20 Phrases You Should Learn Before You Visit Mexico

Mexico is the country most visited by Americans in the world. A lot of us tried to learn Spanish in school but quickly forgot it once we graduated. Everyone says that Spanish is an easy language to learn, but as someone who has tried to learn it time and time again, I can assure you it’s not as easy as people say it is.

I lived in Mexico for over a year in places like Mexico City, Cancun, and Puerto Vallarta, and I’m going to tell you the 20 phrases you should learn before you visit Mexico so you don’t sound like a gringo.

1. Hola, Como Esta?

Pronunciation: ola, como esta?

Translation: Hello, how are you?

This is a simple greeting that you can use with anyone you meet. It makes you seem more polite if you try to speak their language before just going up to someone and speaking to them in a language they might not know.

2. Bien, Gracias!

Pronunciation: bee-en, graw-see-as

Translation: Well/good, thank you.

This is how you would respond if someone asked how you are doing. For example, “Hola, como esta?” you would respond with “Bien, gracias!” There are other ways to answer this question, but this is the simplest way.

3. Dónde Está… ?

Pronunciation: doe-n-day esta

Translation: Where is… ?

If you are trying to find something, you can say, “dónde está…?” and then whatever you are looking for. If you are trying to find the beach, you would say, “dónde está la playa?” or “Where is the beach?” This is great if you are asking for directions or are lost.

4. Cuánto Cuesta… ?

Pronunciation: Quanto kwesta… ?

Translation: How much is… ?

You can ask this question when you are asking for the price of something. You can either say “cuánto custa?” meaning “How much is it?” or you can be specific and ask how much something is, like “cuánto cuesta la camiseta?” or “How much is the t-shirt?” You can use this when you are bartering with the locals over trinkets or when you are asking the price of food.

Side note: Ask how much a taxi costs before you leave. Taxis worldwide seem to be waiting to rip off tourists, but Mexico is especially bad.

5. Buenos días!

Pronunciation: bwenos dee-as

Translation: Good morning! (good day!)

You can use this when first addressing someone to lighten the mood. It’s polite to say this when you see someone you know or make eye contact with a stranger. They will be happy that you’re trying to speak their language. You can say this in the morning or during the day.

6. Sí/No

Pronunciation: see/no

Translation: Yes/no

You can use this just like you would in English. You can use it like “sí, mas tacos por favor” or “yes, more tacos, please”. To use no in a sentence, you can say, “no más tacos gracias” or “No more tacos, thank you”.

7. Por favor

Pronunciation: Pour faw-vor

Translation: Please

Just like in English, saying please when asking for something is polite. If you don’t say please, you could come off as rude to the person you are talking to. So make sure that when you request something, you end your sentence with “… por favor.”

8. Gracias!

Pronunciation: graw-see-as

Translation: Thank you!

“Sí” and “Gracias” are probably the two most common words I used while living in Mexico. The Mexican people are so kind and giving that you’ll use these two words constantly.

Ensure you always say “gracias” after being given something or even after you buy something. You can add “muchas” to “gracias” to make “muchas gracias!” if you are very thankful for something.

9. Perdón

Pronunciation: pear-doe-n

Translation: Excuse me/sorry

You can use this if you accidentally bump into someone on the street. Also, if you didn’t understand something that someone or you didn’t hear them, you can say “perdón?” meaning that you either want them to repeat what they said or say it differently.

10. Habla inglés?

Pronunciation: A-blah een-glay-s

Translation: Do you speak English?

This is the polite thing to do when approaching someone to ask them a question. You can say, “perdón, habla inglés?” which means, “excuse me, do you speak English?” Depending on where you are in Mexico, most people will speak English unless you are in a really rural part of Mexico.

11. No hablo español

Pronunciation: no aw-blow espan-yol

Translation: I don’t speak Spanish

You can say this when someone approaches you speaking in Spanish. You can say “perdón, no hablo español” meaning “sorry, I don’t speak Spanish.”

12. Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Cinco, Seis, Siete, Ocho, Nueve, Diez

Pronunciation: oo-no, dose, trays, cwatro, sinko, say-s, see-et-tay, ocho, new-e-vay, dee-ez

Translation: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Knowing at least the numbers one through ten will help you out a lot in Mexico. Whether you’re trying to buy a certain number of things, asking the price of something in dollars, or ordering food for the table, knowing these numbers can be super helpful.

13. La cuenta, por favor?

Pronunciation: la cwenta por faw-vor

Translation: Check, please.

You can say this when you are ready to leave a restaurant and are ready to pay your bill. If you flag a server down and ask, “la cuenta, por favor?” they will bring you the check, and you’ll pay it.

14. Adiós

Pronunciation: aw-dee-os

Translation: Goodbye

You say this to someone when you are leaving. This lets them know that you are exiting the area and is just a nice thing to do when you are leaving somewhere.

15. Cómo se llama? / Me llamo…

Pronunciation: como say yama? / may yamo…

Translation: What is your name? My name is…

If you are trying to learn someone’s name or they are trying to learn yours, the phrase “Cómo se llama?” will be used. Then, you or they would respond with “me llamo ____ ” or “my name is ____ .”

16. Tortilla de harina o maíz?

Pronunciation: tor-tee-ya day arena o my-eez?

Translation: corn or flour tortilla?

I know that this isn’t a phrase you would ask someone on your vacation to Mexico, but if you’re ordering tacos somewhere, this is a question you will hear.

Tacos are the best food in all of Mexico so make sure that when you’re in the city you are staying in, you find a local “taquería” or taco shop with a big stack of meat on a big rotisserie rod like they use for kebab. You won’t regret it!

17. Uno mas…

Pronunciation: oo-no moss

Translation: one more

This is probably my favorite phrase because in Mexico, you’ll always want one more of whatever you’re eating or drinking. You can use this when you are at a restaurant and want to ask for another one of what you ordered.

For example, “uno mas, por favor” will get you one more of what you were eating or drinking. If you want to ask for one more of something, you would say “un(a) ____ mas por favor”, like “un taco mas, por favor.”

18. Agua

Pronunciation: og-wa

Translation: water

Mexico is a hot place for the most part, making it a great vacation place! Because of this, it’s important to stay hydrated and not let yourself go too long without water. To ask for water at a bar, restaurant, or store, you would say “un agua, por favor” and then pay them for it.

19. Cerveza

Pronunciation: serve-ay-sa

Translation: beer

Another one of my favorite words in Spanish. If you are at an all-inclusive hotel, you will be asking for a lot of these. To ask for a beer, you say “una cerveza, por favor” meaning “one beer, please”. Modelo and Pacifica are my two favorite Mexican beers, so make sure to give them a try!

20. Hasta luego!

Pronunciation: ah-sta lew-egg-o

Translation: See you later!

This is what you say to someone when telling them you will see them again. As this is the last word on the list, I have one thing to say to you… “Hasta luego!”

Did I miss any phrases?

Let me know if I missed any common phrases or words you think every traveler needs to know before going to Mexico! As I said, I lived in Mexico for over a year, so these are the phrases that I used most often while living there. Thanks for reading!