Language Basics
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In Ecuador the official language is Spanish with variants in pronunciation and intonation depending on the region. Also, Ecuadorian Spanish differs slightly from the one used in Spain, for example the lisped is not used, and instead of saying "vosotros", in Ecuador you say "ustedes". Although this country warmly welcomes tourists, many Ecuadorians do not speak English, so it is good to know a few basic phrases and expressions in Spanish. Here is a list of useful words and phrases for different subjects.
ACCOMMODATION
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| Are there any rooms available? | ¿Hay habitaciones libres? | ai a-bee-ta-syo-nes lee-bres |
| I'm looking for..... | Estoy buscando..... | es-toy boos-kan-do..... |
| Where is.....? | ¿Dónde hay.....? | don-de ai..... |
| a hotel | un hotel | oon o-tel |
| a boarding house | una pensión | oo-na pen-syon |
| a youth hostel | un albergue juvenil | oon al-ber-ge khoo-ve-neel |
| I'd like a room | Quisiera una habitación | Kee-sye-ra oo-na a-bee-ta-syon |
| double | doble | do-ble |
| single | individual | een-dee-bee-dwal |
| twin | con dos camas | kon dos ka-mas |
| How much is it per.....? | ¿Cuánto cuesta por...? | kwan-to kwes-ta por... |
| night | noche | no-che |
| person | persona | per-so-na |
| week | semana | se-ma-na |
| Private/shared bathroom | Baño privado/compartido | ba-nyo pree-va-do/kom-par-tee-do |
| Full Board | Pensión Completa | pen-syon kom-ple-ta |
| Too Expensive | Demasiado caro | de-ma-sya-do ka-ro |
| Cheaper | Más económico | mas e-ko-no-mee-ko |
| Discount | Descuento | des-kwen-to |
| May I see the room? | ¿Puedo ver la habitación? | pwe-do ver la a-bee-ta-syon |
| Does It includes breakfast? | ¿Incluye el desayuno? | een-kloo-ye el de-sa-yoo-no |
| I don't like it | No me gusta | no me goos-ta |
| It's fine.I'll take it | Ok.La Alquilo | o-kay la al-kee-lo |
| I'm leaving now | Me voy ahora | me voy a-o-ra |
GREETINGS & COURTESY
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| Hello | Hola | O-la |
| Good Morning | Buenos días | bwe-nos dee-as |
| Good evening | Buenas tardes | bwe-nas tar-des |
| Goog night | Buenas Noches | bwe-nas no-ches |
| Bye/See you soon | Hasta Luego | as-ta lwe-go |
| Goodbye | Adiós | a-dyos |
| Yes | Sí | see |
| No | No | no |
| Please | Por favor | por fa-vor |
| Thank you | Gracias | gra-syas |
| Many Thanks | Muchas gracias | moo-chas gra-syas |
| You're welcome | De nada | de na-da |
| Pardon me | Perdón | per-don |
| Excuse me | Permiso | per-mee-so |
| Forgive me | Disculpe | dees-kool-pe |
| How are you? | ¿Qué tal? | ke tal |
| What's your name? | ¿Cómo te llamas? | ko-mo te ya-mas |
| My name is..... | Me llamo.... | me ya-mo..... |
| Whe are you from? | ¿De dónde eres? | de don-de e-res |
| I'm from..... | Soy de..... | soy de..... |
| Where are you staying? | ¿Dónde estas alojado/a | don-de es-tas a-lo-kha-do/a |
| May I take a photo? | ¿Puedo tomar una foto? | pwe-do to-mar oo-na fo-to |
DIRECTIONS
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| How do I get to....? | ¿Cómo puedo llegar a.....? | ko-mo pwe-do ye-gar a..... |
| Is it far? | ¿Está lejos? | es-ta le-khos |
| Go straight ahead | Siga recto | see-ga rek-to |
| Turn left | Voltee a la izquierda | vol-te-e a la ees-kyer-da |
| Turn right | Voltee a la de derecha | vol-te-e a la de-re-cha |
| Can you show me (on the map)? | ¿Me lo podría indicar (en el mapa)? | me lo po-dree-a een-dee-kar (en el ma-pa) |
| I'm lost | Estoy perdido/a | es-toy per-dee-do/a |
| Norht | Norte | nor-te |
| South | Sur | soor |
| East | Este | es-te |
| West | Oeste | o-es-te |
