• Basic Spanish Conversation Pdf

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Ah, the beauty, fluidity, and romance of the Spanish language.

Well, there ain’t nothing romantic about textbook Spanish.

You’ve learned greetings, restaurant vocabulary, and survival phrases.

Now it’s time to do more than just survive abroad. It’s time to live.

Leave small talk and asking for directions in the past. You are finally ready to engage in some real, in-depth conversations.

All you need are some Spanish conversational phrases juicy enough for people to sink their teeth into.

Why You’d Better Know These Conversational Phrases

Are you planning to travel to a Spanish-speaking country, but haven’t mastered the language? You’re probably wondering how you’re going to meet people and find your way around. It’s great that you know how to ask where the bathroom is, but that won’t help you build relationships or learn more intimate details about local culture, traditions, society, and religion.

The conversational phrases provided here are the perfect balance of engaging and simple. You wouldn’t get much out of asking people, “can you explain aerospace dynamics to me?” Even if you ask an expert who can accurately expound on the topic, you won’t have any idea what they’re talking about. Not only are the conversational phrases noted here easy to learn, but they will get you easily understandable answers so you can keep the ball rolling.

If you want to boost your Spanish comprehension before interacting in-person with Spanish speakers, check out FluentU’s real-world Spanish video collection.

Below you’ll see the options for each video you come across. If you click “watch,” you’ll get to watch the video casually—but with a twist! There are interactive subtitles in Spanish and English to guide you along. If you miss a word or two, hover over those words in the subtitles to instantly view their definitions, pronunciations, usage examples and more.

By watching this way, you’ll grow accustomed to hearing (and understanding) average, native Spanish speakers talking about every topic under the sun. While you won’t be able to talk back to them, this experience will at least prepare you to better understand future conversation partners.

You can also choose to use FluentU’s learn mode to actively practice the vocabulary and grammar you absorb while watching your videos. Enter learn mode by choosing an individual video and clicking on “learn.”

You’ll go straight to the personalized flashcard content using key vocabulary from the video, giving you a chance to practice before or after watching the clip. Learn mode actually integrates pictures, video clips and example sentences into the flashcards, making for truly memorable in-context learning experiences.

Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store for iOS and Android devices.

The whole point of learning Spanish is to communicate with people. To communicate even better, you’ll have to constantly be practicing your speaking and listening skills with native Spanish speakers. It can admittedly be hard to get off the ground, take flight, and really engage deeply in a full-on Spanish language conversation.

You may be tempted to blend into the wall behind you and observe others speaking, rather than jump in and participate. Don’t let your mind be a blank. Learning key conversational phrases will give you a reserve of interesting questions and answers so you’ll always have something to say. Always having something to say will help you get to a level where you can understand and be understood.

Even if you’re just starting out and all the presented words and phrases are new to you, note that these are very common words and phrases. They are a great place to break away from your textbook and start training yourself for real-world Spanish language conversations.

9 Juicy Spanish Conversation Phrases for Language Learners

The following phrases are written in formal ustedform, which is appropriate for strangers, professionals, store owners, and anyone older than you. If conversing with a child or someone approximately your age in the street, you will need to change these phrases to the informal túform.

1.¿Qué significa su nombre? – What does your name mean?

You probably already learned how to ask “¿Como se llama?“ (What’s your name?) on day one of Spanish practice. The above conversation starter is a great follow-up question, especially if your conversation partner has a name you’ve never heard of before. You may learn about an interesting cultural origin, a linguistic derivation, or perhaps someone will tell you all about the amazing aunt or uncle they were named after. While in the United States it is often the case that our names mean nothing, you’ll quickly find that this is not the case in the Spanish-speaking word. Names are charged with a great deal of sentimental meaning and cultural significance.

2. ¿A usted le gusta jugar deportes? – Do you like to play sports?

This phrase can be shortened more simply to “¿Le gusta jugar deportes?”It may unsurprisingly be answered with an enthusiastic profession of love for fútbol(soccer) – especially in Latin America, pretty much everyone enjoys jumping in on a casual pick-up game of soccer – but there are many more answers you should be prepared for. In the Dominican Republic, baseball is the game of choice. In Ecuador, a special volleyball game has been invented and aptly dubbed Ecuavolei.Learn the following sports vocabulary to understand responses and discuss your own favorite sports.

