Greetings

Spanish for Beginners

By Gerald Erichsen, About.com Guide

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 spanish for travel

 being polite in spanish
 spanish for beginners

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First impressions count. That's one reason you should learn some of these common greetings before
visiting an area where Spanish is spoken. Even if your knowledge of Spanish is rudimentary, it can
make your conversation a bit smoother to know some of these statements or questions of common
courtesy.

Phrases in common use can vary with location and sometimes with age or social status. But except
where indicated, those listed on the page can be used appropriately in almost any situation:

 Hola — Hello, hi — This greeting is suitable in both formal and informal contexts.
 Hola, aló, jaló, bueno, al, diga — Hello (on the telephone) — The choice of telephone
greeting varies from location to location. Hola would be understood anywhere but is not customary
in many places.
 Adiós — Goodbye — An informal alternative in many areas is chau (sometimes spelled ciao,
from Italian).
 ¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo está? — How are you? — The first form (which is informal) normally
would be used with someone you know on a first-name basis or when speaking with a child. The
second form generally would be used in other situations. Usage can depend quite a bit on where
you are; in some areas, the informal form (estás) would be expected where under the same
circumstances the formal form would be used in other areas. If you're a foreigner, chances are no
one will criticize you for using the wrong form, although you may be politely corrected.
 Muy bien, gracias — Very well, thank you.
 Buenos días — Good day, good morning — In some areas, a shortened form, buen día, is
used.
 Buenas tardes — Good afternoon, good evening — In most areas, buenas tardes should be
used in the early evening in preference to buenas noches.
 Buenas noches — Good night — Unlike the English translation, buenas noches can be used
as a greeting as well as a farewell.
 ¿Cómo te va? ¿Cómo le va?1 ¿Qué tal? ¿Qué hay? — How's it going? What's happening?
— There is also a variety of colloquial alternatives uses, although many of them depend on the
area.
 ¿Qué pasa? — What's happening?
 ¿Qué hubo? ¿Qué onda? — How is it going? What's happening? — These phrases are most
common in Mexico.
 ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Cómo se llama usted? — What's your name? — A literal translation
would be "What do you call yourself?" or, somewhat less literally, "What are you called?" The first
form normally would be used with a child, or possibly with someone of equal social status at an
informal occasion. If you're uncertain which form to use, the second one is safer. Also see the
above note. Also see the note with the entry for "Cómo estás?"
 Me llamo (nombre).— My name is (name). — A literal translation would be "I call myself
(name)" or, somewhat less literally, "I am called (name)." You can also literally translate the
English: Mi nombre es (nombre).
 Mucho gusto. Encantado. — It's a pleasure to meet you. — Either of these could be said
upon meeting someone. If you're female, you should say encantada instead of encantado. These
literally mean "much pleasure" and "delighted," respectively, so they would have different
meanings in other contexts.
 Bienvenido, bienvenida, bienvenidos, bienvenidas — Welcome — Note the difference in
number and gender. Bienvenido would be used with a man, bienvenida with a woman, bienvenidas
with a group of all females, and bienvenidos with males or a mixed group.

http://spanish.about.com/library/beginning/bl-beg-basics-greetings.htm

Vocabulary: Lodging
Spanish for Travelers

By Gerald Erichsen, About.com Guide

See More About:

 spanish vocabulary
 spanish for travel

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Where do travelers usually spent more time than any other single place? In their hotel, of course.

And if they're in a Spanish-speaking country and not sleeping, the hotel is as good a place as any to
practice Spanish — either when looking for a place to spend the night or in getting the services you
need. Learn these words before you'll depart and they'll help make your stay a bit easier:
el alojamiento — lodging
el balneario — spa, resort
el baño — bathroom
el bungalow — bungalow
el bar — bar, café
el café — coffeeshop
la caja de seguridad — safe
la cama — bed
la cama de matrimonio — double bed
la cama de monja — single bed
el conserje — concierge
la convención — convention
la cuenta — the bill
la disco, la discoteca — discotheque
el estacionamiento — parking
el gimnasio — gymnasium
la habitación — room, unit
la habitación sencilla — single room
la habitación doble — double room
la habitación triple — triple room
el hielo — ice
al hospedaje — lodging
el hotel — hotel
el hotelero, la hotelera — hotel-keeper
el huésped, la húspueda — guest, host
de lujo — deluxe
el motel — motel
la pensión — guesthouses, bed-and-breakfast
la piscina — swimming pool
el piso — floor
el piso bajo — ground floor
la posada — inn
la propina — tip
la reserva, la reservación — reservation
el restaurante — restaurant
el servicio de habitaciones, el servicio en cuarto — room service
el salón de convenciones — convention hall
la suite — suite
la tarifa — cost
la ubicación — location
la vista — view
la vista al mar — sea or ocean view

Vocabulary notes:

Spanglish: It isn't unusual, particularly at upper-end hotels, to see English words used to describe
certain facilities or services. Thus, for example, terms such as "spa," "brunch" or "concierge" — even
"room service" — might be used instead of the Spanish equivalent, partly because the Spanish words
also have broader meanings or aren't universally used.

El huésped, la huéspeda: This word is unusual because it can mean two opposites in English, either
"host" or "guest," depending on the context. Perhaps a suitably ambiguous translation out of context
would be "inn person."
La disco: Most words ending in o are masculine, but la disco is one of the exceptions. That's because
it is a short form of la discoteca, which also is feminine. A word that follows the same pattern is la foto
(the photo), because it is a short form of la fotografía (the photograph).

Most common daily routines(RUTINAS DIARIS)

1. Despartase : to wake up
2. Levantarse : to get up
3. Lavarse la cara : to wash(your)face (la-var-sela-cara)
4. Desayunar : to have(your)breakfast (de-sa-yu-nar)
5. Cepillars los dientes : to brush(your)teeth (ce-pi-yars-los-dien-tes)
6. Duchares : to shower (ducha-res)
7. Banares : to bathe (ba-nya-res)
8. Afeitarse : to shave (afye-tar-se)
9. Maquillarse : to put make-up (ma-ki-yar-se)
10. Planchar la ropa : to iron clothes (plan-tsia-la-ropa)
11. Vestirse : to get dressed
12. Peinarse : to comb(your)hair (pye-narse)
13. Preparse para : to get ready to
14. Despedirse : to say goodbye
15. Salik de casa : to leave home
16. Ir a trabajar : to go to work

“PARA” AND “POR”

PARA: means purpose, receiver of the doer,

Example:

1. I work IN ORDER TO make money

= trabajo PARA ganar dinero
2. She studies (in order) to become a Doctor
= estudia PARA ser Doctora
3. They called me TO DISCUSS that issue
= me llama ron PARA discutir ese asunto