subject: Learn Conversational Spanish: Must-have Cool Phrases [print this page] Escaping out of the standard Spanish found in regular Spanish courses is a goal a good number of students of Spanish are aiming to achieve as quickly as possible. We're going to make it easier to learn conversational Spanish by adding an authentic classy style to your spoken Spanish with these must-have Spanish phrases that'll create a knockout effect with native Spanish speakers for sure.
Bueno, many dialogues start with a salutation and a good number of Spanish students will usually rely on Spanish phrases along the lines of:
Cmo est/s?, or Qu tal? - How are you?
Such Spanish phrases are valid certainly, although to make your greetings more streetwise, use the following phrases as better options:
Cmo estamos? - How are we? Really common!
Qu te cuentas? - How you getting on?
Cmo va? - How's it going?
Although they're actually saying the same thing as the preceeding two, such informal phrases are more "cool" and genuine.
Let's have some canny Spanish phrases you may make use of to respond instead of the regular "bien", "muy bien" or "todo bien".
Ms o menos - More or less (You can also cut the "s" at the end and say "m o meno" to make you seem more "Spanishy"!)
Sin novedades - Not a lot happening
Estoy contento/a con la vida - I'm satisfied with life
Bueno, now and again when you're chatting in Spanish, you simply can't think of a word to convey something. This is bound to ensue as you learn conversational Spanish, it happens to me often and the next three canny phrases are going to be especially handy:
Lo tenga en la punta de la lengua - It's on the point of my tongue
Cmo se llama esa cosa? - What's that thing called?
Cmo se llama ese chisme? - What's that thingy called?
Much better than responding with guiri cues along the lines of Qu significa? For sure!
Saying goodbye to people is a further occasion to craft a favorable impact by expressing goodbye just as the locals do. Hence, rather than using run-of-the-mill Spanish phrases just like: "Hasta pronto", "hasta luego" and "hasta la prxima", make use of the following phrases:
Hasta ahora
Hasta otra
Hasta ms ver
The first two are used very often here in Barcelona, I'll come across them on a daily basis, and you're going to hear all of them wherever you happen to be in Spain.
Finally, another extremely cool streetwise Spanish saying to add to your increasing vocabulary. On those occasions when you're saying "good night" (buenas noches) to your friends tack-on:
Que descanses - Rest well
It's infrequently employed by gringos and guiris and along with adding realism to your Spanish vocab, it will attain you a great deal of admiration!
You're now equipped with a baker's dozen of really classy expressions to enable you to learn conversational Spanish by saying authentic phrases regularly said by native Spanish speakers. Drop all of these phrases into your Spanish and you will stand-out from those pesky guiris!
