Before calling, write down all the details you’ll need to give. However, when you phone, don’t rush to say them all immediately.

If you blurt out something like this:

✅ Start with just one simple statement:

“Hello, I’d like a room.”

This way, the other person will lead the conversation, asking for the details one step at a time:

    “For how many people?”
    “What are the dates?”
    “When do you arrive?”
    “Will you require breakfast?”
    “What sort of room?”
    “Do you have a contact number?”

By ticking off your prepared details as you go, you can make sure you don’t forget anything.

It’s easier to break down a reservation into a series of short questions and answers than to reel it off in one long spiel.

Before you even pick up the phone, make a list of questions they might ask you. Then, translate some of the key words into your target language. Once you've written them down, you can listen out for them, and then answer the questions accordingly. And never be afraid to ask them to repeat.

The chances are, if it’s a tourist destination, they’ll end up speaking to you in English, but you must stay in character! Even if they do it all in English, stay in French or Spanish or whichever language you're learning. Don’t be bullied into English; it’s the only way you’ll improve.

If you don’t quite catch what the person says, don’t panic! Instead, use these simple phrases to ask them to repeat:

🇫🇷 French: Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît ? (Can you repeat, please?)
🇪🇸 Spanish: ¿Puede repetir, por favor? (Can you repeat, please?)
🇩🇪 German: Können Sie das bitte wiederholen? (Can you repeat that, please?)
🇮🇹 Italian: Può ripetere, per favore? (Can you repeat, please?)
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Pode repetir, se faz favor? (Can you repeat, please?)

If you only half-understood, you can also ask:

🇫🇷 French: Je n’ai pas bien compris (I didn’t quite understand)
🇪🇸 Spanish: No entendí bien (I didn’t quite understand)
🇩🇪 German: Ich habe das nicht ganz verstanden (I didn’t quite understand)
🇮🇹 Italian: Non ho capito bene (I didn’t quite understand)
🇵🇹 Portuguese: Não entendi bem (I didn’t quite understand)

Knowing these phrases will help keep the conversation flowing instead of getting stuck in confusion. Plus, most people are happy to repeat if they know you’re learning.

Here are just a few key words and phrases for you to listen out for when you're on the telephone. This is just to get your list started, you can add more as and when you think of them:

🔹 “How many nights?”
    French: Combien de nuits ?
    Spanish: ¿Cuántas noches?
    German: Wie viele Nächte?
    Italian: Quante notti?
    Portuguese: Quantas noites?

🔹 “What date do you arrive?”
    French: Quelle est votre date d’arrivée ?
    Spanish: ¿En qué fecha llega?
    German: Wann kommen Sie an?
    Italian: Qual è la data di arrivo?
    Portuguese: Qual é a data de chegada?

🔹 “Would you like breakfast included?”
    French: Voulez-vous le petit-déjeuner inclus ?
    Spanish: ¿Quiere el desayuno incluido?
    German: Möchten Sie Frühstück dazu?
    Italian: Vuole la colazione inclusa?
    Portuguese: Quer pequeno-almoço incluído?

🔹 “Can I take your contact details?”
    French: Puis-je prendre vos coordonnées ?
    Spanish: ¿Me puede dar sus datos de contacto?
    German: Kann ich Ihre Kontaktdaten haben?
    Italian: Posso prendere i suoi dati di contatto?
    Portuguese: Posso anotar seus dados de contato?

Taking things step by step makes conversations smoother, keeps you in control, and helps you feel more confident in your new language. So, next time you make a booking, slow down, listen out for key words, and enjoy the process—after all, learning a language is about communication, not perfection!