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(From the Archives) What are the most essential phrases you MUST learn in any language?

 This is something a lot of people come across while travelling, studying abroad or being an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher. How many phrases do you need to learn at a bare minimum? Many people will tell you it's "Hello", "Thank You" and "Goodbye" but are those really enough to get by or survive in a country that may or may not speak English at all. Think about it.


Are "Hello", "Goodbye" and "Thank you" enough?

The answer is no. Why? If you were faced with an emergency and could not communicate what the situation is, you would be at a major disadvantage. It's even more detrimental when you're in a rural part of the country and don't have access to the resources you need. This can also hinder your shopping experience if you are looking for specific types of foods, beverages or medications. If you don't know the language, you won't be able to find them easily.

If you were vegan or vegetarian for example, you are going to want to know whether or not the dish you're eating contains traces of meat or not. How are you going to get this point across if all you know are how to greet and thank people?

How Many Words And Phrases Do I Need To Know?

It depends on what exactly you're planning on doing in the country (or countries) and how long you are going to stay. If you only plan on staying a few days to a week learn the following:
Hello
Thank you
Where can I get to [________]?
(A) Hotel/Youth Hostel
(B) Tourist Attractions and Historial Landmarks (This will help you locate it easier but also keep in mind that if you don't plan ahead, you're going to be waiting in line for long hours.) (Depending on the season and number of people there) If it's an extremely popular attraction then you're going to want to plan ahead for that.
(C) Restaurants
(D) Internet Café or Place with WiFi (Just in case 😉)
If there's something particular you want to go to then learn that word and add it to the phrase above.
How much is it? (Just in case you can't figure out a price for something or it's not obvious)
Goodbye

These phrase should be the bare minimum you learn if you're going to stay for a short amount of time in whichever country you're plan on visiting. (Even if they speak English really well like Scandinavia or the Netherlands).

Staying Longer Than A Typical Tourist?

Are you planning on staying longer than 3 months (what most tourist visas limit people. Unless you're able to get an extension or a visa change. Although many countries don't allow you to change your visa while you're still in the country)? If you're a student or someone who plans to work in the country for a while then why not, learn the language to fluency? The determining factor is how many times will you'll actually be spending the country. 3 months? 6 months? 1 year? 5 years? Indefinitely? (meaning that you've been naturalised in the country as new citizen or permanent resident).

If you're in the 3-6 month range then you probably won't get fluent but at least you'll get yourself to a low intermediate level. Those with a year or more could get to at least a basic fluency in the language(s). I would get the basics down completely. This is where a thematic phrase book like Lonely Planet would come in handy. Where it breaks it down into categories so you can find what you need more effectively. These are especially get for beginners looking to master the basics. Obviously, they don't have everything but they do have the absolute basics covered. Also keep in mind that some have a lot more phrases than others.

Just learn those phrases and adjust to fit your needs but in general, these phrases are an absolute must.

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