PHRASE BOOK
The Spanish spoken in Cuba is basically the same as the Castilian used in Spain with certain deviations. As in the Spanish-speaking countries in Central and Southern America, the “z” is pronounced like the “s”, as is the “c” when it comes before “e” or “i.” Among the grammatical variations, visitors should be aware that Cubans use Ustedes in place of Vosotros, to say “you” when referring to more than one person. It is notable that some Indian, African, and English words are commonly used in present-day Cuban Spanish. This basic phrase book includes useful common phrases and words, and particular attention has been paid to typically Cuban idioms in a list of Cuban Terms.
Emergencies
| Call a doctor | Llamen a un médico | yamen a oon medeeko |
| Call an ambulance | Llamen a una ambulancia | yamen a oona amboolans-ya |
| Police! | ¡Policía! | poleesee-a |
| I’ve been robbed | Me robaron | meh robaron |
Communication Essentials
| Pardon me | Perdone | pairdoneh |
| Excuse me | Disculpe | deeskoolpeh |
| I’m sorry | lo siento | lo s-yento |
| Good day | Buenos días | bwenos dee-as |
| Good afternoon | Buenas tardes | bwenas tardes |
| Good evening | Buenas noches | bwenas noches |
| How are you? | ¿Qué tal? | keh tal |
| It’s a pleasure! | ¡Mucho gusto! | moocho goosto |
| Goodbye | Hasta luego | asta lwego |
Useful Phrases
| That’s fine | Está bien/ocá | esta b-yen/oka |
| How long? | ¿Cuánto falta? | kwanto falta |
| Do you speak a little English? | ¿Habla un poco de inglés? | abla oon poko deh eengles |
| I don’t understand | No entiendo | no ent-yendo |
| Could you speak more slowly? | ¿Puede hablar más despacio? | pwedeh ablas mas despas-yo |
| I agree/ | De acuerdo/ | deh akwairdo/ |
| Certainly! | ¡Claro que sí! | klaro keh see! |
| Let’s go! | ¡Vámonos! | bamonos |
Useful Words
| quickly/early | pronto/temprano | pronto/temprano |
| sufficient | suficiente | soofees-yenteh |
| too much | demasiado | demas-yado |
| in front of | delante | delanteh |
| first floor | primer piso | preemair peeso |
| ground floor | planta baja | planta baha |
| lift/elevator | elevador | elebador |
| bathroom/toilet | servicios baños | sairbees-yos ban-yos |
| toilet paper | papel sanitario | papel saneetar-yo |
| batteries | baterías | batairee-as |
| passport | pasaporte | pasaporteh |
| visa; tourist card | visa; tarjeta turistica | beesa; tarheta tooreesteeka |
Transport
| Could you call a taxi for me? | ¿Me puede llamar a un taxi? | meh pwedeh yamar a oon taksee? |
| airport | aeropuerto | a-airopwairto |
| train station | estación de ferrocarriles | estas-yon deh fairrokarreeles |
| bus station | terminal de guagua | tairmeenal deh gwa-gwa |
| When does it leave? | ¿A qué hora sale? | a keh ora saleh? |
| boarding pass | tarjeta de embarque | tarheta deh embarkeh |
| car hire | alquiler de carros | alkeelair deh karros |
| bicycle | bicicleta | beeseekleta |
| petrol/gas | estación de | estas-yon deh |
Staying in a Hotel
| single room/double | habitación sencilla/doble | abeetas-yon sensee-ya/dobleh |
| balcony | balcón, terraza | balkon, tairrasa |
| warm water | agua caliente | agwa kal-yenteh |
| cold water | agua fría | agwa free-a |
Eating Out
| What is there to eat? | ¿Qué hay para comer? | keh I para komair? |
| The bill please | La cuenta por favor | la kwenta por fabor |
| I would like some water | Quisiera un poco de agua | kees-yaira oon poko deh agwa |
| Do you have | ¿Tienen vino? | t-yenen beeno? wine? |
| The beer is not cold enough | La cerveza no está bien fría | la sairbesa no estab-yen free-a |
| breakfast | desayuno | desa-yoono |
| raw/cooked | crudo/cocido | kroodo/koseedo |
| cutlery | cubiertos | koob-yairtos |
Menu Decoder
| agua mineral | agwa meenairal | mineral water |
| congrí | kongree | rice with beans and onions |
| dulce | doolseh | sweet, dessert |
| fruta bomba | froota bomba | papaya |
| mantequilla | mantekee-ya | butter |
| potaje/sopa | potaheh/sopa | soup |
| puerco cerdo | pwairko serrdo | pork |
Cuban Terms
| apagón | apagon | black-out, power outage |
| babalawo | babala-wo | a priest of Afro-Cuban religion |
| batey | batay | village around sugar factory |
| casa de la trova | kasa deh la troba | traditional music venue |
| criollo | kr-yo-yo | Creole (born in Cuba of Spanish descent) |
| divisas | deebeesas | CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) |
| chavitos | chabeetos | CUC (slang) |
| guarapo | gwarapo | sugar cane juice |
| ingenio | eenhen-yo | sugar factory complex |
| jinetera | heenetaira | prostitute, or female hustler |
| jinetero | heenetairo | male person hustling tourists |
| libreta | leebreta | rations book |
| moneda nacional | moneda nas-yonal | pesos (“national currency”) |
| moros y cristianos | moros ee krist-yanos | rice and black beans |
| paladar | paladar | privately owned restaurant |
| puro | pooro | authentic Cuban cigar |
| santero | santairo | santería priest |
| tabaco | tabako | low-quality cigar |
| tienda | t-yenda | shop that only accepts CUC |
| trago | trago | alcoholic drink |
| zafra | safra | sugarcane harvest |
Health
| I don’t feel well | Me siento mal | meh s-yento mal |
| I have a… stomach ache headache | Me duele… el estómago la cabeza | meh dweleh… el estomago la kabesa |
| He/she is ill | Está enfermo/a | esta enfairmo |
| I need to rest | Necesito decansar | neseseeto dekansar |
| drug store | farmacia | farmasee-ya |
Post Office and Bank
| I want to send a letter | Quiero enviar una carta | k-yairo emb-yar oona karta |
| postcard | postal tarjeta | postal tarheta |
| draw out money | sacar dinero | sakar deenairo |
Shopping
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | kwanto kwesta |
| What time do you open/close? | ¿A qué hora abre/cierra? | a ke ora abreh/s-yairra |
| May I pay with a credit card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta de crédito? | pwedo pagar kon tarheta deh kredeeto? |
Sightseeing
| castle, fortress | castillo | kastee-yo |
| cathedral | catedral | katedral |
| motorway | autopista | owtopeesta |
| square, plaza | plaza, parque | plasa, parkeh |
| street | calle, callejón | ka-ye, ka-yehon |
| town hall | Ayuntamiento | a-yoontam-yento |
| tourist bureau | buró de turismo | booro deh tooreesmo |
Numbers
| 17 | diecisiete | d-yesees-yeteh |
| 19 | diecinueve | d-yeseenwebeh |
Time
| half-hour | media hora | med-ya ora |
| Wednesday | miércoles | m-yairkoles |
| September | septiembre | sept-yembreh |
| November | noviembre | nob-yembreh |
| December | diciembre | dees-yembreh |