· 6 min read
Spanish Phrases for Beginners: First 30
By Language Lab editorial team
30 Spanish phrases for beginners: greetings, introducing yourself, polite words, simple questions and reactions, with meanings and tips on formal and informal.
Start Spanish with phrases you can use on day one. Hola is hi and Adiós is goodbye. Me llamo followed by your name means my name is, and Encantado, or Encantada if you are a woman, means nice to meet you. Gracias and por favor are thank you and please. Two questions do a great deal of work: ¿Dónde está? for where is, and ¿Cuánto cuesta? for how much does it cost. If you get stuck, Hablo un poco means I speak a little. Spanish has formal and informal ways of addressing people, and beginner courses teach both from the start, so notice which form a phrase uses. The 30 phrases below come from the BBC's Spanish Quick Fix lists.
Hello and goodbye
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hola | Hi |
| Bienvenido | Welcome |
| Buenas noches | Good night |
| Adiós | Goodbye |
| ¡Hasta pronto! | See you soon! |
Introduce yourself
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Me llamo... | My name is... |
| Encantado, -a | Nice to meet you |
| Hablo un poco | I speak a little |
| en español | in Spanish |
| en inglés | in English |
The -a in Encantado, -a is the feminine ending: a man says Encantado and a woman says Encantada.
Polite words
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| por favor | please |
| Gracias | Thank you |
| Perdón | Excuse me |
| Sí | Yes |
| No | No |
Simple questions
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ¿Dónde está? | Where is? |
| ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor? | Where's the toilet, please? |
| ¿Tiene...? | Have you got...? |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much does it cost? |
| ¿Hay... por aquí? | Is there... around here? |
Written Spanish opens a question with an upside-down question mark and an exclamation with an upside-down exclamation mark, as you can see in every row above.
Reactions
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ¡Estupendo! | Great! |
| ¡Bien hecho! | Well done! |
| ¡Felicidades! | Congratulations! |
| ¡Qué lástima! | What a shame! |
| Buena suerte | Good luck |
Good wishes
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ¡Feliz cumpleaños! | Happy birthday! |
| ¡Salud! | Cheers! |
| Que aproveche | Enjoy your meal |
| ¡Buen viaje! | Have a great trip! |
| Buen fin de semana | Have a good weekend |
Formal and informal
Spanish changes its verb forms depending on whether you are speaking informally or formally. The BBC's list shows the pair side by side: Have fun is ¡Que te diviertas! to a friend and ¡Que se divierta! in formal address. The Open University's first beginner Spanish course lists making introductions using both formal and informal expressions among its learning outcomes, so this is something to learn early, not to leave for later.
Say them well
Pronunciation is part of the first lessons. The Open University's first beginner course teaches the vowel sounds and the letter h, and its second teaches how to pronounce the r sound. Listen to each phrase before you say it, and practise aloud.
- Say every phrase out loud, several times.
- Test yourself: cover the Spanish column and produce it from the English.
- Come back tomorrow and next week. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading as low.
- Swap in your own details: your name after Me llamo, your own places after ¿Dónde está?
Language Lab's Spanish course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can try these phrases in a spoken exchange.
Frequently asked
What Spanish phrases should a beginner learn first?
Hola, Adiós, Gracias and por favor, then Me llamo for my name is, ¿Dónde está? for where is, and ¿Cuánto cuesta? for how much does it cost.
How do I introduce myself in Spanish?
Hola, me llamo and your name. Then Encantado if you are a man or Encantada if you are a woman: nice to meet you.
How do I say I only speak a little Spanish?
Hablo un poco: I speak a little.
What is the difference between formal and informal Spanish?
The verb form changes with who you are talking to. The BBC gives ¡Que te diviertas! as the informal way to say have fun and ¡Que se divierta! as the formal one.
Why do Spanish questions start with an upside-down question mark?
It is how questions are written in Spanish: one mark opens the question and another closes it, as in ¿Dónde está?
How do I say cheers in Spanish?
¡Salud! Before a meal you can say Que aproveche, enjoy your meal.
Sources: BBC Languages, Spanish Quick Fix: basic, shopping, getting around, social and celebration phrases (archived pages); The Open University, OpenLearn, Getting started with Spanish 1 and 2; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: The mosaic salamander at Park Güell, Barcelona, Isiwal / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
