Talking About Speaking Spanish


When you talk to people in Spanish some of your conversation will be about the language itself. You talk to classmates in school and you discuss how things are going with Spanish class. You talk to friends and co-workers who are also learning Spanish. It's good to be able to discuss learning Spanish too. The phrases on this page will teach you to express how much you enjoy speaking the Spanish language, or how you like the process of learning Spanish.
When you finish studying the phrases on this page you'll be able to say things like: How to ask someone to do you a favor and translate or read something for you. Be able to politely express that you need to have a word or phrase repeated one more time in order to understand what you are being told. If someone starts talking to you as if you where a native speaker of Spanish, be able to let them know you are just learning or just starting out at this point. Know how to ask someone if they speak Spanish. Understand when they tell you, (or say it yourself,) that they just speak a little Spanish.
Sometimes you're in a situation where you need to be able to communicate in English, and there's a phrase on this page to ask in Spanish if anyone is available to talk with you in English. Also, be able to tell people how much Spanish you understand, whether it's a lot, a little or somewhere in between. Ask someone to help you learn Spanish by showing you how to write a sentence, phrase, or word. And, one of the most useful phrases for a Spanish student speaking with a native speaker: how to ask them to speak a little slower so you can understand.
You can use these phrases in classroom situations, or during casual talks with friends. You can also put phrases like these to use when you talk with a friend who is learning English, and speaks Spanish as their first language.
- Me gusta hablar Español.
- I like to speak Spanish.
- A good way to say you like almost anything is Spanish is to use me gusta with the infinitive form of the verb. What's convenient is the infinitive form is the form you find in the dictionary so you don't have to do any conjugating of the verb. This especially helps if it's an irregular verb.
- ¿Puedes hacerme el favor de leer este papel?
- Can you please read this paper for me?
- Gozo aprender Español.
- I enjoy learning Spanish.
- ¿Puedes hacerme el favor de traducir esto?
- Can you please translate this for me?
- Notice how the h is silent in the word for to do above.
- Di me lo otro vez por favor.
- Say it to me again please.
- Puedes repetirlo por favor.
- Could you repeat that please.
- Just like the first example phrase when you need to ask for something use puedes and then add the infinitive form of whatever verb you are asking the other person to do for you. Again, the advantage is you get to use the dictionary form of the verb.
- Todavia no hablo Español.
- I can't speak Spanish yet.
- ¿Hablas Español?
- Do you speak Spanish?
- Hablo un poco de Español.
- I speak a little Spanish.
- ¿Hay alguien aqui que habla Ingles?
- Is there anyone here who speaks English?
- Me puedes enceñar come se escribe eso?
- Can you show me how to write that?
- ¿Puedes hacerme el favor de hablar mas despacio?
- Can you please talk a little slower?

A 'Spanish Spoken Here' sign in a business window.