28 essential Spanish social-glue phrases with pronunciation guides.
Click listen to hear each phrase with native-quality pronunciation.
It doesn't matter / No worries / It's all good
Lit. "Nothing happens"
A1informalexpression
¡Perdona que llegué tarde! — No pasa nada, tranquila. — Sorry I arrived late! — No worries, relax.
No idea / Not a clue
A1informalexpression
¿Sabes dónde vive? — Ni idea. — Do you know where they live? — No idea.
Hello! — universal Spanish greeting
A1neutralexclamation
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? — Hi! How are you?
See you later! / Goodbye!
A1neutralexclamation
Me voy ya. ¡Hasta luego! — I'm leaving now. See you later!
Good luck! / Best of luck!
A1neutralexclamation
¿Tienes una entrevista mañana? ¡Mucha suerte! — You have an interview tomorrow? Good luck!
How are you? / How's it going?
A1neutralquestion-phrase
¡Hola, María! ¿Qué tal? — Hi, María! How's it going?
Of course! / Sure! / Obviously!
A1neutralexclamation
¿Me pasas la sal? — ¡Claro! — Can you pass the salt? — Of course!
Exactly / That's right
A2neutralsingle-word
¿Entonces quedamos a las ocho? — Exacto. — So we're meeting at eight? — Exactly.
Of course / Certainly / Indeed
A2neutralexpression
¿Vas a ir a la fiesta? — ¡Desde luego! — Are you going to the party? — Of course!
OK / Alright / Fine (Spain)
A1informalsingle-word
Quedamos a las seis. — Vale, perfecto. — Let's meet at six. — OK, perfect.
Well... / So... / OK... (filler)
A1neutralfiller
Bueno, ¿y qué hacemos ahora? — Well, what do we do now?
You know? (tag question/filler)
A2informalfiller
Es que es complicado, ¿sabes? — It's just that it's complicated, you know?
Shall we meet up? / Shall we make plans?
A2informalquestion-phrase
Hace tiempo que no nos vemos. ¿Quedamos este fin de semana? — We haven't seen each other in a while. Shall we meet up this weekend?
How nice! / Great!
A1neutralexclamation
He aprobado el examen. — ¡Qué bien! ¡Felicidades! — I passed the exam. — Great! Congratulations!
Goodbye!
A1neutralexclamation
Ha sido un placer. ¡Adiós! — It's been a pleasure. Goodbye!
What? / Sorry? (didn't hear)
A1neutralquestion-phrase
¿Cómo? No te he oído. — What? I didn't hear you.
It doesn't matter / Whatever / Same difference
A2informalexpression
¿Pizza o pasta? — Da igual, lo que prefieras. — Pizza or pasta? — Doesn't matter, whatever you prefer.
It is what it is / That's all there is
A2informalexpression
No es perfecto, pero es lo que hay. — It's not perfect, but it is what it is.
Wow! / Gosh! / Well... (surprise/mild frustration)
A2informalexclamation
¡Vaya, qué sorpresa verte aquí! — Wow, what a surprise to see you here!
Seriously? / Really? / For real?
A1informalquestion-phrase
He dejado mi trabajo. — ¿En serio?! — I quit my job. — Seriously?!
You don't say! / No way! / Really?
Lit. "Don't tell me!"
A2informalexclamation
Se han casado. — ¡No me digas! ¿Cuándo? — They got married. — No way! When?
Gosh! / Darn! (mild exclamation)
A2informalexclamation
¡Jolín, se me ha olvidado el paraguas! — Darn, I forgot my umbrella!
Of course! / Absolutely!
A2neutralexclamation
¿Puedo usar tu ordenador? — ¡Por supuesto! — Can I use your computer? — Of course!
Not my problem
A2informalexpression
El informe no está listo. — Pues no es mi problema, yo hice mi parte. — The report isn't ready. — Well, that's not my problem, I did my part.
The early hours between midnight and dawn
B1neutralsingle-word
Llegamos a casa a las tres de la madrugada. — We got home at three in the morning.
Cheer up! / Come on! / Courage!
A2neutralexclamation
Sé que es difícil, pero ¡ánimo! Tú puedes. — I know it's hard, but courage! You can do it.
Afternoon nap — the famous Spanish tradition
A1neutralsingle-word
Después de comer, me echo una siesta de media hora. — After lunch, I take a half-hour siesta.
To miss (someone/something)
A2neutralexpression
Echo mucho de menos a mi familia. — I miss my family a lot.