Spanish · Neighbours · Beginner

Small talk phrases in Spanish

Greet with “Buenas tardes” and answer “¿A qué piso vas?” with your floor. Then let the weather do the work: “¡Qué calor hace hoy!”, “Dicen que mañana va a llover”, “Por fin ha refrescado un poco”. As the doors open, say “Adiós, hasta luego”.

Try it · about two minutes

You share the lift with a neighbour and fill the ride with a few friendly words about the weather.

Sound on: the neighbour speaks Spanish. You choose what to say back, and Frasa tells you why it works.

The conversation

Neighbour
¡Buenas tardes, vecino!
Good afternoon, neighbour!
You
¡Buenas tardes!
Good afternoon!
Neighbour
¿A qué piso vas?
Which floor are you going to?
You
Al cuarto, gracias.
Fourth, thanks.
Neighbour
¡Qué calor hace hoy!
It’s so hot today!
You
Dicen que mañana va a llover.
They say it’s going to rain tomorrow.
Neighbour
¿Qué tal el fin de semana?
How was your weekend?
You
Genial, estuvimos en la playa todo el día.
Great, we spent the whole day at the beach.
Neighbour
¿Te ayudo con las bolsas?
Can I help you with your bags?
You
Gracias, muy amable.
Thanks, that’s very kind.
The lift stops at your floor and the doors open.
You
¡Hasta luego, que vaya bien!
See you, all the best!

Key phrases

¿Sube o baja?
Going up or down?
¿A qué piso vas?
Which floor are you going to?
¡Buenas tardes, vecino!
Good afternoon, neighbour!
¡Qué calor hace hoy!
It’s so hot today!
Hace un día precioso, ¿verdad?
It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?
Dicen que mañana va a llover.
They say it’s going to rain tomorrow.
Por fin ha refrescado un poco.
It’s finally cooled down a bit.
¿Qué tal el fin de semana?
How was your weekend?
¿Te ayudo con las bolsas?
Can I help you with your bags?
Adiós, hasta luego.
Bye, see you.

Good to know in Spain

A lift ride, start to finish

1
Hold the door and ask which way they’re going.
Going up or down?
2
Say hello: buenos días before lunch, buenas tardes after.
3
Say goodbye as the doors open.
Bye, see you.

The weather is safe ground

Heat, rain and a cooler day are the easiest lift topics. A short reply and a smile is enough.

Por fin ha refrescado un poco.

It’s finally cooled down a bit.

Tú with neighbours

Neighbours

Hola, ¿qué tal?

Hi, how’s it going?

Formal

Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está usted?

Good afternoon, how are you? (formal)

Neighbours often speak to each other as tú. If an older neighbour uses usted with you, follow their lead.

More situations in Spanish

All situations in Spanish

Keep these phrases in Frasa

Frasa is an iPhone app for the conversations in front of you. Save phrases like these, rehearse them out loud, and they come back until they stick.

Download on the App Store (opens the App Store in a new tab)

AI-generated. May be inaccurate.