Emergencies, Health, and Asking for Help - Survival Travel Phrases in Spanish, French, and Mandarin

Q: Which option correctly means "Please speak more slowly"?

Spanish: Hable más despacio, por favor.. Option 1, "Hable más despacio, por favor" in Spanish, literally means "Speak more slowly, please." Option 2 means "I need a doctor." Option 3 means "I have lost my passport." Option 4 means "My bag has been stolen."

New Words and Phrases (in English)

Key emergency and health phrases you can plug into many situations: saying there is a problem, naming services like police or hospital, and asking people to slow down or repeat.

Word	Pronunciation	Translation	Example
Spanish: ¡Ayuda, por favor! / French: Au secours, s’il vous plaît ! / Mandarin: 请帮我，好吗？ (Qǐng bāng wǒ, hǎo ma?)	Spanish: eye-OO-dah, por fah-BLOR / French: oh suh-KOOR, seel voo PLEH / Mandarin: cheeng BAHNG wuo, how mah?	Help, please!	Spanish: ¡Ayuda, por favor, me he caído! / French: Au secours, s’il vous plaît, je suis tombé ! / Mandarin: 请帮我，好吗？我摔倒了。 (Qǐng bāng wǒ, hǎo ma? Wǒ shuāi dǎo le.)(Help, please, I have fallen!)
Spanish: Es una emergencia. / French: C’est une urgence. / Mandarin: 这是紧急情况。 (Zhè shì jǐnjí qíngkuàng.)	Spanish: ess OO-nah eh-mehr-HEN-syah / French: seh oon ur-ZHANS / Mandarin: juh shrr jin-JEE ching-KWANG	It’s an emergency.	Spanish: Es una emergencia, necesito un médico. / French: C’est une urgence, j’ai besoin d’un médecin. / Mandarin: 这是紧急情况，我需要医生。 (Zhè shì jǐnjí qíngkuàng, wǒ xūyào yīshēng.)(It’s an emergency, I need a doctor.)
Spanish: Llama a la policía, por favor. / French: Appelez la police, s’il vous plaît. / Mandarin: 请叫警察。 (Qǐng jiào jǐngchá.)	Spanish: YAH-mah ah lah poh-lee-SEE-ah, por fah-BLOR / French: ah-pley lah poh-LEESS, seel voo PLEH / Mandarin: cheeng jyaow jing-CHAH	Call the police, please.	Spanish: Llama a la policía, por favor, me han robado. / French: Appelez la police, s’il vous plaît, on m’a volé. / Mandarin: 请叫警察，我被偷了。 (Qǐng jiào jǐngchá, wǒ bèi tōu le.)(Call the police, please, I’ve been robbed.)
Spanish: Necesito un médico / un hospital / una farmacia. / French: J’ai besoin d’un médecin / d’un hôpital / d’une pharmacie. / Mandarin: 我需要医生 / 医院 / 药店。 (Wǒ xūyào yīshēng / yīyuàn / yàodiàn.)	Spanish: neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-coh / oon oh-spee-TAHL / OO-nah far-MAH-syah; French: zhay beh-ZWAN dun med-SAN / dun oh-pee-TAL / dun far-mah-SEE; Mandarin: wuo shü-yaow EE-shung / ee-YOO-en / yow-DYEN	I need a doctor / a hospital / a pharmacy.	Spanish: Estoy enfermo, necesito un médico. / French: Je suis malade, j’ai besoin d’un médecin. / Mandarin: 我不舒服，我需要医生。 (Wǒ bù shūfu, wǒ xūyào yīshēng.)(I am sick, I need a doctor.)
Spanish: He perdido mi pasaporte. / French: J’ai perdu mon passeport. / Mandarin: 我把护照丢了。 (Wǒ bǎ hùzhào diū le.)	Spanish: eh pehr-DEE-doh mee pah-sah-POR-teh / French: zhay pair-DÜ mon pass-PORT / Mandarin: wuo bah HOO-jow dyoh leh	I have lost my passport.	Spanish: Hola, he perdido mi pasaporte en el hotel. / French: Bonjour, j’ai perdu mon passeport à l’hôtel. / Mandarin: 你好，我把护照在酒店丢了。 (Nǐ hǎo, wǒ bǎ hùzhào zài jiǔdiàn diū le.)(Hello, I have lost my passport at the hotel.)
Spanish: Me han robado el bolso. / French: On m’a volé mon sac. / Mandarin: 我的包被偷了。 (Wǒ de bāo bèi tōu le.)	Spanish: meh an roh-BAH-doh el BOL-soh / French: on mah voh-LEY mon sak / Mandarin: wuo deh bao bay TOH leh	My bag has been stolen.	Spanish: Me han robado el bolso en el metro. / French: On m’a volé mon sac dans le métro. / Mandarin: 我的包在地铁里被偷了。 (Wǒ de bāo zài dìtiě lǐ bèi tōu le.)(My bag was stolen in the metro.)
Spanish: Hable más despacio, por favor. / French: Parlez plus lentement, s’il vous plaît. / Mandarin: 请说慢一点。 (Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn.)	Spanish: AH-bleh mahs dehs-PAH-syoh, por fah-BLOR / French: par-LEY ploo lon-teh-MON, seel voo PLEH / Mandarin: cheeng shwaw MAHN ee-dyen	Please speak more slowly.	Spanish: No entiendo, ¿puede hablar más despacio, por favor? / French: Je ne comprends pas, pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît ? / Mandarin: 我听不懂，请说慢一点。 (Wǒ tīng bù dǒng, qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn.)(I don’t understand, can you speak more slowly, please?)
Spanish: Mi número es… / Mi dirección es… / French: Mon numéro, c’est… / Mon adresse, c’est… / Mandarin: 我的号码是… / 我的地址是… (Wǒ de hàomǎ shì… / Wǒ de dìzhǐ shì…)	Spanish: mee NOO-meh-roh ess… / mee dee-rek-SYON ess… / French: mon nü-may-ROH, seh… / mon nah-DRESS, seh… / Mandarin: wuo deh HOW-mah shrr… / wuo deh DEE-jrr shrr…	My number is… / My address is…	Spanish: Mi número es +34 600 123 456. / French: Mon numéro, c’est le 06 12 34 56 78. / Mandarin: 我的号码是 138 0013 8000。 (Wǒ de hàomǎ shì yāo sān bā líng líng yāo sān bā líng líng líng.)(My number is… (used when giving your phone number clearly).)

