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Vocabulario del camino

Betsybow

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Summer 2025
Hi friends-

I’m an American planning my first Camino for July 2025. I am a very comfortable Spanish speaker. But I realize that there is so much Camino specific vocabulary that I have no idea how to express in Spanish? Is there a resource out there on Camino vocab and Expressions in Spanish?

Here’s a small one ….. in English we say “walk the Camino” but do we say “caminar el Camino” in Spanish or is there a different verb?

I love communicating in languages that are not my own so I’m excited to learn the Camino specific lingo in Spanish!

Gracias!
Betsy
 
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Welcome, @Betsybow !

The phrase that sounds most natural to me is "recorrer el Camino", but let's see if any native speakers chime in with other options.

You could also keep it simple by saying "hacer el Camino". Which reminds me of a famous saying that you'll see printed on t-shirts in Santiago. It goes "No hay camino, se hace camino al andar". It's from a poem by Antonio Machado.

Another word that comes up a lot in albergues is "litera", which is bunk beds, made up of "la litera de arriba" (top bunk) and "la litera de abajo" (bottom bunk).

You will also no doubt want to ask people if they can sellar (stamp) your credencial ("pilgrim's passport") with a sello (stamp, not a postage stamp but the kind that uses ink).

And of course, "buen Camino" is the most important phrase to know. If you haven't been to Spain before, you might not have heard "vale". It's the equivalent of "OK" or "está bien", and you will hear it literally dozens of times a day.

Those are the words and phrases that spring to my mind. There are surely many more!
 
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Betsybow said:
Here’s a small one ….. in English we say “walk the Camino” but do we say “caminar el Camino” in Spanish or is there a different verb?
Click to expand...

What I usually hear and read Spanish pilgrims say is "hacer el Camino."

At least I've noticed that in Camino group FB posts by Spaniards.
 
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Rick of Rick and Peg said:
Learn courtesy phrases in Euskara/Basque. My greetings in Spanish went unanswered.

Continental Spanish uses the second person plural and more often uses the informal you forms.
Click to expand...
Interesting. In Galicia my greetings in galego are almost always answered in Spanish, but the linguistic dynamics there are different than in Euskal Herrira/Basque Country.

A few other useful words that differ from Latin American Spanish:

Reservation = reserva
Juice = zumo
Ticket = billete
Mobile/cell phone = móvil
Room = habitación
 
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I’m only a student of Spanish but I believe recorrer or hacer would be correct, please correct me if I’m wrong, I’m still learning.

Regarding a few Basque phrases:

Thank you. mesedez
Please. eskerrik asko (escary costco)

Keep in mind that not all pueblos in the Basque Country speak Basque or identify as such and will tell you so, Cirauqui for sure and from personal experience

I admire and respect your desire to speak the local languages.
 
I bought a book called Mi primer Camino de Santiago by a native Spanish speaker, Maria Seco. It has Camino specific vocabulary which I found very useful for my first Camino.

(PS this is not an ad, I'm not affiliated to the author in any way).

​

 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
bellamira said:
Thanks, I was reluctant to tag her or link to the book in case my post was deleted. She has a number of brilliant resources for those wanting to understand both the local language and cultural nuances. Thanks.
Click to expand...
It's okay to mention or link to a resource that you found useful. It's self promotion that's limited on the forum.
 
Yes, I totally agree with the replies from Wendy and Trecile.

You can say:
Andar el Camino
Hacer el Camino
Recorrer el Camino

In my opinion, the most that I have heard is the second one of the listed above. I base this on the popularity of a song, with the same title as the poem, which was sung by the singer, Joan Manuel Serrat. The song incorporates the poem.
As natural Spanish speaker, I do prefer to use:
Hacer el Camino.

Here is the poem and an English translation, also I am attaching a video of the song performance, for those that have not the opportunity to listen it before.

Caminante, no hay Camino
By Antonio Machado

Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino y nada más;
Caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino
sino estelas en la mar.


And here is the translation
by Mary G. Berg and Dennis Maloney

Travelers, your footprints,
are the only road, nothing else.
Travelers, there is no road;
you make your own road as you walk.
As you walk, you make your own
road,
and when you look back
you see the path
you will never walk again.
Traveler, there is no road
Only a ship’s wake on the sea.