Basket, Baloncesto – Basketball

Béisbol– Baseball

Esquiar– Skiing

Fútbol americano– American football

Golf– Golf

Natación– Swimming

Tenis – Tennis

Voleibol– Volleyball

3. ¿A qué le dedica? / En qué trabaja?– What do you do for a living?

Granted, it’s a little “textbook,” but it’s an important thing to discuss with people. Through conversation, you may find that a person’s work defines a big part of their life. Ask them what they do, and do a little research to describe the work that you do. What makes you passionate about your work? What do you dislike about your work? Here are some common professional titles that may come in handy during this part of the conversation.

Abogado – Lawyer

Doctor, Médico – Doctor

Científico – Scientist

Enfermero – Nurse

Ingeniero –Engineer

Oficial de policia– Police officer

4. ¿Cuál es un libro que usted me recomendaría? – What is a book that you would recommend to me?

If you’re talking about a topic of great interest to you, use this as a follow up question. Has the person just mentioned a fascinating aspect of their job, or started discussing a complicated political situation in their country? Ask for a book recommendation to better understand the topic at hand. The best part is that, after you get their answer, you’ll be able to track down that book and have a memory, a greater meaning, attached to it. If you read the book in Spanish, you will pick up a more expansive vocabulary that’s related to a topic you’re interested in.

5. ¿Es usted religioso? – Are you religious?

This can be a hot-button question to really get people talking. You are bound to come across some devoutly religious people in your travels through the Spanish-speaking world. Wouldn’t it be interesting to learn what brought them to their faith, or why religion is so important in their family, community, or country? This is a yes-or-no question, so follow up with “¿Qué religión es usted?”(What religion are you?) if you want to ask for further information. Be prepared to answer questions about your own beliefs. If you are not religious, you should encounter no prejudice as long as you as respectful.

Ateo, Ateísta – Atheist

Bautista – Baptist

Católico– Catholic

Judío– Jewish

Musulmán– Muslim

6. Me gusta la que lleva puesto. ¿Dónde la compró? – I like what you’re wearing. Where did you buy it?

Want to open up a topic of conversation and brighten someone’s day at the same time? Try out this phrase, which is a fusion of compliment and question. There are a couple of great outcomes to this: you’ll seem friendly and outgoing, you’ll make someone feel good, and you’ll learn the story behind the clothes. Maybe they’ll tell you that their grandmother knitted their scarf by hand. Maybe they’ll direct you to the great little boutique where the bought that one-of-a-kind vintage sweater. You never know until you ask. The more fashion-savvy you and your conversation partner are, the more likely it is that this question will turn into a lengthy conversation!

7. ¿Cuál tradición cultural de su país es su favorita? – Which of your country’s cultural traditions is your favorite?

This conversation could go in lots of different directions: family values, social dynamics, community relationships, or major holidays and events. You may learn about a big parade through the town square this weekend, and otherwise you would have missed out. Someone may share the address of a fantastic live music venue that remains hidden to tourists who simply plan their trips online beforehand. Learning about people’s favorite cultural traditions will clue you into some fantastic local events and give you a sense of what makes the local people most proud of their heritage.

8. ¿Qué es la cosa más loca que hace la gente de aquí? – What is the craziest thing that people do here?

Alright, you know how to ask about religion and culture now – where’s the party at? This question may direct you to some edgier, more exciting information. Once, while traveling through South American beach towns, this question led me to a Semana Santa (the holy week leading up to Easter) tradition where everyone in the community runs into the ocean at midnight. They believe that, by means of some miracle, the ocean water turns from salty to sweet on this night. While I didn’t taste a difference, I now have an amazing memory of splashing into the dark ocean under the moonlight, surrounded by hundreds of laughing, swimming people from the community.

9. ¿Cómo la gente de aquí celebra _________? – How do the people here celebrate _________?

