There is very little English spoken in Cuba. While this means that hosts will be very accommodating in working with you to splatter out some high school Spanish, it’s a good idea to have some back up.

We suggest downloading Spanish in Translate before you leave so you have it on hand while you’re in the country. Remember, most of the time you’ll be without Internet in Cuba, so you’ll want those Spanish words downloaded to your phone so you can roll off a “dos cervesas por favour” in case of an emergency!

To brush up on your Spanish before you go, there are plenty of gamified apps that can give you a little refresher. 
 
Learn Spanish Language Basics
It does not matter if you are learning Spanish or just know the words "Hello" and "Goodbye" because you need to learn phrases that you can say without thinking. It is a well-known fact that most Spaniards do not speak English so well. So if you do not want to spend all your trip making faces and signs, use the following useful phrases well. Below you can find some tips for you to memorize and use them when necessary.

Everyday Phrases

• Yes - Si
• No - No
• Please - Por favor
• Thank you - Gracias
• See you later - Hasta luego
• Hello - Hola
• Goodbye - Adios
• Good morning - Buenos dias
• Good afternoon - Buenas tardes
• Good evening/night - Buenas noches
• Excuse me - Perdóname
• You´re welcome - Un placer
• Not at all - De nada
• How are you? - ¿Qué tal?
• Well, thank you - Bien, gracias
• Do you speak english? - ¿Habla usted Ingles?
• I dont understand - No comprendo
• How much? - ¿Cuánto cuesta?
• Where is? - ¿Dónde esta?
• I would like - Quisiera
• When does...open/close? - ¿Cuando abre/cierra?
• What time is it? - ¿Qué hora es?

At a Hotel

• Hotel - Hotel
• Do you have a room? - ¿Tenéis un cuarto libre?
• I have a reservation - Tengo un cuarto reservado
• How much per night? - ¿Cuánto es el precio por noche?
• a single room - una habitación simple
• a double room - una habitación doble
• a twin room - una habitación con dos camas
• with bathroom - con cuarto de baño
• one night - una noche
• key - llave
• sea view - vista del mar
• gents - caballeros
• ladies - señoras

At a Bank

• bank - banco
• exchange - oficina de cambios
• post office - oficina de correos
• coins - monedas
• banknotes - billetes
• receipt - recibo
• the change - el cambio
• Can you change? - ¿Podrías cambiar?
• pounds/libras
• Dollars - dolares
• Do you take...? - ¿Aceptais...?
• credit card - tarjeta de credito
• travellers cheque - cheques de via

Meal times

• breakfast - desayuno
• lunch - almuerzo
• dinner - cena
• table - una mesa
• starter - entrada
• main course - plato principal
• dessert - postre
• bill - la cuenta
• beer - cerveza
• menu - menu
• red wine - vino tinto
• white wine - vino blanco
• water - agua
• tea - té
• coffee (black) - café americano
• coffee (white) - café con leche

​Transport

• airport - aeropuerto
• bus - autobus
• bus station - estación de autobus
• bus stop - parada de autobus
• a ticket to - un billete para
• single - ida
• return - ida y vuelta
• Which way to...? - ¿Cómo se llega a…?
• How far? - ¿A que distancia?
• car - coche
• petrol / diesel
• gasolina / gasoil
• petrol station - gasoliner