The phrases that get real use here: greetings, directions, ordering food, taxis and rideshares, and the one grammar choice that signals respect.
A handful of phrases cover most situations a visitor runs into: greetings and courtesy (hola, buenos días, por favor, gracias), directions (¿dónde está el Zócalo?, ¿dónde me bajo? for knowing where to get off a bus or Metro), and dining (¿tiene opciones vegetarianas?, la cuenta, por favor for the check). The one grammar point worth knowing before landing is usted versus tú: Mexican Spanish defaults to the formal usted with strangers, service workers, and anyone older, even in casual settings like a taxi or a corner store, and switching to the informal tú too early can come across as presumptuous. When in doubt, usted is always the safer choice for a visitor.
Fluency isn’t the goal here. A small, specific set of phrases covers almost everything a visitor runs into: greeting someone, asking where something is, ordering food, and taking a taxi or the Metro without confusion.
“Hola” works at any hour. “Buenos días” (good morning), “buenas tardes” (good afternoon), and “buenas noches” (good evening/night) read as a little more polished and are worth using with anyone providing a service. “Por favor” (please) and “gracias” (thank you) do a lot of work on their own. “Hasta luego” is the standard way to say goodbye in passing.
Spanish has two ways to say “you,” and which one a visitor defaults to sends a real signal. Usted is the formal, respectful form; tú is informal, used between friends, family, and people who already know each other well. In Mexico, usted is the default in nearly every service interaction, a taxi, a restaurant, a corner store, and it’s also the respectful choice with anyone visibly older. Mexican Spanish moves to tú quickly between peers, sometimes within a couple of minutes of meeting, but that shift is something locals initiate with each other, not something a visitor should assume applies to them. Sticking with usted costs nothing and reads as respectful; jumping to tú with a stranger or an older person can land as presumptuous. When unsure, usted is always the safer default.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Where is the Zócalo? (swap in any landmark) | ¿Dónde está el Zócalo? |
| Where do I get off? | ¿Dónde me bajo? |
| Please use the meter | Por favor, use el taxímetro |
“¿Dónde me bajo?” earns its place on this list on its own: stops aren’t always announced clearly on the Metro, Metrobús, or a pesero, so it’s a genuinely common question to ask a fellow passenger or the driver. The meter line matters in any taxi that isn’t Uber or DiDi, where the fare should always run on the meter rather than a negotiated flat rate. See Transportation in Mexico City for how the Metro, Metrobús, ride-hailing apps, and walking fit together.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Do you have vegetarian options? | ¿Tiene opciones vegetarianas? |
| The check, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Without spicy, please | Sin picante, por favor |
In most sit-down restaurants, a server won’t bring the check unless asked, since lingering at the table isn’t considered rude the way it can be elsewhere. Asking for “la cuenta” is the normal, expected way to signal a meal is over.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I need help | Necesito ayuda |
| Where’s the nearest pharmacy? | ¿Dónde está la farmacia más cercana? |
Leading with “¿Habla inglés?” before switching languages is a small courtesy that goes over better than assuming. For a fuller list of phrases specific to common ailments and medications, see Pharmacies in Mexico City.
Sources: General Mexican Spanish phrasebooks and travel-language guides (Babbel, Comligo, Digital Polyglot); Mexperience and Na’atik Language & Culture Institute on the usted/tú distinction in Mexican Spanish specifically.
Money & SIM Cards covers cash, cards, and getting connected on arrival.
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