Translate to Spanish:
Where is the restaurant?
¿Dónde queda el restaurante?
Where is - ¿Dónde queda?
Note that this phrase is only used for fixed locations, like buildings or cities. Movable people and objects instead use the phrase ¿dónde está?
Translate to Spanish:
Where is Teresa?
¿Dónde está Teresa?
Where is - ¿Dónde está?
Note that this phrase is used for people and things that may move around. If referring to a fixed location like a building or city, use ¿dónde queda?
Translate to Spanish:
Where is the bathroom?
¿Dónde queda el baño?
bathroom - el baño.
The full compound word for “bathroom” is actually el cuarto de baño, but this is rarely used in conversation.
In some countries, you can also say el servicio when referring to a large public restroom.
Translate to Spanish:
Like this?
–> No, like this.
¿Así?
–> No, así.
like this - así.
This simple one-word phrase is an easy way in Spanish to verify if you are doing something right.
Translate to Spanish:
a street
una calle
Translate to Spanish:
three blocks from here
(i.e. three intersections from here, when traveling in a city)
tres cuadras de aquí
a city block - una cuadra.
In Spain, you may also hear the word una manzana, which also means “apple”.
Translate to Spanish:
to the left
a la izquierda
left - la izquierda
Translate to Spanish:
to the right
a la derecha
right - la derecha
Translate to Spanish:
straight ahead
derecho
straight (ahead) - derecho.
Note that this is similar to the word for “right” (derecha), so be careful which one you mean!
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Careful!
¡Cuidado!
Translate to Spanish:
Let’s go
Vamos / Vámonos
Both phrases are used relatively interchangeably to get the group moving, though vámonos is particularly used to mean we are leaving somewhere to go elsewhere.
Translate to Spanish:
I have a problem. I need help.
Tengo un problema. Necesito ayuda.
help - la ayuda.
Also remember that problema is actually masculine despite ending in o, so it takes the definite article el.
Many Spanish words ending in ma are masculine, as they come from Greek.
Translate to Spanish:
Help!
¡Ayuda! / ¡Auxilio!
Translate to Spanish:
the police
la policía
One policeman would just be un policía.
Translate to Spanish:
a phone / a telephone
un teléfono
Translate to Spanish:
my cell phone / my mobile phone
mi celular / mi móvil
The use of these words varies between countries, with celular being more common in the Americas (as there tends to be more U.S. influence, with American terms like “cellular”).
The full compound word is actually un teléfono celular or un teléfono móvil, although rarely used except when filling out forms etc.
Translate to Spanish:
my phone number
mi número de teléfono
phone number - el número de teléfono
Translate to Spanish:
a text message
un mensaje de texto
Note that it’s much more common in conversation to just say un texto.
Translate to Spanish:
a photo
una foto
photo - la foto.
Una foto is technically short for una fotografía (“a photograph”), which hardly anyone says.
Translate to Spanish:
a gift
un regalo
gift - el regalo
Translate to Spanish:
a bus
un bus
bus - el bus.
Also: la buseta may be used in some countries (like Colombia), while el micro (from “microbus”) may be used to refer to the smaller buses within the city.
Translate to Spanish:
a train
un tren
train - el tren.
Note that if you’re talking about the subway particularly, you’d typically say el metro (although the individual vehicles are still los trenes).
Translate to Spanish:
a taxi
un taxi
