Questions to Ask in Spanish
Spanish questions for meeting people, getting around, and small talk, with notes on formality and on which wordings change between Spain and Latin America.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?)
Why ask it
The version with 'tú' is right for someone your own age or younger in an informal setting. With an older stranger, a shopkeeper, or anyone in an official role, switch to '¿Cómo se llama?', since starting too familiar is the more common mistake and the harder one to walk back.
¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?)
Why ask it
Standard and safe, but expect a city rather than a country if you are both in the same place. If the answer is short and unenthusiastic, they may be tired of being asked, so follow with something about here rather than there.
¿Nos podemos tutear? (Can we use tú with each other?)
Why ask it
Almost no learner knows this exists, and it settles the formality problem in one move by letting the other person decide. Ask it in the plural: '¿Te puedo tutear?' already uses tú and so answers itself, while '¿Nos podemos tutear?' still works while you are both on usted.
¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do?)
Why ask it
Sounds far more natural than '¿En qué trabajas?', which is what textbooks teach and lands like a form question. It also covers students, retirees, and people between jobs without forcing anyone to explain themselves.
¿Cuánto tiempo llevas viviendo aquí? (How long have you been living here?)
Why ask it
The 'llevar' plus gerund construction is how duration is normally expressed, and translating the English present perfect directly produces something no one says. Useful in its own right, since the answer tells you whether to ask for local advice.
¿Cómo se dice esto en español? (How do you say this in Spanish?)
Why ask it
Pointing at the object rather than naming it in English is the whole trick, because it keeps the exchange in Spanish and gets you a word you will remember with the thing attached to it.
¿Me puedes ayudar un momento? (Can you help me for a moment?)
Why ask it
Opening with a request for help rather than launching into your question gives the other person a second to switch into listening mode. Adding 'un momento' also signals you will be brief, which makes a yes far more likely on a busy street.
¿Está lejos, o se puede ir andando? (Is it far, or can you walk it?)
Why ask it
Asking both halves gets you a usable answer, since 'lejos' is relative and locals often say no while meaning forty minutes. In most of Latin America say 'caminando' rather than 'andando', which is the Spanish preference.
¿Qué me recomiendas de la carta? (What do you recommend from the menu?)
Why ask it
Better than asking what is good, because it asks for a choice rather than an opinion, and a specific dish is easier for a waiter to give. Say 'la carta', not 'el menú', which in many places means the set lunch.
¿Cuánto es en total? (How much is it altogether?)
Why ask it
'¿Cuánto es?' is the normal phrasing when settling up, while '¿Cuánto cuesta?' asks the price of a single item. Adding 'en total' avoids the common confusion where you are quoted the price of one thing rather than the bill.
¿Aceptan tarjeta? (Do you take cards?)
Why ask it
Short, plural, and worth asking before you order rather than after. In many places the answer comes with a minimum spend attached, which is the part you actually needed to know.
¿Dónde come la gente de aquí? (Where do people from around here eat?)
Why ask it
Asking where locals eat rather than what is good gets you past the answers reserved for visitors. It also flatters slightly, which is why people tend to think for a moment before replying instead of naming the nearest place.
¿Hay algo por aquí que no debería perderme? (Is there anything nearby I should not miss?)
Why ask it
Open enough that people can offer something small, a market on Thursday, a viewpoint two streets away, rather than reciting the same monument a guidebook already lists. Expect a pause: the good answers are not rehearsed.
¿Cómo es tu ciudad? (What is your city like?)
Why ask it
Gives someone room to describe rather than answer, which is what turns an exchange of facts into a conversation. It also gets you a stream of adjectives, which is the vocabulary learners most often lack when they try to describe anything themselves.
¿Cómo se saluda la gente aquí? (How do people greet each other here?)
Why ask it
One cheek or two, a handshake, or nothing at all varies by country and by setting, and this is the mistake visitors make in the first three seconds of every introduction. Asking once saves a dozen awkward moments.
¿Qué palabra se usa aquí que no se usa en otros países? (What word is used here that is not used elsewhere?)
Why ask it
People enjoy this and the answers are memorable because they come with a story. It also protects you, since Spanish vocabulary that is unremarkable in one country can be rude in another, and locals will tell you which is which.
¿Qué es lo que más echas de menos de tu país? (What do you miss most about your country?)
Why ask it
For someone living away from home, and the answers are usually concrete rather than sentimental: a bakery, a way of doing paperwork, the light in September. Note that 'echar de menos' is the Spanish phrasing and 'extrañar' is more common across Latin America.
¿Qué comida de tu casa no encuentras aquí? (What food from home can you not find here?)
Why ask it
A narrower version of a homesickness question, which makes it easier to answer and much less heavy. It often leads directly to an invitation or a recommendation, which a broader question rarely does.
¿Qué crees que la gente entiende mal de tu país? (What do you think people misunderstand about your country?)
