How to Make Small Talk in Spanish {Learn and Practice Everyday Spanish Conversation}

Are you afraid of making small talk? I know these short chats can be light-hearted and easy or dreadfully awkward. But one thing is for certain–it’s unavoidable. And now that you’re learning another language, this means you’ll have to make small talk–in Spanish! Well, in this article, we will cover everything you need to know about having common basic conversations for small talk in Spanish. So make sure you take the time to practice these phrases and you’ll be an expert in no time!  Just as in your home country, it’s common for people to ask you things about the weather, your hobbies, and other general affairs.

So, these are the most common topics for making small talk in Spanish.

Talk About Personal Information

This is how you’d talk about yourself in a general way, and 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 on this topic.

An informal way of saying, “Are you from around here?” is “¿Eres de por aquí?“

And for the formal way use, “¿Es usted de por aquí?” 

And if you want to ask someone where they’re from in an informal way you can say,

“¿De dónde eres?” and For the formal way use is  “¿De dónde es usted?”

“¡Qué bien!” Means “Great!”

An informal way of asking someone whether they’re there on vacation is, “¿Estás aquí de vacaciones?”

For the formal way use “¿Está aquí de vacaciones?” Use this when speaking to someone in a position of power or someone we are meeting for the first time.

An informal way of asking for someone’s name in Spanish is  “¿Cómo te llamas?” This means “What’s your name?” – literally “How do you call yourself.”

For the formal way use, “¿Cómo se llama?” 

Talking About the Weather

This is a favorite one for small talk. Although talking about the weather may seem mundane, it is a good neutral topic that everyone can discuss in Spanish. 

“¡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?”

How to Talk About Your Hobbies

People like to talk about their hobbies and are likely to be interested in yours. If you don’t have any hobbies, consider trying something new. Not only will you have something to talk about, but having a hobby will give you a chance to meet others with similar interests. 

“Estoy muy aburrida.” Means “I’m very bored.”

If you are a man, you can use the masculine form  “Estoy muy aburrido.”

If you’re curious about what’s your friends doing during their leisure time you can use the informal way of saying  “¿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?”

An informal way of asking “Do you have a hobby?”  is “¿Tienes algún pasatiempo?”

For the formal way use “¿Tiene algún pasatiempo?”

“Me gusta leer.” Means “I like to read.”

“Me gusta” followed by a verb is a great phrase to use when talking about your hobbies.

An informal  way asking your colleaques and friends about what type of movies do you like is  “¿Qué tipo de películas te gustan?” For the formal way use “¿Qué tipo de películas le gustan?”

“A mí también me gustan mucho las películas de acción.” It 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.”

Compliments

This is another great way to start a conversation. Whenever you are not sure about approaching someone, you can give them a compliment about their shoes or something and be friendly. Yeah, and try to stick to just one or two compliments. You don’t want to 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. Here’s are some examples. 

Informal “¡Qué padre está tu mochila!” Means “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?” Means “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?”

Occupations

Another popular small talk topic is work. At some point, you may be asked what you do and whether you like your job. Let’s learn how we can conversate in Spanish about our occupation.

“¿En qué trabajas?” or “¿A qué te dedicas?”

These 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.

If you travel to Mexico, you’ll likely hear the word “¡Órale!” come up in general conversation.

“Órale” is a very Mexican word with multiple different meanings depending on the

context. Some of them are:

• Alright!
  • Ex: 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!
  • ¿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! 

¡Órale! is a common interjection in Mexican Spanish slang. It is also commonly used in the United States as an exclamation expressing approval or encouragement.

Food

The last section we’ll cover here is Food. Because no matter where you go, especially in Latin America, everyone loves food. We’ve previously covered how to order food in Spanish, but these phrases will help the conversation surrounding food go a lot smoother. So, here we go!

• ¿Qué lugar vende 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?
• ¿Qué es el pozole? – What is pozole?

So, these are the most common ways to make small talk in Spanish.

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What do you think? Do you have any experiences making small talk in Spanish that you want to share? Lessons you learned? Mistakes to avoid? We’d love to hear from you below!