And here is a link to the song:

 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
trecile said:
@MariaSP is actually a member of the forum.
Click to expand...
Who has contributed four Spanish language resources to this forum (at least one has already been mentioned).

Pasatiempos Peregrinos

An activity book to improve your Spanish

Resource icon

Spanish for the Camino Podcast

A podcast for Camino enthusiasts who want to improve their Spanish

Mi primer Camino De Santiago

A short novel in easy Spanish

Spanish for the Camino

A blog with the pilgrims' needs in mind
 
grayland said:
I would suggest following and/or participating in the Gronze Forum...in Spanish.

Foro: General | Gronze.com

www.gronze.com
Click to expand...

I would also caution that English is normally not "encouraged" in the Gronze Forum. It is native Spanish language centered group that is very serious about all things Camino.
 
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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I learned a LITTLE bit of Euskara (Basque language), and the Basque people absolutely loved the effort.

One small correction: eskerrik asko is “thank you” and mesedez is “please.”

Kaixo (pronounced kie show) is hello…and it was one of my favorites.
 
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Wendy Werneth said:
"la litera de abajo" (bottom bunk).
Click to expand...
Muchas gracias. I am an old guy (muy viejo) and have always requested "una cama baja" in an albergue. Now I will ask for la liter de abajo. My Spanish is poquito but I do pronounce "vale" (ok) as "bale" as I have heard a lot of bale, bale. Also, I say "bino (beano) tinto" instead of vino tinto. I have had a lot of practice saying that. Buen Camino
 
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Usually "hacer el Camino." And in northern Spain, c before e and i and z are pronounced "th." Yes, initial v in Spanish is pronounced b. You'll hear "Buen camino" along the way, but I say "Ultreia." Research that. Quite a few people on the road speak English fluently and others want to practice with you.
 
Yes, "caminar el camino" doesn' t sound well in Spanish.
v always is pronounced b in Spanish, initial or in the middle.
 
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My own favourite when arriving in a village big enough to have more than one bar: ?Perdon, donde se come bien? - usually directed to a middle-aged or older couple. They usually point out the place where the locals eat - maybe two euros more than the standard pilgrim meal, but usually a better selection.
 
I love these phonetic translations. Beano
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Gracias todos!

“Aseos” is totally new vocab for me! Also “litera.” Thanks for the tips!

I’ll be walking the primitivo so not through Basque Country …. But now you’ve all got me curious to learn that too!

Paz y bien,
Betsy
 
Pelegrin said:
v always is pronounced b in Spanish, initial or in the middle.
Click to expand...
Something I only learned in the last month is that while the two are pronounced the same there are two different sounds that are used depending on position or surrounding sounds, not on the letter used though.

Here's a webpage telling about when these letters get pronounced with a hard sound or soft.

How to Pronounce B and V in Spanish

A thorough explanation of how to pronounce the letters B and V in Spanish, along with an audio version of the lesson.
www.thoughtco.com

I'll never be able to do this correctly. I've listened to videos and such about phonetics but I keep wondering why because when they demonstrate sounds in different accents half the time I can't tell the difference.
 
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Muchas gracias for responding, Trecile. Baffling. It showed just English a couple of hours ago on my PC -- including the quote from Wendy. In response to your question, I checked my iPhone and it showed what I had written in Spanish. NOW, back on my PC, it is back in Spanish. So all is well but I remain confused in my old age. The only solution I can think of is to keep walking on the Camino. Next, back to the Mozarabe in March. Buen Camino
 
You are so right, quick responses while distracted are often incorrect. My apologies and thank you for the helping hand
 
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To be honest, not many Spanish speakers would even be aware that there is a difference. The main thing to know is that both B and V are pronounced as B. So, whenever you see a V in a Spanish word, pronounce it as if the word was spelled with B and forget about the rest.
 
As an additional information in all the languages of the Península (Spanish,
Catalan, Basque, Galego and Portuguese ( North) the sound of b and v is the same. Actually, in Basque the letter v doesn' t exist. Only in Portuguese from the south of river Douro the sound of v is different to b, which is normative in Portuguese language.
 
