Mastering the art of small talk in Spanish

Have you ever felt anxious when starting a conversation with a stranger in Spanish? You’re not alone! Making small talk in a foreign language can be nerve-racking. But what does small talk mean exactly?

Small talk is an informal conversation about everyday topics like weather, hobbies or food. And it’s actually an important social skill. One academic study points out that small talk plays a crucial role in everyday communication. Research even shows that it can help people feel happier and healthier. 

Today, we’re going to tell you how to master small talk in Spanish.

• Questions to use as a conversation starter in Spanish
• Useful sentences for small talk in Spanish
• How to show interest during a small conversation in Spanish

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Questions to use as a conversation starter in Spanish

Making small talk in Spanish gets much easier if you have the right questions to ask. We’re going to walk you through the main questions you’ll need to ace small conversation in Spanish. 

Remembering that Spanish has both formal and informal speaking formats, we’ve chosen to use formal speech today. Let’s assume you are striking up a conversation with a stranger. For informal options, review our lesson on formal vs. informal speech. Here are general questions to ask when meeting someone for the first time.

• ¿Cómo se llama? (What’s your name?)
• ¿Habla español/inglés? (Do you speak Spanish/English?)
• ¿Cómo está? (How are you?)
• ¿De dónde es? (Where are you from?)
• ¿Es usted de aquí?  (Are you from here?)

Questions about everyday topics in Spanish

After you’ve asked some first getting-to-know-you questions, you can move on to more specific topics. Talking about family, work/studies and food are fascinating and generally safe subjects for a small conversation in Spanish. It’s likely best to avoid more personal topics like politics, religion or money. 

Let’s see how to make small talk in Spanish with common conversation starters.

Weather: 

• ¿Le gusta el tiempo? (Do you like the weather?)
• ¿Tiene frío/calor? (Are you cold/hot?)

Personal information: 

• ¿Cuántos años tiene?  (How old are you?)
• ¿Tiene hermanos? (Do you have siblings?)
• ¿Trabaja o estudia? (Do you work or study?)
• ¿A qué se dedica? (What do you do for a living?)

Hobbies and interests:

• ¿Qué hace en su tiempo libre? (What do you do in your free time?)
• ¿Le gusta el deporte? (Do you like sports?)
• ¿Le gusta la música? (Do you like music?)
• ¿Le gusta viajar mucho? (Do you like to travel a lot?)

Food-related conversation starters in Spanish:: 

• ¿Qué tipo de comida le gusta? (What kind of food do you like?)
• Es delicioso, ¿no? (It’s delicious, isn’t it?)
• ¿Le gusta la comida local? (Do you like local food?)

Useful sentences for small talk in Spanish

Now let’s see how you can reply to the typical questions used in small talk.

Weather: 

• ¡Qué calor!  (It’s so hot!)
• Hoy hace bastante frío. (It’s quite cold today.)
• Es un día hermoso. (It’s a beautiful day.)

Personal information: 

• Tengo…años. (I’m…years old.)
• Sí, tengo…hermanos.  (Yes, I have…siblings.)

Hobbies and interests:

Me gusta...(I like to…)

• viajar (travel)
• hacer deporte (play sports)
• escuchar música (listen to music)
• bailar (dance)
• cocinar (cook)
• leer (read)

Food:

• Me gusta la comida local. (I like the local food.)
• ¡Es realmente delicioso! (It’s really delicious!)
• Soy vegetariano/a. (I’m a vegetarian – masculine/feminine) 

How to show interest during a small conversation in Spanish

To keep the conversation going, it’s very important to show interest in the person you’re speaking to. Here’re some of the most natural ways to show engagement in the small conversation in Spanish:

• ¿En serio? (Oh, really?)
• ¡Increíble! (Incredible!)
• Ah, ¿sí? (Oh, yeah?)
• Qué interesante. (How interesting.)
• No me diga…(You don’t say…)
• ¡No puede ser! (No way!)
• Madre mía (My goodness)

Showing genuine interest in another speaker during a small conversation in Spanish can definitely help you be a better listener in Spanish and make new friends!

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What next?

Let’s be real: the only way to be good at small talk is to practice. If you want to master the art of small talk in Spanish, go to local Spanish-speaking events, join a Spanish language club, or find a speaking partner. You can also choose an online Spanish language course to make faster progress.

Remember that being interested in the person you speak to is much more important than vocabulary or grammar mistakes. So find a language program, put on your best smile, and start mastering el arte de la conversación (the art of conversation) with some small talk in Spanish.

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