Spanish For Dummies
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Emergencies can happen whether you know Spanish or not, so if you're in a Spanish-speaking area, you need to be prepared to warn others and/or get help in Spanish should an emergency situation arise. Following are some basic Spanish distress-signaling words:

  • ¡Socorro! (¡soh-koh-rroh!) (Help!)

  • ¡Auxilio! (¡ahoohk-see-leeoh!) (Help!)

  • ¡Ayúdeme! (¡ah-yooh-deh-meh?) (Help me!)

  • ¡Rápido! (¡rrah-pee-doh!) (Quick!)

  • ¡Apúrense! (¡ah-pooh-rehn-seh!) (Hurry!)

If you face some sort of disaster, use one of the following words:

  • ¡Incendio! (¡een-sehn-deeoh!) (Fire!)

  • ¡Inundación! (¡ee-noohn-dah-seeohn!) (Flood!)

  • ¡Temblor! (¡tehm-bvlohr!) (Earth tremor!)

  • ¡Terremoto! (¡teh-rreh-moh-toh!) (Earthquake!)

  • ¡Maremoto! (¡mah-reh-moh-toh!) (Tidal wave!)

When giving a warning, you have a choice. In Mexico shout

  • ¡Aguas! (¡ah-goohahs!) (Watch out!)

  • ¡Ojo! (¡oh-Hoh!) (Look out! [Literally: eye])

Everywhere else, yell ¡Cuidado! (koohee-dah-doh) (Watch out!).

About This Article

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About the book authors:

Berlitz® has taught languages to millions of people for more than 130 years. Susana Wald is a writer and literary translator in Hungarian, Spanish, English, and French, and she has taught abroad in Chile and Canada. Cecie Kraynak, MA, has taught and tutored Spanish at the junior high school and college levels for more than 25 years. She is the author of Spanish Verbs For Dummies.

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