15 Spanish ice breakers to meet new people

What is the reason you take online Spanish lessons? The simple answer for most of us is to meet people. More specifically, it’s to meet Spanish-speaking people.

Everybody (myself included) learns languages in the hopes of expanding our world. For work or for social reasons, we all want to communicate with people beyond our own native English. There are 534 million Spanish-speakers on earth. In fact, Spanish is the 4^th most widely-spoken language in the world. Learn Spanish and that’s 534 million people we might never have met before. How do we get the conversation started? Here are 15 Spanish ice breakers you can use to meet people.

Spanish ice breakers

An “ice breaker” is a phrase that you can say to a stranger to start a conversation. It can be a question, a joke, or a one-liner that will catch their attention. If you are learning Spanish from home, an ice breaker should be something that naturally leads to further conversation. Here are a few questions, jokes, and one-liners to break the ice.

Spanish ice breaker questions

Just as in English, it can be impolite to interrupt a stranger’s day. Avoid people who are walking, wearing headphones, reading a book, or otherwise engaged. These Spanish ice breakers work best in a social setting like a bar terrace or dance club. Remember to begin your Spanish ice breaker by saying perdón or “excuse me”. Here are some Spanish ice breaker questions.

¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
¿Sabes dónde está el baño? – Do you know where the bathroom is?
¿Siempre está tan ocupado el (lunes/martes/etc.)? – Is it always this busy on a (Monday/Tuesday/etc.)? Review days of the week in Spanish.
Me encanta esta canción. ¿Quién es (la/el cantante)? – I love this song. Who is it (the singer)?
¿Cuál es tu cóctel favorito? – What/which is your favourite cocktail?

Spanish jokes to break the ice

We admit it. We love a pun so lame it’s hilarious. Plus, a little self-deprecating humour breaks the ice. You can get even more ideas from our post about 10 guaranteed Spanish jokes. Here are our favourite Spanish jokes to break the ice.

¿Cuál es la fruta mas paciente? Es pera. – Which fruit is the most patient? It’s a pear (espera = wait).
¿Cuál es la fruta más divertida? La naranja ja ja ja. – Which fruit is the most fun? The orange (ja = ha).
¿Qué hace el pez perezoso? ¡Nada! – What does the lazy fish do? Nothing! (nada = swim)
¿Cómo se llama un oso enfadado? ¡Furioso! – What do you call an angry bear? Fury-bear! (oso = bear)
¿Cómo se llama el pez más negativo? ¡Pesimista! – What do you call the most negative fish? Pessimist. (pez = fish)

Spanish one-liners to get attention

Questions are neutral. Silly puns are dorky. One-liners, on the other hand, are direct. Though not as forward as saying I love you in Spanish, these chat-up lines make it clear that you are romantically interested. Be ready to laugh and be gracious if rejected. Here are classic Spanish one-liners that just might work.

¿Te has perdida? Porque el cielo está bien lejos de aquí. – Are you lost? Because heaven is far away from here (you’re an angel).
¡Eres tan linda que se me olvidó el piropo que te iba a decir! – You are so beautiful I forgot the chat-up line I was going to say.
¿Crees en el amor a primera vista o tengo que volver a pasar? – Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I pass by again?
¿Te puedo invitar a un trago? – Can I get you a drink? (invitar = to invite, with the connotation that you will pay)
Soy nuevo/nueva en el área, ¿me dices como llegar a tu corazón? – I’m new in the area. Tell me how to get to your heart?

Whether it’s a question, a joke, or a chat-up line, an ice breaker is the beginning of a real Spanish conversation. Read more about how to increase your Spanish vocabulary on our blog, and keep learning. You won’t meet all 534 million Spanish-speakers on earth, but a handful of new people is all we need for the world to seem a little bit bigger.

It’s March. Have you started on your New Year’s resolution to learn Spanish yet? Start a 7-day free trial with Lingoda today.

Alison Maciejewski Cortez

Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on X.