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Simple "I need…" pattern

This is a very useful emergency pattern:

Spanish: Necesito + [noun]
Example: "Necesito un médico." = "I need a doctor."
You can swap the noun:
"Necesito un hospital." (I need a hospital.)
"Necesito ayuda." (I need help.)

French: J’ai besoin de / d’ + [noun]
Example: "J’ai besoin d’un médecin." = "I need a doctor."
Before a vowel, use d’: "d’un hôpital" (of a hospital).
More examples:
"J’ai besoin d’aide." (I need help.)
"J’ai besoin de la police." (I need the police.)

Mandarin: 我需要 + [noun] (Wǒ xūyào …)
Example: "我需要医生。 (Wǒ xūyào yīshēng.)" = "I need a doctor."
Swap the noun:
"我需要医院。 (Wǒ xūyào yīyuàn.)" (I need a hospital.)
"我需要帮助。 (Wǒ xūyào bāngzhù.)" (I need help.)

2. Saying something happened to you (lost / stolen)

Spanish often uses he + past participle for recent events:
"He perdido mi pasaporte." (I have lost my passport.)
"Me han robado el bolso." (They have robbed my bag / My bag has been stolen.)

French uses j’ai + past participle:
"J’ai perdu mon passeport." (I have lost my passport.)
"On m’a volé mon sac." (Someone stole my bag.)

Mandarin uses a structure with 把 (bǎ) and 了 (le) to show the result:
"我把护照丢了。 (Wǒ bǎ hùzhào diū le.)" (I lost my passport.)
For stolen: passive marker 被 (bèi):
"我的包被偷了。 (Wǒ de bāo bèi tōu le.)" (My bag was stolen.)

You don’t need to fully master the grammar; just remember these fixed sentences as emergency chunks.

3. Asking people to slow down

These phrases help you control the speed when you are stressed:

Spanish: "Hable más despacio, por favor." (Please speak more slowly.)
French: "Parlez plus lentement, s’il vous plaît." (Please speak more slowly.)
Mandarin: "请说慢一点。 (Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn.)" (Please speak a bit more slowly.)

All three start with a polite word:

Spanish: "por favor" (please)
French: "s’il vous plaît" (please, formal)
Mandarin: "请 (qǐng)" (please)

Memorize one full sentence in each language so you can use it automatically.

Practice Dialogue (in English)

You are at a busy train station. You suddenly feel unwell and realize your bag is missing. You ask a nearby person for help and need to explain the problem, ask for the police, and give your phone number slowly.

At a train station after a bag is stolen and the traveler feels unwell.

Traveler

Spanish: Disculpe, ¡ayuda, por favor! Es una emergencia. / French: Excusez-moi, au secours, s’il vous plaît ! C’est une urgence. / Mandarin: 不好意思，请帮我，好吗？这是紧急情况。 (Bù hǎoyìsi, qǐng bāng wǒ, hǎo ma? Zhè shì jǐnjí qíngkuàng.)

Excuse me, help please! It’s an emergency.

