One of the best ways to get around and explore whilst you’re on holiday is by car, however it isn’t always plain sailing – you could end up breaking down in a foreign country and find yourself calling your car hire company for help, so read on and learn some useful phrases to help you out.

Are you prepared for disaster in Europe this summer? Fear not, we’ve prepared a rather negative, yet crucially important, set of phrases that will equip you to deal with any hire car disaster whilst touring Europe….

A tyre has blown on my car

French – Mon pneu a explosé

German – Mein Reifen hat geblasen

Spanish – Mis neumáticos se ha fundido

Italian – La mia gomma è bruciato

Dutch – Mijn band is gesprongen

Portuguese – Meu pneu tem soprado

I can smell burning

French – Je ne peux odeur de brûlé

German – Ich rieche brennendes

Spanish – Puedo olor a quemado

Italian – Sono in grado di odore di bruciato

Dutch – Ik ruik brand

Portuguese – Posso cheiro de queimado

My car is on fire

French – Ma voiture est en feu

German – Mein Auto steht in Flammen

Spanish – Mi coche está en llamas

Italian – La mia macchina è in fiamme

Dutch – Mijn auto staat in brand

Portuguese – Meu carro está pegando fogo

My brakes don’t work

French – Mes freins ne fonctionnent pas

German – Meine Bremsen funktionieren nicht

Spanish – Mis frenos no funcionan

Italian – I miei freni non funzionano

Dutch – Mijn remmen werken niet

Portuguese – Meus freios não trabalham

My exhaust has fallen off

French – Mon échappement est tombé

German – Mein Auspuff abgefallen

Spanish – Mi salida ha caído

Italian – Il mio scarico è caduto

Dutch – Mijn uitlaat is gevallen

Portuguese – Meu escape caiu

I’ve run out of fuel

French – Je n’ai plus de carburant

German – Ich habe der Treibstoff ausgeht

Spanish – Me he quedado sin combustible

Italian – Sono a corto di carburante

Dutch – Ik heb geen brandstof

Portuguese – Eu ficar sem combustível

I’ve put the wrong fuel in my car

French – J’ai mis le mauvais carburant dans ma voiture

German – Ich habe die falsche Kraftstoff in mein Auto gesetzt

Spanish – He equivoca de carburante en el coche

Italian – Ho messo il carburante sbagliato nella mia macchina

Dutch – Ik heb gezet van de verkeerde brandstof in mijn auto

Portuguese – Eu coloquei o combustível errado no meu carro

The car won’t start

French – La voiture ne démarre pas

German – Das Auto springt nicht an

Spanish – El coche no arranca

Italian – L’auto non si avvia

Dutch – De auto start niet

Portuguese – O carro não começará

How much will it cost to fix?

French – Quel sera le coût pour réparer?

German – Wie viel wird es kosten zu beheben?

Spanish – ¿Cuánto cuesta la reparación?

Italian – Quanto costerà a risolvere il problema?

Dutch – Hoeveel kost het om te repareren?

Portuguese – Quanto vai custar para consertar?

Can you help me push my car please?

French – Pouvez-vous m’aider à pousser ma voiture s’il vous plaît?

German – Können Sie mir helfen mein Auto schieben bitte?

Spanish – ¿Pueden ayudarme a empujar mi auto por favor?

Italian – Potete aiutarmi a spingere la mia macchina per favore?

Dutch – Kunt u mij helpen duwen mijn auto dan?

Portuguese – Você pode me ajudar empurrar o meu carro, por favor?

My wife was giving me directions and now we’re stuck in a ditch

French – Ma femme me donnait des directives et maintenant nous sommes coincés dans un fossé

German – Meine Frau gab mir Anweisungen und jetzt sind wir in einem Graben stecken

Spanish – Mi esposa me estaba dando instrucciones y ahora estamos atrapados en una zanja

Italian – Mia moglie mi dava indicazioni e ora siamo bloccati in un fosso

Dutch – Mijn vrouw gaf me aanwijzingen en nu zitten we vast in een greppel

Portuguese – Minha esposa estava me dando e agora nós estamos presos em uma vala

A pedestrian hit my car

French – Un piéton a frappé ma voiture

German – Ein Fußgänger ins Auto gefahren

Spanish – Un peatón golpeado mi coche

Italian – Un pedone colpito la mia auto

Dutch – Een voetganger raakte mijn auto

Portuguese – Um pedestre bateu no meu carro

Hopefully, you won’t come across any problems with your car on your travels, but if you do then our guide might come in handy.