Spanish phrases that give you time to think
Many people tell us they understand more Spanish than they can say. In a conversation, the moment you need to find a word can feel very long, and it's often where people stop and switch to English.
Spanish speakers fill those moments with short phrases. Learning a few of them gives you time to think, lets you ask for help without leaving Spanish, and keeps the conversation going.
Phrases that give you a few seconds
Spanish | English |
|---|---|
A ver… | Let's see… |
Pues… | Well… |
Bueno… | Well, OK… |
Es que… | The thing is… |
¿Cómo te dirÃa? | How can I put it? |
O sea… | I mean… |
Phrases to ask for help
Spanish | English |
|---|---|
¿Cómo se dice … en español? | How do you say … in Spanish? |
¿Qué significa …? | What does … mean? |
¿Me lo repites, por favor? | Can you say that again, please? |
Más despacio, por favor. | More slowly, please. |
Perdona, no te he entendido. | Sorry, I didn't understand you. |
No sé cómo se dice, pero es como… | I don't know the word, but it's like… |
No te he entendido uses the past tense people in Spain use for something that has just happened.
Phrases to keep the conversation going
Spanish | English |
|---|---|
¿Y tú? | And you? |
¿En serio? | Really? |
Claro. | Of course. |
¿Y qué pasó? | And what happened? |
¡Qué bien! | That's great! |
A short example
Marta: ¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana? (What did you do at the weekend?)
You: Pues… fui a… ¿cómo se dice "hiking" en español? (Well… I went… how do you say "hiking" in Spanish?)
Marta: Senderismo. (Hiking.)
You: Eso, fui de senderismo a Montserrat. ¿Y tú? (That's it, I went hiking at Montserrat. And you?)
If fui and hiciste are new to you, our lesson on talking about your weekend in the past tense covers them.
Try it
Next time you speak Spanish, choose two of these phrases and use them. You can use them in our level test too.
Practising in class
In our classes you speak from the first lesson, in small groups at your level, with a teacher who corrects you while you speak. To find out which group would suit you, book a free level test.
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