Top 10 Easy Spanish Phrases for Striking Up a Conversation

  If you visit Spain or any other Spanish-speaking country, the ideal is of course to speak Spanish fluently. However, the minimum you need to avoid being a helpless tourist is to be able to manage in a shop or order from a menu in Spanish, or to get to know people. The best way of doing this is to learn a small number of Spanish phrases and words that will get your meaning across. Here are ten of the most useful.

¡Hola! — Hello

 A simple "hello" to start off. OK, technically this isn't a phrase, but it's the ideal way to start off any conversation with a Spanish-speaking person.

Buenos días — Good morning

 If you want to be more specific than a generalised "hello", you can specify the time of day, just as you can in English. In addition to "good morning", you can say "buenos tardes" for either "good afternoon" or "good evening".

Me llamo... — My name is...

 There are many situations in which you might need to introduce yourself, from a social introduction to booking into a hotel. As in English, you follow "Me llamo" with either your first name or surname, depending on the situation. If you're taking the initiative, you'd ask "¿Como te llamas?" (familiar) or "¿Como se llama usted?" (formal) for "What's your name?".

¿De dónde eres?/¿De dónde es usted? — Where are you from?

 This could be a social question or for practical purposes. There are two forms because, as with many European languages, Spanish has two forms for "you", depending on whether you're being familiar or formal.

Me gustaría una cerveza — I'd like a beer

 You might want something else, of course, but "Me gustaría" is the standard way of asking for something at a shop, bar or restaurant. You just have to learn the word for your favourite.

¿Cuál es tu restaurante favorito?/¿Cuál es su restaurante favorito? — What's your favourite restaurant?

 This could be a practical means of getting a personal recommendation for a good local restaurant. On the other hand, it could be a way of increasing your social bonding with someone.

¿Qué te gusta hacer?/¿Qué le gusta hacer? — What do you like to do?

 A great all-purpose way of getting into conversation with a new social contact with a simple question. Of course, you'll need some basic vocabulary to understand the reply.

¿En qué trabajas?/¿En qué trabaja? — What's your profession?

 Another basic question that not only shows interest in the other person, but will also start a conversation that should give you a chance to practice your Spanish.

¡Hasta pronto! — See you soonA standard goodbye phrase to use to someone you're expecting to see again before too long.

Adiós — Goodbye

 Possibly the one Spanish word everyone knows, this is a more general farewell that you might use, for instance, to say goodbye to your new friends at the end of your holiday. These phrases will get you a long way into having basic conversations, but you'll need a lot more for anything in-depth, or to watch Spanish-language films or TV. Why not register with TutorExtra to find out about Spanish tutors?