¡Hola amigos!
Today we are gonna teach you everything you need to know about making small talk in Spanish.
Small talk is something that makes a lot of people anxious, but it is such an important
topic to cover before your travels because most of the interactions you’ll have with
the people you meet are gonna be small talk.
So make sure you take the time to practice these phrases.
And before we get started, don’t forget that we're your resource for learning real-world
travel Spanish, so don’t forget to hit subscribe for more travel and Spanish tips.
Let's get started!
So, small talk is pretty much the same everywhere in the world.
In Mexico, people may ask you things about yourself, your hobbies, etc.
So, these are the most common topics for small talk.
So, first up is “Personal Information.”
This is how you’d talk about yourself in a general way.
And before we get started with the conversations, just remember that the first part is all in
Spanish, but don’t worry if you don’t understand everything because then we have
a break down section where we go over the most important phrases in English.
So, here we go!
Hi, are you from around here?
Hi, no I’m from the US, where are you from?
Great!
I am from here, from Colima.
Are you here on vacation?
Yes, I’m here visiting some friends.
Oh, wow!
What’s your name?
My name is Jaime, nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you. My name is May.
Well, I have to go.
Ok, take care!
You too.
Since you don’t know who you’ll be meeting before your trip, it’s important to practice
both the formal and informal forms of these phrases.
If you’re unsure when to use the “usted” form, check out our video about this topic.
"¿Eres de por aquí?"
This means “Are you from around here?”
For the formal way use "¿Es usted de por aquí?"
"¿De dónde eres?"
“Where are you from?”
For the formal way use "¿De dónde es usted?"
"¡Qué bien!"
Means “Great!”
"¿Estás aquí de vacaciones?"
“Are you here on vacation?”
For the formal way use "¿Está aquí de vacaciones?"
"¿Cómo te llamas?"
Means “What’s your name?”
For the formal way use "¿Cómo se llama?"
So, the next one is “The Weather”, a favorite one for small talk.
Hi, May, how are you?
Doing well, how are you doing?
Doing well, but uff, it’s hot out today!
Yeah, today it is really hot.
Uff, I’m sweating!
But it looks like it’s going to rain later.
I hope so.
Does it rain a lot here?
Not much, here it only rains in the summer.
Uh, well, I like rain because...
"¡Qué calor!"
“It’s hot out today”
You can change “calor” for “frío” when it’s cold.
"¡Uff, estoy sudando!"
“Uff, I’m sweating!”
"Parece que va a llover"
“It looks like it’s going to rain.”
"¿Llueve mucho por aquí?"
“Does it rain a lot here?”
Next up we’re gonna show you how to talk about your "Hobbies."
This is a great one for small talk.
Jaime, what’s up?
What are you doing?
Just here, reading, and you?
Nothing, I’m very bored.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Well, I like to go out with my friends and I like to go to the movies.
Do you have a hobby?
Yeah, well, I like to read and I also like to watch movies.
Really? What type of movies do you like?
Documentaries and action movies too.
Ah wow! I also like action movies a lot.
Let’s go to the movies and see what they have!
Yeah, let’s go!
¡Let’s go!
“Estoy muy aburrida.”
Means “I’m very bored.”
If you are a man, you can say "Estoy muy aburrido.”
"¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?"
Means “What do you like to do in your free time?”
For the formal way use “¿Qué le gusta hacer en su tiempo libre?”
"¿Tienes algún pasatiempo?"
Means “Do you have a hobby?”
For the formal way use “¿Tiene algún pasatiempo?”
“Me gusta leer.”
“I like to read.”
“Me gusta” followed by a verb is a great phrase to use when talking about your hobbies.
"¿Qué tipo de películas te gustan?"
“What type of movies do you like?”
For the formal way use “¿Qué tipo de películas le gustan?”
“A mí también me gustan mucho las películas de acción.”
Means “I also like action movies a lot.”
You can use “A mí también me gusta…” or “A mí también me gustan…” followed
by whatever the other person said they like.
Remember to use “gustan” when you are talking about a plural noun like “movies.”
So, the next one we have is "Complements."
This is another great one to start a conversation.
