How I learned Spanish Conversation Basics

Starting a basic Spanish Conversation

Let me show you how you can improve your Spanish by starting with some basic Spanish phrases and how you can travel while learning Spanish.

Deciding to learn Spanish in Latin America literally planted seeds of interest in new and different cultures in my mind, not just the idea of being able to say hello, please, thank you and bye in Spanish. I mean, come on man!

So for me, it began with a small travel budget and reseaching a cheap Spanish speaking country that I could visit without breaking the bank.

1. Start a Conversation in Spanish Today

To start any conversation in any language, especially one that is not your own, you have to be interested. Think: topics, themes and your interests.

You’ll find thousands of useful Spanish phrases out there, but let’s keep it real! If you’re not interested in them, you simply won’t use them.

I started with this book and some other exercise books. These were mainly books filled with popular Spanish phrases: I hardly used them properly.

Then I began hacking Spanish words and phrases to make new sentences.

Later, I finally came to the conclusion that I was more interested in talking about daily things I would say in English. From there, I started speaking and memorizing those ‘everyday English words’ but translated in Spanish.

📕 This practice makes perfect series I used was still very helpful.

2. Use everyday language

I decided I would use some of these everyday things “I say” as the basis of a basic Spanish conversation. For talking to locals on my travels.

Rather than searching for the most common Spanish phrases, I wrote down common phrases from my everyday conversation dialogue.

Instead of skimming exercise books and thinking, how do I say “I don’t know in Spanish?” Again; I’d pepper my own vocabulary into the mix.

From there on, I started building my own book of phrases, which became the blueprint for my own conversational Spanish.

As I got into building my library, I realized there were many other benefits!

3. Find Reasons to practice Spanish daily

See these 5 benefits of studying and practicing Spanish daily below:

Those are just some of the benefits I’ve received personally from learning how to have a conversation in Spanish.

I never thought learning Spanish would lead to any of those points, but this is what happens when you ask more questions in Spanish.

4. Speaking with Natives and Locals

If you’re making dialogue with native speakers, which I recommend, be aware of where they come from. Which country or region.

Did you know I focus on Latin American Spanish?

Some regions in South America, such as Buenos Aires, call it Castellano, which is completely different from the Spanish spoken in Spain.

What I eventually did was to pick a region in which I liked the Spanish. It could be for practical or personal reasons, you can choose.

For example, I recommend you follow Colombian Spanish or Spanish from some regions of Peru or even Guatelmala if you’re an absolute beginner.

If you’re just looking for some essential Spanish phrases for travel – then maybe you don’t need to consider the country you learn from.

In my case, this was an absolute need to know.

I then started to pick up some Colombian slang phrases and learn more about dialect and cultural traits from specific regions .

You can pick up any Spanish you like. You can mix it – remix it and say any words you like. For me the Paisa accent ended up being my favorite.

The good news is, most basic Spanish phrases are the same. You’ll find slight discrepancies but don’t let those put you off.

This is the key to start learning conversational Spanish without fear.

That way, it’s more likely you’ll pick up the rhythm as you learn simple Spanish mannerisms as you engage in dialogue.

The Spanish I learned in the early days came from watching Mexican documentaries and my favorite Hollywood movies dubbed in Spanish.

Basic Spanish Conversation

The key thing to start with basic Spanish sentences, vocabulary, and phrases is to get talking and engaging in everyday conversation.

There are tons of Spanish Conversation textbooks, online tools and amazing apps. I mention some of the ones I use in my growth report; however, they don’t help with real-time Spanish conversation per se.

Apps are all good and well, but it’s investing in a decent travel journal that you can jot ideas that come to your mind that helped me.

1. Spanish Dialogue for Beginners

What you’ll also find is that a lot of the Spanish dialogue in those resources can be very formal or even unnatural.

The last thing you want is turning up to Plaza Bolivar Bogota sounding like a walking textbook. Or, a Gringo robot with a soundless soul.

Let’s be real… bad Gringo Spanish will turn you into a target for street urchins to harass you for whatever peso they can get.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the basic phrases you might use in a Spanish conversation for beginners to get you thinking.

2. Spanish conversation starters

Here are some basic Spanish conversation starters that I’ve used to date during my travels in Central and South America.

In the beginning, I was procrastinating in Spanish by not starting a basic conversation as I thought it sounded corny, but after a lot of practice – I found it really works.

3. The most common Spanish phrases

Below are some very basic phrases in Spanish you can easily use.

You’ll find that many of them are very universal, so try not to hold yourself back by not asking them.

I’ve found watching Spanish movies is also great for picking these type of phrases up. You can use the subtitles as a learning aid too.

Believe it or not, these are the types of basic Spanish conversation phrases that get used in everyday life.

Spanish Conversation Tips

Below are some Spanish Conversation tips, including books to read to help you get your grammar up to speed so you can engage in conversation.

Books to Read on Spanish Conversation

If you want to develop your vocabulary, these books may help you:

Great if you wish to become a much better speaker in Spanish.

My Spanish Learning Journey

You can replicate these methods easily, but the critical factor to keep you improving is consistency. Get a conversation partner to practice with.

Being consistent, you can achieve fluency with any one of the above methods. Personally, number 3 and 4 has worked really well for me.

I wrote three traits that you’ll need to become fluent in Spanish:

1. Passion
2. Commitment
3. Focus

Without these three things, you’ll find it almost impossible to achieve fluency. If you lack consistency, you are likely to forget what you have learned as it will still be in your short-term memory. The idea with these techniques is to be collecting words and phrases from your daily life.

Think about the words you use daily in English, which you don’t know in Spanish. These are words you can re-use in Spanish conversation.

If you’re not already, I invite you to consider the possibility of learning Spanish as a second or third language.

Having a native teacher to track my progress, has helped me to retain the new vocabulary I learn by helping me to become fluent in Spanish.

Basic Spanish conversation

I hope you learned something and now feel confident in engaging in a basic Spanish conversation with the tips I’ve shared.

Read even more inspiring tips for learning Spanish on this blog!