YOUR FIRST CONVERSATION IN SPANISH: Everything You Need!
Be honest with me: do you really feel ready for your first real conversation in Spanish with a native? If not (or not entirely), read this article because I’ll give you everything you need for your first conversation in Spanish.
Gaining Confidence
Okay, so it’s 2021 and let’s say you’re starting to learn Spanish. You may feel you’re not capable of having a conversation yet. The words “conversation” and “beginners” aren’t often found together when you start learning a language.
Bueno, ¿adivina qué? (Well, guess what?) Starting to use your very first Spanish words from day one will make your confidence grow as you get better. You’re learning, so it’s normal to make mistakes. It’s those mistakes that’ll make you improve and keep on learning.
Saying “Hello“
Let’s start by saying “Hello”:
- ¡Hola! (Hi! / Hello!) —Informal, with friends and family
- ¡Saludos! (Greetings!) —Formal
- ¡Buenos días! (Good morning!) —Formal and informal
- ¡Buenas tardes! (Good afternoon!)
- ¡Buenas noches! (Good evening! / Goodnight!)
Asking “How are You?“
Next, the polite step is to ask “how are you?”. Here are some options:
- ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?) —Informal
- ¿Cómo está usted? (How are you?) —Formal
- ¿Qué tal? (What's up?)
Common Questions in Conversations
Now, let’s see some common questions and answers present in a conversation in Spanish:
- ¿Cómo te llamas? (What’s your name?)
- Me llamo Juan. ¡Mucho gusto! (My name is Juan. Nice to meet you!)
CHUNK ALERT! You’ve noticed we kept saying you have to learn “chunks” by heart, not words or phrases, right? Well, mucho gusto (nice to meet you) is a perfect example of a chunk; that is, a word combination that native speakers use all the time and that you can’t translate directly from English into Spanish (I mean, mucho gusto would be something like “a lot of pleasure”… It doesn’t make sense if you try to make a literal translation, so it’s best if you learn it by heart as a whole. That way, you won’t have to think about grammar while speaking… and Spanish will just roll off the tongue!
Here are some more chunks for your next conversation:
- ¿Qué edad tienes? (How old are you?)
- Tengo 34 años, ¿y tú? (I’m 34 years old, and you?)
- ¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do for a living?)
- Soy profesor de español (I’m a Spanish teacher)
- ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)
- Soy de Venezuela. Soy Venezolano. (I’m from Venezuela. I’m Venezuelan)
Remember you can access our free Spanish training on our website and discover more about the chunking method we use to have our students speak Spanish fluently without translating in their head and without thinking about grammar all the time.
Small Talk in Spanish
Besides the previous questions, you can use the following chunks to make small talk as well:
- ¡Qué calor hace!, ¿no te parece? (It’s hot today, don’t you think?)
- ¿Te gusta la primavera? (Do you like spring?)
- Y ¿qué te parece esta fiesta? (And, what do you think about this party?)
Ending a Conversation
And finally, here are some great ways to finish your nice conversation in Spanish and look good in front of your new Spanish-speaking friends:
- ¡Fue un placer conocerte! (It was a pleasure to meet you!)
- Fue un gusto verle. (It was nice to see you.)
- Encantado de conocerte. (Lovely to meet you.)
And the cherry on top: Saying goodbye in Spanish!
- Adiós. (Goodbye.)
- Hasta luego. (See you later.)
- Chao/Chau. (Bye) —Very informal
Example of a Conversation
So, what do you think? Got your chunks right?
Well, here’s a real conversation in Spanish! (Watch the video for the details)
J: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?
L: ¡Hola! Bien, ¿y tú?
J: ¡Muy bien, gracias! Mi nombre es Juan. ¿Cómo te llamas?
L: Me llamo Lía. Mucho gusto.
J: ¡Mucho gusto, Lía! ¿Qué te parece esta fiesta? Está medio aburrida, ¿no?
L: ¿Te parece? Bueno. ¿Qué te gusta hacer?
J: ¡A mi me gusta la carne y el asado! Eso sí, odio bailar. ¡Ugh! ¿Por qué no me cuentas un poco de ti?
L: ¡Sí, Claro! Soy vegetariana, soy bailarina… Y ESTE ES MI CUMPLEAÑOS. Chao.
J: ¿Ah, sí? Eh, bueno, un placer conocerte. Dejaste tu bebida. ¿Lía? ¡Lía!
There you have it! Your first conversation in Spanish! Are you ready to have the same conversation yourself? Okay, great!
I hope this article makes you feel more confident and helps you take this first step in your path to fluent Spanish. Leave your shyness behind. Embrace making mistakes, ¡Y empieza a hablar Español como si no hubiera un mañana! (and start speaking Spanish like there’s no tomorrow!)
We have a free training on our website where you can learn about the method we use in our academy to have you speak Spanish fluently and without complications… all with chunks of course!
