Spanish Travel Phrases for Peru: Talk Like You’ve Been Before

You can arrive in Peru with textbook Spanish and still feel lost the moment a combi conductor leans out the door shouting street names at the speed of light. Peruvian Spanish has its own rhythm, its own slang, and a whole layer of words borrowed from Quechua that no classroom ever mentioned. The good news: Peruvians are famously warm and patient with learners, and a handful of the right phrases will get you further than a year of perfect grammar. Here are the ones that actually matter — grouped by the moments you’ll really use them.

First, a word on how Peruvians talk

Peruvian Spanish is polite. Really polite. People use usted more than you’d expect, sprinkle por favor and disculpe everywhere, and soften almost everything with diminutives — ahorita (in a little bit), un ratito (a little while), agüita (a little water). Lean into that warmth and you’ll fit right in. It’s also famously clear, un-rushed Spanish compared to, say, Chile or the Caribbean — which makes Peru a genuinely great place to practise.

Greetings & being polite

Spanish	English	When to use it
Buenos días / Buenas tardes / Buenas noches	Good morning / afternoon / evening	Open every interaction with one — walking into a shop, greeting a driver. Skipping it feels cold.
Disculpe, ¿me podría ayudar?	Excuse me, could you help me?	The magic opener. Disculpe gets attention politely.
Por favor / Gracias / Muchas gracias	Please / Thank you / Thank you very much	Use liberally. Peruvians do.
Permiso	Excuse me (to pass)	Squeezing past someone on a packed combi or in a market.
¿Cómo está? / ¿Todo bien?	How are you? / All good?	A quick, friendly check-in.

Getting around: taxis, combis & colectivos

Most city taxis don’t use a meter — you agree the price before you get in. And the cheapest way locals move around is the combi (a minibus) or a colectivo (a shared car running a fixed route).

Spanish	English	Note
¿Cuánto cobra hasta el centro?	How much to the centre?	Always ask before getting in the taxi.
¿Me puede llevar a esta dirección?	Can you take me to this address?	Show it on your phone.
¿Cuánto es el pasaje?	How much is the fare?	On a combi or colectivo.
¡Baja! / ¡Esquina, por favor!	Getting off! / Next corner, please!	Shout this to the cobrador when you want to get off.
¿Este combi va a Miraflores?	Does this combi go to Miraflores?	Confirm before you climb aboard.
¿Está muy lejos? ¿Puedo ir caminando?	Is it far? Can I walk?	Handy for short hops.

Food & markets — the best part

Peru is a food country, and knowing a few phrases turns a good meal into a great one. A quick warning: ají (chilli) is everywhere, so learn to ask.

Spanish	English	Note
¿Qué me recomienda?	What do you recommend?	The single best question in any Peruvian restaurant.
¿Pica? / Sin ají, por favor.	Is it spicy? / No chilli, please.	Rocoto and ají are no joke.
Para mí, un ceviche y una chicha morada.	For me, a ceviche and a chicha morada.	Two things you must try.
La cuenta, por favor.	The bill, please.	Or just catch the waiter’s eye and mime writing.
¿Cuánto cuesta? / ¿Me hace precio?	How much? / Can you give me a better price?	Gentle bargaining is fine in markets, not in restaurants.
¿Me da una yapita?	Could you throw in a little extra?	The friendly market move — see the Quechua box below.

Altitude: what to say when the mountains hit you

Cusco sits at around 3,400 m, and soroche (altitude sickness) is real. These phrases are genuinely useful — sometimes essential.

Spanish	English
Me siento mareado. / Me falta el aire.	I feel dizzy. / I’m short of breath.
¿Tienen mate de coca?	Do you have coca tea? (The classic local remedy.)
Me duele la cabeza. ¿Hay una farmacia cerca?	I have a headache. Is there a pharmacy nearby?
Necesito descansar un ratito.	I need to rest a little.
¡Ayuda! / Llame a un médico, por favor.	Help! / Please call a doctor.

A little Quechua goes a long way

Millions of Peruvians speak Quechua, and its words are woven right through everyday Spanish — especially in the Andes. Drop one of these and watch people light up.

Word	Meaning
Yapa	A little something extra, thrown in for free at the market.
Wawa	Baby / small child.
Choclo	The big-kernelled Andean corn (you’ll see it everywhere).
Palta	Avocado — never say aguacate here.
¡Achachau! / ¡Añañau!	“How cold!” / “How nice!” — pure Andean expressiveness.

Sound like a local (or at least a regular)

Peruvian slang is affectionate and fun. Use these casually with people your own age once the ice is broken — not with the police officer or your hotel manager.

Slang	Meaning
Bacán / Chévere	Cool, great, awesome.
Pata / Causa	Mate, buddy, dude.
Al toque	Right away, in a flash.
Chamba	Work / a job.
¡Asu! / ¡Asu mare!	Whoa! / No way! (surprise)
¿Manyas?	You know? / Get it? (tacked onto the end of a sentence)

Five phrases to memorise before you fly

If you learn nothing else, learn these:

1. Disculpe, ¿me podría ayudar? — opens every door politely.
2. ¿Cuánto cobra hasta…? — never overpay a taxi again.
3. ¿Qué me recomienda? — eat like you know the place.
4. ¿Tienen mate de coca? — your friend at altitude.
5. Estoy aprendiendo español, disculpe mi acento. — “I’m learning Spanish, sorry for my accent.” Say it once and people become your patient teachers.

The real secret

Phrase lists get you off the plane. Confidence gets you through the trip — and the fastest way to build that is to say these things out loud to a real person before you go, until they stop feeling like a list and start feeling like you. A few conversation lessons with a Peruvian or Latin American tutor will fix your pronunciation of ceviche, teach you the slang your guidebook is too polite to print, and mean that when the combi conductor shouts, you shout right back. ¡Buen viaje!