| Here | Aquí | a-kee |
| There | Ahí | a-ee |
| Avenue | Avenida | a-ve-nee-da |
| Block | Cuadra | kwa-dra |
| Street | Calle | ka-ye |
HEALTH
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| I'm sick | Estoy enfermo/a | es-toy en-fer-mo/a |
| I need a doctor | Necesito un médico | ne-se-see-to oon me-dee-ko |
| Where's the hospital | ¿Dónde está el hospital? | don-de es-ta el os-pee-tal |
| I'm pregnant | Estoy embarazada | es-toy em-ba-ra-sa-da |
| I've been vaccinated | Estoy vacunado/a | es-toy va-koo-na-do/a |
| I'm asthmatic | Soy asmático/a | soy as-ma-tee-ko/a |
| I'm diabetic | Soy diabético/a | soy dee-a-be-tee-ko/a |
| I'm epileptic | Soy epiléptico/a | soy e-pee-lep-tee-ko/a |
| I'm allergic to antibiotics | Soy alérgico/a a los antibióticos | soy a-ler-khee-ko/a a los an-tee-byo-tee-kos |
| I'm allergic to nuts | Soy alérgico/a a las frutas secs | soy a-ler-khee-ko/a a las froo-tas se-kas |
| I'm allergic to penicillin | Soy alérgico/a a la penicilina | soy a-ler-khee-ko/a a la pe-nee-see-lee-na |
| I have.... | Tengo.... | ten-go.... |
| a cough | tos | tos |
| diarrhea | diarrea | dya-re-a |
| a Headache | dolor de cabeza | do-lor de ka-be-sa |
| nausea | náusea | now-se-a |
| Call an ambulance | ¡Llame a una ambulancia! | ya-me a oo-na am-boo-lan-sya |
| a doctor | un médico | oon me-dee-ko |
| the Police | la policía | la po-lee-see-a |
| It's an emergency | Es una emergencia | es oo-na e-mer-khen-sya |
| Could you help me, please? | ¿Me puede ayudar, por favor? | me pwe-de a-yoo-dar por fa-vor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! | so-ko-ro |
| Fire! | ¡Fuego! | fwe-go |
LANGUAGE
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Hablas inglés? | a-blas een-gles |
| Dos anyone here speak English? | ¿Hay alguien que hable inglés? | ai al-gyen ke a-ble een-gles |
| I don't understand | No entiendo | no en-tyen-do |
| How do you say.....? | ¿Cómo se dice....? | ko-mo se dee-se |
| What does.... mean? | ¿Qué quiere decir.....? | ke kye-re de-sir...... |
| Could you please.....? | ¿Puede.....por favor? | pwe-de......por fa-vor |
| repeat that | repertilo | re-pe-teer-lo |
| speak more slowly | hablar más despacio | a-blar mas des-pa-syo |
| write it down | escribirlo | es-kree-beer-lo |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? | don-de es-tan los ba-nyos |
| Go away! | ¡Déjeme! | de-khe-me |
| Get lost! | ¡Váyase! | va-ya-se |
SHOPPING & SERVICES
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| I'm looking for (the)..... | Estoy buscando.... | es-toy boos-kan-do.... |
| ATM | el cajero automático | el ka-khe-ro ow-to-ma-tee-ko |
| bank | el banco | el banko |
| bookstore | la librería | la lee-bre-ree-a |
| embassy | la embajada | la em-ba-kha-da |
| exchange office | la cada de cambio | la ka-sa de kam-byo |
| generalstore | la tienda | la tyen-da |
| laundry | la lavandería | la la-van-de-ree-a |
| market | el mercado | el mer-ka-do |
| pharmacy | la farmacia | la far-ma-sya |
| post office | los correos | los ko-re-os |
| supermarket | el supermercado | el soo-per-mer-ka-do |
| tourist office | la oficina de turismo | la o-fee-see-na de too-rees-mo |
| I'd like to buy..... | Quisiera Comprar.... | kee-sye-ra kom-prar |
| I'm just looking | Sólo estoy mirando | so-lo es-toy mee-ran-do |
| May I look at it? | ¿Puedo mirarlo? | pwe-do mee-rar-lo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | kwan-to kwes-ta |
| I don't like it | No me gusta | no me goos-ta |
| That's too expensive for me | Es demasiado caro para mi | es de-ma-sya-do ka-ro pa-ra mee |
| Could you lower the price? | ¿Podría bajar un poco el precio? | po-dree-a ba-khar oon po-ko el pre-syo |
