27 Phrases You'll Need in Your First Week in a New Country

Your first week abroad is a gauntlet of appointments in a language you don't fully speak yet. You don't need fluency to survive it — you need a small, memorised toolkit of the right phrases. Here are the categories that matter, and the exact lines to learn in your target language.

1. Control phrases (learn these first)

These are the most valuable sentences in any language for a newcomer, because they work in every conversation. When you're lost, they buy you time and signal goodwill:

• "Sorry, I'm still learning — could you speak more slowly?"
• "Could you repeat that, please?"
• "Could you write that down for me?"
• "How do you spell that?"
• "Do you speak English?" (a fallback, not a crutch)
• "I understand a little. Please be patient with me."

Master the control phrases and you never fully lose a conversation — you just slow it down until you can follow it.

2. Introducing and identifying yourself

• "My name is… I've just moved here."
• "Here is my passport / my documents."
• "I'm here to register my address."
• "What do I need to bring?"

3. Registration and official appointments

• "I have an appointment at [time]."
• "Which form do I need?"
• "What does this line mean?"
• "When will it be ready?"

4. Renting and the landlord

• "I'd like to view the apartment."
• "How much is the deposit?"
• "Are utilities included?"
• "When can I move in?"

For the full rental vocabulary, see how much language you need to rent an apartment abroad.

5. Pharmacy and doctor

• "I need something for [a headache / a cough / a stomach ache]."
• "Do I need a prescription?"
• "I'd like to book an appointment."
• "I have an allergy to…"

6. Bank, SIM card and money

• "I'd like to open a bank account."
• "I'd like a SIM card / a phone plan."
• "How much does it cost per month?"
• "Can I pay by card?"
• "Is there a contract?"

7. Transport and getting around

In week one you'll be moving constantly — to appointments, viewings, the shops — usually without a car and often without working out the ticket machine. These phrases keep you unstuck:

• "A ticket to [place], please."
• "Which platform / which line for [place]?"
• "Does this stop at [place]?"
• "How do I get to this address?" (show it written down)
• "Is there a day pass / weekly pass?"

A tip that outperforms any phrase: keep your destination written down in the local language on your phone. When speech fails, pointing at clear text almost always works.

8. Emergencies (learn these, hope you never use them)

Emergency phrases are the one category where you cannot afford to be searching a translation app, so memorise a handful before you travel. They're short and they matter:

• "Help!" and "Call an ambulance / the police."
• "I need a doctor."
• "There's been an accident."
• "I've lost my passport / my wallet."
• "I don't feel well."

Also save the local emergency number and your address in the local language somewhere you can reach in one tap. Under stress, recall collapses — pre-written text is your backup.

9. Starting a conversation and making a first friend

Survival phrases get you through the paperwork; a few social phrases get you a life. You don't need to be witty in a new language — you need to be warm and willing, and people respond to the effort:

• "Hi, I've just moved here — I'm still learning the language."
• "Where would you recommend for [coffee / groceries / a haircut]?"
• "Is it okay if I practise a little with you?"
• "Thank you for your patience."

That last one is quietly powerful. Acknowledging someone's patience turns a transactional exchange into a friendly one — and friendly locals are how a new country starts to feel like home.

10. Numbers, dates and times — the hidden essentials

Numbers are the quietest failure point of week one, because almost every important exchange hinges on them — a price, an appointment time, a house number, a deposit amount, a platform. Drill these until they're instant:

• Numbers 0–100 (and the pattern for hundreds and thousands, for rent and prices).
• Days of the week and months (for appointments and contracts).
• Telling the time and saying dates out loud.
• "What time?", "How much?", "Which number?", "What date?"

A practical trick: when someone says a number you're unsure of, repeat it back as a question ("Fourteen thirty?") — it both confirms the detail and buys you a second to process. Mishearing a price or an appointment time is one of the most common — and most costly — week-one mistakes.

How to actually remember them

Don't just read the list. Do three things: (1) get the phrases in your target language and say each one out loud until it's automatic; (2) group them by the appointment you'll use them in, so recall is triggered by the situation; (3) rehearse the full mini-dialogue, including the likely reply, so you're not thrown when the other person actually answers. See the broader method in how to learn a language before you move abroad.

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