Reaccionar y opinar
What you say when someone has just told you something. These are the phrases that keep a conversation two-sided: reacting properly is what makes the other person carry on, and disagreeing badly is what stops them.
Sorprenderse
¡No me digas!
You don't say!
Not literal: it means carry on, I'm interested.
¿En serio?
Are you serious?
The safe one everywhere.
¡Anda ya!
Come off it!
Spain. Disbelief, friendly.
¡Qué fuerte!
That's mad!
Spain, and very frequent. Not about strength.
No me lo puedo creer
I refuse to believe it
¡Qué bárbaro!
That's quite something
Argentina and Peru, for good and bad news alike.
Ni de broma
No chance
Refusing something outright, jokingly or not.
Menos mal
Thank goodness
Menos mal que llegaste. · Thank goodness you made it.
Estar de acuerdo
Ya te digo
You're telling me
Spain. Agreement from shared experience: —Qué calor. —Ya te digo.
Y tanto
And how!
Spain. Emphatic agreement, said with force.
Eso digo yo
That's my point exactly
Totalmente
Completely agreed
The most portable of these. Works anywhere.
Tienes toda la razón
You're right about everything
Ni más ni menos
Precisely that
Confirms a summary someone has just made.
Dudar y discrepar
Ya, pero…
Yeah, but…
Ya on its own means I hear you, not yes. The pero is where you actually go.
Sí, bueno…
Well, yes and no
Half-agreement. The tone carries most of the meaning.
No sé yo
I'm not so sure
Word order matters: no sé yo is doubt, yo no sé is ignorance.
Hombre, depende
Well, it depends
Hombre here is not addressing a man. It softens a disagreement, and is said to women too.
Tampoco es para tanto
It's not that big a deal
Deflates an exaggeration. Careful: it can sound dismissive.
Yo lo veo de otra manera
I see it differently
The polite, portable way to disagree outright.
Habría que verlo
We'd have to look into that
A soft no dressed as an open mind.
Puede ser, pero…
Maybe, but…
Mostrar interés
¿Y eso?
How come?
—Al final no fui. —¿Y eso? · —In the end I didn't go. —How come?
Two words, and it keeps a story going better than any long question.
¿Y qué pasó?
And then what?
Cuéntame
Go on, I'm listening
Ah, ¿sí?
Is that so?
Vaya
Oh dear, or wow
Works for good and bad news. Tone decides which.
Qué pena
What a shame
Me alegro
Good, I'm pleased
Me alegro mucho por ti. · I'm really glad for you.