Introductions (pt. 2/2) – Lesson 4

What you’ll learn in this lesson

In part 1 of the introductions you learned how to say hello, introduce yourself, say your name, ask someone’s name, and say goodbye. In this lesson we go a step further: the basic Spanish questions people ask when they meet someone new, and how to answer them.

• Where are you from?
• How old are you?
• What do you do?
• Where do you live?
• What are your hobbies?
• How to end a conversation politely

This is another vocabulary lesson (blue), with about 20 words and phrases. So grab your flashcards or your notebook and a pen, and let’s get into it. As always: you don’t have to learn every phrase. Pick the ones you think you’ll actually use.

“Where are you from?” in Spanish

To answer, say soy de (“I am from”) and add your country. For example, I’m from the Netherlands, so I say:

I can’t include every country in the world here, otherwise this lesson would take an hour. So look up what your country is called in Spanish, and just say soy de + your country.

“How old are you?” in Spanish

Look at what you’re literally saying: cuántos means “how many”, años means “years” and tienes means “you have”. So in Spanish you don’t ask “how old are you?”, you ask “how many years do you have?”. And you answer the same way: tengo (“I have”) + your age + años.

We haven’t learned the numbers yet. For now, look up how to say your age online. Don’t worry, there are lessons about numbers coming up soon.

“What do you do?” in Spanish

There are a few ways to ask someone what they do:

¿Qué haces aquí? is handy when you meet someone while traveling or on vacation. And you’ll also hear ¿qué haces? as a casual way of saying “what’s up?”.

How to answer

If you say you’re a student, people will most likely ask ¿qué estudias?. Already finished school (thank God)? Then say trabajo como (“I work as”) and add your profession.

“Where do you live?” in Spanish

Answer with vivo en (“I live in”) + your city or country.

“What are your hobbies?” in Spanish

Pasatiempo is the Spanish word for hobby. But you’ll also hear Spanish speakers simply say hobbies: it’s one of those words that’s used all over the world.

How to end the conversation

One of my favorite phrases to use after meeting someone new:

Of course you can still say ¡adiós! or ¡hasta luego!, but ¡que tenga un buen día! is a really polite way to say goodbye. It uses the formal usted form (remember ¿y usted? from part 1), so it’s great in shops and restaurants. To a friend, you’d say ¡que tengas un buen día!

All basic Spanish questions and answers from this lesson

Spanish	English
¿De dónde eres?	Where are you from?
Soy de Holanda	I’m from the Netherlands
Soy de Inglaterra	I’m from England
Soy de Estados Unidos	I’m from the United States
Soy de Canadá	I’m from Canada
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■
■■■■■■■■	■■■■■■■■

+ 14 more words & phrases

Get all 19 words & phrases on one printable page, with examples and my tips. Free, straight to your inbox.

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Example conversation

Here’s how a first conversation could go, using phrases from part 1 and part 2:

Practice: what do you say?

Try to answer out loud first, then check your answer. Use your own details!

1. Someone asks you “¿De dónde eres?”. How do you answer?

Soy de + your country. For example: soy de Inglaterra.

2. How do you ask someone how old they are?

¿Cuántos años tienes? Literally: “how many years do you have?”

3. How do you say “I’m 30 years old”?

Tengo 30 años. (Never soy 30 años!)

4. How do you say “I work as a teacher”?

Trabajo como profesor.

5. You’re leaving a shop. How do you wish the shop assistant a good day?

¡Que tenga un buen día! (the polite, formal form)

Quiz: test yourself

Ready? Answer the questions to see how much you remember.

Before you go to the next lesson

That’s about 20 new words and phrases, so take your time. These are perfect for flashcards: put the questions on one side and your own answers on the other. That way you’ll be ready the next time you meet someone new.

Now you can have a real first conversation in Spanish! ¡Adiós y hasta la próxima!