Survival Spanish by stageArticle 9 of 9 · 2 min read
The least Spanish you need for a stay of a few months
For a stay of a few months, you need only basic Spanish. This page shows what to learn, where you will still meet Spanish, and how to keep study time small. It is for short-stay visitors, students and remote workers.
Key rules
- Target level: Basic A1 with a few A2 phrases is enough for a few months.
- Contracts: Read your rental contract in full, or have it translated, before you sign.
- Apps: Translation apps and written messages cover most daily situations.
How much Spanish you need
Aim for basic beginner level (A1), plus a few slightly harder phrases (A2). That is enough for a few months. Keep study time small and spend it on the situations below.
What to learn first
Learn phrases, not grammar. Focus on:
- Greetings and polite words.
- Numbers and prices.
- Ordering food and drink.
- Asking for help, or asking someone to repeat or speak slower.
- Directions and buying transport tickets.
- Key health words, such as pain, allergy and medicine.
A few weeks of light practice on these will cover most days.
Where you will still meet Spanish
- Supermarkets and markets: prices, weights, bags, card payment and loyalty cards.
- Landlords and agents: the rental contract, the deposit, repairs, utilities and building rules.
- Transport: counters and ticket machines outside the main hubs.
- Pharmacies and clinics.
- Neighbours, small bars and shops.
What apps and messages can handle
A translation app and written messages handle most of this. Typing a question and showing your screen works well at a counter or with a landlord. Save the study time for spoken basics: greetings, numbers and ordering.
The one place not to rely on guessing
Read your rental contract in full, or have it translated, before you sign. Do this even if you only stay a few months. Use a translation app for a first read, and ask the landlord or agent in writing about anything unclear. The documents block below covers this.
If your stay gets longer
If you decide to stay beyond a few months, aim higher than A2. Until then, basics are enough.
Documents you need
Documents for a short stay
- Rental contract from your landlord or agent: read it in full, or have it translated, before you sign. A few months of basic Spanish is enough for daily errands, but the contract covers the deposit, repairs, utilities and building rules, so do not rely on basic Spanish for it.
More in Survival Spanish by stage
- How much Spanish you need before you arrive in Spain
- What to say on your first day in Spain
- The Spanish phrases that carry your first week
- What Spanish you can handle after one, three and six months
- Getting by in Spain with no Spanish at all
- Where English works in Spain and where it does not
- Living in an English-speaking area: the Spanish you still need
- Everyday Spanish when you are retired and not aiming for fluency
Need certainty before you act?
For important relocation decisions, speak with a qualified human specialist.
Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.