The different nuances of holiday celebrations can really distinguish communities and cultures. Also, this is when lots of huge events will be happening in major cities! To fill in the blank, ask about some of the following holidays which are widely celebrated in the Spanish-speaking world:

Año Nuevo– New Year’s Eve

Carnaval – Carnival, Mardi Gras

Día de la Madre– Mother’s Day

Día del Niño– Child’s Day

Día del Padre– Father’s Day

Día de San Valentín– Valentine’s Day

Navidad– Christmas

Nochebuena– Christmas Eve

Pascua– Easter

*Bonus* Responding in Spanish

It’s not all about talking fluently or listening intently. In most cultures, including our own, it is considered somewhat creepy or downright rude to stare blankly at someone in silence while they’re talking to you. The awkwardness can be totally avoided with head nodding, facial expressions, and small verbal acknowledgements of what’s being said. You know, imagine a friend is talking to you for 10 straight minutes about her boyfriend – you don’t want to seem bored or spaced out, so you occasionally interject with a “totally!” or “wow, seriously?” Here are some Spanish phrases to help you respond to a conversation partner while they’re answering your awesome conversational questions:

Claro que si!– Of course!

¿En serio? – Seriously? (This sounds best when spoken dramatically)

Cuénteme más! – Tell me more!

Dale!– Bring it on!

No me digas!– No way! / You don’t say! (This is more used in casual speech, so it is provided in informal túform)

Imagínese!– Imagine that!

Me da igual– Whatever / I don’t care.

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When you hear two people speaking rapid, fluent Spanish, it’s almost as if they’re doing some kind of complex, secret handshake.

Are you longing to become a card-carrying member of the top secret Spanish conversation club?

Are you ready to break into some basic conversational Spanish?

Well, you might already be a member of this cool linguistic society. Even if you’re a beginner! Just try repeating the lines below to yourself in the mirror, or use them with a friend:

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?(Hi! How are you?)

¡Bien! ¿Y tú? (Good! And you?)

¡Bien! ¿Cómo te llamas? (Good! What is your name?)

Me llamo _______.(My name is ______.)

That’s it! Easy, right? You’re already on the path to learning and using beautiful conversational Spanish.

Truth be told, some of us might not feel “ready ready” to utter our first words. We may feel more comfortable in the Spanish grammar, reading and writing zone.

Why? Because we can carefully (and anonymously) learn without being exposed as a beginner who makes mistakes. A beginner who makes mistakes?! Shocking.

When starting Spanish conversation with an eye towards fluency, it’s important to channel your inner child. Approach speaking Spanish as an eager learner who’s unafraid of mistakes. Let go of your ego that tells you to be the best at everything, or that urges you to wait to speak perfectly before sharing your skills (speaking Spanish!) with the world.

Talk On! How to Master 5 Basic Conversational Scenarios in Spanish

We’ve all got to start somewhere and today is a great day to begin conversational Spanish. And you know what? If you know (or just learned) the phrases above, you’re ready to start!

So let’s get you talking!

There are lots of ways and methods to build your Spanish conversation skills. Check out these helpful Spanish conversation tips to get the juices flowing. But first, let’s address the elephant in the room… fear.

One big step is to get yourself abroad where you’ll have ample speaking practice partners, or to track down a language conversation partner online. You could even try to find opportunities to use your Spanish at work or find a job which requires Spanish language skills—but that can wait until you’re feeling more confident, if you haven’t gotten past “hola” yet. Regardless, it’s always good to check what kind of professional development courses and training sessions are open to interested employees who are studying a key language for business.

For now, you can approach people on the street in a foreign country, or even in your home country if you’re super bold, and try these questions to get a Spanish conversation started.

¿Hablas español? (Do you speak Spanish?)

Estoy estudiando español. ¿Quieres practicar conmigo? (I am studying Spanish. Do you want to practice with me?)

Well done! And yes, I’d be happy to practice with you.

Face the Fear

¿Qué es eso? (What is that?)

You point at something “shocking” behind me. I turn around to look… and you beeline for the door!

A helpful phrase if you need to jet… but hey! No need to be so scared of speaking Spanish. Really. Let’s just break this down a little bit.

I think the best way to face fear is to imagine a worst case scenario or three. What’s the worst thing that’s likely to happen if you start conversing with other people in Spanish?

Here we’re going to walk you right through them.

1. You don’t understand what someone is saying

Let’s play with a simple example of what to do when you miss a word or don’t understand something said in Spanish. In this case, let’s say that someone asks, “¿Qué hora es?” (What time is it?)

The word hora sounds familiar but you’ve gone completely blank. Hora.. hora… hora… Shoot! What to do? A couple handy solutions to the rescue! Simply ask:

“No entiendo. ¿Qué significa ‘hora’?” (I don’t understand. What does hora mean?)

