The language you’ll hear most often in Mexico is Spanish, or español. There are also many indigenous languages—including Nahuatl and Mayan languages—spoken throughout the country!
Spanish 101
You don’t have to be fluent to have fun with Spanish.
You’re on vacation, so don’t stress! Enjoy using the Spanish you know and see what else you learn along the way.
It’s the effort that counts.
Using some Spanish shows locals that you’re interested in their culture and community.
Study smart, not hard.
Focus on the most useful Spanish words and phrases, and worry less about getting every grammar detail right. A few key words go a long way!
| hello | hola |
| excuse me | disculpe (formal) disculpa (informal) |
| please | por favor |
| thank you | gracias |
| you’re welcome | de nada |
| goodbye | hasta luego |
| yes | sí |
| no | no |
| good morning | buenos días |
| good afternoon | buenas tardes |
| good night | buenas noches |
| My name is ___. | Me llamo ___. |
Asking for help
| Do you speak English? | ¿Usted habla inglés? (formal) ¿Hablas inglés? (informal) |
| Where is the bathroom? | ¿Dónde está el baño? |
| I’m sorry, I don’t understand. | Lo siento, no entiendo. |
| Can you help me? | ¿Me puede ayudar? (formal) ¿Me puedes ayudar? (informal) |
| I’m lost. | Estoy perdido. (for a man) Estoy perdida. (for a woman) |
Getting around town
| I want to go ___. I want to go to the bus station. I want to go to the museum. I want to go to the open-air market. |
Quiero ir ___. Quiero ir a la estación de autobuses. Quiero ir al museo. Quiero ir al tianguis. |
| How much does it cost? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where is ___? Where is the museum? Where is the beach? Where are the pyramids? Where is the archeological site? |
¿Dónde está ___? ¿Dónde está el museo? ¿Dónde está la playa? ¿Dónde están las pirámides? ¿Dónde está la zona arqueológica? |
Ordering food
| A table for… A table for one person. A table for two. A table for three. A table for four. |
Una mesa para ___. Una mesa para una persona. Una mesa para dos. Una mesa para tres. Una mesa para cuatro. |
| I would like ___. | Quisiera ___. |
| (more) water / coffee / beer / wine. | (más) agua / café / cerveza / vino |
| with / without ___ | con / sin ___ |
| for here / to go | para tomar aquí / para llevar |
| The check, please. | La cuenta, por favor. |
| pay by cash / credit card | en efectivo / con tarjeta |
Local language
Buenos días or buenas tardes
It’s considered polite to greet people with buenos días (good morning) or buenas tardes (good afternoon/good evening) when you enter stores, cafés, or souvenir shops.
Chido and padre
Before you leave Mexico, you too will be using chido and padre to say cool!
Zócalo
A zócalo is a main square or central plaza, and it’s an especially important landmark in Mexico City.
¿Pica mucho?
If you’re not used to spicy cuisine, you might find some Mexican food too fiery for you! Remember to ask ¿Pica mucho? if you want to know if a dish is spicy.
¡Ándale!
These basics will get you far in Mexico, but there’s a lot more Spanish where that came from. To make real connections during your trip, let Duolingo be your guide! Our bite-sized lessons make it easy to fit study time into your busy schedule, and our entire Spanish course is free—so you can save your pesos for souvenirs.