Your flights are booked, your selfie stick is purchased and you’re almost ready to wack on that out of office reply. Tis’ the season that many a young Australian make the irreligious pilgrimage to Europe, where yard glasses, crude tourist photos and perhaps a festival or two await.
However as those who have travelled abroad now know, there are a few pitfalls that can slow your roll through the continent, and they often result from language barriers. Don’t be fooled, English may be a universal language, but many people you come into contact with won’t know it well or at all, and they might just have zero patience in dealing with you.
So, if you want to avoid playing a game of charades with the hotel maid in Antwerp, bookmark this page for a go-to guide.
Phrase: “Hello, how are you?”
German: “Hallo, wie geht’s dir” or simply “Guten Tag” for casual hello.
Italian: “Ehi, Come Stai” or simply “Ciao” for casual hello.
French: Salut, comment allez-vous.
Spanish: Hola, cómo estás.
Dutch: Hallo, hoe gaat het.
Phrase: “Well, thank you.”
German: Danke, mir geht es gut.
Italian: Sto bene, grazie.
French: Ça va bien.
Spanish: Estoy bien, gracias.
Dutch: Met mij gaat het goed, dank u.
Phrase: “Do you speak English?”
German: Sprichst du Englisch.
Italian: Parli inglese.
French: Parlez-vous anglais.
Spanish: Habla usted Inglés.
Dutch: Spreekt u Engels.
Phrase: “Does anyone here speak English?”
German: Spricht hier irgendjemand Englisch.
Italian: Qualcuno qui parla inglese.
French: Y-a-t-il quelqu’un qui parle anglais ici.
Spanish: Alguien de aquí habla inglés.
Dutch: Heeft iemand hier Engels spreken.
Phrase: “Where are the restrooms?”
German: Wo sind die Toiletten.
Italian: Dove sono i bagni.
French: Où sont les toilettes.
Spanish: Dónde están los baños.
Dutch: Waar is de wc.
Phrase: “Can you please take a picture?”
German: Können Sie ein Bild nehmen Sie bitte.
Italian: Ti invitiamo a fare una foto.
French: Pouvez-vous s’il vous plaît prendre une photo.
Spanish: Uede usted por favor tomar una foto.
Dutch: Kunt u neem een foto.
Phrase: “Where is the nearest taxi?”
German: Wo ist das nächste Taxi.
Italian: Dove è il taxi più vicino.
French: Où est le taxi le plus proche.
Spanish: Donde es la de taxis más cercana.
Dutch: Waar is de dichtstbijzijnde taxi.
Phrase: “What is your Wi-Fi password?”
German: Was ist Ihr WLAN- Passwort.
Italian: Qual è la password WIF.
French: Quel est votre mot de passe wifi.
Spanish: Cuál es su contraseña wifi.
Dutch: Wat is uw wif password.
Phrase: “Where is the nearest bar?”
German: Wo ist die nächste Bar ?
Italian: Dove si trova il bar più vicino ?
French: Où est le bar le plus proche ?
Spanish: ¿Dónde está el bar más cercano ?
Dutch: Waar is de dichtstbijzijnde bar ?
Phrase: “I need an ambulance”
German: Ich brauche einen Krankenwagen.
Italian: Ho bisogno di un’ambulanza.
French: J’ai besoin d’une ambulance.
Spanish: Necesito una ambulancia.
Dutch: Ik heb een ambulance.
Phrase: “I need police”
German: Ich brauche die Polizei.
Italian: Ho bisogno della polizia.
French: Je dois la police.
Spanish: Necesito la policía.
Dutch: Ik heb de politie
Trust me, you’ll probably need most of those. Happy translating!
