UNIT 3 Ques 2

[wrj7usvt]

This is a post in resopnse to the second discussion topic in Unit 3- The last time I went to a country where I didn't speak the language was 6 years ago when I moved to Spain. The first words and short phrases I learnt were 'Hola/ Hasta luego' (hello/Goodbye),because I wanted to be able to greet new friends and colleagues.
Also 'Donde esta...?' (Where is ...?) and 'Izquierda/Derecha' (left/right) came in useful for the first few weeks of sightseeing and getting lost in the cities where all the streets looked the same.
I also learnt 'Cuanto cuesta..?' (How much is it?) because I thought it would be useful for doing the shopping. I seem to remember I also learnt 'Esta libre?' (Is it available?) because I was looking for a room in a flat when I first arrived and I had a to make a lot of phone calls in response to adverts in the University.

[Admin]

Thanks for posting wrj7usvt. I think when I moved to Spain my first phrases were exactly the same as yours! I think I also learned the numbers very early on (it was pesetas at the time, so we had to learn to say those enormous numbers) I also learned ¿Cómo se dice .... ? which was useful for learning new vocab and expressions. It's amazing really how little you need to get by..
Look forward to hearing from you again!
Pieter