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Do you have what it takes to follow the instructions of airport personnel in Spanish?

If you’re planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, chances are you’ll be interacting with Spanish speakers at the airport. You can make your time at the airport easier and increase your confidence by familiarizing yourself with phrases that are typically used in airports.

Even if you’re still a beginner, you can learn to recognize and follow these common instructions.

Going through security

The most important instructions you’ll hear at the airport are the ones about going through security. Here are the phrases you’ll need to understand:

Muestre su pasaporte. - Show your passport.

Ponga sus maletas en la cinta. - Place your bags on the conveyor belt.

Quítese los zapatos. - Take off your shoes.

Vacíe sus bolsillos. - Empty your pockets.

Pase por seguridad. - Go through security.

Recoja sus maletas. - Pick up your luggage.

By listening carefully to everything the security personnel say and watching what the other travelers are doing, you should make it through security without a hitch!

Banner image with an extra trip that says: Did you know? When we give instructions to others, we generally add “por favor” (please) to the instructions. When adding por favor, we can place it at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. For example, Por favor, pase por seguridad. (Please walk through security). Pase por seguridad, por favor. (Walk through security, please.)

Don’t stop here! Read on for a quick lesson on how to give instructions in Spanish…

Want to learn more? Here’s a quick overview of the grammar of giving instructions in Spanish:

Note that Spanish speakers give conjugate verbs in the imperative form for the person “usted” when giving instructions or directions, and the conjugation depends on the ending of the infinitive verb, as shown below:

Usted Commands -ar verbs

Hablar - hable (talk)

Mirar - mire (look)

Usted Commands -er and -ir verbs

Correr - corra (run)

Recibir - reciba (receive)

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Common irregular verbs used in giving instructions:

➜ Poner - Ponga (put)

➜ Quitarse - Quítese (take off)

➜ Recoger - recoja (pick up)

➜ Vaciar - Vacíe (empty)

➜ Ir - Vaya (go)

Practice makes perfect!

If you’re learning Spanish, interacting with other people is the most effective way. There’s no better way to get skilled at following directions than through live practice!  

So, we invite you to…

Come practice with us in Immerse!

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