You’ve booked your international trip. You’ve got your students, itinerary, tickets, passports and bags packed… but there’s something you’ve forgotten! With the excitement of planning an international trip, it’s all too easy to forget to brush up on a few key phrases before you go.
English may well be the most widely spoken second language in the world, but being armed with some simple expressions can go a long way in communicating with locals – and you never know when they might come in handy!
We know you’ve not got the time to become fluent, so we’ve put together our top 10 key phrases:
Hello
French: Bonjour
Spanish: Hola
German: Hallo
Italian: Ciao
Flemish: Hallo
Dutch: Hallo
Icelandic: Góðan dag
Please
French: S’il vous plaît
Spanish: Por favor
German: Bitte
Italian: Per favore
Flemish: Alstublieft
Dutch: Alstublieft
Icelandic: Takk
Thank you
French: Merci
Spanish: Gracias
German: Danke
Italian: Grazie
Flemish: Dank U
Dutch: Dank u
Icelandic: Takk
Excuse me
French: Excusez-moi
Spanish: Perdón
German: Entschuldigung
Italian: Scusi
Flemish: Pardon
Dutch: Excuseer me
Icelandic: Afsakið
Do you speak English?
French: Parlez-vous Anglais?
Spanish: ¿Habla inglés?
German: Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Italian: Parla inglese?
Flemish: Spreekt U/spreek je Engels?
Dutch: Spreekt u Engels?
Icelandic: Talarðu ensku?
Where is…?
French: Où est…?
Spanish: Dónde está…?
German: Wo ist…?
Italian: Dove si trova…?
Flemish: Waar is…?
Dutch: Waar is…?
Icelandic: Hvar er…?
How much?
French: Combien…?
Spanish: ¿Cuánto?
German: Wie viel…?
Italian: Quanto?
Flemish: Hoeveel?
Dutch: Hoeveel
Icelandic: Hversu mikið…?
I would like…
French: Je voudrais…
Spanish: Me gustaría
German: ich möchte…
Italian: Vorrei…
Flemish: Ik wil…
Dutch: Ik wil graag
Icelandic: Ég ætla að fá…
I don’t understand
French: Je ne comprends pas
Spanish: Yo no comprendo
German: ich verstehe nicht
Italian: Non capisco
Flemish: Ik begrijp het neit
Dutch: Ik versta het niet
Icelandic: Ég skil ekki
Goodbye
French: Au revoir
Spanish: Adiós
German: Auf Wiedersehen
Italian: Ciao
Flemish: Dag
Dutch: Vaarwel
Icelandic: Bless
With these phrases you’ll be equipped with the basics. If all else fails? Talk a little louder!