Top 50 phrases to get by Mexico (Advanced): Essential communication

💬 disculpe is the polite form for strangers, staff and older people. With friends it becomes disculpa.

🇲🇽 Also said when leaving a table, entering someone's home or stepping out of a meeting. You'll often hear propio "go ahead" in reply.

🇲🇽 Lo siento sounds more like a real apology than perdón. In everyday Mexico, people often use perdón for small bumps, interruptions, or getting attention.

🇲🇽 This is the polite Mexican way to ask someone to repeat themselves. A bare ¿qué? "what?" can come across as blunt.

💬 Está here uses the same verb as in ¿Dónde está el baño? and estoy bien: it's for temporary state or location. Swap the subject and keep está: ¿Cómo está su mamá?

🇲🇽 This is polite and a bit formal, good with strangers, staff, or older people. With friends, Mexicans are more likely to say ¿Cómo estás?

💬 Spanish uses estoy for how you feel right now, not soy, which is for what you are. Same pattern: estoy cansado "I'm tired".

🇲🇽 The usual reply is igualmente "likewise". Pair it with a handshake, or a cheek kiss between women in social settings.

💬 Me llamo literally works like "I call myself," not "I name myself." The pattern is fixed, so just add your name: Me llamo Ana.

💬 Spanish often uses se llama literally "calls himself/herself" where English uses "is named." You can reuse the pattern with polite you: ¿Cómo se llama? and for someone else: ¿Cómo se llama ella?

🇲🇽 This is the polite way to ask a stranger's name in Mexico. With someone your age in a casual setting, ¿Cómo te llamas? is more natural.

💬 Spanish uses ser for origin: Soy de... not estoy de.... You can plug in a country, city, or neighborhood: Soy de Canadá, Soy de Puebla.

💬 Names of languages aren't capitalized in Spanish: español, inglés "English".

💬 The ending of hablo already means "I", so you don't need yo "I". Swap the language: hablo inglés "I speak English".

💬 Habla here goes with polite singular you, even though Spanish leaves you unstated. The same pattern works with other verbs: ¿Habla español?, ¿Tiene agua?

🇲🇽 This is a polite way to ask a stranger. In tourist areas, starting with Disculpe, ¿habla inglés? can sound a little smoother.

💬 puede is the polite form for a stranger. With a friend it would be ¿puedes repetir?.

💬 Point at something or add the English word: ¿cómo se dice "fork" en español? "how do you say 'fork' in Spanish?"

💬 For plural things, está becomes están: ¿dónde están los taxis? "where are the taxis?"

🇲🇽 In many places the toilet paper goes in the bin, not the toilet, because the plumbing can't handle it. Public restrooms often charge a few pesos.

🇲🇽 In Mexico, baño is the normal everyday word for a restroom. You can also ask for el sanitario, which may sound a bit more public-place or official.

💬 Watch the ending: derecho means "straight", while derecha means "right". Locals often say just derecho.

💬 Add cuesta to ask about one item: ¿cuánto cuesta? "how much does it cost?" For several items, use cuestan.

🇲🇽 quiero can sound demanding when ordering. Mexicans usually say ¿me da...? "could you give me...?"

💬 agua is a feminine word but takes el: el agua. This happens with feminine words that start with a stressed a sound.

🇲🇽 Ask for agua natural "plain water", or you may be offered agua fresca, a fruit drink. Don't drink tap water; restaurants serve bottled or filtered water.

🇲🇽 In Mexico, a server may hand you the menu without asking if you sit down, especially in casual places. If not, this is a normal, polite way to ask for it.

🇲🇽 "Not very spicy" by local standards can still burn, so ask for the salsa on the side: la salsa aparte "the sauce separately".

🇲🇽 Waiters won't bring the check until you ask, since rushing you would be rude. A tip of 10–15% is customary.

💬 aceptan is the "you all" form, used when asking a business rather than one person.

🇲🇽 Markets, street stalls, small shops and many taxis take only cash. Carry small bills, because change for large ones is often scarce.

🇲🇽 The emergency number in Mexico is 911.

💬 padre normally means "father", but here it means "cool". ¡Qué padre! is a very Mexican expression.

🇲🇽 A casual, very Mexican word that can mean "okay", "come on" or "wow" depending on tone. Use it with friends, not in formal settings.