Spanish Phrases and Questions for Basic Conversations

Generally speaking, basic conversations in Spanish usually include greetings or “saludos”, introductions and some vocabulary like numbers, countries and more. All these topics have been covered in previous lessons and we will see them in use in this lesson. You will see some of these common Spanish phrases in simple sentences and short conversations. Let’s start…

Introductory video: Basic Spanish phrases and questions for beginners

First, let’s watch a short video showing some common Spanish phrases and questions that we will be using throughout the rest of the lesson such as ¿DÓNDE VIVES? (Where do you live?) and ¿DE DÓNDE ERES? (Where are you from?). This is a summary of the vocabulary we consider important to hold basic Spanish conversations. Do not worry if you cannot remember them all as we will see them again later. Also, remember to activate the subtitles (cc) if you need them.

Audio Examples: A list of Basic Spanish expressions and questions

There are lots of phrases and questions in the language, but some are way more common than others and those are the ones we will learn next. Some of these Spanish phrases can be used to welcome others like “Bienvenido“, whereas others can be used to ask for favors like “Por favor” or thank people like “Gracias“. In real life interactions, you can modify the expressions  and questions in the list by replacing the subject pronoun to make them more formal or informal when needed .

Listen to the phrases and questions in the list and pay attention to their pronunciation and structure as we will be using them later in basic conversations in Spanish.

Some examples of basic conversations in Spanish

There are many other expressions to learn, but the ones above are among the most common Spanish phrases and questions beginners should know. You will realize that when you meet someone for the first time, people will often use these expressions as conversation starters. That being said, let’s move on to the application part of this topic by reading and listening to some basic conversations in Spanish using the vocabulary we have covered, plus a few interesting things you will have to figure out yourself. We have included the original Spanish conversation script with English translation so you can follow the audio more easily.

Conversation No. 1

• Alí: ¡Buenos días! Vengo a la entrevista de trabajo…
• Heidi: Si claro, siéntese por favor
• Alí: Gracias
• Heidi: Bien ¿Cúal es su nombre?
• Alí: Me llamo Alí Mendez
• Heidi: ¿Dónde vive usted?
• Alí: Vivo en la ciudad de San Diego
• Heidi: ¿A qué se dedica?
• Alí: Soy doctor. Trabajo medio tiempo en una clínica
• Heidi: Bien, deme una copia de su hoja de vida y la revisaremos. Gracias por venir.
• Alí: Gracias a usted.

Conversation No. 2

• Alí: ¡Hola Heidi! Entra por favor. Bienvenida a mi nueva casa
• Heidi: ¡Gracias Alí! ¿Cómo estás?
• Alí: Muy bien, gracias. Es una sorpresa verte. ¿Dónde vives ahora?
• Heidi: Vivo en Los Ángeles.
• Alí: Entiendo, pero ¿dónde naciste?
• Heidi: Nací en Miami, pero me mudé a Los Ángeles hace 3 años…

Conversation No. 3

• Alí: ¡Hola! Es una fila larga ¿verdad?
• Heidi: Si, ya estoy cansada… ¿Cómo te llamas?
• Alí: Soy Alí. Mucho gusto.
• Heidi: Mi nombre es Heidi. ¿De dónde eres?
• Alí: Soy de México, pero vivo aquí en los Estados Unidos
• Heidi: Entiendo. Yo soy de Honduras. ¿Eres casado o soltero?
• Alí: Estoy casado. Tengo dos hijos: un niño y una niña. ¿y tú?
• Heidi: Yo soy soltera

Conversation No. 4

• Alí: ¡Hoy es mi cumpleaños!
• Heidi: Felicidades. ¿Cuántos años tienes ya?
• Alí: Tengo 25 años… Voy a celebrar mi cumpleaños con pastel y un partido de futbol ¿Te gusta el futbol?
• Heidi: Si claro, me gusta mucho ver el mundial
• Alí: uhmm.. una pregunta ¿Cuál es tu color favorito?
• Heidi: Mi color favorito es el rojo…
• Alí: Bien, entonces usaré una camisa roja hoy

This is the end of the lesson. Hopefully you will remember the Spanish phrases we introduced and got an idea of how they can be used in basic conversations thanks to the examples. Come back and check their pronunciation any time you need it. More importantly, find someone to practice with if possible. Make sure to continue learning more expressions and questions to expand your vocabulary so that you can have and understand other scenarios. ¡Hasta pronto!

Related Spanish Worksheets:

• Greetings and farewells in Spanish – PDF Worksheet
• Talking about Yourself in Spanish: PDF Worksheet
• Dialogues – Introductions and greetings in Spanish
• Questions about the Family in Spanish: PDF Worksheet
• Making Questions in Spanish – PDF Worksheet
• Countries and Nationalities in Spanish – PDF Worksheet
• Guess the Country and Nationality in Spanish – PDF Worksheet
• Countries and Nationalities in Spanish – PDF Reading Worksheet