Local

Spanish: ¿Qué pasa? ¿Está bien? / French: Qu’est-ce qui se passe ? Vous allez bien ? / Mandarin: 怎么了？你还好吗？ (Zěnme le? Nǐ hái hǎo ma?)

What’s happening? Are you okay?

Traveler

Spanish: Me siento mal y me han robado el bolso. / French: Je ne me sens pas bien et on m’a volé mon sac. / Mandarin: 我不舒服，而且我的包被偷了。 (Wǒ bù shūfu, érqiě wǒ de bāo bèi tōu le.)

I feel unwell, and my bag has been stolen.

Traveler

Spanish: Llama a la policía, por favor. Necesito ayuda. / French: Appelez la police, s’il vous plaît. J’ai besoin d’aide. / Mandarin: 请叫警察，我需要帮助。 (Qǐng jiào jǐngchá, wǒ xūyào bāngzhù.)

Call the police, please. I need help.

Local

Spanish: Claro. ¿Su pasaporte está en el bolso? / French: Bien sûr. Votre passeport est dans le sac ? / Mandarin: 当然。你的护照在包里吗？ (Dāngrán. Nǐ de hùzhào zài bāo lǐ ma?)

Of course. Is your passport in the bag?

Traveler

Spanish: Sí, he perdido mi pasaporte. / French: Oui, j’ai perdu mon passeport. / Mandarin: 是的，我把护照丢了。 (Shì de, wǒ bǎ hùzhào diū le.)

Yes, I have lost my passport.

Police Officer

Spanish: Buenos días, soy policía. Hable más despacio, por favor. / French: Bonjour, je suis policier. Parlez plus lentement, s’il vous plaît. / Mandarin: 你好，我是警察。请说慢一点。 (Nǐ hǎo, wǒ shì jǐngchá. Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn.)

Hello, I am a police officer. Please speak more slowly.

Traveler

Spanish: Gracias. Mi número es… +34 600 123 456. / French: Merci. Mon numéro, c’est… 06 12 34 56 78. / Mandarin: 谢谢。我的号码是… 138 0013 8000。 (Xièxie. Wǒ de hàomǎ shì… yāo sān bā líng líng yāo sān bā líng líng líng.)

Thank you. My number is… (then you say your number slowly).

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Choose the best phrase (in Spanish, French, or Mandarin) to match the English meaning.

Which option correctly means "Please speak more slowly"?

Spanish: Hable más despacio, por favor.
French: J’ai besoin d’un médecin.
Mandarin: 我把护照丢了。 (Wǒ bǎ hùzhào diū le.)
Spanish: Me han robado el bolso.

Show Answer

Answer: A) Spanish: Hable más despacio, por favor.

Option 1, "Hable más despacio, por favor" in Spanish, literally means "Speak more slowly, please." Option 2 means "I need a doctor." Option 3 means "I have lost my passport." Option 4 means "My bag has been stolen."

Key Terms

Mi número es… / Mon numéro, c’est… / 我的号码是… (Wǒ de hàomǎ shì…): My number is… Used before giving your phone number clearly.
Mi dirección es… / Mon adresse, c’est… / 我的地址是… (Wǒ de dìzhǐ shì…): My address is… Used when giving your address to police, taxi, or emergency services.
Es una emergencia. / C’est une urgence. / 这是紧急情况。 (Zhè shì jǐnjí qíngkuàng.): It’s an emergency. Signals that the situation is serious.
Me han robado el bolso. / On m’a volé mon sac. / 我的包被偷了。 (Wǒ de bāo bèi tōu le.): My bag has been stolen. Used to report theft.
He perdido mi pasaporte. / J’ai perdu mon passeport. / 我把护照丢了。 (Wǒ bǎ hùzhào diū le.): I have lost my passport. Essential for dealing with lost documents.
¡Ayuda, por favor! / Au secours, s’il vous plaît ! / 请帮我，好吗？ (Qǐng bāng wǒ, hǎo ma?): Help, please! Very general emergency call to people nearby.
Llama a la policía, por favor. / Appelez la police, s’il vous plaît. / 请叫警察。 (Qǐng jiào jǐngchá.): Call the police, please. Used when you need police assistance.
Hable más despacio, por favor. / Parlez plus lentement, s’il vous plaît. / 请说慢一点。 (Qǐng shuō màn yìdiǎn.): Please speak more slowly. Helps you control the speed of the conversation.
Necesito un médico / un hospital / una farmacia. / J’ai besoin d’un médecin / d’un hôpital / d’une pharmacie. / 我需要医生 / 医院 / 药店。 (Wǒ xūyào yīshēng / yīyuàn / yàodiàn.): I need a doctor / a hospital / a pharmacy. Core health and emergency pattern.