Spanish Greetings and Polite Words

From the La Cucaracha Grammar Chapter

When traveling to new places you always want to make sure to be polite, so learning how to use greetings, please and thank you, I'm sorry, etc. - is muy importante! If you wander around a Spanish speaking market one of the first things you'll listen to is "con permiso" - which is similar to "excuse me" in English. Find a friend and practice using the expressions below. You might like to try acting out situations where you would need to say things - for example, "lo siento", "se puede" or "salud." It is much easier to remember words when you've experienced the meaning of the word, rather than just memorized it!

I remember one time in Italy I went to a hotel late at night, and they had no rooms. The apologetic manager kept saying "mi dispiace! mi dispiace!" - which if your Italian isn't too good, sounds like they are telling you they don't like something. In reality it means "I'm sorry." I certainly never forgot the word, or how to use it. The process of interpretation and attaching meaning while in a situation is key to adding words to your vocabulary permanently, rather than just long enough to fill out a quiz sheet.

Quiz: Greetings & Polite Words

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Spanish Practice Idea:

Try to read at least one Spanish news article a day. Since you're already familiar with the themes (assuming you keep up on current events...) it will help you to understand more of the vocabulary, even if the words are new to you. Here are some Internet Links you may want to use:

http://espanol.news.yahoo.com/

http://cnnenespanol.com/