Voice translator

Spanish to English voice translator

Someone is speaking Spanish and you need to follow it in English. Open the translator, pick Spanish for them and English for you, and take turns: they speak Spanish, you hear English, and your English reaches them in Spanish.

Face-to-Face and Listen are free for up to 30 minutes a day. Sign in with a free Owaa account to use it.

How to use it

  1. 01

    Open it with the pair chosen

    The button above opens Face-to-Face with Spanish for you and English for the other person already selected. If you are not signed in, you are taken through sign-in and brought back.

  2. 02

    Take turns

    One person speaks at a time. Wait until the translation finishes playing before you speak, because anything said while it plays is not heard.

  3. 03

    Hear each other

    Each of you hears the other in your own language through the same device. Major pairs such as English with Chinese, Spanish or Japanese are strongest; for anything important, repeat the key detail back.

Need the other direction? English to Spanish voice translator.

Useful Spanish phrases

Common Spanish phrases and their English meaning
SpanishEnglish
Hola, ¿cómo está?Hello, how are you? (formal)
Necesito un médico.I need a doctor.
¿Dónde está el baño?Where is the bathroom?
¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor?Could you speak more slowly, please?
No entiendo.I don't understand.
¿Cuánto cuesta?How much does it cost?
Tengo una cita a las tres.I have an appointment at three o’clock.
Muchas gracias.Thank you very much.

Everyday phrases for reading or saying aloud. They are a reference, not a substitute for the translator in a real conversation.

Spanish: varieties and dialects

Spanish is spoken natively by hundreds of millions of people, and everyday vocabulary differs by country. A car is un coche in Spain but un carro or un auto in much of Latin America; Mexican Spanish and Castilian (European) Spanish also differ in the pronoun vosotros, which Spain uses for informal “you” plural and Latin America does not.

In the United States most Spanish speakers have Mexican, Central American, Caribbean or South American roots. Speak in plain, complete sentences and avoid regional slang and idioms, which are the words most likely to come out literally.

Politeness and formality in a translated conversation

  • Spanish has an informal “you” (tú) and a formal one (usted). With a doctor, landlord, teacher or bank clerk, usted is the safe choice, and a translated conversation will sound more natural if you address people politely first.
  • On forms, many Spanish speakers use two surnames (the father’s, then the mother’s). If a form asks for a single last name, ask which one to write instead of guessing.

Common situations with Spanish speakers

At the doctor

Say each symptom as its own short sentence and give how long it has lasted. Names of medicines are safest spelled out or shown on the box.

With a landlord

Repeat amounts and dates back (“rent is due on the first”) so both sides can confirm the translation, and ask for important terms in writing.

At your child’s school

Ask the teacher to name the grade, the subject and the date in one sentence, and ask for anything you must sign to be explained line by line.

At the bank

Spell out account numbers digit by digit, and say whether a figure is dollars or pesos.

General conversation tips only, not legal or medical advice. For anything with legal, medical or financial consequences, use a qualified human interpreter.

Call someone who speaks Spanish

Owaa also translates a real phone call both ways, to any number, with no app for the person you call. A call to Mexico, the main country for Spanish, costs $0.25–$0.30 per minute. New accounts can claim 10 free minutes once.

Questions

Is the spanish to english voice translator free?
Yes, free for up to 30 minutes a day. The limit exists to prevent abuse. It needs a free Owaa account, which takes a moment to create.
Can I call someone in Mexico who speaks Spanish?
Yes. Owaa translates a real phone call both ways. A call to Mexico costs $0.25–$0.30 per minute, and new accounts can claim 10 free minutes once. You can also call the hotline, +1 833 988 4455.
What is the difference between Face-to-Face and Listen for Spanish?
Face-to-Face is two-way, for two people in the same room: each speaks their own language and hears the other in theirs. Listen is one-way: it translates a talk, a broadcast or a speaker into English.
Which kind of Spanish does this page cover?
It is about Spanish as a language. The phrases above are common across Latin America and Spain, but words differ by region (a car is un coche in Spain, un carro or un auto elsewhere). Owaa does not publish accuracy figures for individual regional varieties, so check anything important with the other person.
Should I say usted or tú?
Use usted (formal) with people you do not know, and with doctors, officials and landlords. Switch to tú only if the other person does first or invites you to.
Can it translate Spanglish?
Mixing English and Spanish in one sentence is hard for any translator. Pick one language per sentence and keep sentences short.

Other language pairs

Spanish to English voice translator — free, real time · Owaa