01 · Hailing one down
¿Está libre?
Are you free?
Short and direct — exactly what you call out or ask before getting in.
andbefluent.com/spanish/taxi-talk
Taxi Talk
Tell the driver where you're headed, confirm the fare, and chat on the way, out loud.
With taxi drivers you can relax into casual tú — a ride is small-talk territory, not formal business. The one habit worth keeping: settle the fare before you get in. ¿Usa taxímetro? (do you use the meter?) and ¿Cuánto cuesta ir a...? (how much to go to...?) save you the surprise at the end. To get moving, Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor is all you need; to stop, Pare aquí, por favor.
Below: the phrases that carry a ride from curb to destination, the mix-up that gives you away, and a way to rehearse the whole trip out loud before your next one.
The warm-up pack
The lines that carry a ride from the curb to the destination — and the small talk that gets the driver talking back.
01 · Hailing one down
¿Está libre?
Are you free?
Short and direct — exactly what you call out or ask before getting in.
02 · State where you're going
Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor.
Take me to this address, please.
Formal usted, and it works whether you're showing an address on your phone or saying it out loud.
03 · Settle it before you ride
¿Usa taxímetro?
Do you use the meter?
Ask this before you get in, not after — it's the question that avoids an awkward fare surprise at the end.
04 · Get a number
¿Cuánto cuesta ir a...?
How much does it cost to go to...?
If there's no meter, this is how you get a flat price up front instead of guessing.
05 · Keep them on your route
Gire a la derecha en la esquina.
Turn right at the corner.
Derecha is the turn, derecho is straight ahead — easy to mix up, worth getting right when you're the one giving directions.
06 · Open small talk
¿Hay mucho tráfico hoy?
Is there a lot of traffic today?
A safe, everyday opener — drivers expect it and usually run with it.
07 · Ask for a local tip
¿Conoce un buen restaurante por aquí?
Do you know a good restaurant around here?
Drivers who've worked a city for years tend to have opinions — this is how you get them.
08 · When you've gone too far
Creo que nos pasamos.
I think we went past it.
Polite, not accusatory — it flags the miss without making it a big deal.
09 · Call the stop
Pare aquí, por favor.
Stop here, please.
Clear and simple — say it a beat before you actually need to stop.
10 · Close it out
Quédese con el cambio.
Keep the change. (el cambio in Mexico — el vuelto in Argentina.)
Short phrase, does the job — hand over the money and say this instead of waiting for change you're going to leave anyway.
11 · For the paper trail
¿Me puede dar un recibo?
Can you give me a receipt?
Useful for expenses, and a completely normal thing to ask for before you get out.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/taxi-talkRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| keep the change | quédese con el cambio | quédese con el vuelto |
| the trunk | la cajuela | el baúl |
| asking the fare | ¿cuánto me sale? | ¿cuánto me cobrás? |
| heavy traffic | está pesado el tráfico | hay mucho quilombo |
| go straight | derechito | seguí derecho |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the final lesson it's Friday evening, the city lit up, and a taxi pulls to the curb outside your hotel. Isabella has been driving these streets for years — warm, talkative, a recommendation for every neighborhood, and an opinion about wherever you're headed. You give her the address, sort out whether she's running the meter or quoting a flat price, and keep the small talk going when traffic slows you down. She talks back the whole way:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Taxi Talk is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Casual tú is normal and expected — a taxi ride is friendly, everyday territory. A warm opener goes a long way: ¿está libre, jefe? (are you free, boss?) is how it's often done in Mexico.
Start with Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor (take me to this address, please) or Voy al aeropuerto. Then guide as you go: Siga derecho (go straight), Gire a la derecha en la esquina (turn right at the corner).
Ask before you ride: ¿Cuánto cuesta ir a...? (how much to go to...?) and ¿Usa taxímetro? (do you use the meter?). At the end, Quédese con el cambio means keep the change.
They're easy to mix up. Derecha means right (a turn), and derecho means straight ahead. So Gire a la derecha is turn right, while Siga derecho is keep going straight.
Pare aquí, por favor (stop here, please) does the job. If you've gone too far, Creo que nos pasamos (I think we went past it) fixes it politely.