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Culture & Language Updated April 2026 ⏱ 1 min read

Essential Spanish Phrases for Mexico

You don't need to be fluent in Spanish to enjoy Mexico — but a hundred words go a long way.

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By · Independent travel research with AI-assisted drafting and human editorial review ·

Greetings

  • Hola — Hi
  • Buenos días / Buenas tardes / Buenas noches — Good morning / afternoon / night
  • ¿Cómo está? — How are you?
  • Mucho gusto — Nice to meet you
  • Gracias — Thank you
  • De nada — You're welcome

Ordering food

  • La carta, por favor — The menu, please
  • ¿Qué me recomienda? — What do you recommend?
  • Sin picante — Without spice
  • La cuenta, por favor — The bill, please
  • ¿Aceptan tarjeta? — Do you accept card?

Prices and money

  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much does it cost?
  • Es muy caro — It's very expensive
  • ¿Hay descuento? — Is there a discount?

Directions

  • ¿Dónde está…? — Where is…?
  • A la izquierda / derecha — To the left / right
  • Todo recto — Straight ahead

Mexican slang

  • ¿Mande? — Pardon? (uniquely Mexican)
  • ¡Órale! — Wow! / OK!
  • Chido — Cool
  • Padrísimo — Awesome
  • No manches — No way!
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