Emergencies can happen whether you know Spanish or not, so if you're in a Spanish-speaking area, you need to be prepared to warn others and/or get help in Spanish should an emergency situation arise. Following are some basic Spanish distress-signaling words:
¡Socorro! (¡soh-koh-rroh!) (Help!)
¡Auxilio! (¡ahoohk-see-leeoh!) (Help!)
¡Ayúdeme! (¡ah-yooh-deh-meh?) (Help me!)
¡Rápido! (¡rrah-pee-doh!) (Quick!)
¡Apúrense! (¡ah-pooh-rehn-seh!) (Hurry!)
If you face some sort of disaster, use one of the following words:
¡Incendio! (¡een-sehn-deeoh!) (Fire!)
¡Inundación! (¡ee-noohn-dah-seeohn!) (Flood!)
¡Temblor! (¡tehm-bvlohr!) (Earth tremor!)
¡Terremoto! (¡teh-rreh-moh-toh!) (Earthquake!)
¡Maremoto! (¡mah-reh-moh-toh!) (Tidal wave!)
When giving a warning, you have a choice. In Mexico shout
¡Aguas! (¡ah-goohahs!) (Watch out!)
¡Ojo! (¡oh-Hoh!) (Look out! [Literally: eye])
Everywhere else, yell ¡Cuidado! (koohee-dah-doh) (Watch out!).
