Throughout my life, I have always had the travel bug. Even as a child, I used to stand on the platform station and cry because my parents would not let me get on the next train to France! As I got older of course I was able to fulfill my dreams of traveling, and I am lucky to be able to speak several languages fluently. However, no one can ever be fluent in the language of every country they visit, so here is my list of essential foreign language phrases to help your journey go more smoothly. We hope that this Hello in Foreign Languages Essential Phrases for Travelers post inspires you.
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| Language | Greeting | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| French | Bonjour | bɔ̃ˈʒuʁ (bohn-zhoor) |
| Spanish | Hola | ˈɔla (oh-lah) |
| German | Hallo / Guten Tag | ˈhɑlɔ (hah-loh) / ˈguːtn̩ ˈtaːk (goot-en tahk) |
| Italian | Ciao | ˈtʃao (chow) |
| Portuguese | Olá | oˈla (oh-lah) |
| Hindi | Namaste | nəˈməste (nu-mus-teh) |
| Persian | Salam | sɑˈlɑm (sah-lahm) |
| Russian | Zdrastvuyte / Privet | ˈzdrastvujtʲe (zdrah-stvooy-teh) / ˈprivʲet (pree-vyet) |
| Japanese | Ohayō / Konnichiwa / Konbanwa | ohaˈjoː (oh-hah-yo) / konnichiˈwa (kon-ni-chi-wa) / konbanˈwa (kon-bahn-wah) |
| Korean | Anyeonghaseyo | ɑˈnjɔŋ.ɦɛ.sɛ.jo (ahn-nyuhng-hah-seh-yo) |
| Turkish | Merhaba | meɾˈhaba (mehr-hah-bah) |
| Mongolian | Sain bainuu | ˈsaɪn ˈbaɪnu (sighn bine-oo) |
| Kazakh | Salemetsіz be? | sɑlɛmɛˈtsiz bɛ (sah-leh-met-sız beh) |
| Hungarian | Szia | ˈsiɒ (see-ah) |
| Arabic | Marhaba | marˈhaba (mar-hah-bah) |
| Hausa | Sannu / Salama Alaikum | ˈsannu (sah-noo) / salaːmu ʕalaykum (sah-lah-moo ah-lay-kum) |
| Swahili | Jambo / Habari / Hujambo | ˈdʒambo (jum-boh) / haˈbaɾi (hah-bah-ri) / huˈdʒambo (hoo-jum-boh) |
| Indonesian | Selamat siang / Halo | səˈlamat ˈsiaŋ (suh-lah-mat see-ahng) / ˈhalo (hah-loh) |
| Mandarin Chinese | Nǐ hǎo (你好) | nǐ hǎo (nee how) |
| Cantonese Chinese | Ney hou (你好) | neɪ hau (nay how) |
After saying hi in foreign languages, of course, everyone should be able to say “yes”, “no”, “please”, “thank you” and “excuse me” in the language of the country they are visiting. In my opinion, that is just common courtesy, and five words can't take long for anyone to learn, or even just write down and refer to if necessary. However, phrases are more complex and more open to mistakes and misinterpretation. So a good idea is to invest in a guidebook on the country of your choice. They always have a list of useful phrases in the back, ao, if all else fails, politely stop a local and point to the phrase you need with an apologetic smile. For those who are more brave and want to try some phrases for themselves though, these are the ten essential foreign language phrases that I would choose:
If you are a woman traveling alone, it might also be quite useful to learn a few phrases in the event of your receiving any unwanted attention from local men. “Go away”, “Please leave me alone”, or “My husband will be here in a moment” are always helpful to know.
Image from Depositphotos
Now that you can say hi in foreign languages, try learning more phrases. At the end of the day though, traveling is an adventure, and if you falter in your attempts to speak the language at any time, please don't worry too much. People will normally be very friendly and helpful, and will certainly respect you for trying even if you do only have ten essential phrases and a smile. We hope that this Hello in Foreign Languages Essential Phrases for Travelers inspires you. Bon Voyage!
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