Above, I mentioned that I was a student of Spanish. The discussion about B and V is interesting to me as it’s come up in my class. I’m learning Spanish in the Americas which my instructors refer to as español versus the Spanish spoken in Spain, castellano. Generally they are both español but there are differences. The use of vosotros in Spain is notable. There are slight differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, including the V/B scenario being discussed here, and others. My instructors told me that in castellano, V and B often sound the same or similar. In español, the Spanish of the Americas, especially Mexico, there is a distinction between the pronunciations. However, it is understood. Like most languages, it’s seen as an accent for lack of a better term. As a student, I’d be interested in others experiences. We may be heading into a new/different topic. If so, my apologies to the OP.
 
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Betsybow said:
I realize that there is so much Camino specific vocabulary that I have no idea how to express in Spanish
Click to expand...
Today I was poking around on a start of learning more architecture terms used to describe church buildings because for my next camino I intend to visit more churches than I have done. I realize that I have to learn these in Spanish also so I can get the most out of tours or placards. My first thought is to use the English and Spanish Wikipedia sites but perhaps someone has a better idea for Betsybow and I.
 
Lots of misinformation there.
Castellano and español are 2 different names for the same language: Spanish. In Spain, people tend to refer to the language as "castellano" (mostly for political, rather than linguistic reasons). In Latin America, it varies. In some countries they refer to the language as Spanish, in others as castellano. It's just a preference; it has nothing to do with the language itself.

Regarding the pronunciation of B/V, the theory is that both are pronounced the same. and that's how it's done by most speakers irrespective of their country of origin. Some speakers pronounce them differently, mainly due to the influence of other languages spoken in the area. But in the standard pronunciation both B & V sound exactly the same.
 
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Juspassinthru said:
Same language, different variations and pronunciations was my point I guess.
Click to expand...

Sure, and I just wanted to clarify that some of the things that @Juspassinthru's teacher said are not correct, like the distinction castellano = Spanish from Spain v. español = Spanish from Latin America. These are just two names for the same language.
Also, the B/V explanation. Both letters are pronounced the same. There are some speakers who make a difference, but it's not a Spain v. Latin America issue.
 
MariaSP said:
Sure, and I just wanted to clarify that some of the things that @Juspassinthru's teacher said are not correct
Click to expand...
Interesting that my sharing how University educated and trained, native speakers of Spanish, who live in Mexico and who teach Spanish distinguish between and describe some of the differences between Spanish in Spain v. Mexico seems to have turned into some sort of competition. I respect opinions but when they become judgmental bordering on arrogant, I lose interest.
 
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The last thing I want to do is to be judgmental or arrogant, so I apologize if that's how I came across.
I tend to be a bit triggered by the whole español v. castellano debate. There's no debate from a linguistic point of view but most people (at least in Spain) have turned it into a political one. I find it exhausting and, as a linguist, I just have no patience for it. Sorry you got caught in my issues.
 
Well friends, this last bit seems like a great example of a conversation that would be interesting in person and take 45 seconds but gets confusing and weird on an Internet forum and ends up making folks feel bad. I appreciate conversations about the nuance of language so much! And I look forward to having many more over a tinto de verano somewhere in Galicia this summer.

Thanks everyone! Let’s put this one to bed.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Well, when I was at school (many ages ago); the teacher mentioned there different sounds for V/B.

First, they do sound differently one to other; let’s say in theory. The V is is done done by pressing your tongue toward the front/upper teeth while pressing your upper lip this is sound in Spanish in called “labiodental” because as mentioned above you use your lips and teeth to produce the sound.

Second, the sound of the B; is produced by only using your lips like when you pronounce the word “bonito”. This type of sound is called “labial” because it only uses the lips.

On the other side, it is to the person how to pronounce it, it is easier to use the labial as humans we tend to be lazy. Also, if you know the language’s grammar, it would be easier to be aware of the difference between both.

I don’t want to stir this thread into a linguistic discussion, just provided some information that may be helpful to understand better the language.
 
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