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. We have covered each of those topics in detail in previous lessons, so we will do our best to put it all together in a comprehensible way in this one. You will certainly find many examples of sentences, questions and short conversations here. Let’s start…

Introductory video: Basic Spanish phrases and questions

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 a simple conversation in the language. Do not worry if you cannot remember all of them, as we will see them again later. Also, remember to activate the subtitles (cc) if you need them.

Vocabulary: A list of essential 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“. 

Greeting and welcoming people

  • ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? (Hello! How are you?)
  • ¡Buenos días! / ¡Buenas tardes! / ¡Buenas noches! (Good morning/afternoon/night!)
  • ¿Qué tal? ¿Cómo va todo? (What’s up? How are things going?)
  • ¡Bienvenido/a! (Welcome!)
  • ¡Bienvenido a casa! (Welcome home!)
  • ¡Entra por favor! (Please come in!)
  • ¡Pasa adelante! (Come in!)
  • ¡Tanto tiempo! ¿Cómo has estado? ( Long time no see! How have you been?)

Ways to thank and ask for favors in Spanish

  • ¡Gracias! (Thanks)
  • ¡Por favor! (Please)
  • ¡Muchas gracias! (Thank you very much!)
  • ¡Te lo agradezco! (Lit. I thank you for that!)
  • ¡Estoy muy agradecido contigo! (I am grateful to you!)
  • ¿Me puedes ayudar por favor? (Can you help me please?)
  • Necesito un favor. (I need a favor!)
  • ¿Podrías ayudarme con esto? (Could you help me with this?)
  • ¡De nada! (You are welcome!)
  • ¡No hay problema! (No problem!)

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 these two examples:

Bienvenido a mi nueva casa
Welcome to my new house
Gracias por venir hoy – Gracias a ti.
Thanks for coming today – Thank you!

Asking and sharing personal information

Some of the most important expressions are those for asking or sharing personal data in Spanish. Some of these phrases are essential to ask names or ages, addresses, start a conversation and more in Spanish, for example:

  • ¡Disculpe! / ¡Disculpa! (Excuse me!)
  • ¡Lo siento! (I’m sorry)
  • ¡Mucho gusto! (Nice to meet you!)
  • ¿Cómo te llamas?/ ¿Cuál es tu nombre? (What’s your name?)
  • ¿Cuáles son tus pasatiempos? (What are your hobbies?)
  • ¡Me gusta! / ¿Te gusta? / No me gusta (I like / Do you like it? / I don’t like it.)
  • Mi color favorito es… (My favorite color is…)
  • Mi comida favorita es… (My favorite food is)
  • ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Listen with special attention to the pronunciation of expressions and questions in Spanish, and analyze their grammatical structure. Later, we will use this important vocabulary in short conversations in Spanish.

¿Dónde vives (tú)? – (Yo) vivo en California
Where do you live? – I live in California
¿Cuántos años tienes (tú)? – (Yo) tengo 24 años, ¿y tú?
How old are you? – I am 24 years old, and you?
¿Dónde naciste (tú)? – (Yo) nací en Texas
Where were you born? – I was born in Texas
¿De dónde eres (tú)? – (Yo) soy de Nicaragua
Where are you from? – I am from Nicaragua
¿(Usted) es casado o soltero? – (Yo) soy soltero
Are you married or single? – I am single
¿(Usted) tiene hijos? – Sí/No
¿A qué te dedicas? – Soy doctor
What do you do? – I am a doctor
¿Cuál es tu color favorito? – El azul
¿Te gusta el fútbol? – Sí, me gusta
Do you like football? – Yes, I do

Conversations with basic Spanish expressions and questions

When you meet someone for the first time or even with long-term friends, people will often use some of the expressions above to begin a conversation. Now, let’s move on to the application part of this topic. Listen to some basic conversations in Spanish using the vocabulary we have covered so far, plus a few other words or phrases. You can read the script for each dialogue plus its English translation, which could be useful to compare both languages.

Basic Spanish phrases and questions for basic conversations
Frases en español

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.
Read English translation
Ali: Good morning! I come for the job interview …
Heidi: Yes of course, please sit down
Ali: Thanks
Heidi: Well, what is your name?
Ali: My name is Ali Mendez
Heidi: Where do you live?
Ali: I live in the city of San Diego
Heidi: What do you do?
Ali: I’m a doctor. I am working part-time in a clinic
Heidi: Okay, please give me a copy of your resume and we will review it. Thanks for coming.
Ali: Thank you.

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…
Read English translation
Ali: Hi Heidi! Please come in. Welcome to my new home
Heidi: Thank you, Ali! How are you?
Ali: Very well, thank you. I am surprised to see you. Where do you live now?
Heidi: I live in Los Angeles.
Ali: I see. By the way, where were you born?
Heidi: I was born in Miami, but I moved to Los Angeles three years ago…

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
Read English translation
Ali: Hi! It is a long line, right?
Heidi: Yeah, I’m tired … What’s your name?
Ali: I’m Ali. Nice to meet you.
Heidi: My name is Heidi. Where are you from?
Ali: I’m from Mexico, but I live here in the United States
Heidi: I see. I’m from Honduras. Are you married or single?
Ali: I’m married. I have two children, a boy and a girl. And you?
Heidi: I’m single

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
Read English translation
Ali: Today is my birthday!
Heidi: Congratulations. How old are you now?
Ali: I’m 25 years old … I will celebrate my birthday with cake and a football game. Do you like football?
Heidi: Yes of course, I like to see the world cup
Ali: uhmm… I have a question, What is your favorite color?
Heidi: My favorite color is red …
Ali: Well, then I’ll wear a red shirt today

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:

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