71 Common Spanish Phrases to Survive Your First Conversation with a Native

Do you want to learn Spanish?

Or perhaps you're planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country?

In order to get started and have your first basic conversations in Spanish, you're going to need to learn some vocabulary!

In this post, you'll learn 71 common Spanish phrases. And to make it easier for you, I've divided the phrases up into the main sections that form the building blocks of conversation:  

1. Greetings
2. Small Talk
3. Being Polite
4. Dealing with Problems
5. Question Words
6. Important Answers
7. Special Occasions
8. Saying Goodbye

Whether you're going to Mexico or Medellín chances are you'll find some of the locals can speak a bit of English. But if you speak some Spanish, you'll be able to have much more enjoyable and authentic experiences when you travel.

Having a few common Spanish phrases up your sleeve when you're starting out in the language allows you to experience local culture and hospitality in a completely different way.

You never know, maybe learning these phrases will motivate you to learn Spanish to fluency! 

By the way, if you want to learn Spanish through stories, not rules, my top recommendation for language learners is my Uncovered courses, which teach you through StoryLearning®. Click here to find out more and try out the method for free.

If you prefer watching videos, then you can check out these phrases in the video below. Or just keep scrolling to read the full post.

To make it as easy as possible for you to practice these phrases in your Spanish conversations, I've created a special Spanish Vocab Power Pack that include all of these phrases, plus a TONNE of other essential Spanish vocabulary. You can grab a copy for free!

Click here to download your copy now. (It's FREE!)

Common Spanish Phrases Cheatsheet

For a quick overview of these basic Spanish phrases, check out the cheatsheet below. Consider this you own visual Spanish phrasebook.

But make sure you read the rest of the post though for details on the pronunciation of these Spanish phrases, including audio for the tricky words and sounds. And one or two other bonus bits of information about Spanish language and culture.

Spanish Greetings

Understanding what you should say when you meet and greet people is the least you can do if you want to make a good impression.

After all, you're going to be using greetings every time you have a conversation in Spanish!

These phrases are simple, easy to remember and will go a long way to help you make friends and have your first conversations in the language.

• #1 ¡Hola! – Hello
  • (O-la)
• #2 ¡Buenos días! – Good morning!
  • (BWAY-nos DEE-as)
• #3 ¡Buenas tardes! – Good evening!
  • (BWAY-nas TAR-des)
• #4 ¡Bienvenido! – Welcome!
  • (bee-en-ben-EE-doh)

I've included tips for pronouncing each phrase in brackets, but it's always best to listen to how native speakers talk if you really want to master pronunciation.

If you're confused about how to pronounce any of these phrases, you can look them up on Forvo (an online pronunciation dictionary) and hear them spoken by native speakers.

Keeping The Conversation Going: Small Talk In Spanish

Making small talk is something you’re going to do a lot of. So there’s every reason to know how to do it properly.

Besides, small talk is the gateway to real communication; you need to be able to do it in order to really speak to a person.

Making small talk is not something most of us enjoy in our own language, so doing it in a foreign language can be a bit daunting. But trust me, being able to engage in small talk will allow you to get a conversation started.

Making conversation in whatever way you can as a beginner will allow you to grow in confidence and figure out what you need to learn next in Spanish.

Here are some phrases you can use to get the conversation going:

• #5 ¿Cómo estás? – How are you?
  • (KOH-moh eh-STAHS)
• #6 ¿Cómo te va? – How’s it going?
  • (KOH-moh te BAH)
• #7 ¿Cómo te ha ido? – How’ve you been?
  • (KOH-moh te ah EE-doh)
• #8 Estoy bien ¡Gracias! – I’m fine, thanks
  • (eh-STOY bee-en GRA-thee-as/GRA-see-as)
• #9 ¿Y tú? – And you?
  • (ee too)
• #10 Bien/ Así así. – Good/ So-so
  • (bee-en / a-SEE a-SEE)
• #11 ¿Qué tal? – How are you?
  • (kay tal)
• #12 ¿Qué pasa? – What’s happening?
  • (kay PA-sa)
• #13 ¿Qué haces? – What are you doing?
  • (kay AH-says)

Did you notice anything strange about the pronunciation of the phrase ¿Cómo te va?

The ‘v' in va is pronounced almost like a ‘b'.

In English, the letter's ‘b' and ‘v' represent different sounds, but in Spanish, they represent the same sound.

