Independent Travel in Europe
Although most Europeans speak at least some English, you may encounter Europeans in small towns and rural areas who don't - we have experienced this in both Germany and Italy. It's also possible that they may understand some accents, but may have trouble with others. Be prepared by making an effort to learn some basic phrases such as please, thank you, hello, goodbye, and how to ask for directions or help. Memorize at least a few key phrases, and, if necessary, carry a pocket-size dictionary/phrasebook. If you need to speak English, speak slowly and clearly, but don't raise your voice.
If you don't know the local language, but know another European language, it's worth giving it a try. A friendly attitude and a smile will go a long ways and if the person you're speaking to is unable to understand you, they may help you find someone who can.
Please
Thank you
You're welcome
Hello
Goodbye
Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening
Good night
How
Where
Right
Left
Straight ahead
Police
Doctor
Hospital
Airport
Train station
Bus stop
Restaurant
Museum
Bathrooms
I don't understand
I don't speak...
Do you speak English?
Excuse me
My name is...
S'il vous plaît
Merci
De rien
Bonjour
Au revoir
Bonjour
Bonjour
Bonsoir
Bonne nuit
Comment
Où
la droite
la gauche
Tout droit
la police
le médecin
l'hôpital
l'aéroport
la gare
l'arrêt d'autobus
le restaurant
le musée
la salle de bains
Je ne comprends pas
Je ne parle pas français
Parlez-vous anglais?
Exusez-moi
Je m'appelle...
Per piacere/per favore
Grazie
Prego
Ciao/Salve
Arrivederci/Ciao
Buongiorno
Buon pomeriggio
Buonasera
Buonanotte
Come
Dove
la destra
la sinistra
Sempre dritto
la polizia
il medico
l'ospedale
l'aeroporto
la stazione ferroviaria
la fermata dell'autobus
il ristorante
il museo
i gabinetti
Non capisco
Non parlo italiano
Parla inglese?
Scusa
Mi chiamo
Por favor
Gracias
De nada
Hola
Adios
Buenos dias
Buenas tardes
Buenas tardes
Buenas noches
Como
Donde
lo derecho
la izquierda
Todo recto
la policia
el doctor
el hospital
el aeropuerto
la estacion de trenes
la parada de autobus
el restaurante
el museo
los servicios
No entiendo
No hablo espanol
Habla ingles?
Perdon
Me llamo
Bitte
Danke
Bitte/Bitte schon
Hallo
Auf Wiedersehen
Guten Tag
Guten Tag
Guten Abend
Gute Nacht
Wie
Wo
Recht
Links
Geradeaus
die Polizei
der Arzt
das Krankenhaus
der Flughafen
der Bahnhof
der Busbahnhof
das Restaurant
das Museum
die Toiletten
Ich verstehe nicht
Ich spreche kein Deutsch
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Entschuldigen Sie
Ich heisse...
Multumesc
Esti binevenit
Alo
La revedere
Buna dimineata
Buna ziua
Buna seara
Noapte buna
Cum
Unde
Dreapta
Stanga
Drept inainte
Politie
Medic
Spital
Aeroport
Gara
Statie de autobuz
Restaurant
Muzeu
Bai
Nu inteleg
Eu nu vorbesc româneste
Vorbiti in engleza?
Scuzati-ma
Sunt numite
If possible, watch television shows or news in the language that you are studying.
Listen to the radio.
Listen to songs and try to follow along with the lyrics.
Read newspaper articles and/or short stories and try to understand the main points. Look up words that you're not familiar with.
Use a bilingual dictionary (hardcopy to carry with you; you can also use online bilingual dictionaries.)
Learn how to conjugate the verbs "to be", "to have", "to do" and a few regular verbs from each of the verb groups (for example, if you're studying Spanish, study the conjugations for a few verbs ending with "ar", "er", and "ir". Use a book or look up online verb conjugators.)
Learn the question words (where, why, what, who, which, when, how, how much, how many)