Why ask it
Save this until you have talked for a while, because it asks someone to push back against a stereotype. When it lands, it is the most interesting answer of the conversation, and it will not be one you could have guessed.
¿Me corriges cuando me equivoco? (Will you correct me when I make a mistake?)
Why ask it
Most Spanish speakers will not correct a learner unprompted, out of politeness, which is why an error can survive for years. Asking explicitly gives permission, and it usually earns goodwill rather than the impatience learners fear.
¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
Why ask it
This is the tú form, for people your age or younger and anyone you have been introduced to socially. Use ¿Cómo está usted? with older strangers, officials and shopkeepers until they switch first.
¿Puedes hablar más despacio, por favor? (Could you speak more slowly, please?)
Why ask it
The single most useful sentence on this list, and asking it early sets the pace for everything after. Note despacio, not lento, which describes a thing rather than a manner of speaking.
¿Qué estudias? (What are you studying?)
Why ask it
The right question for anyone of student age, where asking about work can land awkwardly. Subjects mostly resemble their English names, so this is one exchange you will follow easily.
¿Tienes hermanos? (Do you have brothers or sisters?)
Why ask it
Hermanos covers both, so you do not have to guess. Answers arrive with numbers attached, which is a gentle way to practise hearing numbers at speed.
¿Tienes mascotas? (Do you have any pets?)
Why ask it
Low stakes, and people volunteer names, ages and photographs, which keeps the conversation going without any work from you. Mascota is the pet; masota is nothing, so watch the c.
¿Qué haces los fines de semana? (What do you do at weekends?)
Why ask it
The plural los fines de semana means weekends in general, and the present tense covers habits, so this asks about a routine rather than this Saturday. Drop the los and you are asking about one specific weekend.
¿Practicas algún deporte? (Do you play any sport?)
Why ask it
Spanish uses practicar or jugar a, never the bare English "play sport." A no often comes with a but, and that is where the conversation actually starts.
¿Qué música te gusta? (What music do you like?)
Why ask it
Gustar works backwards from English: the music pleases the person, so the reply is "me gusta" plus the thing. Expect names of artists you can then ask about, which buys you several minutes.
¿Cuál es tu comida favorita? (What's your favourite food?)
Why ask it
Cuál, not qué, when you are asking someone to pick from a set. Answers are usually regional dishes, so follow with ¿Cómo se hace? if you want the conversation to run for a while.
¿Cuál es tu película favorita? (What's your favourite film?)
Why ask it
Safe ground with anyone, and film titles are often translated, so expect a name you do not recognise even for something you have seen. Ask ¿De qué se trata? to hear a whole plot summary in easy present tense.
¿Has viajado a otros países? (Have you travelled to other countries?)
Why ask it
Uses the present perfect, which is common in Spain and less so in much of Latin America, where ¿Viajaste? sounds more natural. Either will be understood everywhere.
¿Qué planes tienes para el verano? (What are your plans for the summer?)
Why ask it
Future plans in the plain present tense, which is how Spanish usually handles them: voy a plus an infinitive if you need to be explicit. Swap el verano for el fin de semana to make it immediate.
¿Qué querías ser cuando eras niño? (What did you want to be when you were a child?)
Why ask it
The one question here that produces a story rather than a fact. Say niña if you are asking a woman, and note that both verbs are imperfect because childhood is a stretch of time rather than an event.
¿Y tú? (And you?)
Why ask it
Two words that double the length of any conversation. Learners tend to answer a question and stop, which leaves the other person doing all the work of keeping it going.
¿Cómo fue tu día? (How was your day?)
Why ask it
Fue is the preterite of ser, irregular and worth having automatic. If the day is still going, ¿cómo va tu día? is the better version.
¿Qué es lo que más te gusta de vivir aquí? (What do you like most about living here?)
Why ask it
The lo que más structure is everywhere in spoken Spanish and rarely taught early. De vivir keeps the infinitive after the preposition, where English would use a gerund.
¿Adónde te gustaría viajar? (Where would you like to travel?)
Why ask it
Adónde with movement, not dónde, and gustaría is the conditional that softens everything in Spanish. Expect a longer answer than the present tense version would get.
¿Cuál ha sido tu viaje más memorable y qué pasó? (What has been your most memorable trip, and what happened?)
Why ask it
Sets the present perfect against the preterite in a single exchange: ha sido for the experience up to now, pasó for the specific incident. Latin American speakers often answer the first half with a plain preterite, fue, which is worth noticing rather than correcting.
¿Prefieres la ciudad o el campo, y por qué? (Do you prefer the city or the countryside, and why?)
Why ask it
A closed choice with an open tail, which is the easiest structure to handle when your listening is still slower than the other person's speech. You know one of two words is coming, so you can spend your attention on the reason that follows.
¿Cómo es tu familia y quién se parece más a ti? (What is your family like, and who takes after you most?)
