Easy Learning Spanish Conversation

¡Vale! is used to accept or to agree: ¿Vamos juntos? – ¡Vale! (Shall we go together? – OK!).

SAYING WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO (#ulink_c3d35a3b-252d-5e3d-89a5-35fb8aebd64c)

To say that you have to do something in Spanish, you can use tengo que (I have to) followed by the infinitive.

I have to…

To say that you have to do something in Spanish, you can also use debo (I must) and then the infinitive. debo comes from the verb deber. For more information on deber, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I must…

To say that you should do something, use debería (I should) and then the infinitive.

I should…

¿LO SABÍAS?

As you’ll see in the first example above, in Spanish you say llamar a alguien for to call somebody. For more on this use of a, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

LISTEN OUT FOR (#ulink_883d2312-deb0-593c-91d7-f0e45eb78d67)

These are some of the questions you are likely to be asked by people you meet, and some of the comments they might make.

Lifestyle Tips (#ulink_7fae4c7c-a4b5-521b-9266-e90bc50401f7)

• When you want to talk to people that you either don’t know at all, or don’t know very well, the way to say you is usted. Nowadays, younger people in Spain tend not to use usted in this way, however it is always still used in Latin America.

• People who work together every day usually say tú to each other, but it’s always safer to wait a little before taking that step, especially with older or more senior colleagues. Many people don’t like to be called usted, because they think it’s too formal. They will usually suggest you call them tú by saying: puedes tutearme (you can call metú) or nos podemos tutear (we can call each othertú). If you think that the other person will be more comfortable using the tú form, you can make the first move and ask: ¿Nos tuteamos? (Shall we call each othertú?).

• When meeting someone socially for the first time, you usually shake hands – darse la mano – if it’s a man, or kiss if it’s a woman. In business and formal situations, everybody would shake hands.

• Men who are on friendly terms usually shake hands or pat each other on the back, while women kiss - darse un beso. Men also kiss female friends and in some cases other men, for instance when they belong to the same family. Spanish people usually kiss twice, once on each cheek.

• If you hear someone talking about their pareja (partner), remember that, although it’s a feminine noun, it is used for both men and women.

Getting there (#ulink_4008e345-7bb0-5e8a-9eaf-bdcc67af0c9a)

¡Buen viaje! – Have a good trip! (#ulink_4683764b-2256-5dcb-95b5-54ea3c620401)

Whether you’re hitting the road, boarding a train, catching a plane or heading for the high seas, this unit will help you check out the timetables and find the best routes using natural, confident Spanish.

TALKING ABOUT YOUR PLANS (#ulink_79fdb5e1-4fbb-52e4-b317-2cd17c326b82)

In English we use I’m going to to talk about where we’re going and what we’re going to do. It’s just the same in Spanish. You use voy a (I’m going to) before the name of a place or before another verb.

I’m going to…

If you want to say what you’re planning to do on your travels, you can use tengo la intención de (I’m planning to) followed by the infinitive. tengo comes from the verb tener (to have). For more information on tener, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I’m planning to…

SAYING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO (#ulink_d89214f6-941c-5291-a082-1ad6e9300e1f)

To talk about things that you want to do, use quiero (I want) followed by the infinitive. quiero comes from the verb querer (to want). For more information on querer, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

I want to…

If you want to say what you feel like doing, you can use tengo ganas de (I feel like) followed by an infinitive.

I feel like…

When you want to explain what you’re hoping to do, use espero (I’m hoping) followed by an infinitive.

I’m hoping to…

When discussing your travel plans, you may want to say what you’d like to do. To do this you can use me gustaría (I’d like) followed by a verb in the infinitive.

I’d like to…

When planning your trip, of course you won’t just want to say what you like and what you’d like to do, you’ll want to say what you’d rather do. Use prefiero (I prefer or I’d rather) or preferiría (I’d prefer or I’d rather) to talk about your preferences.

I’d rather…

MAKING SUGGESTIONS (#ulink_10bc08e1-fa02-5bb6-ba1b-c0efb3f8bd63)

To make suggestions about what you could do, use podríamos (we could) and podemos (we can). They are both from the verb poder (to be able). For more information on poder, see here (#litres_trial_promo).

We could…

You can also make a suggestion in the same way as English, simply by asking ¿Por qué no…? (Why don’t…?).

Why don’t…?

How about…?

To find out what someone wants to do, you can ask ¿Te gustaría…? (Would you like…?) or ¿Te apetece…? (Do you fancy…?) followed by an infinitive.

Would you like…?

To say Let’s…!, you can use ¡Vamos a…! and the infinitive form of the verb.

Let’s…!

To offer to do something, you can just use the present tense of the verb. You can also use voy a (I’m going to) and vamos a (we’re going to) and the infinitive.

I’ll…

ASKING FOR INFORMATION (#ulink_744f3149-298f-52fd-b78f-cf43ff17b70c)