Essential Spanish phrases

Registration on the municipal roll at the ayuntamiento. The single most important document in Spain — healthcare, schooling and your TIE all depend on it.

The prior appointment required for almost every government office. Málaga's offices are under particular pressure because of the pace of arrivals.

The foreigner identity number and the physical card that carries it. The number comes first and everything else needs it.

A licensed administrative agent who handles bureaucracy for you. Normal in Spain and worth the fee, particularly here where appointment competition is fierce.

Vivienda con fines turísticos — a registered tourist apartment. Málaga suspended new registrations across dozens of districts, and whether a flat has one shapes the whole rental market.

The hot dry wind off the inland mountains that pushes coastal Málaga past 40 °C for a few days at a time, replacing the usual sea breeze.

The pedestrianised old core around Calle Larios and the cathedral, transformed over twenty years from run-down to the city's centrepiece.

Sardines skewered on a cane and grilled over a wood fire in a boat filled with sand on the beach. The defining Malagueño dish and strictly a summer thing.

A beach restaurant, where the espetos are cooked. Ranges from a shack to something quite serious, and the good ones are known by name.

The local anchovy, and by extension a nickname for people from Málaga itself. Served fried or in vinegar and taken seriously.

The single European emergency number for police, fire and ambulance. Free from any phone, with English-speaking operators usually available.