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.
The questions
Open any question for the note
¿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.
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.