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B115 words5 phrases

At the post office

Sending a parcel home or collecting one you missed means a short, formulaic conversation, and the forms use words you will not meet anywhere else.

Quick answer

Quiero enviar este paquete a Irlanda.

I want to send this parcel to Ireland. Enviar and mandar both work; mandar is the more everyday of the two.

The words

SpanishEnglish
la oficina de correosthe post office
la cartathe letter
el paquetethe parcel
el sobrethe envelope
el sellothe stamp
el buzónthe postbox
la direcciónthe address
el código postalthe postcode
el remitentethe sender
el destinatariothe addressee
el envíothe shipment
la entregathe delivery
el formulariothe form
enviarto send
recogerto collect

The phrases you will actually say

Quiero enviar este paquete a Irlanda.I want to send this parcel to Ireland.
¿Cuánto tarda en llegar?How long does it take to arrive?
Necesito dos sellos para postales.I need two stamps for postcards.
Vengo a recoger un paquete.I have come to collect a parcel.
Rellene el formulario con el remitente y el destinatario.Fill in the form with the sender and the addressee.

Worth knowing

The Spanish postal service is Correos, and its offices keep short hours, typically closing around half past two, with only the larger branches open in the afternoon. Stamps are also sold in estancos, the tobacconists marked with a brown and yellow sign, which is usually faster than queueing. To collect a parcel you need your passport or residence card and the aviso de llegada slip; an item held for you is en lista de correos. Two words to keep apart: la dirección is the address but also management or direction, and el sobre is an envelope while the preposition sobre means about or on top of. Note that Latin America generally says la estampilla or el timbre where Spain says el sello.

Practice

Practise your post office words

0/8 matched — tap a Spanish word, then its translation

Check yourself

Where else can you buy stamps in Spain besides the post office?

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