Western European language basics
Last Updated: Aug. 31, 2010
There is no need to enroll in French, Italian, German and Spanish classes for your European Tour. Your Tour Manager will fill you in on how to say some of the basics (eg. hello, please, thank you) in the native tongue of each of the countries you visit. It is often not only useful, but also polite to know a few of the basics in the local language and it’s a good idea to try and remember and uses these basics.
English is a widely spoken and understood as a second or third language amongst many Western Europeans, particularly those of the younger generations.
Western European Language Basics
| English | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Greek | Dutch |
| Good Morning | Bonjour | Buenos Dias | Buongiorno | Guten Morgen | Kalimera | Goedemorgen |
| Good Bye | Au revoir | Adios | Arrivederci | Auf Wiedersehen | Yasou | Tot ziens |
| Please | S’il vous plait | Por favor | Perfavore | Bitte | Parakalo | Alstublieft |
| Thank You | Merci | Gracias | Grazie | Danke Schon | Effaristo | Dank u |
| Yes | Oui | Si | Si | Ja | Ne | Ya |
| No | Non | No | No | Nein | Oki | Nee |
| Where is? | Ou est? | Donde ésta? | Dové | Wo ist? | Poo eeneh? | Waar is? |
| The toilet | Les toilettes | El lavabo | Il gabinetto | Die toilette | To oahlehtes | De toilet |
| The bank | La banque | Banco | Banca | Die bank | Trapeze | Bank |
| Post office | La poste | Correos | Ufficio postale | Die post | Takedromeo | Postkantoor |
| How much? | Combine? | Cunato? | Quanto? | Wieviel? | Posso? | hoeveel? |
| The bill | L’addition | La cuenta | Il conto | Die rechnung | To loghariazmo | rekening |
| Ladies | Dames | Enoras | Donne | Damen | Yinekon | Dames |
| Gents | Messieurs | Senores | Uomini | Herren | Anthron | Heren |
| Stamp | Timbre | Sello | Francobollo | Briefmarke | Grammatesimo | Stamp |
| One/two | Un/deux | Uno/due | Uno/due | Eins/zwei | Ena/thio | Een/twee |
| Three/four | Trios/quatre | Tres/cuarto | Tre/Quattro | Drei/vier | Tria/tesera | Drie/vier |
| Five/six | Cinq/six | Cinco/seis | Cinque/sei | Funf/sechs | Pende/eksi | Vijf/zes |
| Seven/eight | Sept/huit | Siete/ocho | Sette/otto | Sieben/acht | Epta/okta | Zeven/acht |
| Nine/ten | Neuf/dix | Nueve/diez | Nove/dieci | Neun/zehn | Enea/theka | Negen/tien |
| Open | Overt | Abierto | Aperto | Geoffnet | Anikton | Open |
| Closed | Fermé | Cerrado | Chiuso | Geschlossen | Kilson | Gesloten |
| Hot | Chaud | Caliente | Caldo | Heiss | Zesto | Hete |
| Cold | Froid | Frio | Freddo | Kalt | Krio | Koude |
| Water | Eau | Agua | Acqua | Wasser | Nero | Water |
| Tea | Thé | Té | Té | Tee | Chai | Thee |
| Coffee | Café | Café | Caffé | Kaffee | Kafe | Koffie |
| Beer | Biére | Cerveza | Birra | Bier | Bira | Bier |
| Wine | Vin | Vino | Vino | Wein | Krasi | Wijn |
| Excuse me (sorry) | Excusez-moi | Perdon | Scusi | Entschuldigung | Sygnomi | Sorry |
| Cheers | Santé | Salut | Saluté | Prost | Yamus | Proost |
These Languages are of use in….
French – France, Southern Belgium (including Brussels) parts of Switzerland
Spanish – Spain (Spanish will be understood in most parts of Spain, however Catalan and Basque are spoken in Barcelona and the North of the country)
Italian – Italy, parts of Switzerland, Albania
German – Varying dialects throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein
Greek – Greece
Dutch – Dialects throughout the Netherlands and Northern Belgium
Add a Comment Comments (11)
-
Hey thanks a lot for this very useful lingo list.
Explorer11
posted on Mar. 24, 2010
Flag as Inappropriate
-
I speak moderate amount of Spanish but too bad I won’t be using it in Italy, but Italian and Spanish are very similar so I should be ok. my best friend is Italian so I hear a lot of Italian from her parents so I caught and remembered the very basics (thank god) lol “ciao bella/bello” is a commonly used phrase, most ppl know that one :p.
MissTraveler77
posted on Feb. 19, 2010
Flag as Inappropriate
-
the Italian looks fairly good! lol i wonder how much i will really remember as i studied it for 6 years!!!!!!
Tegz101
posted on Nov. 26, 2009
Flag as Inappropriate
-
four in spanish is cuatro, not cuarto.
cring
posted on Aug. 05, 2009
Flag as Inappropriate
-
I would check the spelling on some of the translations! I speak French and know a bit of Spanish and noticed a couple mistakes. We wouldn’t want to embarass ourselves speaking another language now!!!!!
Guylaine2009
posted on Jun. 14, 2009
Flag as Inappropriate
-
How much? In Spanish is “Cuanto?” not “Cunato”.. Just by the way..
Also, if you bump into any Spainard accidentally “Lo Siento” is a simple way of saying “Sorry”SamJane
posted on May. 26, 2009
Flag as Inappropriate
-
hehe i like the look of dutch. speak english with a slight accent and you’ve got it! half the words are even spelt exactly the same as english! lucky though.. because im assuming ill be a little “out of my mind” in amsterdam as it is!!
Mel
posted on May. 13, 2009
Flag as Inappropriate
-
Actually in French, combien is how much, not combine.
AlbertaGirl20
posted on Apr. 14, 2009
Flag as Inappropriate
-
Very helpful! Though I’m pretty sure I’m butchering most of the words =/
Jas
posted on Aug. 28, 2008
Flag as Inappropriate
-
‘de nada’ is a great phrase to know in Spain as it means ‘no worries’ or ‘you’re welcome’ – after someone says ‘gracias/thanks’ – really helpful
also – the word ‘dos’ actaully means two in spanish.. =)
Kris
posted on May. 09, 2008
Flag as Inappropriate
-
‘Prego’ is also a great word to know in Italy (along with Ciao Bella…or Bello depending on your taste) – Prego though is simply a polite term that means ‘you’re welcome’ or ‘please’ (as in “please, can I help you) – you’ll hear it a lot and it’s a good, useful and polite word to know and use yourself.
mattyvcontiki
posted on Dec. 12, 2007
Flag as Inappropriate
Featured Travel Photos
Photo by AhMeD
Photo by Nurse Kara
Photo by Annette
Recent Tips
Cafe lattes, bruchetta, chianti, gnochi, limoncella, baci chocolates, gelati, pizza, it's impossible to not try everything in Italy.
I'm a Bondi local...it is always packed with people...if you're looking for a more chilled beach hang out, check out Tamarama, Coogee or Bronte beach, all 5-10mins from Bondi.
I bought a high sierra duffel bag - it has a zip down panel on the back and you can pull out the back pack straps…I also have a laptop back pack…
