| It is completely possible to travel around | | | | Ciao - good bye (Central America) |
| Spanish-speaking countries with only very basic | | | | Hasta luego - until later / see you later |
| Spanish phrases in mind. I have spent a few months | | | | If you are going to be traveling, I recommend just |
| traveling through Central and South America and, | | | | walking into a store or two and seeing what they say |
| although I speak very good Spanish by now, I would | | | | as you leave. |
| say 80% of my interactions involve only basic Spanish | | | | Study Your Spanish First |
| phrases! | | | | I do NOT recommend just blindly learning these |
| Saying Hello | | | | phrases and no other Spanish at all. The reason for |
| Most people in Latin American countries are very | | | | this is that you will not only sound very strange to |
| friendly. I often find myself greeting -- and being | | | | Spanish speaking people, but you will likely not be able |
| greeted by -- almost every person I pass by! Here are | | | | to retain these words without knowing SOME Spanish. |
| the most common phrases we exchange: | | | | The easiest way to fit in some basic Spanish lessons |
| Hola - hello | | | | is through audio learning in your car. Get a Spanish |
| Buenos dias - good morning | | | | instruction CD, pop it in while you're driving around in |
| Buen dia - good morning (to just one person) | | | | your car, and you will build a very good base in |
| Como estas? - how are you | | | | Spanish in just about two weeks. How much time do |
| Bien, y tu? - good, and you? | | | | you spend in your car - 10, 12 hours a week, more? |
| Saying Good Bye | | | | Take advantage of that time! |
| When you enter stores in Latin America, there are a | | | | These are basic Spanish phrases that I use most |
| surprisingly large amount of things you can say to | | | | commonly in Latin America. There are more than that, |
| mean "good bye". Here are those that I used most | | | | but this is a good base. Build a base in Spanish and |
| commonly: | | | | you will excel when speaking these phrases! |
| Adios - good bye (universal) | | | | |