Word for “Monday” in European languages
Traveling to Europe soon? Think you can get by with just English anywhere you go? You may want to think again.
While English is undoubtedly Europe’s new lingua franca, spoken by young people and urbanites across the continent, a complete lack of foreign language skills will prevent you not only from easily finding the bathroom in Rome’s Coliseum but also from ordering kebabs in Istanbul or paella in Valencia. Before you leave, why not learn a few key phrases that will help you make the most out of your trip?
Czech
Charles Bridge in Prague
“Hello” – Dobrý den [doh-bree den]
“Goodbye” – Na shledanou [na shled-ah-noo]
“Thank you” – Děkuji [deck-oo-yee]
“Please” – prosím [pro-seem]
“Where is the restroom?” – Kde je toaleta? [kdeh yeh to-ah-leh-ta]
“Where is the best food in Prague?” – Kde je nejlepší jídlo v Praze? [kdeh yeh ney-lep-she yeedlow ve Prazhe]
“Finish exiting and boarding the train, the doors are closing!” – Ukončete výstup a nástup, dveře se zavírají! [ookon cheh-te veestoop a nastoop dveh-reh seh zaveerayee]
French
Les Deux Magots, a Parisian café
“Hello” – Bonjour
“How are you?” – Comment ça va? [comm-on sah vah]
“Goodbye” – Au revoir [o revwah]
“Caution” – Avertissement
“Thank you (very much)” – Merci (beaucoup) [bow-coo]
“How much does this cost?” – Combien ça coûte? [come-bi-ahn sah coot]
“How can I get to the Louvre from here?” – Comment puis-je obtenir au Louvre à partir d’ici? [come-on pwee-zhe obteh-neer o Loovre a parteer deesee]
German
Regensburg Cathedral
“Good morning” – guten Morgen [gooten morgan]
“How are you?” – Wie geht es Ihnen? [vee geht es eehnen]
“Thank you (very much)” – danke (schön) [donkeh shain]
“Yes” and “No” – ja [yah] and nicht
“Where is the nearest (hotel)?” – Wo ist das nächste (Hotel)? [vo ist daas nechshteh hotel]
“What a delicious bratwurst!” – Was für eine leckere Bratwurst! [vaas fyoor ah-ee-neh leckereh bratvurst]
“The train is approaching the station” – Der Zug die Station heran [der tsug dee station heh-raan]
Greek
Santorini (Thera) island
“How are you?” – πώς είσαι? (pos eisai?)
“Yes” and “No” – ναι (nai) and όχι (ochi)
“Please” – παρακαλώ (parakalo)
“What is your name?” – ποιο είναι το όνομά σας? (poio einai to onoma sas?)
“What time is it?” – Τι ώρα είναι? (ti ora einai?)
“When does the ferry for Athens arrive?” – πότε το πλοίο για την Αθήνα φτάνουν? (pote to ploio gia tin Athina ftanoun?)
“I’ve never tried octopus before, it tastes good!” – Ποτέ δεν έχω δοκιμάσει χταπόδι πριν, έχει ωραία γεύση! (pote den echo dokimasei chtapodi prin, echei oraia gefsi!)
Italian
Venetian canal
“Good morning” – Buongiorno
“What time is it?” – Che ora è? [kay oh-ra ay]
“My name is (Giorgio)” – Il mio nome è (Giorgio)
“Thank you (very much)” – Grazie (mille) [gratsee-ay millay]
“How much does this gelato cost?” – Quanto costa questo gelato?
“Venice is so beautiful!” – Venezia è così bella [Venetsia ay cosee bella]
“I’m visiting Rome this weekend, do you have any restaurant recommendations?” – Sto visitando Roma questo fine settimana, hai qualche consigli sui ristoranti? [stow veeseetando Roma questo fin-ay settee-mana, high qual-kay consilyi su-ee reestorantee]
Russian
St. Basil’s Cathedral at night
“Hello” – привет (privyet)
“Goodbye” – до свидания (do sveedanya)
“Thank you (very much)” – (Большое) спасибо (bol’shoye spaseeba)
“How much does this cost?” – сколько это стоит? (skol’ko eto stoit?)
“When does the Hermitage museum close today?” – когда делает Эрмитаж близко сегодня? (kogda delayet Ermitazh blizko segodnya?)
“I have a cold” – Я простудился (ya prostudilsya)
“Moscow is unlike any other city I’ve ever seen before” – Москва отличается от любой другой город, который я видел перед (Moskva otlichayestya ot lyuboy drugoy gorod, kotoryy ya videl pered)
Spanish
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Calle de Alcalá in Madrid
“Hello” – Hola
“Goodbye” – Adiós
“Please” – Por favor
“Where is the nearest train station?” – ¿Dónde está la estación de tren más cercana?
“Where is the best paella in Valencia?” – ¿Dónde está la mejor paella en Valencia? [pa-eh-yah]
“I would like to order some tapas” – Me gustaría pedir algunas tapas
“I love Barcelona’s architecture” – Me encanta la arquitectura de Barcelona [ahr-key-teck-toor-ah]
Swedish
Stockholm in the winter
“Good morning” – God morgon
“How are you?” – Hur mår du? [hoor more doo]
“I’m feeling a little sick” – Jag känner mig lite sjuk [yo shanner mai leeteh hyook]
“What is your name?” – Vad heter du?
“How much does this cost?” – Hur mycket kostar det?
“Is the weather in Stockholm always this nice?” – Är vädret i Stockholm alltid här trevligt? [air veedret … hair trevleegt]
“I can’t believe it, I can see the aurora borealis!” – Jag kan inte tro det, jag kan se norrsken! [yo kan … yo kan se norhwen]
Turkish
Istanbul street scene
“How are you?” – Nasılsın? [nah-sul-sun]
“Yes” and “No” – evet and hayır [hah-yur]
“What time is it?” – Saat kaç? [sah-oht kotch]
“Caution” – Dikkatli
“Where can I find the best kebab?” – Nerede iyi kebap bulabilirim?
“How do I get to the Hagia Sophia?” – Nasıl Ayasofya alabilirim? [nah-sul]
“Istanbul is my favorite city in the world” – İstanbul dünyada en sevdiğim şehir [sehv-dee-eem sheh-here]