BootsnAll Travel Community

i know this has probaly been covered before. i am leaving for south america in just under two weeks. my spanish is not good at all. i have a few phrases down like, my name is and can i have a room. i also have a little phrase book. will i be able to get by with my limited vocabulary, honestly it is the only thing that is worrying me about my trip. i am planning to visit peru chile argentina brasil vensuala and equador on my way home. will i be totaly lost and not able to find my way, get a train ticket ect.

any help would be aprishiated

cheers tyler

The folks over at that other travel site publish a very helpful phrase book entitled Latin American Spanish. If that seems too daunting, don't worry: just pick up phrases as you go. We all do it, and since you are a lot smarter than we are, you'll be fine.

Tyler, I met many travellers in South America that either did not speak any Spanish at all or just knew key phrases, and they were able to do fine. But if you stay on the Gringo Trail, you'll meet plenty of other people in the same boat. Also, in the more touristed areas, more people speak English. Even with my good command of Spanish, I still found myself using hand gestures.

The more Spanish (Portuguese for Brasil) you know, though, the better, as you have more opportunities to interact with the locals.

tyler, I'm kinda in the same situation as well and wanted to ask the same thing. I'm hoping to travel to C.America or SAmerica later this year and do not speak a word of spanish Luckily by BF speaks it and hopefully can teach me a few phrases before I go -- but still a little worried since I'll be travelling solo as well. That being said -- have fun let me know how the language thing goes!

I'm in the same boat. I've just got Pimsleurs Spanish Speak and Read 1. Its an audio tape thing. Just download it from the net for free

Its helped but I'm still freakin out about the spanish thing cos its my first trip for a long time, and first trip solo.