LingoflyPhrases that save you in Spanish
16 words in Spanish on the topic “phrases that save you”: no entiendo — I don't understand, más despacio, por favor — slower, please, ¿hablas inglés? — do you speak English?, ¡ayuda, por favor! — help! 16 words can be played from recordings.
16 words on the topic
- no entiendoI don't understandThe no goes before the verb, not after: no entiendo, never entiendo no
- más despacio, por favorslower, pleaseDespacio is 'slowly'; más despacio is 'slower'. Don't confuse it with despacho — that's an office
- ¿hablas inglés?do you speak English?Languages take no preposition and no article: hablo inglés, not hablo en inglés. The language name is lowercase too
- ¡ayuda, por favor!help!A cry for help is the single word ¡ayuda!. The calmer, politer version: ¿me puede ayudar?
- estoy perdidoI'm lostBuilt on estar: a state you're in right now, not a trait. A woman says estoy perdida
- espere un momentowait a momentThe polite you-form. To a friend it's espera un momento
- no puedo abrirI can't openYou can add what exactly: no puedo abrir la puerta
- necesito un médicoI need a doctorThe short version for an emergency. Even shorter: ¡un médico!
- ¡cuidado!watch outShouted when danger is near. Same root as cuidar, to look after
- peligrosodangerousFrom el peligro, danger. Signs just print PELIGRO
- llame a la policíacall the policePeople and services take a personal a: llame a la policía, never llame la policía
- he perdido el pasaporteI've lost my passportSpanish reaches for he plus participle when it still stings today, not the plain past
- me encuentro malI feel unwellLiterally 'I find myself badly'. Serves for sickness and for explaining why you're leaving
- no toquedon't touchThe polite usted form of the ban. To a friend: no toques
- despacioslowlyAn adverb — it answers 'how?'. The adjective 'slow' is lento. Don't mix it up with el despacho, which is an office
- repita, por favorrepeat, pleaseThe polite usted form of repetir; to a friend it's repite, por favor. The phrase más despacio, por favor asks for the same thing from another side
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
no entiendo — I don't understand. The no goes before the verb, not after: no entiendo, never entiendo no.
más despacio, por favor — slower, please. Despacio is 'slowly'; más despacio is 'slower'. Don't confuse it with despacho — that's an office.
¿hablas inglés? — do you speak English? Languages take no preposition and no article: hablo inglés, not hablo en inglés. The language name is lowercase too.
¡ayuda, por favor! — help! A cry for help is the single word ¡ayuda!. The calmer, politer version: ¿me puede ayudar?
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is no entiendo — I don't understand.
- What is this word?
It is necesito un médico — I need a doctor.
- What is this word?
It is despacio — slowly.
- What is this word?
It is espere un momento — wait a moment.
- What is this word?
It is me encuentro mal — I feel unwell.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I don't understand” in Spanish?
The no goes before the verb, not after: no entiendo, never entiendo no
- How do you say “I need a doctor” in Spanish?
The short version for an emergency. Even shorter: ¡un médico!
- How do you say “slowly” in Spanish?
An adverb — it answers 'how?'. The adjective 'slow' is lento. Don't mix it up with el despacho, which is an office
- How do you say “wait a moment” in Spanish?
The polite you-form. To a friend it's espera un momento
- How do you say “I feel unwell” in Spanish?
Literally 'I find myself badly'. Serves for sickness and for explaining why you're leaving
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I don't understand” in Spanish?
«no entiendo». The no goes before the verb, not after: no entiendo, never entiendo no. It is one of 16 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 16 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 16 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.