How to Have a Basic Spanish Conversation

Are you learning the basics of Spanish? Below is a very short conversation. It will be pronounced, translated, and explained, and this is a good starting point for you to begin learning Spanish.

Steps

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    1
    Say hello. This can be said in a number of ways. The most basic is "Hola!" (OH-lah), which you probably learned from Dora as a kid.[1]
    • Although this is short and simple, longer words may be used to spice it up and make you seem more educated. Try using, "Buenos días!"(BWEH-nos-DEE-as), which means "Good morning!". Also, you could use, "Buenas tardes!" (BWEH-nas-tard-ehs), which means "Good afternoon!", depending on the time of the day.
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    Ask someone your name with "¿Cómo te llamas?" (COH-MOH-teh-jam-as).[2]
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    Give someone your name. To say, "my name is _____", say "me llamo _____" (m-eh-JAH-moh_____). The blank below is for your name, such as "me llamo Teresa".
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    4
    Tell someone it's nice to meet him/her. Say "Mucho gusto" (moo-choh-goos-toh) for "nice to meet you", literally meaning "much pleasure". Someone could then respond either "Igualmente!" (IG-wall-men-teh), or "El gusto es mío" (EL-goos-toh-es-MEE-oh). The former means "Nice to meet you, too" (literally "likewise"), and the latter means "The pleasure is mine".
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    Ask someone where he/she is from. Someone will usually ask this question with "¿De dónde eres?" (DEE-don-day-air-es).
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    Tell the other person where you're from. You or the other person will answer "¿De dónde eres?" with, "Yo soy de ______" (YO-SOY-DEH-). The blank would be your country. The US is ( Estados Unidos ).
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    Ask someone how he/she is. This is asked using "¿Cómo estas?" (COH-MOH-est-ahs) for "how are you?"[3]
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    Tell someone how you are doing with "Yo estoy_____". There are multiple answers to the above question. You use "Yo estoy" (I am _____). Options for the blank are: "bien", meaning good, (BEE-en), "feliz", meaning happy, (fel-LEASE), "mal" meaning "bad", "cansado", meaning tired, (con-sods-oh), and enfermo, meaning sick, (en-fer-MOH).
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    Ask someone their age. To ask this, you would say "¿Cuantos años tines?", literally meaning "How many years do you have?". It is pronounced: "KWAN-tos-an-YOS-TEE-en-ehs".[4]
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    Say your age. You would answer that question with a number, obviously. For a list of numbers, see Count up to 10 in Spanish, Count from 10 to 19 in Spanish, Count from 20 to 39 in Spanish, and Count from 40 to 100 in Spanish.
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    When is your birthday? Someone would ask this by saying "¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?" (KWAN-doh-es-TOO-coom-PLEH-ahn-YOSE).
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    Tell someone your birthday! You would say your birthday by answering "Es el ____ de _____" (Es-el) and (DEH). The first blank would be the date, such as the second (dos), the thirty first (treinta y uno) or the nineteenth (diecinueve). See Count up to 10 in Spanish, Count from 10 to 19 in Spanish and Count from 20 to 39 in Spanish, for a list of numbers. The second blank would be the month, such as July (julio), August (agosto), or March (marzo). See Say the Calendar Months in Spanish for a list of months.
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    Say goodbye when you have to leave. Most people know how to say "Bye" in Spanish. "Adios!", or (AH-DEE-OHS). If it is evening or night, say "¡Buenas noches!", or "Good night!", pronounced (BUEN-AHS-NO-CH-EHS).[5]
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    Without using the above guide, practice your skills by translating the following conversation between Roberto and Maria to English. Try to do this without the help of anything but your own memory.
    • Roberto: ¡Hola!
    • Maria: ¡Buenos días!
    • Roberto: ¿Cómo te llamas?
    • Maria: Me llamo María. ¿Y tú?
    • Roberto: Me llamo Roberto. Mucho gusto.
    • Maria: ¡El gusto es mío! ¿De dónde eres?
    • Roberto: Yo soy de España. ¿Y tú?
    • Maria: Yo soy de Honduras. ¿Cómo estás?
    • Roberto: Estoy feliz.¿Y tú?
    • Maria: Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Cuántos años tienes?
    • Roberto: Quince años. ¿Y tú?
    • Maria: Catorce. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
    • Roberto: Es el dos de abril. ¿Y el tuyo?
    • Maria: Es el once de junio. ¡Adiós!
    • Roberto: ¡Buenas noches!
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How can I say "Have a nice day" in Spanish?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Say: "Tenga(s) un buen día" - the formality depends on the person you're speaking to.
  • Question
    How do I say "just kidding"?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    There are a couple of different ways to say "Just kidding" in Spanish. You could say "mentira" (lie), or "no te creas," or more formally "no se crea," both which mean "don't believe it." If you want a more literal translation you could say "(Yo) estaba bromeando" (I was joking).
  • Question
    How can I say, "Where do you live?" in Spanish?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You'd say, "¿Dónde vives?" or "¿Dónde vive usted?" depending on whether you need to address them formally.
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References

  1. ↑ http://www.learnspanishtoday.com/learning_module/grammar.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.learnspanishtoday.com/learning_module/grammar.htm
  3. ↑ https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/fundamental-spanish-phrases-to-learn-right-away
  4. ↑ https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/learn/spanish/spanish-tips/common-spanish-phrases
  5. ↑ https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/fundamental-spanish-phrases-to-learn-right-away

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 29 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 389,103 times.
662 votes - 86%
Co-authors: 29
Updated: May 6, 2021
Views: 389,103
Categories: Spanish
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