metcha
Get the app

Spain

Live translation for travel in Madrid.

Earbud translation between English and Spanish (Español) — the basic case fully on-device on the free tier, premium voices and Better Translation on metcha Plus when the conversation warrants it.

Get metcha on iPhone

The language situation

Madrid sees fewer foreign visitors than Barcelona and has adapted to them less. English is fine at the Prado and around Sol, then drops off quickly: the tabernas of La Latina, the stalls at Mercado de la Cebada (the locals' market, a short walk from the touristy Mercado de San Miguel), the menú del día spots in Lavapiés all work in Spanish. Add the late hours, dinner starting at ten, and the rhythm of the city takes some explaining that nobody is going to do in English.

metcha runs Spanish ↔ English entirely on-device and free, which covers the tapas counter, the taxi, and the market without thinking about it. metcha Plus's native-Castilian voices are worth it for the long Madrid evenings, the sobremesa hours after the plates are cleared, when the conversation is the whole point of being there.

Where metcha makes the difference in Madrid

  • Sunday in La Latina

    After El Rastro flea market, the Cava Baja tapas crawl is a Madrid institution. Ordering at a packed bar rewards being able to actually ask.

  • Mercado de la Cebada

    Where madrileños actually shop, a few minutes from San Miguel and a different world. The fishmongers will tell you what to buy if you can hear them.

  • Menú del día lunches

    The fixed-price lunch is recited, not printed, at the best places. metcha turns the rapid-fire list of segundos into a real choice.

  • Old tabernas

    Casa Revuelta, Bodega de la Ardosa: century-old bars where the staff have stories and zero English. The vermut tastes better with the backstory.

  • Taxis and late-night logistics

    Getting home from Malasaña at 3am with a driver who wants to talk football is a better ride with metcha in one ear.

Phrases you'll hear and use

A few Spanish phrases that come up on this kind of trip. With metcha you don't need to memorize them, both sides of the conversation are translated live. More phrases and a sample dialogue are in the English ↔ Spanish guide.

Allergies

I'm allergic to nuts.

Soy alérgico a los frutos secos.

Bill

The bill, please.

La cuenta, por favor.

Taxi

Could you take me to this address?

¿Podría llevarme a esta dirección?

Pharmacy

Do you sell sunscreen?

¿Venden protector solar?

Wifi

What's the wifi password?

¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi?

Greeting

Hello, how are you?

Hola, ¿cómo estás?

Before you fly

  1. Install metcha from the App Store on your iPhone.
  2. In iOS Settings → General → Language & Region, download the Spanish translation language pack for offline use.
  3. Pair the earbuds you plan to use with your iPhone and test them in metcha before the trip.
  4. If you'll have spotty connectivity, the free on-device path is your friend. metcha Plus features need a network.

Common questions about translation in this destination

Does metcha work for Spanish translation in Madrid?
Yes. metcha supports live two-way translation between English and Spanish. The free tier uses Apple's on-device Translation framework where supported, so basic interactions don't require cellular data. metcha Plus adds native-Spanish premium voices for longer conversations.
Do I need cell service in Madrid for metcha to work?
For the free on-device translation path: no — once you've downloaded the Spanish language pack from iOS Settings, translation runs offline. For metcha Plus features (premium voices, cloud STT, Better Translation), yes — a network connection is needed.
Is English widely spoken in Madrid?
Yes in tourist-heavy zones, often no outside them. Madrid is less rehearsed for tourists than Barcelona, and prouder of its Spanish. metcha gets you into the real tabernas. metcha is designed for exactly the moments where you'd otherwise be stuck.
Will I look weird using metcha at a counter or in a taxi?
Less than you'd think. metcha runs through earbuds you're already wearing — no phone held in someone's face, no awkward turn-taking with a translator on a screen. Sharing an earbud is faster and friendlier than the alternatives. Most counter staff treat it as a small kindness.
What about regional dialects?
metcha's Deepgram STT path on metcha Plus handles regional accents better than the on-device path. If you find your free-tier translations missing words because of an unfamiliar accent, switching to Plus usually resolves it without changing anything else.

Keep going