This sound is different from anything we have in English. It's like a B, but softer. Listen to how I pronounce the word ¡Vale! (‘ok') in this recording to see how it sounds:

To find out more, check out my complete guide to the difference between ‘b' and ‘v' in Spanish. 

Being Polite In Spanish

Of course, no matter what language you're speaking, politeness goes a long way. Whether you need to make an apology or just want to thank someone, you're going to use these phrases a lot!:

• #14 ¡Gracias! – Thank you!
  • (GRA-thee-as/GRA-see-as)
• #15 Por favor – Please
  • (por fah-BOR)
• #16 ¡De nada! – You’re welcome!
  • (de NA-da)
• #17 ¡Perdone! / ¡Oiga! – Excuse me (to ask for something)!
  • (per-DON-ay/ OY-ga)
• #18 ¡Perdone! / Disculpe! – Excuse me (to get past)!
  • (per-DON-ay/ dis-KUL-pay)
• #19 ¡Disculpe! – Sorry!
  • (if you didn’t hear something) (dis-KUL-pay)
• #20 ¡Lo siento! – Sorry! (for a mistake)
  • (lo see-EN-to)

Dealing With Problems In Spanish

Of course, not every conversation or language exchange will go smoothly.

What should you do when you don't understand something? Or if you need to ask someone for help?

It's important to know some basic Spanish phrases you can use for dealing with problems when they arise. If you need someone to speak more slowly or to repeat something, the best thing to do is just ask them!

• #22 ¿Podría ayudarle? – Can I help you?
  • (poh-DREE-a ay-oo-DAR-le)
• #22 ¿Puede ayudarme? – Can you help me?
  • (PWE-day ay-oo-DAR-may)
• #23 ¡Sin problema! – No problem!
  • (sin prob-LAME-ah)
• #24 ¿Puede repetirlo? – Can you say that again?
  • (PWE-day re-pet-EER-lo)
• #25 No entiendo – I don’t understand!
  • (no en-tee-EN-do)
• #26 No (lo) sé – I don’t know!
  • (no lo say)
• #27 No tengo ni idea – I have no idea!
  • (no TEN-go nee ee-DAY-ah)
• #28 No hablo español – I don't speak Spanish
  • (no AB-lo es-pan-YOL)
• #29 Estoy perdido – I’m lost
  • (eh-STOY per-DEE-do)
• #30 ¿Qué significa …? – What does … mean?
  • (kay sig-nif-EE-ka)
• #31 Mi español es malo – My Spanish is bad
  • (mi es-pan-YOL es MA-lo)
• #32 ¿Puedes hablar más despacio? – Can you speak more slowly?
  • (PWE-des ab-LAR mas des-PATH-ee-o)

The word despacio in the last phrase is interesting. Notice that the ‘c' is pronounced like ‘th' in this context.

This is the traditional Spanish pronunciation used in Spain. However, in Latin America, people pronounce the ‘c' as an ‘s' sound (e.g. des-PAS-ee-o).

Curious about this and other variations in Spanish in the world? This guide explains the 3 key differences in Spanish varieties that you'll hear in different countries and regions.

Question Words In Spanish

Conversation is a two-way street. So if you want to really connect with people, you need to be able to ask questions. Here are the Spanish question words you need to know:

• ¿qué…? – what?
  • (kay)
• ¿cómo…? – how?
  • (KOH-moh)
• ¿cuándo…? – when?
  • (KWAN-doh)
• ¿dónde…? – where?
  • (DON-day)
• ¿quién…? – who?
  • (KEE-en)
• ¿por qué…? – why?
  • (por KAY)
• ¿cuál? – which?
  • (kwal)

It's a good idea to just memorise these words right away. You're going to come across them again and again so it's important you're comfortable with them.

Pro tip: Question words are always written with an accent and with opening/closing question marks.

There are lots of questions which we use regularly in everyday conversation but we often don’t realise how important they are.

Not having them in your repertoire will leave you tongue-tied and at a loss in many situations.