| I'll take it | Lo llevo | lo ye-vo |
| Less | Menos | me-nos |
| More | Más | mas |
| Large | Grande | gran-de |
| Small | Pequeño | pe-ke-nyo |
| Do you accept credit cards? | ¿Aceptan tarjetas de crédito? | a-sep-tan tar-khe-tas de kre-dee-to |
| Do you accept traveler's checks? | ¿Aceptan cheques de viajero? | a-sep-tan che-kes de vya-khe-ro |
| What times does it open/close | ¿A qué hora abre/cierra? | a ke o-ra a-bre/sye-ra |
| I want to change some money/traveler's checks | Quiero cambiar dinero/cheques de viajero | kye-ro kam-byar dee-ne-ro/che-kes de vya-khe-ro |
| What's the exchange rate? | ¿Cuál es el tipo de cambio? | kwal es el tee-po de kam-byo |
| I want to call..... | Quiero llamar a..... | kye-ro ya-mar a..... |
| Airmail | Correo aéreo | ko-re-o a-e-re-o |
| Letter | Carta | kar-ta |
| Registered mail | Certificado | ser-tee-fee-ka-do |
| Stamps | Estampillas | es-tam-pee-yas |
| Entrance | Entrada | en-tra-da |
| Exit | Salida | sa-li-da |
| Open | Abierto | a-bier-to |
| Close | Cerrado | ce-rra-do |
| Prohibited | Prohibido | pro-i-bi-do |
| Police Station | Estación de Policía | es-ta-syon de po-lee-sy-a |
| Toilets | Baños | ba-nyos |
| Men | Hombres | om-bres |
| Women | Mujeres | mu-khe-res |
TIME - DATE - NUMBERS
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| What time is it? | ¿Qué hora es? | ke o-ra es |
| Midnight | Medianoche | me-dya-no-che |
| Noon | Mediodía | me-dyo-dee-a |
| Now | Ahora | a-o-ra |
| Today | Hoy | oy |
| Tonight | Esta Noche | es-ta no-che |
| Tomorrow | Mañana | ma-nya-na |
| Yesterday | Ayer | a-yer |
| Monday | Lunes | loo-nes |
| Tuesday | Martes | mar-tes |
| Wednesday | Miércoles | myer-ko-les |
| Thursday | Jueves | khwe-ves |
| Friday | Viernes | vyer-nes |
| Saturday | Sábado | sa-ba-do |
| Sunday | Domingo | do-meen-go |
| January | Enero | e-ne-ro |
| February | Febrero | fe-bre-ro |
| March | Marzo | mar-so |
| April | Abril | a-breel |
| May | Mayo | ma-yo |
| June | Junio | khoo-nyo |
| July | Julio | khoo-lyo |
| August | Agosto | a-gos-to |
| September | Septiembre | sep-tyem-bre |
| October | Octubre | ok-too-bre |
| November | Noviembre | no-vyem-bre |
| December | Diciembre | dee-syem-bre |
| 0 | cero | se-ro |
| 1 | uno | oo-no |
| 2 | Dos | dos |
| 3 | Tres | tres |
| 4 | Cuatro | kwa-tro |
| 5 | Cinco | seen-ko |
| 6 | Seis | seys |
| 7 | Siete | sye-te |
| 8 | Ocho | o-cho |
| 9 | Nueve | nwe-ve |
| 10 | Diez | dyes |
| 11 | Once | on-se |
| 12 | Doce | do-se |
| 13 | Trece | tre-se |
| 14 | Catorce | ka-to-rse |
| 15 | Quince | keen-se |
| 16 | Dieciséis | dye-see-seys |
| 17 | Diecisiete | dye-see-sye-te |
| 18 | Dieciocho | dye-see-o-cho |
| 19 | Diecinueve | dye-see-nwe-ve |
| 20 | Veinte | vayn-tee |
| 21 | Veintiuno | vayn-tee-oo-no |
| 30 | Treinta | trayn-ta |
| 31 | Treinta y uno | trayn-tai oo-no |
| 40 | Cuarenta | kwa-ren-ta |
| 50 | Cincuenta | seen-kwen-ta |
| 60 | Sesenta | se-sen-ta |
| 70 | Setenta | se-ten-ta |
| 80 | Ochenta | o-chen-ta |
| 90 | Noventa | no-ven-ta |
| 100 | Cien | syen |
| 200 | Doscientos | do-syen-tos |
| 1000 | Mil | meel |
TRANSPORTATION
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| What time does .... leave/arrive? | ¿A qué hora sale/llega ....? | a ke o-ra sa-le/ye-ga .... |
| the bus | el bus | el boos |
| the plane | el avión | el a-vyon |
| the Ship | el barco | el bar-ko |
| Airport | El aeropuerto | el a-e-ro-pwer-to |
| Bus Station | Terminal terrestre | ter-mee-nal te-res-tre |
| Bus Stop | La parada de Buses | la pa-ra-da de boo-ses |
| Ticket office | La boletería | la bo-le-te-ree-a |
| I'd like a ticket to..... | Quiero un boleto a..... | kye-ro oon bo-le-to a..... |