Why ask it
Ser for lasting description, plus the reflexive parecerse a, which cannot be translated word for word from look like. Answers tend to include names and ages, so it is good practice for numbers you did not choose.
¿Cómo se celebra un cumpleaños en tu familia y qué se come? (How is a birthday celebrated in your family, and what do you eat?)
Why ask it
More impersonal se, now with a cultural payoff: the answer usually covers songs, food and whoever gets their face pushed into the cake. Family customs vary enough by country that this rarely produces the answer you expect.
¿Cómo era tu ciudad cuando eras pequeño? (What was your town like when you were small?)
Why ask it
Two imperfects in one sentence, which is the tense learners avoid and native speakers use constantly for description and childhood. Match pequeña if you are speaking to a woman.
¿Qué te gustaría hacer en los próximos años? (What would you like to do in the next few years?)
Why ask it
Keeps you in the conditional and out of the subjunctive, so it is a safe way to reach a real topic at intermediate level. Answers often introduce the future tense for you to copy.
¿Qué harías si te tocara la lotería? (What would you do if you won the lottery?)
Why ask it
The full hypothetical: si plus the imperfect subjunctive, then the conditional. Tocar la lotería is the fixed expression, not ganar, and hearing it used correctly once tends to stick better than a conjugation table.
¿Cómo has cambiado en los últimos cinco años? (How have you changed in the last five years?)
Why ask it
The present perfect used for a stretch of time still open, which is one of the few places where Spanish and English agree, so it is a good rest after the subjunctive. Answers get personal, so ask it once you are past small talk.
¿Qué te gustaría que la gente entendiera mejor sobre tu generación? (What would you like people to understand better about your generation?)
Why ask it
Gustaría que requires the imperfect subjunctive in the second clause, which is the hardest structure on this list and the one that most marks fluent speech. If you can say entendiera without stopping to think, you are past intermediate.
¿Qué palabra en español te cuesta pronunciar? (Which Spanish word do you find hard to pronounce?)
Why ask it
Costar plus an infinitive is the natural way to say something is hard for you, and it works better than es difícil para mí. Asking a native speaker this also usually gets you a short pronunciation lesson you did not have to request.
¿Qué consejo le darías a alguien que está aprendiendo español? (What advice would you give someone learning Spanish?)
Why ask it
Ends the conversation by making them the expert, which most people enjoy. Note the redundant le alongside a alguien: Spanish doubles the pronoun where English would not.
¿Hablas otros idiomas? (Do you speak other languages?)
Why ask it
A better route into language than asking how good their English is, which invites an apology. In much of Spain and Latin America the answer involves a regional or indigenous language spoken at home, which is usually the more interesting half.
¿Qué se come aquí que no se encuentra en otros sitios? (What do people eat here that you don't find elsewhere?)
Why ask it
The impersonal se construction lets you ask about a place rather than a person, which avoids putting anyone on the spot as a spokesman. Expect regional pride, and expect to be told firmly that the version in the next province along is wrong.
¿Qué cambiarías de tu trabajo? (What would you change about your job?)
Why ask it
More productive than asking whether they like their work, which gets a shrug. Cambiarías in the conditional invites specifics, and the specifics tell you about hours, pay and management without you having asked about any of them directly.
¿Qué te habría gustado estudiar? (What would you have liked to study?)
Why ask it
The conditional perfect looks intimidating and is worth having as a set phrase, because it unlocks the whole category of paths not taken. People answer it more freely than a question about regret, since the framing keeps it hypothetical.
Using These Questions in Real Conversations
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Formality, Region, and Repair
Decide on tú or usted before you open your mouth
The safe default with strangers, older people, and anyone working in an official capacity is usted, and you can drop to tú if they do first or if you ask. The reverse correction is awkward, so the cost of starting formal is much lower than the cost of starting familiar.
Expect the vocabulary to shift by country
Walking, missing home, a bus, a mobile phone, and even a plain verb like coger all have different standard words across the Spanish-speaking world. Asking which word is used locally is more efficient than trying to memorise a regional map in advance.
Learn three repair phrases properly
Something like más despacio, por favor, no te he entendido, and ¿cómo se dice esto? will carry you through nearly any breakdown. Rehearse them until they come out without thinking, because they are needed precisely when your thinking has stalled.
Common Mistakes
Translating your English question word for word
How long have you been here, do you have any hobbies, and what do you work in all produce sentences that are grammatical and slightly off. Learning the Spanish shape of a question is a different job from learning its words.
Asking rapid-fire questions from a list
Six questions in a row turns a conversation into an interview, and the other person stops volunteering anything. Ask one, respond to the answer, and only then move on. Two questions with real follow-ups beat ten asked in sequence.
Switching to English as soon as they do
Many Spanish speakers will offer English to be helpful, and it is fine to say you would rather continue in Spanish. Saying so once, politely, is usually respected and is the difference between practising and being served.