Spanish Phrases For Dummies

Hundreds of useful phrases at your fingertips

Speak Spanish instantly!

Traveling to Latin America or Spain but don t know Spanish? Taking Spanish at school but need to kick up your conversation skills? Don t worry! This handy little phrasebook will have you speaking Spanish in no time.

Discover how to:

Get directions, shop, and eat out Talk numbers, dates, time, and money Chat about family and work Discuss sports and the weather Deal with problems and emergencies

Introduction.

About This Book.

Conventions Used in This Book.

Foolish Assumptions.

Icons Used in This Book.

Where to Go from Here.

Chapter 1: I Say It How? Speaking Spanish.

You Already Know Some Spanish.

Beware of false friends.

Some crossover influence.

Reciting Your ABC s.

Consonants.

Vowels.

The diphthongs.

Pronunciation and Stress.

Looking for stress, normally.

Looking for accented vowels.

Understanding accents on diphthongs.

¡Punctuation Plus!

Some Basic Phrases to Know.

Chapter 2: Grammar on a Diet: Just the Basics.

Sentence Construction.

Verbs.

Regular verbs.

Irregular verbs.

Extra verbs charts.

Forming Questions.

Pronouns in Hiding.

That Whole Gender Thing.

Make It Two (or More): Plurals.

Telling Tales with Adjectives.

It s You, You Know: The Tú/Usted Issue.

Chapter 3: Numerical Gumbo: Counting of All Kinds.

1, 2, 3: Cardinal Numbers.

Discovering Ordinal Numbers.

Telling Time.

You can tell time.

But are you on time?

Days, Months, Seasons.

What day is it?

Living month to month.

Counting Your Money.

Carrying cash.

ATMs.

Credit cards.

Exchanging your dollars.

Chapter 4: Making New Friends and Enjoying Small Talk.

Hello! Greetings and Introductions.

Formal introductions.

Informal introductions.

Small–Talk Verbs.

Llamarse: Calling.

Ser: Being.

Estar: The second being.

Hablar: Speaking.

Trabajar: Working.

Entender: Understanding.

Vivir: Living.

Small–talk apologies.

Grand Inquisitor: Questions.

A Rainy Day: Talking Weather.

How Is Your Family?

Chapter 5: Enjoying a Drink and a Snack (or Meal!).

Getting the Table and Meal Basics.

Three Verbs Used at the Table.

To take and to drink: The verb tomar.

For drinking only: The verb beber.

For eating: The verb comer.

At the Restaurant.

What s on the Menu?

The Bill, Please.

Chapter 6: Shop Til You Drop.

Heading Out on the Town.

Browsing around.

Getting around the store.

Requesting color and size.

Getting the right fit.

Using the shopping verb: Comprar.

Wearing and taking: The verb llevar.

Shopping the Traditional Market.

Shopping for food.

Scoping out special items.

Visiting the Supermarket.

Bartering for Your Goods.

Getting the Right Quantity.

Comparing Better or Best.

Chapter 7: Making Leisure a Top Priority.

Having a Good Time.

Using the inviting verb invitar.

Using the dancing verb bailar.

Having a Good Time at Shows and Events.

Screening the cinema.

Enjoying a concert.

Enjoying the Outdoors.

Taking a walk.

Watching the animals.

Sports, Sports, Sports.

The most popular ball game: Fútbol.

Béisbol: #2.

The playing verb: Jugar.

Chapter 8: When You Gotta Work.

Picking Up the Phone.

Opening lines.

Leaving messages.

Making a collect call.

Outside the Office.

Inside the Office.

Getting a job.

Scheduling and conducting a meeting.

Using emplear: The hiring verb.

Hacer: The doing, making verb.

Packing a PC.

Chapter 9: I Get Around: Transportation.

On the Go: Transportation.

Boarding the train.

Hailing a taxi.

Hopping a bus.

Renting a car.

Passing Passport Control.

Transportation Verbs.

The outgoing verb: Salir.

Using the waiting verb: Esperar.

Asking for Directions.

¿Adónde vamos? Where do we go?

Mapping the place.

Getting directions from locals.

Understanding spatial directions.

Here, there, and everywhere.

Chapter 10: Laying Down Your Weary Head: House or Hotel?

Speaking of Houses . . . .

Some rental wisdom.

Furnishing your house.

Scoping Out the Hotel.

Registering for a Room.

Dormir: The Sleeping Verb.

Despertar: The Waking Up Verb.

Chapter 11: Dealing with Emergencies.

Shouting for Help.

Handling Health Problems.

Helping out.

Painful phrases for when it hurts.

Telling where it hurts.

Describing symptoms.

Talking to the doctor.

Visiting the dentist.

Ensuring that you get your money back.

Getting Help with Legal Problems.

Being under arrest.

Stick em up: Words to know when you re robbed.

Reporting to the police.

Dealing with Car Emergencies.

Chapter 12: Favorite Spanish Expressions.

¿Qué tal?

¿Quiubo?

¿Qué pasó?

¿Cómo van las cosas?

¡Del uno!

¿Cuánto cuesta?

¿A cuánto?

¡Un asalto!

¡Una ganga!

¡Buen provecho!

¡Salud!

¡Buen viaje!

Chapter 13: Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Local.

¡Esta es la mía!

¿Y eso con qué se come?

Voy a ir de farra.

Caer fatal.

Nos divertimos en grande.

Ver negro para.

Pasó sin pena ni gloria.

¡Así a secas!

¡La cosa va viento en popa!

Index.

Susana Wald is a writer and simultaneous and literary translator in Hungarian, Spanish, English, and French. As a publisher, she has been working with books and authors for many years. She has been a teacher in Chile and in Canada and has known the joy of learning from her students and their untiring enthusiasm and tolerance. She also is an artist and has had her work shown in many countries in Europe and in North, Central, and South America.