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Fundamentals of Spanish (pt. 5/10) – Lesson 38
In this lesson
(Lesson summary)
Spanish fundamentals part 5: ask where something is, how much it costs and for help, plus ¡Salud!, yo también / tampoco and more.
- Where is…? How much? Can you help me?
- ¡Salud! and ¿Qué pasa?
- Todo, nada, tan, tanto, ya
- Me too, me neither, next
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(The full lesson)
Spanish fundamentals: part 5
Time for part 5 of the green fundamentals! Again: these are words and phrases you’ll hear and use every day, so I recommend learning all of them by heart.
¿Dónde está…? Where is…?
¿Dónde está…? Where is…?
¿Dónde está el baño? Where’s the bathroom?
Probably one of the most useful phrases when you travel. Dónde is the question word “where” from lesson 21, and está is from estar: location is always estar!
¿Cuánto cuesta? How much does it cost?
¿Cuánto cuesta? How much does it cost?
¿Cuánto cuesta la camisa? How much is the shirt?
Literally “how much costs?” Just add the thing you want to buy at the end.
¿Me puedes ayudar? Can you help me?
¿Me puedes ayudar? Can you help me?
Let’s break it down: me (me) + puedes (you can, from poder) + ayudar (to help, a regular -ar verb from lesson 37). To a stranger, use the polite form: ¿Me puede ayudar?
¿Qué pasa? What’s going on?
¿Qué pasa? What’s going on?
Hola, ¿qué pasa? Hey, what’s up?
One of my favorite phrases! It can mean “what’s happening?” when something’s going on, but you’ll also hear it as a casual greeting, like “what’s up?”
¡Salud! Cheers! / Bless you!
¡Salud! Cheers! / Bless you!
Another favorite. Salud literally means health. Raise your glass and say ¡salud!: cheers. Someone sneezes? ¡Salud!: bless you. Either way, you’re wishing them good health.
Todo and nada: everything and nothing
todo all / everything
nada nothing / none
Two opposites. Todo bien = all good. Nada you might know from de nada (you’re welcome, literally “of nothing”).
Pero: but
Necesito comer, pero no tengo hambre. I need to eat, but I’m not hungry.
We saw pero in the conjunctions lesson too: that’s how often it’s used!
Tan and tanto: so and so much
Este libro es tan interesante. This book is so interesting.
Tengo tanto trabajo. I have so much work.
Tan goes before a describing word: tan interesante, tan bonito. Tanto goes before a thing: tanto trabajo, tanto dinero. With feminine words it becomes tanta: tanta gente (so many people).
Creo que sí / creo que no
Creo que sí. I think so. / I believe so.
Creo que no. I don’t think so.
Literally “I believe that yes” and “I believe that no”. Notice: que here has no tilde, because it’s not a question. And sí does have one, because it means “yes”.
Aquí and acá: here
aquí here
acá here
Both mean “here”. Aquí is used everywhere and is the most common in Spain. Acá is very common in Latin America, especially in Argentina. Everyone understands both.
Ya: now, already
Ya estoy listo para salir. I’m ready to leave now.
Ya lo sé. I already know.
Ya is a tiny word you’ll hear constantly. It means “now” or “already”, depending on the sentence. It usually goes at the start or the end of a sentence.
Yo también / yo tampoco: me too, me neither
Yo también. Me too.
Yo tampoco. Me neither.
Someone says me gusta el café? Answer yo también. They say no me gusta el café? Then it’s yo tampoco. (Technically, with gustar it’s a mí también: more about that in the gustar lesson. But yo también works for most verbs.)
Próximo and siguiente: next
la próxima parada the next stop
la siguiente parada the next stop
You’ll hear this one on the metro or bus: próxima parada… (next stop…). It’s próxima because parada is feminine. Siguiente means “next” or “following” and doesn’t change for masculine or feminine.
(Wes’s tip)
¡Hasta la próxima! means “until next time!”: a great way to say goodbye.
Recap: Spanish fundamentals (part 5)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Dónde está…? | Where is…? |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | How much does it cost? |
| ¿Me puedes ayudar? | Can you help me? |
| ¿Qué pasa? | What’s going on? |
| ¡Salud! | Cheers! / Bless you! |
+ 8 more words & phrases
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Get the free PDF ↓Practice: fundamentals
Say it out loud first, then click to check.
1. Ask where the bathroom is.
¿Dónde está el baño?
2. Ask how much the shirt is.
¿Cuánto cuesta la camisa?
3. Ask a friend for help.
¿Me puedes ayudar?
4. Someone sneezes. What do you say?
¡Salud!
5. Your friend says “I’m hungry”. Say “Me too”.
Yo también.
6. Your friend says “I don’t understand”. Say “Me neither”.
Yo tampoco.
7. Say “I have so much work”.
Tengo tanto trabajo.
8. Is it going to rain? Say “I don’t think so”.
Creo que no.
Quiz: Spanish fundamentals (part 5)
10 questions. ¿Qué pasa? Let’s go!
Frequently asked questions
Is “¿Qué pasa?” rude?
Not at all. Among friends it’s a very normal “what’s up?”. Said in a different tone, like when someone bumps into you, it can sound like “what’s your problem?”, so watch your tone!
Can I use “acá” in Spain?
Yes, people will understand you. But in Spain, aquí is much more common, while in Argentina you’ll hear acá all the time.
Before you go to the next lesson
These are all words you’ll use daily, so learn them by heart. Grab the free reference sheet below. ¡Hasta la próxima!
(Free reference sheet)
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