Grupo Mayan offers vacationers many resorts throughout Mexico for the perfect holiday. You will find our staff and the people of Mexico to be warm and gracious while you are visiting our country. While most Mexican people understand and speak English, and all of our staff will be able to communicate easily with you, it might be fun to learn a little of our language before you arrive. You will find that it may come in handy while visiting attractions off of the Grupo Mayan property. Being able to speak a few words of Spanish will show your respect of the local people.
People will be pleasantly surprised when you are able to say “por favor” and “de nada” when speaking with them. Your accent does not have to be perfect; part of your charm will be the effort you make. Here are a few terms to get you started.
- English Spanish
- Hello - Hola
- Good afternoon - Buenas Tardes
- Please - Por favor
- Thank you - Gracias
- What time is it? - Que hora es?
- How are you? - Como esta?
- You´re welcome - De nada
The Mexican people are very pleasant and also very courteous. They will address you with respect and we suggest you do the same. “Senor”, “Senora”, and “Senorita” are all appropriate words to use when politely addressing someone.
In Spanish you will find that there are formal and informal ways of addressing people. When meeting someone you do not know “Como esta?” , how are you, would be the formal wording. If you are speaking to friends you can use the informal “Como estas?”.
You will also want to use Spanish when shopping off of the Grupo Mayan property. Many stalls and bazaars throughout Mexico are famous for haggling and bargaining. Some even see it as a requirement of shopping. Here are some phrases to help you negotiate for the best bargain.
- Barato- inexpensive
- Comprar- buy
- Cuanto cuesta? - How much does it cost?
- Cuantos dólares?, Cuántos pesos? , Cuántos euros? ó How much (dollars), How much (pesos), How much (euros)
- caro, cara- expensive
- descuenta - discount
- grande - large
- Hay (object)?- Do you have(object)
- Mediano, mediana- medium
- Quiero-I want
- Quisiera probarlo- I would like to try
- Quisiera- I would like
- Voy a pensarlo-I’ll think about it, maybe
- pequeño, pequeña- small
- por favor- please
- de rebajas- on sale
- Sólo quería mirar- I’m only looking.
- tarjeta de crédito- credit card
You will notice that many words are similar, with a different ending. Unlike the English language, Spanish is a formal language. Objects are considered masculine or feminine. If you are speaking of feminine object the word will end in an “a”. Masculine objects end in an “o”. As in any language there are words and phrases that do not follow the rules but knowing this simple gender principle will help when you run across it in conversation.
The Grupo Mayan staff hopes that you will have fun making the Spanish language a part of your Mexican experience. You will find our beautiful language to be very expressive and romantic.
El Grupo Mayan te da la bienvenida a México!
Grupo Mayan welcomes you to Mexico!
