Money Heist Spanish: 12 everyday phrases from Madrid
La casa de papel made millions of people want to speak Spanish the way they do in Madrid. These twelve everyday phrases follow the show’s settings, from making a plan to a tense phone call to a drink in the city, with audio. Say each one and the AI scores every word against a native Spanish reference.
TonePerfect is not affiliated with Money Heist (La casa de papel) or Netflix. The show is named only to describe the setting; every phrase on this page was written for it, none is quoted from the series.
Making a plan
Short, direct sentences: Spanish drops the subject pronoun, so the verb carries the person.
¿Cuál es el plan?
What’s the plan?
Cuál is one syllable, “kwal”. Plan: a clear a, no English “æ”.
Necesito hablar contigo.
I need to talk to you.
Hablar: the h is silent. Necesito: in Spain the c is said like “th”, in Latin America like s.
Confía en mí.
Trust me.
Confía: the accent splits í and a into two syllables, con-FÍ-a.
No hay tiempo, tenemos que irnos ya.
There’s no time, we have to go now.
Hay is “eye”. Tiempo: t with no puff of air. Irnos: a single tapped r.
¿Cuál es el plan?
What’s the plan?
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On the phone
Phone Spanish is fast; clear vowels are what keep you understood.
¿Me oyes bien?
Can you hear me well?
Oyes: “O-yes”, two syllables. Bien: one syllable, “byen”.
Quiero hablar con el responsable.
I want to speak to the person in charge.
Quiero: single tapped r. Responsable: the first r is trilled because it starts the word.
Te llamo en cinco minutos.
I’ll call you in five minutes.
Llamo: ll is the y of yes. Cinco: “theen-ko” in Spain, “seen-ko” in Latin America.
Tranquilo, no pasa nada.
Relax, it’s fine.
Tranquilo: qu is just k. Nada: the d between vowels is soft, close to the th in “this”.
¿Me oyes bien?
Can you hear me well?
Tap to record
Out in Madrid
Madrid life happens in bars and on the street. These are the phrases you will actually use there.
¿Dónde está la estación de metro?
Where is the metro station?
Estación: the stress mark puts the weight on -ción. Metro: tapped r.
Una caña, por favor.
A small beer, please.
Caña: ñ is the ny of canyon. Favor: the v is a soft b.
¿Vamos a tomar algo?
Shall we go for a drink?
Vamos starts with a b sound. Tomar: t without aspiration, r tapped at the end.
¡Qué calor hace hoy!
It’s so hot today!
Hace and hoy: the h is silent. Hoy is “oy”.
¿Dónde está la estación de metro?
Where is the metro station?
Tap to record
The traps for English speakers
- Two r sounds: one quick tap between vowels (pero, quiero) and a trill at the start of a word or for rr (responsable, perro).
- b and v are the same sound; between vowels the lips almost touch but do not close.
- Five pure vowels that never reduce: nada is “nah-dah”, never “nah-duh”.
- p, t and k have no puff of air, unlike English pen, ten, cat.
- The written accent marks the stressed syllable: estación, confía.
Keep going
- Spanish pronunciation — every Spanish sound explained, with a recorder.
- Spanish pronunciation test — five words, scored, with your weakest sound named.
- Spanish Christmas carols — two traditional villancicos to say line by line.
FAQ
Are these phrases from the show?+
No. They are everyday phrases for the kinds of situations the show is set in, written for this page. Nothing is quoted from the series.
Is the Spanish in Money Heist from Spain?+
Yes, the series is set and filmed in Spain, so you hear Castilian Spanish: c before e/i and z said like English “th”. Latin American Spanish says them as s; both are correct, and the phrases here work in either.
How is my Spanish scored?+
The AI compares your recording with a native Spanish reference and scores every word. It measures pronunciation, not grammar or accent origin.
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