| What's the to.......? | ¿Cuánto cuesta hasta......? | kwan-to kwes-ta as-ta..... |
| Student's (fare) | De Estudiante | de es-too-dyan-te |
| 1st Class | Ejecutivo | e-khe-ku-tee-vo |
| One-Way | Ida | ee-da |
| Return | Ida y vuelta | ee-da ee vwel-ta |
| Taxi | Taxi | tak-see |
| Pickup (Truck) | Camioneta | ka-myo-ne-ta |
| Truck | Camión | ka-myon |
| Hitchhike | Hacer Dedo | a-ser de-do |
| I'd like to hire a/an..... | Quisiera alquilar..... | kee-sye-ra al-kee-lar |
| bicycle | una bicicleta | oo-na bee-see-kle-ta |
| car | un auto | oon ow-to |
| 4WD | un todo terreno | oon to-do-te-re-no |
| motorbike | una moto | oo-na mo-to |
| Is this the road to......? | ¿Se va a..... por esta carretera? | se va a..... por es-ta ka-re-te-ra |
| Where's a gas station? | ¿Dónde hay una gasolinera? | don-de ai oo-na ga-so-lee-ne-ra |
| Please fill it up | Lleno, por favor | ye-no por fa-vor |
| (How long) Can I park here? | ¿(Por cuánto tiempo) Puedo parquear aquí? | (por kwan-to tyem-po) pwe-do par-ke-ar a-kee |
| Where do I pay? | ¿Dónde se paga? | don-de se pa-ga |
| I need a mechanic | Necesito un mecánico | ne-se-see-to oon me-ka-nee-ko |
| Tha car has broken down in..... | El auto se ha dañado en...... | el ow-to se a da-nya-do en..... |
| The motorbike won't start | No arranca la moto | no a-ran-ka la mo-to |
| I have a flat tire | Tengo un pinchazo | ten-go oon peen-cha-so |
| I've run out of gas | Me quedé sin gasolina | me ke-de seen ga-so-lee-na |
| I've had an accident | Tuve un accidente | too-ve oon ak-see-den-te |
| Entrance | Acceso | ak-se-so |
| Parking | Estacionamiento | es-ta-syo-na-myen-to |
| Give Way | Ceda el Paso | se-da el pa-so |
| Slow | Despacio | des-pa-syo |
| One-Way | Una vía | u-na vee-a |
| Keep the right | Mantenga su derecha | man-ten-ga soo de-re-cha |
| No passing | No rebase | no re-ba-se |
| Toll | Peaje | pe-a-khe |
| Danger | Peligro | pe-lee-gro |
| No parking | No Estacionar | no es-ta-syo-nar |
| No Entry | Prohibido el paso | pro-ee-bee-do el pa-so |
| Stop | Pare | pa-re |
| Exit Freeway | Salida de Autopista | sa-li-da de ow-to-pees-ta |
TRAVEL WITH CHILDREN
| ENGLISH | SPANISH | PRONUNCIATION |
| I need..... | Necesito | ne-se-see-to |
| Do you have....? | ¿Hay.....? | ai...... |
| a baby car seat | un asiento de seguridad para bebés | oon a-syen-to de se-goo-ree-dad pa-ra be-bes |
| a child-minding service | un servicio de cuidado de niños | oon ser-vee-syo de kwee-da-do de nee-nyos |
| a children's menu | un menú de niños | oon me-noo de nee-nyos |
| a nursery | una guardería | oo-na gwar-de-ree-a |
| diapers | pañales | pa-nya-les |
| a babysitter | una niñera | oo-na nee-nye-ra |
| infant formula (milk) | leche en polvo para bebés | le-che en pol-vo pa-ra be-bes |
| a stroller | un cochecito | oon ko-che-see-to |
| Do you mind if I breastfeed here? | ¿Le molesta que dé de pecho aquí? | le mo-les-ta ke de de pe-cho a-kee |
| Are children allowed? | ¿Se admiten niños? | se ad-mee-ten nee-nyos |
Ecuadorians also use several idioms that come from Quechua, the original language of the indigenous people. Here are some of these:
- Chachay: Feeling cold
- Arraray: Sensation of heat or burning
- Atatay: Feeling of disgust
- Ayayay: Denotes pain
- ¿Cachas?: Do you understand?
- Caleta: House
- Camello: Job
- Chapa: Police
- Chiro: Penniless
- Chuchaqui: Hangover
- Chumado: Drunk
- Elé: There it is
- Guagua: Baby
- Guambra: Kid
- Llucha/o?: Naked
- Mushpa/o: Silly
- Ñaña/ño: Sister/Brother
- Pana: Friend
- Taita: Father
Top Experiences and Tours in Ecuador
If youʻre booking your trip to Ecuador last minute, we have you covered. Below are some of the top tours and experiences!
