Have you ever sent a letter or package in Spain? If you live in Spain, or spend your holidays here, this article will be really handy for you as you will learn the vocabulary and expressions needed to communicate at the post office. Shall we take a look?
At the post office – Spanish vocabulary
At the post office you can send or receive letters, parcels, postcards, and other documents. You can also buy envelopes and stamps. Here you have the basic vocabulary you will need.
carta – letter
sobre – envelope
sellos – stamps
Oficina de Correos – post office
buzón – postbox
paquete – package
postal – postcard
cartero – postman
How to send a package in Spain
Sending a letter at the post office
To send a letter you need to put it in an envelope, stick on a stamp, and write the recipient and sender information. You can buy both the envelopes and the stamps in a tobacco shop (estanco in Spanish) or the post office.
If you are sending a normal letter, there’s no need to go to the post office. All you need to do is post it in one of the yellow postboxes you’ll find on the street. If you want to send a letter by recorded delivery or by express delivery, you’ll have to go to the post office.
If you don’t know where to find a postbox, you can ask:
¿Dónde hay un buzón? – Where’s the postbox?
If you don’t know where to find a post office, you can ask:
¿Dónde está la oficina de correos? – Where’s the post office?
Here you can check out the information you need to write on the envelope.
Destinatario – Addressee
Nombre y apellidos – Name and surname
Dirección y código postal – Address and postal code
Remitente – Sender
Common expressions for sending a letter at the post office
Quería un sobre pequeño, mediano, grande… | I’d like a small//medium-sized/large envelope |
| Quería dos sellos para Reino Unido, por favor | I’d like two stamps for the UK, please |
| ¿Cuántos sellos necesito para enviar esta carta a Manchester? | Which stamps do I need to send this letter to Canada? |
| Quería enviar esta carta a Londres | I’d like to send this letter to London, please |
| Quería enviar esta carta por correo normal / correo certificado/ correo urgente por favor | I’d like to send this letter by ordinary post/recorded delivery/express delivery, please |
| ¿Cuánto tarda una carta para Londres? | How long does it take for a letter to arrive in London? |
Would you like to practice the content of this article through a conversation class with me?
Sending or picking up a package at the post office
To send a package, you need to go to the post office. There they weigh the parcel, ask you what type of delivery you need, and give you a sticker which you have to fill out with your details and the recipient information.
When you’re expecting to receive a parcel yourself it will usually be delivered to your house but, if nobody’s home when they try to deliver it, you will receive a notification in your postbox informing you that you need to go to the post office to pick up the package. (Provided that it’s not delivered by a private company such as Amazon.) Normally, you have 15 days to collect the parcel before it’s returned to the sender. To collect the parcel, all you need to do is to show your ID and give your signature.
Here you can check the Spanish post office official website
Common expressions for sending or picking up a package at the post office
| Quería una caja pequeña, mediana, grande para enviar un paquete | I’d like a small/medium/large box to post a package… |
Quería enviar este paquete a... | I’d like to send this package to… |
Quería recoger un paquete… | I’d like to pick up a package… |
¿Cuánto cuesta el envío urgente a…? | How much is express delivery to…? |
| ¿Cuál es la opción más barata para enviar este paquete? | What’s the cheapest way to send this package? |
¿Puedo contratar un seguro de pérdida para este envío? | Can I purchase insurance for this delivery…? |
Practice with these exercise: Order the dialogue in Spanish at the post office.
That’s everything
Do you like to send postal cards when you travel?
Do you receive packages and postal cards?
Check out more everyday situations like this to practice your Spanish:
At the doctor’s office in Spanish
If you want to practice everyday situations like this with a conversation in Spanish, book a free trial class with me and find out how can I help you 😉
