Survival Spanish by stage

It is for anyone thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. You will come away knowing the realistic Spanish floor for your stage, and where English will and will not carry you.

The pages also cover what changes if you speak no Spanish, live in an English-speaking area, are retired, or stay only a few months.

Start with "How much Spanish you need before you arrive in Spain". It sets a minimum target so you neither over-prepare nor arrive with too little. After that, follow your stage: your first day, your first week, then the first months.

Where to study Spanish, which regional language to learn and emergency numbers are not covered here.

Key rules

• Pre-move target: A realistic pre-move target is survival A1, which usually takes 1–3 months of regular study (roughly 30–60 hours).
• SIM ID: You must show a passport, NIE or residence card (or a national ID card if you are from the EU) to buy a prepaid SIM, and it cannot be activated without registration.
• Target: A1 survival Spanish is enough before you fly.
• Greeting: Say hello when you enter and thank people when you leave, even if you skip "por favor".
• Tú or usted: Use tú in bars and with young people, and usted with older strangers, officials and doctors.
• Language rights: There is no right to service in English at Spanish public offices, so plan for Spanish forms and staff.

Survival Spanish by stage: the whole process, step by step

• Study survival Spanish before you move (How much Spanish you need before you arrive in Spain): 1–3 months before you move, roughly 30–60 hours of regular study, to reach A1

• Handle the airport, taxi, key handover, check-in and SIM purchase (What to say on your first day in Spain): On the day you arrive

• Use a working set of phrases for food, transport and errands (The Spanish phrases that carry your first week): During your first week

• Plan around the places where English does not work (Where English works in Spain and where it does not): In your first week, before you visit offices, clinics or small-town shops

• Reach A1: ordering, numbers and simple needs (What Spanish you can handle after one, three and six months): After about 1 month in Spain

• Reach A2: short exchanges, shopping, directions and basic small talk: After about 3 months in Spain

• Reach A2 to low B1 with lessons and daily contact; phone calls and fast group talk come last: After about 6 months in Spain

Progress varies by learner, so treat the month marks as typical ranges and check your own level against real tasks.

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Passport — What to say on your first day in Spain
• Your NIE — Getting by in Spain with no Spanish at all
• Your padrón certificate — Getting by in Spain with no Spanish at all

The home and the lease

• A copy of the signed rental contract — What to say on your first day in Spain, The least Spanish you need for a stay of a few months

Other documents

• Official documents from public bodies — Living in an English-speaking area: the Spanish you still need
• Property deeds — Living in an English-speaking area: the Spanish you still need
• The inventory and condition report — What to say on your first day in Spain
• Community-of-owners documents — Living in an English-speaking area: the Spanish you still need

Survival Spanish by stage: questions that cross several articles

Is there a fixed taxi fare from the airport to the city centre?

Only some airports have a flat fare, and Madrid-Barajas is the clearest case, with a fixed fare to the area inside the M-30 ring road. Barcelona uses the meter plus an airport supplement, and Palma uses zone-based or metered fares. Read What to say on your first day in Spain for the phrases to use with the driver.

Do I have to show ID when I check in at a hotel or rental apartment?

Yes, hotels and apartment rentals must collect ID details from every guest aged 14 and over, and this applies to Spanish and foreign guests. Have your passport, NIE or national ID card ready, plus your home address, phone and email. See What to say on your first day in Spain.

Can I get by in Spain without speaking any Spanish?

Only in tourist zones and big-city hotels, airports and restaurants, because public offices, phone calls, banks and small-town shops often work only in Spanish. Public offices have no right to service in English, so bring a Spanish speaker or use a translation app. Read Getting by in Spain with no Spanish at all and Where English works in Spain and where it does not.

Do health centres and public offices offer service in English?

Usually not, since forms and notices are in Spanish and public health centres normally have no interpreters. Areas with many foreign residents, such as the Costas, the Balearics and the Canaries, more often have some English-speaking staff, and private clinics offer English more often. Read Where English works in Spain and where it does not, then Living in an English-speaking area: the Spanish you still need.