A1 · First conversations
Talking about yourself
What people will ask you the moment you are introduced, and how to answer without going silent.
The basics
Soy de Estados Unidos, pero vivo acá hace dos años.
I am from the US, but I have lived here for two years.
Hace + time is how Spanish says for two years.
Estoy aprendiendo español.
I am learning Spanish.
Estar + gerund for something happening in this period of your life.
Todavía me cuesta un poco.
I still find it a bit hard.
Costar works like gustar: me cuesta, me cuestan.
Entiendo más de lo que hablo.
I understand more than I speak.
Useful and true for almost every learner.
When you do not understand
¿Me lo puedes repetir más despacio?
Could you say that again more slowly?
The single most useful sentence at A1.
¿Qué significa esa palabra?
What does that word mean?
Better than ¿qué quiere decir? when you want a definition.
¿Cómo se dice esto en español?
How do you say this in Spanish?
The impersonal se: how does one say this.
Perdón, me perdí.informal
Sorry, I got lost.
For when the conversation has left you behind.
About your partner and their family
Mi enamorada es de Trujillo.very Peruvian
My girlfriend is from Trujillo.
Enamorado and enamorada are the normal words in Peru; novio sounds more serious or more formal.
- México
- mi novia
- Argentina
- mi novia
- España
- mi novia
- Colombia
- mi novia
Nos conocimos hace tres años.
We met three years ago.
Conocerse for meeting each other for the first time.
Todavía no conozco a toda la familia.
I have not met the whole family yet.
Conocer for people, saber for facts.
11 expressions in this pack