licença gets you past someone in the way more than it summons a waiter, so catch their eye or lift a hand instead, the way you would in English. Thank you and allergic both change with your own gender too: obrigado or obrigada, alérgico or alérgica.
Try it: Portuguese conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant.
Korean
| English | Phrase | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Hello. | 안녕하세요. | annyeonghaseyo |
| Excuse me. | 저기요. | jeogiyo |
| Thank you. | 감사합니다. | gamsahamnida |
| I'd like ..., please. | ... 주세요. | ... juseyo |
| Where is ... ? | ...이/가 어디예요? | ...i/ga eodiyeyo |
| How much is it? | 얼마예요? | eolmayeyo |
| The bill, please. | 계산해 주세요. | gyesanhae juseyo |
| I'm allergic to ... . | 저 ... 알레르기가 있어요. | jeo ... allereugiga isseoyo |
| I'm still learning Korean. | 저 아직 한국어 배우고 있어요. | jeo ajik hangugeo baeugo isseoyo |
| Can you say that more slowly? | 좀 천천히 말해 주세요. | jom cheoncheonhi malhae juseyo |
| How do you say ... ? | ...을/를 한국어로 어떻게 말해요? | ...eul/reul hangugeoro eotteoke malhaeyo |
| Do you speak English? | 영어 할 줄 아세요? | yeongeo hal jul aseyo |
안녕하세요 doesn't change with the time of day, so you can use it from morning to night with no variant to track. 저기요 is the word that actually turns a waiter's head, not 실례합니다, which reads more as "sorry to interrupt" than as a summons. And keep the -요 ending on everything above, even rushed: dropping it toward a stranger reads as blunt.
Try it: Korean conversations.
English
This last one runs the other way: these are the same twelve for someone practising English itself, which is why the two columns often match.
| English | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Hello. | Hello |
| Excuse me. | Excuse me |
| Thank you. | Thank you |
| I'd like ..., please. | Could I get ___, please? |
| Where is ... ? | Excuse me, where's ___? |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| The bill, please. | Check, please |
| I'm allergic to ... . | I'm allergic to ___. |
| I'm still learning English. | I'm still learning English. |
| Can you say that more slowly? | Could you say that more slowly, please? |
| How do you say ... ? | How do you say ___ in English? |
| Do you speak English? | Do you speak English? |
Americans ask for the "check," the British and most everyone else ask for the "bill," and either is understood everywhere. And a phrasebook's literal "I want a coffee" sounds demanding out loud; "Could I get a coffee?" or "I'd like a coffee, please" is what a stranger actually expects to hear.
Try it: English conversations, or practise making an allergy taken seriously in a restaurant.
Say them before you land
None of this works read silently off a page on the plane. The value is in your mouth having already made these shapes once, so the first time isn't in front of a stranger who's waiting on you.
That's what the app is for. You can run through exactly these twelve, in whichever language you're packing for, against a character who actually answers back, asks a follow-up, and doesn't mind that you're slow the first few times. Do each one three or four times rather than all twelve once, and notice you're getting quicker, not that you're getting every word right.
It's free, it takes about a minute to start, and the first "Buenos días" is allowed to come out awkward.