Camino Spanish Phrases for Pilgrims
You don't need fluent Spanish — you need about thirty phrases: asking for a bed, ordering the menú del día, buying blister plasters and getting your credencial stamped. Screenshot this page before you fly; it works offline.
Audio pronunciations: tap the speaker next to any phrase to hear it spoken. Playback uses your device's own Spanish (or Portuguese) voice, so it needs no download and works on the trail with no signal. Turn your volume up and, on iPhone, make sure the silent switch is off.
Greetings and the trail
Spanish greetings are not optional politeness — walking into a village bar without a 'Buenos días' marks you out instantly. Lead with the greeting, then ask.
| English | Spanish | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good way! (the pilgrim greeting) | ¡Buen Camino! | bwen ka-MEE-no | |
| Good morning | Buenos días | BWEH-nos DEE-as | |
| Thank you very much | Muchas gracias | MOO-chas GRA-thee-as | |
| Where is the way / the arrows? | ¿Dónde está el camino? | DON-deh es-TA el ka-MEE-no | |
| How far is the next village? | ¿Cuánto falta para el próximo pueblo? | KWAN-to FAL-ta PA-ra el PROK-see-mo PWEH-blo |
Asking for directions
Yellow arrows do most of the work, but towns, industrial estates and dawn starts are where pilgrims lose the way. These are the phrases that get you back on it.
| English | Spanish | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excuse me, I am lost | Perdone, estoy perdido / perdida | per-DO-neh, es-TOY per-DEE-do | |
| Which way to Santiago? | ¿Por dónde se va a Santiago? | por DON-deh seh va a san-tee-A-go | |
| Where are the yellow arrows? | ¿Dónde están las flechas amarillas? | DON-deh es-TAN las FLEH-chas a-ma-REE-yas | |
| Is this the way to the albergue? | ¿Es este el camino al albergue? | es ES-teh el ka-MEE-no al al-BEHR-geh | |
| Straight on / left / right | Todo recto / a la izquierda / a la derecha | TO-do REK-to / a la eeth-kee-EHR-da / a la deh-REH-cha | |
| How many kilometres is it? | ¿Cuántos kilómetros son? | KWAN-tos kee-LO-meh-tros son | |
| Is there a fountain on the way? | ¿Hay una fuente en el camino? | eye OO-na FWEN-teh en el ka-MEE-no | |
| Can you show me on the map? | ¿Me lo puede mostrar en el mapa? | meh lo PWEH-deh mos-TRAR en el MA-pa |
Albergues and beds
| English | Spanish | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you have a bed available? | ¿Tiene una cama libre? | tee-EH-neh OO-na KA-ma LEE-breh | |
| I am a pilgrim | Soy peregrino / peregrina | soy peh-reh-GREE-no | |
| Can you stamp my credencial? | ¿Me puede sellar la credencial? | meh PWEH-deh seh-YAR la kreh-den-thee-AL | |
| How much per night? | ¿Cuánto cuesta la noche? | KWAN-to KWES-ta la NO-cheh | |
| Is there a washing machine? | ¿Hay lavadora? | eye la-va-DO-ra | |
| What time do you close? | ¿A qué hora cierran? | a keh O-ra thee-EH-rran |
Ordering food and drink
Most bars serve a fixed-price menú del día in the evening: three courses, bread and wine. Order it and you will eat better and cheaper than anything à la carte.
| English | Spanish | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| A table for one, please | Una mesa para uno, por favor | OO-na MEH-sa PA-ra OO-no | |
| The menu, please | La carta, por favor | la KAR-ta por fa-VOR | |
| What do you recommend? | ¿Qué me recomienda? | keh meh reh-ko-mee-EN-da | |
| Do you have a pilgrim menu? | ¿Tienen menú del peregrino? | tee-EH-nen meh-NOO del peh-reh-GREE-no | |
| I would like this one | Quisiera este, por favor | kee-see-EH-ra ES-teh | |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor | la KWEN-ta por fa-VOR | |
| I am allergic to nuts / gluten | Soy alérgico a los frutos secos / al gluten | soy a-LEHR-hee-ko a los FROO-tos SEH-kos | |
| A coffee with milk, please | Un café con leche, por favor | oon ka-FEH kon LEH-cheh | |
| The menu of the day | El menú del día | el meh-NOO del DEE-a | |
| I am vegetarian | Soy vegetariano / vegetariana | soy veh-heh-ta-ree-A-no | |
| Tap water, please | Agua del grifo, por favor | A-gwa del GREE-fo | |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | PWEH-do pa-GAR kon tar-HEH-ta | |
| A sandwich to take away | Un bocadillo para llevar | oon bo-ka-DEE-yo PA-ra yeh-VAR |
Pharmacy, blisters and health
| English | Spanish | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| I have blisters | Tengo ampollas | TEN-go am-PO-yas | |
| My knee / foot hurts | Me duele la rodilla / el pie | meh DWEH-leh la ro-DEE-ya | |
| Do you have blister plasters? | ¿Tiene apósitos para ampollas? | tee-EH-neh a-PO-see-tos PA-ra am-PO-yas | |
| Something for pain, please | Algo para el dolor, por favor | AL-go PA-ra el do-LOR | |
| Where is the health centre? | ¿Dónde está el centro de salud? | DON-deh es-TA el THEN-tro deh sa-LOOD | |
| I need a doctor | Necesito un médico | neh-theh-SEE-to oon MEH-dee-ko |
Transport and luggage
| English | Spanish | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can you send my backpack to…? | ¿Puede enviar mi mochila a…? | PWEH-deh en-vee-AR mee mo-CHEE-la a | |
| Where is the bus station? | ¿Dónde está la estación de autobuses? | DON-deh es-TA la es-ta-thee-ON deh ow-to-BOO-ses | |
| Can you call me a taxi? | ¿Me puede llamar un taxi? | meh PWEH-deh ya-MAR oon TAK-see | |
| A ticket to Santiago | Un billete a Santiago | oon bee-YEH-teh a san-tee-A-go |
Galician and Portuguese you will see
From Porto to Valença everything is Portuguese; from Tui onwards you will see Galician on signs. Both audio clips below use a Portuguese voice.
| English | Spanish | Say it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you (Galician) | Grazas | GRA-thas | |
| Good way (Portuguese) | Bom Caminho | bong ka-MEEN-yo | |
| Thank you (Portuguese) | Obrigado / Obrigada | o-bree-GA-do | |
| Bed / hostel (Portuguese) | Cama / albergue | KA-ma / al-BEHR-geh |
Three habits that beat vocabulary
- Greet first. "Buenos días" before any question changes the whole exchange.
- Point and name. "Esto, por favor" plus a finger works in every bar in Spain.
- Download offline Spanish in your translation app before you leave Wi-Fi.
Heading to Portugal instead? Start with the Camino Portugués guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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