Having a non-Spanish speaking friend visit is the best language training. After all, it was up to me to figure out how to communicate. Here are a few of the Spanish phrases that I hear all the time.
effectivo = “cash”
tres quarto = how I like my steak cooked
muy amable = “so kind”
a la orden = what the shopkeepers cry out to get your attention, and so much more. It’s like “sure” or “okay” as well.
listo = okay or “ready.”
But, just when I think I’m getting less baffled, I go to Carulla or Jumbo, and I can’t understand what the cashier is saying when they ask me if I have a membership card? At least now I understand them, I just don’t actually know what they are saying…