How do you make small talk in Spanish?

Answer briefly and ask back: Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? After a gustar question (¿Te gusta…?), ask back with ¿Y a ti?, and react with short words like ¡Qué padre! or Ah, mira to show you're listening. With usted, ask back with ¿Y usted?

  • Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?Unit 2

    Fine, thanks. And you?

  • ¿Y a ti?Unit 4

    And you? (after me gusta; ti has no accent)

  • A mí también.Unit 4

    Me too. (after me gusta)

  • A mí tampoco.Unit 4

    Me neither. (after no me gusta)

What are the most common Spanish small talk questions?

The most common Spanish small talk questions are about how you are, where you live, your family, food, and your plans. These are Ana's, from the language-exchange scene:

  • "How are you?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Cómo estás?

    How are you? (to a friend)

    Or they might say:
    Hi, how are you? How's it going? How are you?

    You can answer

    ABien, gracias.

    Fine, thanks.

    Ask back

    A¿Y tú?

    QBien, gracias. Un poco cansada: ¡tengo mucha tarea!

    Good, thanks. A bit tired: so much homework!

    Spanish uses estar for how you feel right now: Estoy bien, Estoy cansado (a man), Estoy cansada (a woman). Add ¿Y tú? to ask back, like "And you?".

  • "Do you live near here?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Vives cerca de aquí?

    Do you live near here?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, do you live nearby?

    You can answer

    ASí, muy cerca.

    Yes, really close.

    Cerca is near and lejos is far. Está a dos cuadras means "it is two blocks away"; a cuadra is a city block.

  • "Do you have brothers or sisters?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Tienes hermanos?

    Do you have brothers or sisters?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, do you have brothers or sisters?

    You can answer

    ASí, tengo un hermano.

    Yes, I have a brother.

    Then they ask

    Q¿Y cuántos años tiene?

    And how old is he (or she)?

    ATiene veinte años.

    He's (she's) twenty.

    Hermanos means brothers, and also brothers and sisters together. For one, say un hermano or una hermana. None is No tengo hermanos.

  • "Do you like Mexican food?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Te gusta la comida mexicana?

    Do you like Mexican food? (to a friend)

    Or they might say:
    Hey, do you like Mexican food?

    You can answer

    ASí, me encanta.

    Yes, I love it.

    Then they ask

    Q¿Y qué es lo que más te gusta?

    And what do you like best?

    ALos tacos al pastor.

    Spit-roasted pork tacos (al pastor).

    Spanish says what pleases you: Me gusta la comida (one thing), Me gustan los tacos (more than one). Not "Yo gusto". Keep the article: Me gustan los tacos, not "Me gustan tacos".

  • "What do you like to do?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Qué te gusta hacer?

    What do you like to do?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, what do you like to do in your free time? And you, what do you do in your free time?

    You can answer

    AMe gusta leer.

    I like reading.

    Ask back

    A¿Y a ti?

    Q¡Me encanta bailar! Los viernes salgo a bailar salsa con mis amigas.

    I love dancing! On Fridays I go out salsa dancing with my friends.

    For what you like doing, use gusta + the -ar / -er / -ir form: Me gusta leer, not "Me gusta leyendo". Two activities still take gusta: Me gusta bailar y cantar.

How do you talk about the weekend in Spanish?

Ask ¿Qué vas a hacer el fin de semana? before it and ¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana? after it; answer with Voy a… for plans and the past tense for what happened: Fui al cine.

  • "What are you doing tonight?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Qué vas a hacer hoy en la noche?

    What are you going to do tonight?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, and what are you going to do tonight?

    You can answer

    AVoy a ver una película.

    I'm going to watch a movie.

    Then they ask

    Q¿Con quién?

    Who with?

    ACon unos amigos.

    With some friends.

    Plans take ir a + the -ar / -er / -ir form: Voy a ver una película. Don't drop the a: not "Voy ver". In Mexico, tonight is usually hoy en la noche.

  • "What did you do on the weekend?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana?

    What did you do on the weekend?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, what did you do on the weekend?

    You can answer

    AFui al cine.

    I went to the movies.

    Then they ask

    Q¿Y te la pasaste bien?

    And did you have a good time?

    ASí, me la pasé muy bien.

    Yes, I had a great time.

    Hacer in the past: hice, hiciste, hizo (with a z), no written accents. No hice nada is "I didn't do anything": two negatives are fine.

  • An invitation: "The movies on Saturday?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Quieres ir al cine el sábado?

    Do you want to go to the movies on Saturday?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, shall we go to the movies on Saturday?

    You can answer

    A¡Sí, me encantaría!

    Yes, I'd love to!

    To say yes: ¡Claro!, ¡Me encantaría! (learn it as a set phrase for now), or ¡Va!, casual and very common in Mexico. In Mexico, Te invito usually means the one who invites pays.

How do you make small talk at work in Spanish?