This is a great phrase when you want to know the meaning of a certain word. Just replace hora with that unknown word. In this case, the person you’re talking to will likely point to their wrist where a watch would be. Oh, yeah! Hora means “hour”! Problem solved.

Good job, gumshoe! Now you can answer that poor person who you’ve probably made late for work.

Backup:Download a Spanish dictionary application and do a look-up on the fly.

2. Someone is speaking way too fast

You’ll just need one simple phrase to master this situation:

¿Puedes repetirlo más despacio?(Can you repeat that more slowly?)

Keep in mind that the verb poder is conjugated in the informal “you” form (puedes) in the above line. If you need to address someone more formally or respectfully, you must conjugate it in the more formal usted form. For the verb poder, this is puede. See more information about these conjugation rules here!

After telling them this line, the person will repeat their sentence more slowly so you have time to process. Language learners need time to think, for goodness’ sake! If you still don’t understand after the slow-down, see scenario #1 above. Problem solved.

Backup: Use hand gestures to confirm what they’re saying. Pointing at people and things while you’re talking can go a long way. Remember, the goal is communication, not perfection.

3. People laugh at your Spanish

This, my friend, is a classic fear of public humiliation. Take me as an example. If you’re a klutz, you might drop coffee down the front of your shirt during your Spanish conversation class in a cafe. Perhaps your face goes red (like mine) and you feel compelled to address the situation. For example, you might have said something silly like:

¡Estoy embarazada!

You’re embarrassed, and tried to make light of it, but instead you’ve now exclaimed that you’re expecting a baby! (In Spanish embarazada means pregnant.) Now you’re about 100 times more embarrassed. Your class is laughing so hard they’re crying.

Consider this: Did someone die? Are you going to die? If an English student made the same mistake in English, can you see how it might be funny? Remember what I said about approaching Spanish conversation as an eager beginner. If you don’t know the word, have your buddies explain it between fits of laughter. Laugh it up. After you wipe the tears from your eyes, get back on the horse.

Backup: None, just go with it.

In this example case you could say (proudly), “sí, estoy embarazada” (yes, I’m pregnant). Hear the needle drop. Muahahaha.

As you can see, there’s really not much to lose here. So perhaps someone laughs it up at your expense. If this is the worst thing that can happen, what’s stopping you?

To avoid this, though, you can certainly go ahead and study up on the trickiest false friends. There are tons of these kinds of cognates that you can learn! There are even homophones—words that sound very much alike but have different meanings—within the Spanish language that could trip you up.

4. You need to break the ice

Sometimes the hardest part of a conversation is what to talk about, while keeping it simple, of course. Maybe you have a new conversation buddy or are just getting to know someone. You’ve covered the basics and now know their name, how they’re doing and maybe even where they’re from.

What next?

Here are some great ways to take the pressure off and start getting to know someone better.

A. Discover Surprising Facts

To discover some fun information—and possibly surprising information—about your conversation partner, invite them to a good, old-fashioned ice breaker game. First, say the following question to test the waters and see if your conversation partner is interested in playing something.

¿Quieres jugar a un juego? (Would you like to play a game?)

Once they agree, you say:

Dos verdades y una mentira. (Two Truths and a Lie.)

Two Truths and a Lie is a great get-to-know-you game. If you can write a few facts about your life in Spanish, you can play. Each person writes three things about themselves. Get creative. Two are true and one is a lie. Read them out loud. Be convincing. Be tricky. Your Spanish buddy needs to guess which is the lie. Then they’ll finally say something like:

Pienso que la segunda es una mentira. (I think the second one is a lie.)

After you’ve made him work for it, reveal the truth. Was he right?

¡No! La primera es una mentira. (No! The first is a lie.)

Then switch roles. You can find out some pretty interesting things about each other and maybe even have a laugh in the process.

B. Map Your Travels

Bring a map and a box of pins or sticky arrows. Take turns marking places you’ve visited. Ask your partner:

A: ¿Por dónde viajaste en el pasado? (Where did you travel in the past?)

B: Viajé a Chicago el año pasado. (I traveled to Chicago last year.)

A:Guay. Me gusta Chicago. (Cool. I like Chicago.)

