Although my traveling to non-English speaking countries is limited, I’ve noticed that being able to say a few key phrases can go a long way.
When I was in the Philippines I started compiling (with the help of my GSE team members) a list of those phrases in several different languages – mainly in languages of countries that I aspire to visit. Like too many things that I start, the idea was an obsession for a short while and then sat unfinished. Well, it’s time that I finished it.
Words & phrases
These are some of the words and phrases that I think are the most commonly used, and/or the most useful:
- hello
- goodbye
- yes
- no
- please
- thank you
- you’re welcome
- Excuse me.
- I’m sorry.
- Help me.
- I would like …
- water
- food
- beer
- cheers
- My name is …
- What is your name?
- Nice to meet you.
- How much?
- Where is…
- bathroom
- Do you speak English?
- What?
- Why?
- I don’t understand.
I’ve narrowed the list down to 25, but could easily think of others that could make the cut. Did I miss any important ones?
The languages
I have a mental list of countries that I want to visit in my lifetime, which represents the languages that I chose. It’s definitely not meant to be an all inclusive list, although that would be really interesting to see. If/when I finish the initial list, I will undoubtedly add more.
- German
- Spanish
- French
- Italian
- Greek
- Japanese
- Korean
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Tagalog (Filipino)
Thankfully, I actually remember all of the German words and phrases, so I will be adding those later. The rest I will need to get translated. So, if you know any of the ones listed, please to let me know.
Edit: I’ve added a page for the translations.