How to Use Spanish at a Post Office

Even though we have access to advanced technology which allows us to communicate through email and instant messaging, there is still a need to have contact through the postal service. Below you will find some phrases that will help you if you need to use the postal service in a Spanish-speaking country.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Determine where to buy stamps. In Spain, you can buy them at the post office, of course, but you can also buy them at an "estanco" (eh-STAHN-koh), which is a tobacco shop. To ask for stamps, say "Quisiera sellos, por favor," (kee-see-AY-rah SAY-yohs pohr fah-VOR), which means "I would like stamps, please."

2. Tell the vendor what kinds of stamps you would like, in terms of where you are sending a letter. "Sellos para correo doméstico" (SAY-yohs PAH-rah koh-RAY-oh doh-MEH-stee-koh) are stamps for mail within the country. "Sellos para correo internacional" (SAY-yohs PAH-rah koh-RAY-oh een-tayr-nah-see-oh-NAL) are stamps for international mail.

3. Buy envelopes at the same place you buy the stamps. Again, you may be in the post office, or a smaller shop, where it is common in most Spanish-speaking countries to have to ask for things rather than pick them out yourself. If so, ask for envelopes by saying "Quisiera sobres" (kee-see-AY-rah SOH-brays). If you want air mail envelopes (imprinted with the red and white stripes for easy identification) add "...de correo aéreo" (day koh-RAY-oh ah-AY-ray-oh), which means "air mail."

4. Tell the postal workers that you want to send a package by saying "Quisiera enviar un paquete" (kee-see-AY-rah ehn-vee-AHR oon pah-KEH-tay).

5. Find out how much it will cost to send your item by asking "Y el franqueo, ¿cuánto es?" (ee ehl frahn-KAY-oh KWAHN-toh ehs), which means "And the postage, how much is it?" Or you can say "¿Cuánto cuesta para enviarlo?" (KWAHN-toh KWAY-stah PAH-rah ehn-vee-AHR-loh), which means "How much does it cost to send it?"

6. Request that they put your materials into good packaging by asking "¿Pueden envolver esto bien?" (PWAY-dehn ehn-vohl-VAIR EH-stoh bee-EHN), which means "Can you wrap this well?" Often you will see the various types of packaging available, so you could add the word "así" (ah-SEE) to the question, which means "like this."

7. Determine how long it will take for your item to get to the recipient by asking "¿Cuánto puede tardar en llegar?" (KWAHN-toh PWAY-day tahr-DAHR ehn yay-GAHR). Often they can tell you what the expected delivery time is going to be, as it varies from country to country.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice these Spanish phrases many times to get the pronunciation clear and crisp. Ask native Spanish speakers for help, if you have the opportunity.
• If you are out walking, and looking for a place to mail a letter, keep in mind that mailboxes in other countries don't necessarily look like ours. In some Spanish-speaking countries, for example, they are tall, cylindrical receptacles, often painted in the national colors.

Resources

• Great Site Dedicated to Helping You Learn Spanish