Here are some examples of questions that are useful to know:

• #33 ¿Cómo te llamas? – What is your name?
  • (KOH-moh teh YAH-mas)
• #34 ¿Qué hora tienes? – What time is it?
  • (kay OH-ra tee-EN-es)
• #35 ¿Dónde puedo comprar…? – Where can I buy…?
  • (DON-day PWAY-do kom-PRAR)
• #36 ¿Cuántos años tienes? – How old are you?
  • (KWAN-tos AN-yos tee-EN-es)
• #37 ¿De dónde vienes? – Where are you from?
  • (de DON-day bee-EN-ays)
• #38 ¿Dónde vives? – Where do you live?
  • (DON-day BEE-bes)
• #39 ¿Tienes hermanos o hermanas? – Do you have brothers or sisters?
  • (tee-EN-es er-MA-nos o er-MA-nas)
• #40 ¿Cuánto cuesta eso? – How much is that?
  • (KWAN-to KWES-ta E-so)
• #41 ¿Qué es esto? – What is this?
  • (kay es ES-to)
• #42 ¿Entiende? – Do you understand?
  • (en-tee-EN-day)
• #43 ¿Comprende? – Do you understand?
  • (com-PREN-day)
• #44 ¿Hablas inglés? – Do you speak English?
  • (AB-las in-GLAYS)
• #45 ¿Dónde está el baño? – Where is the bathroom?
  • (DON-day es-TAH el BAN-yo)

Talking About Yourself & Answering Questions In Spanish

Learning how to ask questions in Spanish is all good and well. But if you're dealing with questions, you need to be able to deal with answers too!

Here's how you can respond to some of the questions above:

• #46 Me llamo… – My name is…
  • (me YA-mo …)
• #47 Mi nombre es… – My name is
  • (mi NOM-bray es …)
• #48 (Yo) tengo … años – I am … years old.
  • (yo TEN-go … AN-yos)
• #49 (Yo) soy de… – I come from ….
  • (yo soy de …)
• #50 Sí – Yes
  • (see)
• #51 No – No
  • (no)
• #52 Tal vez – Maybe
  • (tal ves)
• #53 Siempre – Always
  • (see-EM-pray)
• #54 Nunca – Never
  • (NUN-kah)
• #55 A veces – Sometimes
  • (a BEH-says)
• #56 Claro – Of course
  • (KLA-ro)

Spanish Expressions For Special Occasions

There are a number of common expressions that are used regularly to denote special circumstances or for special occasions.

These phrases are ideal for events like birthdays, meals with friends or even for ending the conversation:

• #57 ¡Diviértete! – Have fun!
  • (di-bih-EHR-te-te)
• #58 ¡Buen viaje! – Have a good trip!
  • (bwu-EN bih-AH-hay)
• #59 ¡Buen provecho! – Bon appetit!
  • (bwu-EN pro-BE-choh)
• #60 ¡Muy bien! – Well done!
  • (mwee bee-EN)
• #61 ¡Cuídate! – Take care!
  • (kw-EE-dah-tay)
• #62 ¡Felicitaciones! – Congratulations!
  • (fe-lis-i-ta-see-ON-es)
• #63 ¡Bienvenidos! / ¡Bienvenidas! – Welcome!
  • (bee-en-ben-EE-dos / bee-en-ben-EE-das)
• #64 ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! – Happy Birthday!
  • (fe-LEES kump-lay-AN-yos)
• #65 ¡Salud! – Cheers!
  • (Sa-LOOD)

Saying Goodbye In Spanish

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially in a foreign language when you don’t know how to do it!

Whether you are bidding farewell to friends you're going to see later or to somebody you'll never see again, make sure you know how to say your goodbyes appropriately.

In any case, Spanish has lots of different options:

• #66 Adiós – Goodbye
  • (ah-dee-OS)
• #67 ¡Buenas noches! – Goodnight!
  • (BWAY-nas NO-ches)
• #68 ¡Hasta luego! – See you later
  • (AS-ta loo-AY-go)
• #69 ¡Hasta pronto! – See you soon
  • (AS-ta PRON-to)
• #70 ¡Hasta mañana! – See you tomorrow
  • (AS-ta man-YAN-a)
• #71 Nos vemos – See you
  • (nos BAY-mos)

Your Next Steps In Spanish

So there you have it: everyday common Spanish phrases to help you get started on your Spanish learning journey.

With these phrases in your back pocket, you'll soon find yourself having your first basic conversations and looking forward to getting fluent in Spanish!

So now that you've learned the basics, are you ready to take the next step on your Spanish journey?

I'm a big believer in the power of story to enable you to learn a language. That's why I've created an entire beginner course dedicated to learning Spanish by immersing yourself in an engaging story.

It's my Spanish Uncovered course, and it's designed to take you from beginner to B1 Intermediate level.

Click here for more information on the course and how it'll help you.