We experienced some major bad attitudes from Spaniards, so a word of caution: even when we tried to speak Spanish, sometimes it wasn't enough that we were trying. The Spanish do not want to speak English with you, and often don't know English to begin with. (I mention this first because this is not the case in many other European countries. And, to be fair, we had a lot of friendly interactions, too.) I highly recommend that you spend some time working on learning some basic Spanish before you walk the Camino.
Remember, I don't actually speak Spanish! If you think any of these are wrong, please comment, but also remember that these may be usages isolated to a Galician dialect.
Here are some important words we learned pretty quickly:
General
hola! - hello
hoy - today
mañana - tomorrow
buenos dias - good day / hello
buenas noches - good evening
grande - large
pequeño - small
uno mas - one more
gracias - thank you (muchas gracias - much thanks)
por favor - please
lo siento - I'm sorry
perdon - pardon
no - no
si - yes
todo - total, all together
caliente - hot
frio - cold
con - with
y - and
qué? - what?
por qué? - why?
qué hora es? - what time is it?
cuánto cuesta? - how much does it cost?
estoy - I am
Travel
tren - train
llegada - arrival
salida - exit/departure
billete - ticket
On The Camino
sello - stamp (for your pilgrim credential!)
buen Camino! - literally "good walk", the greeting for pilgrims
peregrino/a - pilgrim (m/f)
albergue - hostel
cama - bed
wifi is pronounced "weefee"
Eating
agua - water
vino tinto - red wine
vino blanco - white wine
café - coffee (solo - black; con leche - with milk)
bocadillo - sandwich
huevos - eggs
queso - cheese (try the regional cheese made in Arzúa!)
patatas - potatoes
patatas bravos - potatoes with a spicy sauce
tortilla - omelet
tortilla España - eggs and potatoes
jamón - ham product, varies by location. Usually something akin to prosciutto.
pollo - chicken
chorizo - a kind of spicy sausage
pan - bread
atún - tuna fish
pulpo - octopus
aceitunas - olives
mariscos - seafood
frutos secos - dried fruits and nuts
zumo de naranja - orange juice
vegetariano/a - vegetarian (m/f) (you will need to explain this to people occasionally, since they often think vegetarians will eat fish, meat broth in soup, etc.)
Please also remember I have traveled pretty extensively around Europe and am accustomed to operating in a country that speaks another language. I also have a personal interest in etymology, which makes learning words and understanding languages I don't speak a little easier for me (for example, pan is from the Latinate root for bread, so it's very easy for me to remember). As with all my advice, know yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. If you're comfortable going over without knowing Spanish (like we did!) go for it. If you think you will struggle with the language barrier, take the time to study.
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