Often when you travel abroad for business, you’ll have someone from your host country to guide you around and help translate for you, so you may think you have little need to learn the language. No matter where you travel, though, it’s always worth learning a few polite phrases in the language of the country you’re visiting. Even if you want to be extra polite to your guide, you’ll at least have some courtesy expressions and greetings under your belt before you go. And if you don’t have a guide or simply feel like wandering off on your own, these phrases will definitely help you get by when you’re on your own wherever business takes you.
Arabic
| Hello! | مرحباً
marHaban! |
| Good-bye. | مع السلامة
maxa s-salaama. |
| Thank you. | شكرًا
shukran. |
| Please. | من فضلك
min faDlak |
| Yes. | أجل/ نعم
Ajal. / Naam. |
| No. | كلا/لا
Kalla. / La’a. |
| Pardon me. | عفواً/عذراً
Aafwan. / Oozran. |
| I don’t understand. | لاأفهم
La afham. |
| Do you speak English? | هل تتكلم الا نقليزية؟
hal tatakalim al-‘iinqlizia? |
| Where? | أين ؟
aina? |
| I would like… | أود أن
‘awadu an |
| How much does this cost? | كم ثمن ذلك؟
Kam thaman zalik? |
| I’m here on a business trip. | انا هنا برحلة عمل
anaa hunaa bi-riHlat xamal. |
Mandarin Chinese
| Hello! | 你好！ Ní hǎo！ |
| Good-bye. | 再见。 Zàijiàn. |
| Thank you. | 谢谢你。(谢谢您。) Xièxie nǐ. (Xièxie nín.) |
| Please. | 请。 Qǐng. |
| Yes. | 是。 Shì. |
| No. | 不是。 Búshi. |
| Pardon me. | 对不起。 Duìbùqǐ. |
| I don’t understand. | 我听不懂。 Wǒ tīng bù dǒng. |
| Do you speak English? | 你会说英语吗？ Nǐ huì shuō Yīngyǚ ma? |
| Where?/Where is…? | (在)哪里 ?/ 在哪儿? (zài) nâli?/…zài nâ er? |
| I would like…. | 我喜欢. .. Wǒ xǐhuān… |
| How much? | 多少? Duōshǎo? |
| I’m here on a business trip. | 我是商务访问。 Wô shì shängwù fângwèn. |
French
| Hello! | Salut ! |
| Good-bye. | Au revoir. |
| Thank you. | Merci. |
| Please. | S’il vous plaît. |
| Yes. | Oui. |
| No. | Non. |
| Pardon me. | Pardon. |
| I don’t understand. | Je ne comprends pas. |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? |
| Where? | Où ? |
| I would like… | Je voudrais… |
| How much? | Combien ? |
| I’m here on a business trip. | Je suis en voyage d’affaires. |
German
| Hello! | Hallo! |
| Good-bye. | Auf Wiedersehen. |
| Thank you. | Danke. |
| Please. | Bitte. |
| Yes. | Ja. |
| No. | Nein. |
| Pardon me. | Entschuldigung. |
| I don’t understand. | Das verstehe ich nicht. |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? |
| Where? | Wo? |
| I would like… | Ich möchte gerne… |
| How much? | Wieviel? |
| I’m here on a business trip. | Ich bin auf einer Geschäftsreise. |
Italian
| Hello! | Ciao! |
| Good-bye. | Arrivederci/Arrivederla. |
| Thank you. | Grazie. |
| Please. | Per favore. |
| Yes. | Sì. |
| No. | No. |
| Pardon me. | Mi scusi. |
| I don’t understand. | Non capisco. |
| Do you speak English? | Parla inglese? |
| Where? | Dove? |
| I would like… | Vorrei… |
| How much? | Quanto? |
| I’m here on a business trip. | Sono in viaggio per affari. |
Japanese
| Hello! | こんにちは！* Kon’nichiwa! |
| Good-bye. | さようなら。 Sayoonara. |
| Thank you. | ありがとうございます。 Arigatoo gozaimasu. |
| Please. | おねがいします。 Onegai shimasu. |
| Yes. | はい。 Hai. |
| No. | いいえ。 Iie. |
| Pardon me. | すみません。 Sumimasen. |
| I don’t understand. | わかりません。 Wakarimasen. |
| Do you speak English? | えいごをはなしますか。 Eego o hanashimasu ka. |
| Where? | どこですか。 Doko desu ka. |
| I would like this. | これをおねがいします。 Kore o onegai shimasu. |
| How much does this cost? | これはいくらですか。 Kore wa ikura desu ka. |
| I’m here on a business trip. | しゅっちょうで きています。 Shucchoo de kiteimasu. |
*We’ve written the Japanese phrases here in hiragana in case you’re studying basic Japanese characters too.
Portuguese
| Hello! | Olá! |
| Good-bye. | Tchau. |
| Thank you. | Obrigado. (said by a man) Obrigada. (said by a woman) |
| Please. | Por favor. |
| Yes. | Sim. |
| No. | Não. |
| Pardon me. | Desculpe. |
| I don’t understand. | Não entendo. |
| Do you speak English? | Você fala inglês? |
| Where? | Onde? |
| I would like… | Gostaria de… |
| How much? | Quanto? |
| I’m here on a business trip. | Estou em viagem de negócios. |
Spanish
| Hello! | ¡Hola! |
| Good-bye. | Adiós. |
| Thank you. | Gracias. |
| Please. | Por favor. |
| Yes. | Sí. |
| No. | No. |
| Pardon me. | Perdone. |
| I don’t understand. | No entiendo. |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| Where? | ¿Dónde? |
| I would like… | Yo quisiera… |
| How much? | ¿Cuánto? |
| I’m here on a business trip. | Estoy en viaje de negocios. |
Photo by Stéfan via Wikimedia Commons
