Speak Spanish like a local

Want to fit in with the locals? Here's a few handy phrases...

It’s always a good idea to learn a little Spanish before heading to Madrid, but your ‘Buenas dias’ and your ‘Quisiera una cerveza por favor’s are a world away from how people really speak.  To truly talk with the locals you need to know the proper lingo. Practise saying these with some Spanish nonchalance and you’ll be fluent in no time.

Vale
‘Okay’, prounced almost like ‘ballet’ is probably the most frequently used word. Repeat at least four times for emphasis, more if desired. There’s really no limit.

Pues
‘Well’, the ultimate conversation filler, taking the place of ‘um’. You can stretch it out as long as it takes you to find something else to say: ‘Puuuuuuuueeeeeeeeessss….’ The best thing about using it is when you run out of things to say completely, there’s another set phrase which works to end the conversation: ‘Pues…nada’ – ‘Well, that’s it, nothing else.’

Hasta luego
‘See you later’ – used between everyone, even shopkeepers and people on the street who you never intend to contact again. Usually mumbled and shortened to ‘staluego’, ‘taluego’ or similar.

Díme
‘Tell me’ – used when answering the phone and by waiters taking your order. It sounds abrupt but it’s just speedy and fast. When ordering in a bar, answer “Ponme” or “Me pones…”, and forget about the por favors – far too formal in this day and age.

Cómo?
‘What?’ Don’t take your Spanish advice from Manuel in Fawlty Towers and say ‘Qué?’ – if you don’t understand something then ‘cómo?’, literally meaning ‘how’, is the word to use.

Anda!
‘Wow!’ General purpose exclamation, the benefit being you can easily make it sound more excited than you actually are about something.

Tío/Tía
‘Uncle/Aunt’ but usually used coloquially to mean ‘mate’. You may also here ‘colega’ or either of the following:

Guapa/Wapa
‘Gorgeous’ – generally used as a term of endearment, usually reserved for women – sorry fellas. If you’re female and under 70 you’re likely to be called this several times a day. ‘Wapa’ is the even more slangy version, which tends to be found in text speak.

Hombre
‘Man’ – you will get called man, no matter what your gender, more times than a Californian hippy at Woodstock. Embrace it – if you can manage a good ‘Eh, hombre…’ it automatically adds conviction to whatever you’re saying.