Essential Phrases for Surviving Europe
As we tour Europe, we sometimes wake up in the morning, sit on the edge of the bed, and think—where are we? We were in Belgium yesterday, I think we are going to Spain tomorrow. Is this France? In these situations, it’s helpful to know how to greet the hotel receptionist. Is it “bonjour,” “buenos dias,” “guten Morgen,” “早上好?” (probably not, but it just comes out). Oh, we’re in England. “Morning.”
So, here is our basic Europe survival guide:
ITALY
Hello - Ciao
How are you? - Come stai?
I’m well, thank you - Bene, grazie.
You’re welcome - Prego
Excuse me - Scusami
Yes/No - Si/No
Coffee please - Per favore può farmi un caffè?
Tea please - Per favore può farmi un tè?
My name is... - Il mio nome è...
Where is the bathroom? - Dov'è il bagno?
I don’t speak Italian... - Non parlo l'italiano
Do you speak English? - Conosci l'inglese?
Good luck! - Buona fortuna
The food is great - Il cibo è buono!
I really like Italian ice cream - Mi piace il gelato
SPAIN:
Hello - Hola
How are you? - Como estás?
I’m well, thank you - Bien, gracias
You’re welcome - De nada
Excuse me - perdón!
Yes/No - Si/No
Coffee please - Un café (solo (black), cortado ("cut" = with a drop of milk), con leche (with milk)
Tea please - Un té por favor
My name is... - Me llamo...
Where is the bathroom? - Donde está el baño?
I don’t speak Spanish - No hablo español
Do you speak English? - Habla inglés?
Good luck! - Suerte!
The food is great - La comida es fantástica!
I love tapas – Me encantan las tapas
FRANCE:
(Note: spelling has little to do with pronunciation)
Hello - Bonjour
How are you? - Comment ça va?
I’m well, thank you - Je vais bien, merci
You're welcome - Je vous en prie
Excuse me - Excusez-moi
Yes/No - Oui/Non
Coffee please (small, medium, large) - Un café s'il vous plaît (petit, moyen, grand)
Tea please - Un thé s'il vous plaît
My name is... - Je m'appelle...
Where is the bathroom? - Où sont les toilettes?
I don’t speak French... - Je ne parle pas français
Do you speak English? - Parlez-vous anglais?
Good luck! - Bonne chance!
The food is great - C'est délicieux
I love the Louvre - J'aime le Louvre
CZECH REPUBLIC:
Hello - Ahoj
How are you? - Jak se máš?
I’m well, thank you - Mám se dobře, děkuji.
You’re welcome - Není zač.
Excuse me - Promiňte.
Yes/No - Ano/Ne
Coffee please (small, medium, large) - Kávu, prosím (malou, střední, velkou)
Tea please - Čaj, prosím
My name is... - Jmenuji se...
Where is the bathroom? - Kde je toaleta?
I don’t speak Czech - Nemluvím česky
Do you speak English? - Mluvíte anglicky?
Good luck! - Hodně štěstí!
The food is great - To jídlo je skvělé
I love Antonín Dvořák’s music, and also svichova – Miluji hudbu Antonína Dvořáka a také svíčkovou.
GERMANY
How are you? - Wie geht es Ihnen?
I'm well, thank you - Sehr gut, vielen Dank!
You're welcome - Sehr gerne
Excuse me - Entschuldigen Sie bitte
Yes/No - Ja/Nein
Coffee please (small, medium, large) - Einen (kleinen, mittleren, grossen) Kaffee bitte
Tea please - Einen Tee bitte
My name is... - Mein Name ist...
Where is the bathroom? - Wo kann ich die Toilette finden?
I don't speak German... - Ich spreche kein Deutsch
Do you speak English? - Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Good luck! - Viel Erfolg!
The food is great - Das Essen ist sehr gut!
I like the Berlin Philharmonic... - Mir gefallen die Berliner Philharmoniker...
With special thanks to our trumpet player Jimmy Geiger for contributing this idea.
Leeshai Lemish
Master of Ceremonies
April 1, 2014