The short version
- Most chats with neighbours in Spain are short and follow the same pattern: greeting, one comment, goodbye.
- ¡Buenas! works at any time of day, and ¡Hasta luego! works as a goodbye even if you won't see them later.
- Prepare one comment and one question for the lift, and introduce yourself by your floor and door.
The lift doors close. It's you, the woman from the third floor, and about fifteen seconds before you reach your landing. This is where Spanish small talk phrases earn their keep, because the conversations are short, they happen every day, and they follow a pattern you can prepare for.
If you live in a block of flats in Spain, you'll see your neighbours in the lift, on the stairs, by the post boxes and in the portal. Nobody expects a long conversation. A greeting, a comment about the heat and a friendly goodbye is plenty.
Here's what to say in each of those moments, plus how to introduce yourself properly when you move in.
Greetings and goodbyes
These are the phrases you'll use most. Get them automatic and you're already halfway there.
| Spanish | English | When |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Buenos días! | Good morning! | Until lunchtime, which in Spain is around 2pm |
| ¡Buenas tardes! | Good afternoon! | After lunch until it gets dark |
| ¡Buenas noches! | Good evening! / Good night! | Once it's dark |
| ¡Buenas! | Hi! | Any time. The safest choice |
| ¿Qué tal? | How are you? | With a greeting, or on its own |
| ¡Hasta luego! | See you! | Any goodbye |
| ¡Que vaya bien! | Have a good one! | When someone's heading out |
| ¡Buen fin de semana! | Have a good weekend! | Thursday or Friday |
¡Hasta luego! literally means "until later", but in Spain it's used for almost every goodbye, even to someone you won't see again today. It sounds friendly and it's never wrong.
When someone asks ¿Qué tal?, you don't need a real answer. Bien, ¿y tú? is fine. For something that sounds more like a local, try Aquí estamos (Hanging in there), Tirando (Getting by) or Liado, liado (Busy, busy). Use liada if you're a woman.
The lift and the stairs
Lift conversations are short, which makes them the easiest to practise. They usually go like this:
That's the whole thing: a greeting, a practical question, one comment, a reaction and a goodbye.
Before you leave the flat, have one comment and one question ready. The comment can be about the weather (¡Qué frío hace hoy!) or the building (Por fin han arreglado el ascensor). The question can be as simple as ¿Qué tal el fin de semana? Say both out loud a few times while you put your shoes on. If you meet someone, use them. If you don't, you've still practised.
If someone's holding the door or the lift for you, ¡Gracias! is enough. If you're holding it, ¿Subes? or ¿Bajas? does the job. And if the lift is full, No pasa nada, espero al siguiente (No problem, I'll wait for the next one) keeps it friendly.
The weather, the safe topic
In Spain, as in Britain, the weather is always a safe thing to mention. It needs no personal information and everyone has an opinion on it.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¡Qué calor! | It's so hot! |
| ¡Qué frío hace hoy! | It's so cold today! |
| Vaya día, ¿eh? | What a day, eh? |
| Parece que va a llover. | Looks like it's going to rain. |
| Por fin ha llovido. | It's finally rained. |
| Hace un día buenísimo. | It's a lovely day. |
The reply is usually a reaction. ¡Ya ves! (I know!), Madre mía (Oh my god) and Pues sí (Yeah, it is) cover most of it. There's more on this in how to talk about the weather in Spanish.
Talking about the building
Once you've said hello a few times, you'll start having small practical conversations about the building: post, noise, repairs and the residents' meeting.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| el portal | the entrance hall of the building |
| el rellano | the landing |
| el buzón | the post box |
| la comunidad (de vecinos) | the owners' association |
| la reunión de vecinos | the residents' meeting |
| Creo que esto es tuyo. Estaba en mi buzón. | I think this is yours. It was in my post box. |
| ¿Sabes cuándo es la reunión? | Do you know when the meeting is? |
| Perdona por el ruido de anoche. | Sorry about the noise last night. |
La comunidad comes up a lot. It's the group of owners in the building, and it deals with shared things like the lift, cleaning and repairs. You'll hear about la reunión de la comunidad at least once a year.
Introducing yourself
When you move in, it's worth introducing yourself to the neighbours you see most often. In Spain people often identify each other by floor and door, so that's a natural way to do it.
- Hola, soy Emma.Hi, I'm Emma.
- Hola, soy Emma, del segundo B.Hi, I'm Emma, from 2B.
- Hola, soy Emma, del segundo B. Me acabo de mudar.Hi, I'm Emma, from 2B. I've just moved in.
- Hola, soy Emma, del segundo B. Me acabo de mudar. Si necesitas algo, ya sabes dónde estoy.Hi, I'm Emma, from 2B. I've just moved in. If you need anything, you know where I am.
You'll also hear neighbours described this way: la del tercero (the woman on the third floor), el del quinto (the man on the fifth). It's normal and not rude at all.
Spain uses tú a lot, even with people you've just met. With neighbours your age or younger, tú is normal. With older neighbours, starting with usted is polite, and they'll often tell you Trátame de tú or Puedes tutearme (you can use tú with me) if they'd rather. If you're not sure, listen to how they speak to you and match it.
Common mistakes
Getting in the lift without a word. In Spain it's normal to greet whoever's in there, even strangers.
Say ¡Buenas! when you get in and ¡Hasta luego! when you get out.
Using ¡Buenos días! at 5pm. After lunch it's afternoon in Spain.
Say ¡Buenas tardes!, or just ¡Buenas!
Going silent in the lift because you're not sure what to say.
Have one comment and one question ready before you leave.
Giving a long, detailed answer to ¿Qué tal? It's a greeting more than a question.
Bien, ¿y tú? or Aquí estamos is enough.
Recap
- Greeting, one comment, goodbye. That's most neighbour small talk.
- Use ¡Buenas! at any time and ¡Hasta luego! for most goodbyes.
- Keep a weather comment and a simple question ready for the lift.
- Introduce yourself with your floor and door.
- Start with usted for older neighbours and follow their lead.
Small talk gets easier when the words are already there. If you're new to Spain, the Spanish you need in your first month covers the other situations you'll meet early on. 100 Spanish Conversations takes everyday themes like these one week at a time, so you've already said the words out loud before you need them. You can also try your lift lines on the Skool community first.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com