Whenever you are not sure about how to approach someone, you can simply give them a compliment
about their shoes or something and just be friendly.
Yeah, and try to stick to just one or two compliments.
You don’t wanna go overboard here, it can look fake, and in Mexico if you give too many
compliments I’ll seem like you’re flirting. Try to stick to compliments about an object
rather than the person directly.
Hey, your backpack is really cool!
Thanks! I use it a lot when I travel.
Where did you buy it?
On the internet. Look, this is the brand.
Wow! It looks very comfortable.
Yeah, it is very comfortable.
Are you from around here?
No, I’m from the US...
Ah, ok...
"¡Qué padre está tu mochila!"
“Your backpack is really cool!”
For the formal way use “¡Qué padre está su mochila!”
“¡Qué padre!” is a very Mexican phrase to show that you like something or that you
think something is cool.
"¿Dónde la compraste?"
“Where did you buy it?”
Use “¿Dónde lo compraste?” when you are referring to a masculine noun.
For example, a cell phone = un celular, a watch = un reloj, a sweater - un suéter.
For the formal way use “¿Dónde la compró?” or “¿Dónde lo compró?”
Next up we’re gonna show you how to talk about your "Occupation."
...so, what do you do for a living?
I work at a clothing store.
Really? And do you like your job?
No, not much.
What do you do for a living?
I am a waitress at a restaurant.
Alright! It must be more fun than working at a store...
Well, yeah, some days...
"¿En qué trabajas?" or "¿A qué te dedicas?"
They both mean “What do you do for a living?” and are both very common.
For the formal way use “¿En qué trabaja?” or “¿A qué se dedica?”
"¿A poco?"
Means “Really?”
Use it when you are surprised by the other person’s answer.
"¿Te gusta tu trabajo?"
Means “Do you like your job?”
For the formal way use “¿Le gusta su trabajo?”
Different answers to this question can be: Sí, me encanta = Yes, I love it.
Me gusta mucho = I like it a lot.
Más o menos = So, so.
No tanto = Not much.
Para nada = Not at all.
Lo odio = I hate it.
"¡Órale!"
“Órale” is another very Mexican word.
It has different meanings depending on the context. Some of them are:
Alright!
Yo soy mesera.
¡Órale!
I’m a waitress.
Alright!
Hurry up
¡Órale Juan, vamos a llegar tarde!
Hurry up Juan, we’re going to be late!
Yes or Ok
¿Quieres ir al cine?
¡Órale!
Do you want to go to the movies?
Yes!
Wow!
Vi un volcán hacer erupción en México.
¡Órale!
I saw a volcano erupting in Mexico.
Wow!
The last one we have is "Food" because no matter where you go to, in Latin America at least,
we all love food. So, here we go!
Excuse me, good afternoon.
Good afternoon, tell me.
Where do they have the best tacos around here?
There’s a very famous taco stand at the garden, right in front of the church.
Thanks a lot!
What’s your favorite Mexican dish?
Oh, it’s hard to pick just one.
I like enchiladas and pozole a lot.
What’s pozole?
Pozole is like a corn soup.
I like it with mushrooms and avocado.
I’ve never tried it, but yesterday I had mole for the first time.
Really? And how was it?
It was delicious.
Oh, I’m glad you liked it….
"¿Qué lugar tiene los mejores tacos de por aquí?"
“Where do they have the best tacos around here?”
"¿Cuál es tu platillo Mexicano favorito?"
“What’s your favorite Mexican dish?”
For the formal way use “¿Cuál es su platillo Mexicano favorito?”
"¿Qué es el pozole?"
“What is pozole?”
"Nunca lo he probado."
“I’ve never tried it.”
So, we just showed you some of the most common ways to make small talk, and there are many others.
So, head on over to our website spanishandgo.com
for more resources so you can get even more out of this episode.
Thank you so much for watching, we hope you enjoyed this video and if you really liked
what you saw, don’t forget to hit the subscribe button for more travel and spanish tips.
See you later!
See you soon!
Hey! Your cool is really cool!
[laughs]
What!? [laughs]
Your backpack is really cool!
[laughs] This has to be in the end... [laughs]