The short version
- The easiest Spanish conversation starters are about the place you're both in: the queue, the class, the gym, the party.
- Asking for a recommendation works almost anywhere, because people like being asked.
- Prepare one starter for each place you'll be this week, and learn a couple of ways to end a chat politely.
The best Spanish conversation starters aren't clever. They're short, simple questions about whatever you and the other person are both looking at. The queue that isn't moving. The class you've both just walked into. The machine they're using at the gym.
That's good news for learners. You don't need to be witty in Spanish. You need a handful of simple questions, prepared in advance for the places you actually go.
Here's what works, place by place, plus how to keep it going and how to end it without an awkward silence.
Why simple starters work best
A starter about your shared situation is easy for the other person to answer. They don't have to think, and they don't have to share anything personal. That makes people more likely to reply, and more likely to say something back.
It's also easier for you. The context does half the work. If you're both standing in a queue at the market and you ask ¿Siempre hay tanta gente? (Is it always this busy?), they know exactly what you mean, even if your pronunciation isn't perfect.
Once you've got a reply, the starter has done its job. From there, it's about asking a follow-up or reacting to what they say.
Starters for the places you actually go
Think about where you'll be this week. Here are starters for some of the most common places.
| Where | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Gym | ¿Te queda mucho con la máquina? | Have you got long left on the machine? |
| Work, by the coffee machine | ¿Qué tal el finde? | How was your weekend? |
| A class or course | ¿Es tu primera clase también? | Is it your first class too? |
| The park, with a dog | ¡Qué bonito! ¿Cuántos años tiene? | He's lovely! How old is he? |
| A friend's party | ¿De qué conoces a Laura? | How do you know Laura? |
| A bar terrace | Perdona, ¿está libre esta silla? | Excuse me, is this chair free? |
| The market | ¿Qué tal están hoy las fresas? | How are the strawberries today? |
| The school gate | ¿Tu hijo también está en tercero? | Is your son in tercero (third year) as well? |
None of these are special. That's the point. They're the questions people in Spain ask each other every day, and nobody will think it's strange that you asked.
At markets, small shops, the chemist and some waiting rooms in Spain, there often isn't a neat queue. When you arrive, you ask ¿Quién es el último? or ¿Quién es la última? (Who's last?). Someone says Yo, and you go after them. It's also a natural way to start chatting while you wait.
Ask for a recommendation
If you only learn one kind of starter, make it this one. People like being asked for their opinion, especially about their own town. It also gives them something to talk about for more than a few seconds, which gives you time to listen.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Me recomiendas algún sitio para comer por aquí? | Can you recommend anywhere to eat around here? |
| ¿Qué me recomiendas? | What do you recommend? |
| ¿Conoces algún buen sitio para tomar algo? | Do you know a good place for a drink? |
| ¿Cuál es el mejor momento para venir? | What's the best time to come? |
| ¿Has leído algo bueno últimamente? | Have you read anything good lately? |
| ¿Qué serie estás viendo ahora? | What series are you watching at the moment? |
Use me recomiendas with people your age or people you've met before. With someone older, or in a more formal setting, me recomienda (the usted form) is more polite.
Pick one recommendation question from the table and use it once this week with someone real: a colleague, the person at the bakery, a neighbour. Practise it out loud first, along with the follow-up ¿Y qué tal está? (And what's it like?). Whatever they recommend, try it, and next time you see them you've got a starter ready: Fui al sitio que me dijiste. ¡Me encantó!
Ask what they think
Another easy way in is to ask someone's opinion about something you've both just seen or heard. ¿Qué te parece…? (What do you think of…?) and ¿Qué te ha parecido…? (What did you think of…?) are the key structures.
- ¿Qué te ha parecido la clase? (What did you think of the class?)
- ¿Qué te parece el sitio nuevo de la esquina? (What do you think of the new place on the corner?)
- ¿Tú entiendes algo de lo que ha dicho? (Did you understand any of what he said?) This one works well after a confusing announcement, and it usually gets a laugh.
From the first question to a conversation
The starter gets a reply. What keeps it going is what you say next. You don't need anything complicated: react, then ask one more thing.
Notice that each reply adds a small detail and often a question. That's all a conversation is. There's more on this in how to keep a conversation going in Spanish, and if the chat moves on to who you are, how to introduce yourself in Spanish will help.
How to end the conversation
A lot of learners avoid starting conversations because they're not sure how to get out of them. Knowing a couple of exit lines makes starting much less stressful.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Bueno, te dejo. | Right, I'll let you go. |
| Me voy yendo, que llego tarde. | I'd better get going, I'm going to be late. |
| Me ha encantado hablar contigo. | It's been really nice talking to you. |
| A ver si coincidimos otro día. | Hopefully we'll bump into each other again. |
| ¡Nos vemos! | See you! |
Bueno, te dejo is one of the most useful phrases in Spain. It's polite, it's friendly and it ends any chat. If you know you can leave at any point with those three words, starting a conversation feels a lot less risky.
Common mistakes
Waiting for the perfect opening line.
Ask a simple question about where you are.
Asking a starter, getting an answer, then going silent.
React (¡Qué bien!, ¿En serio?) and ask one more question.
Starting with something too personal, like age or salary.
Start with the place, the event or a recommendation.
Using tú with an older stranger in a shop.
Use usted: ¿Me recomienda algo?
Not starting because you don't know how to finish.
Learn Bueno, te dejo and use it whenever you need to.
If you'd like more ideas for short chats near home, see Spanish small talk with your neighbours.
Recap
- The best starters are simple questions about the place you're both in.
- Prepare one starter for each place you'll be this week.
- Ask for recommendations. People like giving them.
- After the reply, react and ask one more thing.
- Learn an exit line like Bueno, te dejo so ending is easy.
100 Spanish Conversations gives you the words and questions for a new everyday conversation each week, so you've always got something to say after the first question. If you want somewhere safe to practise starting conversations, the Skool community is full of people doing the same.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com