While I agree with the view that it's best to have spent some time learning some basic Spanish before setting out, there's no need to beat yourself up about your skill level if you haven't had the chance to do this. Try and take whatever time you can, such as on your flight, to check out the most common phrases you will need, especially those related to giving and checking directions. Also, make sure you can use the basic question words:
¿dónde está..? - where is...?
¿qué es...? - where is...?
¿cómo puedo...? - how can I...?
¿cuánto es...?- how much is..?
¿hay...? - is there....? / are there...?
As others have said, do make an effort to greet people both on the way, and when you enter a bar, shop or
albergue - it may seem like a tiny thing, but it's important in oiling the wheels. Likewise, smile, smile, smile!
In many ways, you are entering a school of immersion learning. Despite some differences in the Basque territory and in Galicia, pretty-much everywhere you go you will see similar signs:
albergue (sometimes
refugio),
iglesia (church),
bar, mesón,
posada, hostal (guest house; some, in Roncesvalles for example, serve a pilgrims' menu),
hotel,
farmacia,
correos / oficina de correos (post office),
panadería (bakery),
alimentación (grocery store) (this word also means food, as does
comida),
mercado (market) -->
supermercado (supermarket) etc.
El centro is the town centre.
Inside, a sign for
aseos, servicios or
baños will show you to the toilet or bathroom facilities. In the
albergues,
el hospitalero / la hospitalera (the former is a male while the latter is a female) will check you in. A sign, or request, for
ducha(s) will get you to the shower.
La lavandería is the laundry, a
lavarropas / lavadora is a washing machine while a
secadora is a tumble-dryer and a
tendedero is the less expensive drying-rack option. The
comedor is the dining room, both in a bar / restaurant and elsewhere.
La cocina is the kitchen and
microondas is a microwave. The
dormitorio is the communal sleeping area where you will find your
litera (bunk) (
una cama is a bed).
Very quickly, you will come to know these words and many more, simply by having met them over and over again.
If you do need some help, another idea is to ask another
peregrino / peregrina (you will very soon learn how to spot them
). Remember that everyone is going in the same direction, most of the time. In the afternoon /evenings, when you arrive in a new village or town (
pueblo), all the other
peregrinos will have the same needs as you - finding a place to stay, having a shower, doing their washing, finding a bar or restaurant in which to eat and / or a shop, possibly finding a pharmacy to stock up on treatment for
ampollas (blisters) etc, maybe locating the local church to attend a pilgrim mass (
la misa)...
Therefore, anyone who has been there a while already, or who has been there previously, should be able to help you. It's also worth keeping your eyes open for a tourist office (
oficina de turísmo), especially in the larger towns / cities (
ciudad). There is a very strong likelihood of finding an English speaker, who will have all the information you need to hand, working there.
Every evening, when you arrive at your
albergue, you will be asked the same kinds of questions:
¿Nombre? (name) -
Me llamo.... /
Mi nombre es...
(In this instance,
nombre means full name but it can also mean given name / first name. Just in case you hear it, the word
apellido means surname / family name.)
¿De dónde eres? (where are you from?) -
Soy de... los Estados Unidos / de Australia / de Canadá / de Nueva Zealanda / del Reino Unido / de Inglaterra / de Escocia / de Gales / de Irlanda /de Sudáfrica. (I'm from... the US / Australia / Canada / New Zealand / the United Kingdom / England / Scotland / Wales / Ireland / South Africa)
¿De dónde vienes? (where have you come from?) (
hoy - today) - de Burgos, de Ponferrada
¿Cómo...? (how) -
a pie (on foot) /
en bici / en bicicleta (by bike)
¿Passaporte? (simply hand it over so your details can be registered)
¿Credencial? - pilgrim passport (hand it over to be stamped)
(
sellar - to stamp the credencial,
un sello - a stamp)
From what I recall, that's generally it, other than asking for your payment, so definitely revise your numbers! Depending on the
albergue, you may be asked if you want an evening meal (
la cena, cenar - to have dinner) and / or breakfast (
el desayuno, desayunar - to have breakfast) the next morning.
Please forgive any errors or omissions; if anyone spots anything, please let me know. I'm so sorry that this message has ended up being so long but I hope that it's useful for you. I'll just offer a few final thoughts below.
It may help if you listen to the
hospitalero checking in a few other
peregrinos before you take your turn - you'll hear both the questions and how the
peregrinos answer them. Although it may be challenging for you for the first few days, you will get into the swing of things quite quickly. Gradually, you will begin to understand more and more of what people are saying (it's often easier when listening to others chatting as you're more relaxed than when wondering how to answer a question that someone has asked you).
Let me offer you one final perspective - imagine that the situation were reversed and a native Spanish speaker with almost no English asked your for help back home. Would you not do whatever you could to understand what he or she was saying and then give any assistance you could? I know I would! And I certainly wouldn't be standing there judging the traveller on how much or how little English her or she knew. I'd be much more likely to double-check that I had really understood what the person meant and then figure out the best way to help. Many of the people who live along the Camino have done so all their lives; in many cases, their families will have lived there for generations. You won't be the first
peregrina needing help, and you certainly won't be the last. Beginning with
¡discúlpeme por favor! (excuse me please) will help.
The more effort you make to speak Spanish, whether your verb or noun endings are correct or not, the better, and the greater the rewards you will reap. I travelled alone most of the way (due to injury, gastroenteritis and a chest infection) and I found that people went out of their way to help me and to chat with me, and that they were almost invariably kind. (The only times I ever saw locals getting grumpy were with those who had the expectations of a tourist, rather than the humility and gratitude of the
peregrino.) For instance one
hospitalera's partner drove around to someone else's house to pick up the key to the local church to give me a private tour simply because I'd asked who the patron saint was!
And it wasn't just the locals either. There were evenings when there were no English speakers apart from me in an
albergue but I spent a lovely time talking with Spanish
peregrinos. If people truly want to communicate, they will find a way! I am sure that you will find a way, as well as The Way, and will have a wonderful and rewarding time doing so.
¡Buen Camino!
Maria