B: ¿Por dónde viajaste en el pasado? (Where did you travel in the past?)

A: Viajé a Ecuador en el año 2000. (I traveled to Ecuador in 2000.)

B: ¡Yo también! (Me too!)

Travel is a traditionally popular topic and a great way to kick things off. You might discover that you’ve visited similar places or perhaps they’ve been somewhere you’d like to go and can tell you a bit more about it.

C. Share a Few Photos

Photos are a fun and personal way to get to know someone. You can learn a bit more about their life, loved ones or things that are important to them. Just be sure to curate and bring a variety of photos that represent important or interesting parts of your life.

People will love asking you questions about photos and the important people in your life!

A: ¿Quiénes son? (Who are they?)

B: Son mi madre y mi hermana. (It’s my mom and sister.)

A: ¿Cuántos hermanos tienes? (How many brothers and sisters do you have?)

Basic Spanish Conversation Pdf

B: Tengo tres hermanos, un hermano mayor y dos hermanas menores. (I have three siblings, one older brother and two younger sisters.)

A: ¡Ah! Muy bien. (Ah! Great.)

Come armed with a few helpful vocab words written on the back of each photo.

5. You’re out of conversation topics

Time to check out some more helpful phrases! If you want to review some of the basics, be sure to check out this great post and this one, too.

A. When I Grow Up

Not just for kids… lots of older folks like to talk about what they want to be when they “grow up” too. If you phrase the question this way, do so wryly, with a little laugh, so that your conversation partner knows you’re being cute about it.

Q: ¿Qué quieres ser de mayor? (What do you want to be when you grow up?)

A: Quiero ser una escritora y fotógrafa que viaja por el mundo. (I want to be a writer and photographer who travels the world.)

You can also say, more maturely, “¿Qué tipo de trabajo le interesa hacer?” (What type of work are you interested in doing?).

Homework: Look up different names of professions and aspirations you have in advance so you’re ready to answer back.

B. Superpowers

A: ¿Qué superpoder quieres? (What superpower do you want?)

B: Quiero el poder de la buena memoria y viajar en el tiempo. (I want the power of good memory and time travel.)

Here are some popular alternatives for your perusal:

volar — fly

ser invisible — be invisible

visión de rayos X — x-ray vision

tener todo el conocimiento del universo — infinite knowledge

hablar español perfectamente — speak Spanish perfectly

Got a different, possibly more awesome one? Look it up in Spanish and share it with the rest of us please!

C. Favorite Things

Q: ¿Cuál es tu sitio favorito en el planeta? (What is your favorite place on the planet?)

A: Mi sitio favorito es Alaska porque me gusta la naturaleza. (My favorite place is Alaska because I like nature.)

Q: ¿Cuál es tu comida favorita? (What is your favorite food?)

A: Mi comida favorita es la pasta. (My favorite food is pasta.)

What about you? You can often find things to relate on when you talk about your favorite (and least favorite) things, so give it a try.

The hora (hour) has come. It’s time to practice these new phrases and personalize your answers. Homework, but good helpful homework.

With a little bit of prep, you’ll go in feeling a lot more ready to face the challenges of conversational Spanish and you’ll be ready to tackle all the worst-case-scenarios we talked about.

Didn’t get enough?! If you’re thirsty for more… check out some of these juicy conversation starters.

And One More Thing for Your Conversational Spanish Skills…

If you’re pumped to become conversational in Spanish, then you’ll love FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, commercials, news, and inspiring talks and turns them into Spanish learning experiences. In these videos, you’ll see real examples of conversational Spanish.

In the real world, you may not pick up on new vocabulary and quick dialogue right away. FluentU is designed for you to become familiarized with everyday Spanish, by combining all the benefits of total immersion and native level conversations with easy-to-read subtitles.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos – topics like soccer, TV shows, business, movies, and even magical realism, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. Didn’t catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.

And FluentU isn’t just videos—it’s a complete language learning program. Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s Quiz Mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on. You’ll be able to create vocab lists and track your progress as you advance through video after video.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and it recommends you examples and videos based on the words you’ve already learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the App from iTunes or the Google Play store and bring FluentU’s innovative language-learning experience to your iOS and Android device. Become a master of Spanish conversations faster than you ever thought possible!

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn Spanish with real-world videos.