Basic Spanish skills are very helpful if you work or travel in places where Spanish is widely spoken. It can be a especially helpful when travelling, to know at least a little of the language, as it will not only allow you to get around more easily and solve any problems that come up, but also more fully appreciate the culture.

Here, we'll go over a few of the basic principles of Spanish, such as pronunciation and common words and phrases in Spanish.

Basic Spanish speaking skills can be learned as long as you rely on a core set of phrases. Common phrases that you will need are asking for directions, asking simple questions such as the cost of an item, and asking for help with something.

For directions, start the phrase with "Donde esta..." which means, "Where is..."

Follow this with whatever it is you're looking for, such as the bathroom, "el baño".

So the full sentence would be "Donde esta el baño?"

Pronouce the last word "ban-yo", because the letter 'n' with a tilde (~) over it changes to a 'ny' sound. For example, the Spanish word "pequeño", which means "little", is pronounced: pe-ken-yo.

While speaking basic Spanish doesn't require that your pronunciation be perfect, it will be much easier for others to understand you if you try to get it right. Because words can sometimes be confused with others when mispronounced, pronouncing your words correctly will reduce the chances that you make a mistake.

For example, "perro" is the Spanish word for "dog", while "pero" is the Spanish word for "but". The former is pronounced with a longer, rolled 'r', while the latter is pronounced with a shorter, unrolled 'r'. The only difference is in the pronunciation, but it is a significant difference.

It is also helpful to learn common words and phrases.

Having a simple phrasebook that allows you to look up common phrases will make travelling significantly easier, and having the pronunciation skills to say these words will increase their effectiveness. If you're worried about looking like a complete tourist, don't. Since you're a beginning Spanish speaker anyway, if you don't use a phrasebook it will be obvious and you'll simply look like a fool. Focus on speaking clearly and being understood, even if that means carrying a book around with you.