Renting a Car in Spanish

Getting where you want to go is generally your first concern when traveling abroad — which means that transportation can become a source of stress. Renting a car in a Spanish-speaking country doesn't have to be a stressful experience if you familiarize yourself with typical customs and conversations in advance.

If you plan to rent a car during your trip, try to find out whether arranging the rental from your home base, before you go, has any advantages for you. Generally it is cheaper.

Driving concerns

Fortunately, when you drive in any country in Latin America where Spanish is spoken, the rules of the road are very similar to those you already know.

Driver's licenses

Some countries, such as Mexico, accept your valid driver's license from your home country. Other countries may require an International Driver's License. You can get one from the American and Canadian automobile drivers' associations, whether or not you are a member. The association itself can tell you which countries require an International Driver's License.

Road signs

Most road signs in Latin America are based on symbols rather than words. This system makes them very easy to understand, no matter what language you speak. In fact, most driving signs have become quite universal; they are much the same everywhere:

• A do not enter sign is a circle in a red field, crossed by a diagonal line.

• A stop sign is always an octagonal red field with black borders. Inside is a word such as pare (pah-reh) (stop) or alto (ahl-toh) (stop), instead of the English word "stop."

• On the highway, left turns and right turns are indicated with signs that have a diamond shape with an arrow bent in the direction of the turn. A turn sign with a diagonal across it means no turn.

Ask at the car rental office whether you should expect any road signs that you don't understand.

Whether at the airport or on the street, these two questions can come in handy when you need to find transportation:

• ¿Dónde arriendan autos? (dohn-deh ah-rreeehn-dahn ahoo-tohs) (Where do they rent cars?)

• ¿Hay oficina de renta de autos? (ahy oh-fee-see-nah deh rehn-tah deh ahoo-tohs) (Is there a car rental office?)

At the car rental office

Now you come to the nitty gritty of trying to rent a car. Here are some things you can say when inquiring about a rental car:

• Quiero arrendar un auto. (keeeh-roh ah-rrehn-dahr oon ahoo-toh) (I want to rent a car.)

• Me puede dar la lista de precios? (meh pooeh-deh dahr lah lees-tah deh preh-seeohs) (Can you give me the price list?)

• ¿Cuánto cuesta al día? (kooahn-toh kooehs-tah ahl deeah) (How much is it per day?)

• ¿Cuánto cuesta por semana? (kooahn-toh kooehs-tah pohr seh-mah-nah) (How much is it per week?)

• ¿Cuántos kilómetros puedo andar? (kooahn-tohs kee-loh-meh-trohs pooeh-doh ahn-dahr) (How many kilometers may I go?)

• ¿Cuántos kilómetros por litro da este auto? (kooahn-tohs kee-loh-meh-trohs pohr lee-tro dah ehs-teh ahoo-toh) (How many kilometers per liter does this car make?)

• ¿Cuánto cuesta el seguro? (kooahn-toh kooehs-tah ehl seh-goo-roh) (How much is the insurance?)

• ¿Tiene mapas de la región? (teeeh-neh mah-pahs deh lah reh-Heeohn) (Do you have maps of the region?)

• ¿Dónde está la rueda de repuesto? (dohn-deh ehs-tah lah rooeh-dah deh reh-pooehs-toh) (Where's the spare tire?)

• ¿Dónde tengo que devolver el auto? (dohn-deh tehn-goh keh deh-bvohl-bvehr ehl ahoo-toh) (Where do I have to return the car?)

Questions about driving

You also want to know about the car you are renting and the driving conditions in the area you're visiting. These phrases will help you get the information you need:

• ¿El auto es estándar o automático? (ehl ahoo-toh ehs ehs-tahn-dahr oh ahoo-toh-mah-tee-koh) (Is the car standard or automatic?)

• ¿Es difícil manejar por aquí? (ehs dee-fee-seel mah-neh-Hahr pohr ah-kee) (Is it hard to drive around here?)

• Hay que tener mucha prudencia. (ahy keh teh-nehr moo-chah proo-dehn-seeah) (You have to be very prudent/careful.)

• ¿Habrá mucho tráfico en la mañana? (ah-bvrah moo-choh trah-fee-koh ehn lah mah-nyah-nah) (Will there be much traffic in the morning?)

• ¿Cuál es la mejor hora para salir de la ciudad? (kooahl ehs lah meh-Hohr oh-rah pah-rah sah-leer deh lah seeoo-dahd) (Which is the best time to get out of the city?)

Questions about the road

The people at the car rental office may know something about the roads that you are about to explore. Here are some questions and answers you may get while the agent and you are looking at a map:

• ¿Están pavimentados los caminos? (ehs-tahn pah-bvee-mehn-tah-dohs lohs kah-mee-nohs) (Are the roads paved?)

• No todos. Estos son de tierra. (noh toh-dohs ehs-tohs sohn deh teeeh-rrah) (Not all of them. These are dirt roads.)

• No todos. Estos son de terracería. (noh toh-dohs ehs-tohs sohn deh teh-rrah-seh-reeah) (Not all of them. These are dirt roads.) [Mexico].

• Esos caminos tienen muchos baches. (eh-sohs kah-mee-nohs teeeh-nehn moo-chohs bvah-chehs) (Those roads have a lot of potholes.)

• Estos caminos están excelentes. (eh-sohs kah-mee-nohs sohn ehk-seh-lehn-tehs) (Those roads are excellent.)

• Hay autopista. (ahy ahoo-toh-pees-tah) (There's a freeway.)

• Son caminos de cuotas. (sohn kah-mee-nohs deh koooh-tahs.) (They are toll roads.) [Mexico]

• Son caminos de peaje. (sohn kah-mee-nohs deh peh-ah-Heh) (They are toll roads.)

Words to know