One of the Ibero-Romance languages, Spanish is most closely related to Catalan, Galician and Portuguese. There are around 40 million Spanish speakers within Spain. Spanish is the official language in Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands and the Northern African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. There are Spanish-speaking communities in the UK, France and Germany. It is one of the official languages of the European Union and of the United Nations.
Pronunciation
Vowels
A: as in the 'u' in 'nut, or a shorter sound than the 'a' in 'art'
E: as in 'et'
I: between the 'i' in 'marine' and the 'i' in 'flip'
O: similar to the 'o' in 'hot'
U: as the 'oo' in 'fool'
Consonants
B: soft, as the 'v' in 'van
C: as in 'cat' before 'a', 'o', 'u' or a consonant; as the 'th' in 'thin' before 'e' and 'i'
Ch: as in 'choose'
D: as 'dog' when word initial; elsewhere as the 'th' in 'thin'
G: as in 'go' when initial and followed by 'a', 'o' or 'u', elsewhere softer. Before 'e' or 'i' it's a harsh, breathy sound, a bit like the 'h' in 'hit'
H: always silent
J: a harsh, glutteral sound similar to the 'ch' in Scottish loch
Ll: between the 'lli' in 'million' and then 'y' in 'yell'
Q: always followed by a silent 'u' and either 'e' (as in que) and 'i' (as in aqui), the combined sound of qu is like the 'k' in 'kick'
R: a rolled 'r' sound; longer and stronger when word-initial or doubled
S: as in 'send'
V: same sound as Spanish b
X: as the 'x' in 'taxi' when between two vowels; as the 's' in 'say' before a consonant
Z: as the 'th' in 'thin'
Greetings
Hello: Hola!
Goodbye: Adiós!
Yes: Si
No: No
Please: Por favor
Thank you: Gracias
Your'e welcome: De nada
Excuse me: Perdón
Getting Around
What time does: A qué hora sale/llega el .?
the . leave/arrive?
Bus: Autobús
Train: tren
Underground: metro
Next: próximo
First: primer
Last: ultimo
Signs
Entrance: entrada
Exit: salida
No vacancies: completo
Information: información
Open: abierto
Closed: cerrado
Police station: comisaría
Toilets: servicios
Men: hombres
Women: mujeres
Around Town
I'm looking for .: Estoy buscando .
A bank: un banco
The city centre: el centro de la cuidad
The embassy: la embajado
My hotel: mi hotel
The market: el mercado
The police: la policía
The post office: los correos
Public toilets: los aseos públicos
A telephone: un teléfono
The church: la iglesia
The hospital: el hospital
The main square: la plaza mayor
The mosque: la mezquita
The old city: la cuidad antigua
The palace: el palacio
Times & Dates
What time is it?: Qué hora es?
Today: hoy
Tomorrow: mañana
Yesterday: ayer
In the morning: demla mañana
In the afternoon: de la tarde
In the evening: de la noche
Monday: lunes
Tuesday: martes
Wednesday: miércoles
Thursday: jueves
Friday: viernes
Saturday: sábado
Sunday: domingo
Numbers
Zero: cero
One: uno, una
Two: dos
Three: tres
Four: cuatro
Five: cinco
Six: seis
Seven: siete
Eight: ocho
Nine: nueve
Ten: diez
Food
Breakfast: desayuno
Lunch: almuerzo/comida
Dinner: cena
Menu: carta
Spoon: cuchara
Knife: cuchillo
Fork: tenedor
Bill: cuenta
Table: mesa
Plate: plato
Glass: vaso
Sugar: azúcar
Hot: caliente
Cold: frio/a
Jam: mermelada
Honey: miel
Salt: sal
Pepper: pimienta
Sauce: salsa
Rice: arroz
Macaroni: macaronnes
Bread: pan
Strawberry: fresa
Lemon: limón
Apple: manzana
Orange: naranja
Pineapple: pina
Banana: platano
Grape: uva
Onion: cebolla
Mushrooms: champinones
Lettuce: lechuga
Potato: potato
Tomatoe: tomate
Carrot: zanahoria
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