How to Use Spanish in an Airport

Being in a major airport can be frustrating and generally confusing. Even more so when the major language is Spanish. Following are some simple phrases you can use, followed by phonetic spelling, in parentheses, to help you approximate accurate Spanish sounds. Where the phonetic spelling is in capital letters, that indicates where you should stress the word more as you say it.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Start with the all-purpose phrase, "Where is … ?" by saying "¿Dónde está …?" (DOHN-day eh-STAH). You can then follow that phrase with a variety of things, such as THE TERMINAL-LA TERMINAL (lah tare-mee-NAHL); CUSTOMS-LA ADUANA (lah ah-DWAH-nah); THE BATHROOM-EL LAVABO (ehl lah-VAH-boh); A LUGGAGE CART-UN CARRITO (oon cah-RREE-to); THE POLICE-LA POLICÍA (lah poh-lee-SEE-ah).

2. Ask where your flight can be found by saying "At what gate is it?" which is "¿En qué puerta está?" (ehn kay PWARE-tah eh-STAH). And, if necessary, "In what terminal is it?" which is "¿En qué terminal está?" (ehn kay tare-mee-NAHL eh-STAH).

3. Handle the idea of "Where is there a...?" by using the phrase "¿Dónde hay…?" and adding various places after it: A PLACE TO DRINK COFFEE-UN SITIO PARA TOMAR CAFÉ (oon SEE-tee-oh PAH-rah toh-MAR cah-FAY); A MONEY EXCHANGE-UNA OFICINA DE CAMBIO (OO-nah oh-fee-SEE-nah day CAHM-bee-oh); AN ATM-UN CAJERO AUTOMÁTICO (oon cah-HAY-roh out-oh-MAH-tee-koh); A PAY PHONE-UNA CABINA DE TELÉFONOS (OO-nah kah-BEE-nah day tay-LAY-foh-nohs).

4. Determine what time a flight arrives by saying "¿A qué hora llega el vuelo (number)?" (ah kay OH-rah YAY-gah ehl BWAY-loh …). Ask what time a flight leaves by saying "¿A qué hora sale el vuelo (number)?" (ah kay OH-rah SAH-lay ehl BWAY-loh …).

5. Find out if there is a delay by saying "¿Hay algún retraso?" (ay ahl-GOON ray-TRAH-soh). Ask how long the delay will be by saying "¿Cuánto tiempo hay de retraso?" (KWAHN-toh tee-EHM-poh ay day ray-TRAH-soh).

6. Instruct the baggage handlers to be careful with your luggage by saying "Cuidado con el equipaje, por favor" (kwee-DAH-doh cone ehl eh-kee-PAH-hay pour fah-VOR).

7. Tell the desk agent "Here is my passport" by saying "Aquí tiene mi pasaporte" (ah-KEE tee-EH-nay mee pah-sah-POUR-tay). You can modify this phrase to include other things, such as THE TICKETS-LOS BILLETES (lohs bee-YEH-tays). Note: In Mexico, they will use LOS BOLETOS for the tickets (lohs boh-LAY-tose).

Tips & Warnings

• Relax and have fun with it. The less seriously you take yourself, the easier it will be to say phrases like these and get your communication across. And you'll make friends in the process, as the Hispanic nationals see you working to communicate in their language.
• One mistake we make as travelers from America is our assumption that "everyone speaks English" in other countries. Some do, but you can't count on finding someone who will speak well enough to understand you or be able to tell you what you need to know. With that in mind, it's always a good thing to learn as much of the language of your target country as possible. And it makes the whole experience of world travel much more exciting!

Resources

• A great site to help you learn and improve your Spanish
• A wonderful site for adding Spanish phrases to your vocabulary