Meeting Someone New in Spanish: A First-Conversation Script
An example conversation to study — read the Spanish line by line, check the English underneath. A page shows you what to say; saying it out loud is what makes it yours.
- Marta
Hola, creo que no nos conocemos. Soy Marta.
Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Marta.
- You
Hola, Marta. Encantado, yo soy Alex.
Hi, Marta. Nice to meet you, I'm Alex.
- Marta
Encantada. ¿De dónde eres, Alex?
Nice to meet you. Where are you from, Alex?
- You
Soy de Estados Unidos, de Chicago. ¿Y tú?
I'm from the United States, from Chicago. And you?
- Marta
De aquí, de Madrid. ¿Y qué haces en España, trabajas o estás de vacaciones?
From here, from Madrid. And what are you doing in Spain — working, or on vacation?
- You
Trabajo aquí desde enero. Estoy aprendiendo español, poco a poco.
I've been working here since January. I'm learning Spanish, little by little.
- Marta
¡Pues hablas muy bien! ¿Te gusta la ciudad?
Well, you speak really well! Do you like the city?
- You
Me encanta, aunque todavía me pierdo con el metro.
I love it, although I still get lost on the metro.
- Marta
Eso nos pasa a todos al principio. Oye, ¿me das tu número y quedamos un día?
That happens to all of us at first. Hey, give me your number and let's meet up some day?
- You
Claro, apunta. ¡Ha sido un placer, Marta!
Sure, write it down. It's been a pleasure, Marta!
What's happening in this conversation
First conversations follow a script in every language, and the Spanish one is short: name, where you're from, what you're doing here, one bit of small talk, and — if it went well — an exchange of numbers. Marta does most of the driving here; your job is answering and returning the question with ¿y tú?.
The most useful sentence in the whole exchange might be "estoy aprendiendo español, poco a poco" — saying it out loud lowers the stakes, invites the other person to slow down, and almost always earns you a "¡pues hablas muy bien!"
Key phrases to steal
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Creo que no nos conocemos | I don't think we've met | The natural opener at any gathering |
| Encantado / Encantada | Nice to meet you | Agrees with the speaker's gender |
| ¿De dónde eres? | Where are you from? | The guaranteed second question |
| ¿Y tú? | And you? | Return every question with this |
| Poco a poco | Little by little | Your shield as a learner |
| ¿Quedamos un día? | Shall we meet up some day? | "Quedar" = to arrange to meet |
Make it yours
- Your origin: "Soy de" + country or city. If they know it, add the neighborhood — Spanish speakers love geographic detail.
- Your reason: "Estoy aquí por trabajo / de vacaciones / estudiando" — three covers for nearly every situation.
- Ending warmly: "¡Ha sido un placer!" or the lighter "¡Nos vemos!" (see you around!).
Introductions open the door; keeping the conversation alive afterwards is its own skill — that playbook is in our guide to Spanish for social situations.
A regional note
In Spain, two people who just met will often greet with dos besos (a kiss on each cheek) in social settings — colliding with an extended handshake is a classic newcomer moment. In most of Latin America a handshake or a single cheek kiss is the norm, and "mucho gusto" largely replaces "encantado". The words in this dialogue work in both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I say 'encantado' or 'encantada'?
It agrees with YOU, the speaker: a man says 'encantado', a woman says 'encantada' — regardless of who you're meeting. 'Mucho gusto' is a gender-neutral alternative used everywhere in Latin America.
What's '¿Y tú?' doing in this conversation?
It's the engine of Spanish small talk: answer, then bounce the same question back. 'Soy de Chicago. ¿Y tú?' keeps the conversation moving without you having to build a new sentence.
Is 'oye' rude?
Not at all — 'oye' (literally 'listen/hey') is a friendly attention-getter between people who are getting along. The formal version is 'oiga'. You'll hear 'oye' constantly among friends.
You've read it. Now say it out loud.
Conversations like this one happen every week in live classes with native teachers. That's where reading turns into speaking.
Practice It Live