Want the free PDF cheatsheet to remember? Here it is.
So we all learned about the red fire truck and “¿dónde está la biblioteca?,” right?
Well, here’s some bad and good news – a lot of that stuff you (obviously) don’t use in everyday speech, and a lot of the phrases you do need to get by you didn’t learn in school.
So that’s the bad news.
Think slang, people, slang – how much of your speech is actually proper English and how much is, “Oh yeah, sounds good, mmm-hmmm.”
But here’s the good news – if you can learn a couple key phrases that people use ALL the time, you can get by pretty well.
And here’s the other good news – don’t sweat too much when at first you don’t understand everything that people are saying around you. I used to get so frustrated on the bus when people were talking and I thought I knew Spanish and I literally had no idea what they were saying. But they weren’t saying much of substance, just, “oh okay, and then we put it where? Well, no, that’s not as good… okay sure.” No wonder I didn’t pick up on any of my Spanish textbook vocabulary (which is still good to learn.) So take heart, language learning comes with practice and time.
Every country has their phrases, but here are a few to get you started in Ecuador:
Siga no más
- – This one gets people all the time. “No más” means no more, right? Well, kinda, in Spanish it also means “is all.” Like, “that’s all.” So it can actually be affirmative. So “siga” (continue) followed by “no más” actually means “please continue.” So when someone tells you to “siga no más” they’re saying, go on ahead, keep going, continue. And you can say this too to let someone pass you and sound really polite and Ecuadorian.
A la ordén
- – You’ll hear this all the time in stores. It means, we are here at your command, here to serve you, that kind of thing. It’s kind of a way of saying “you’re welcome” but they say it as you walk into a store – we are here to serve you.
Buen provecho
- – I love this one. It’s the equivalent of “bon appetit” or “enjoy your meal.” When you’re eating out, strangers walking in to the restaurant will say this to you. I love it. It’s so friendly. Give it a try.
Chévere
- – “Cool” “Very good” “Muy bien” “Okay” – each country has their word, and this one is Ecuador’s.
Para llevar / Para servirse
- – “Para llevar” is carry-out food. “Para servirse” is if you want to sit down and eat.
Factura o consumidor final
- – There are two types of receipts in Ecuador when you make a purchase, a “factura” which is a legal document, and a “consumidor final” like a non-returnable purchase receipt for a consumer. Unless you’re working at a foundation or want to return something, you can always just say “final está bien” (Meaning, a final receipt is fine.)
Gracias can mean no
- – This always makes me chuckle when I hear it in Spanish. Gracias means thank you, but if you don’t want something, you can also just say gracias. They’ll understand “no gracias” too, but sometimes you just have to say thanks even though you don’t want it.
Ay
- – the popular onomatopoeia of choice. Something hurts? Ay ay ay! Something went wrong? Ay! Something surprises you? Ay! I think you get the drift.
Perdón
- – people don’t really say “lo siento” (sorry to burst your bubble.) If you want to say you’re sorry, like ask for forgiveness, say, “perdón” or “disculpe.” That’s what you say if you bump into someone. Lo siento is a little more serious, and more talking about emotions. A little “oops” moment calls for “perdón” no más (is all.)
Con permiso
- – to avoid having to say perdón, you can ask to squeeze past someone on those crowded buses. “Con permiso–” with permission– before you squeeze past. They don’t really wait for permission but it is still polite.
A lo mejor
- – means maybe. I still don’t get that one.
¿En serio?
- – Seriously? A fun one to use when listening to someone’s story.
¿Sí no?
- – “I know right?” “Like totally.” “You get me, you know what I mean?” That’s kind of the gist of this trendy phrase.
Another time we’ll go into some of the more slang colloquial phrases all the kids use these days in Ecuador to sound like a true street-smart Ecuadorian visitor, but for now those are plenty of common polite phrases you can try on and see how they fit.