At work, small talk is about the job, your hours and the weekend: ¿Te gusta trabajar aquí?, ¿Qué horario tienes? Coworkers in Mexico usually use tú; with a taxi driver or someone you've just met, usted is safer, and the question becomes ¿A qué se dedica?

  • Diego: "Do you like working here?"

    At the office · Diego, your coworker

    Q¿Te gusta trabajar aquí?

    Do you like working here?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, do you like the job?

    You can answer

    ASí, es muy interesante.

    Yes, it's really interesting.

    Aburrido changes with the verb: Es aburrido is "it's boring"; Estoy aburrido is "I'm bored". Nice people are amables.

  • Diego: "What do you do on weekends?"

    At the office · Diego, your coworker

    Q¿Qué haces los fines de semana?

    What do you (usually) do on weekends?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, what do you do on the weekend?

    You can answer

    ALos sábados limpio la casa.

    On Saturdays I clean the house.

    Days take los for habits, not en: los sábados ("on Saturdays"). No hago nada ("I don't do anything") is correct Spanish: two negatives are fine.

  • Memo, in the taxi: "What do you do for a living?"

    Taxi ride · Memo, the taxi driver

    Q¿A qué se dedica?

    What do you do for a living?

    Or they might say:
    And you, what do you do for a living?

    You can answer

    ATrabajo en una oficina.

    I work in an office.

    For a job, use ser and leave out un or una: Soy maestra, not "Soy una maestra". Many jobs change for a woman: maestro, maestra. Or say where you work: Trabajo en una oficina.

  • Memo: "Do you like Mexico City?"

    Taxi ride · Memo, the taxi driver

    Q¿Le gusta la Ciudad de México?

    Do you like Mexico City?

    Or they might say:
    So tell me, do you like the city?

    You can answer

    ASí, me encanta. Es muy bonita.

    Yes, I love it. It's really pretty.

    La ciudad is feminine, so it is bonita: Es muy bonita. Me encanta ("I love it") works like me gusta: the city does the pleasing.

How do you talk about the weather in Spanish?

Use hace for weather: Hace calor (it's hot), Hace frío (it's cold); to ask about someone's home, ¿Qué tal el clima en tu ciudad?

  • "What's the weather like in your city?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Qué tal el clima en tu ciudad?

    What's the weather like in your city?

    Or they might say:
    Hey, and what's the climate like in your city?

    You can answer

    AEn invierno hace mucho frío.

    In winter it's very cold.

    Ask back

    A¿Y aquí?

    QEn la mañana hace fresco y en la tarde, calor. ¡Y en temporada de lluvias, llueve casi diario!

    It's cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. And in the rainy season, it rains almost every day!

    For the weather, hacer + a noun: hace frío, hace calor, hace sol. Frío and calor are nouns here, so mucho, not muy: Hace mucho frío. Not "es caliente": caliente is for things you touch.

Which little words keep a Spanish conversation going?

Short reactions keep a conversation going: Ajá (mm-hm), Ah, mira (oh, interesting), ¿De veras? (really?), ¡Qué padre! (how cool!), and, when you need a second to think, Este…, the Mexican "um".

  • Ajá.Speak

    Mm-hm.

  • Ah, mira.Speak

    Oh, interesting.

  • Ah, órale.Speak

    Oh, cool.

  • ¿De veras?Unit 29

    Really?

  • ¡Qué padre!Unit 6

    How cool! (Mexico; padre also means "father")

  • ¡Qué buena idea!Unit 11

    What a good idea!

  • Este…Speak

    Um… (este is the Mexican "um")

  • A ver…Speak

    Let me see…

How can you practice Spanish small talk?

Practice by answering real questions out loud, a few a day. In CiaoSpeak's Speak tab, the language-exchange scene with Ana has questions from ¿Cómo estás? to plans for next year, unlocked as you finish lessons, so you only meet a question once you've learned the words to answer it; many end with Ana answering your ¿Y tú? too. Questions come back a few days later, and every answer you manage goes into your phrasebook. Lessons are free; in the Speak tab, today's questions (up to five a day) are free too, and CiaoSpeak+ adds practice in any scene whenever you like.

Before the small talk comes the introduction: how to introduce yourself in Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

What are good small talk topics in Spanish?

Safe topics are where you're from, work, food, your neighborhood, the weather and weekend plans. Food is the easiest in Mexico: ¿Te gusta la comida mexicana? opens almost any conversation.

How do you say "and you?" in Spanish?

¿Y tú? to a friend and ¿Y usted? to someone you call usted. After a question with gustar, like ¿Te gusta leer?, ask back with ¿Y a ti?

How do you ask what someone does for a living in Spanish?

Ask ¿A qué te dedicas? to a friend or ¿A qué se dedica? with usted. Answer with Trabajo en… or Soy and your job, without un: Soy ingeniera.