In this workshop you will practice a simple, useful Spanish conversation: asking someone what they recommend and understanding the answer. You will hear polite and informal questions, a typical recommendation, and a short exchange between a visitor and a local person. The recordings give you the exact phrases to use, so you can repeat them, choose the right reply, and then try the conversation with both roles. Listen first, repeat out loud, and check your answers at the end of each task.
Asking the question: polite or informal
Spanish has two common ways to ask what someone recommends. The polite form uses usted and is useful with strangers, hotel staff, or people older than you. The informal form uses tú and works with friends or people who have already used tú with you. Listen to the polite question «¿Qué me recomienda ver?» and repeat it slowly. Then listen to the informal question «¿Qué me recomiendas?» and notice the small change at the end. If you want to be more specific and ask about places, you can add the word for places, as in «¿Qué lugares me recomienda?». Practice all three out loud. Say the polite one to an imagined hotel receptionist, and the informal one to an imagined friend.
Understanding the answer
When someone answers, they often start with a phrase that means I recommend to you. The informal answer uses te, and the polite answer uses le. Listen to the short answer «Te recomiendo el centro histórico.» and repeat it. Notice that the recommendation itself is a place, the historic center. In a longer exchange, a visitor asks a polite question and a local person answers with two places. Listen to the visitor's question «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué me recomienda ver en la ciudad?» and the local person's answer «Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.». Then the visitor asks a follow-up about food «Gracias. ¿Y qué me recomienda para comer?», and the local person gives a food recommendation with a warning not to miss it «No se pierda los tamales del mercado. Son muy típicos.». Repeat each line and focus on the beginning of the answers, because that is where the recommendation is introduced.
Keeping the conversation going
A short thank-you and a follow-up question make the conversation feel natural. After you hear a recommendation, you can say thank you and then ask another simple question. In the recorded exchange, the visitor says thank you and then asks what the local person recommends for eating «Gracias. ¿Y qué me recomienda para comer?». This shows how to move from one topic, such as places to see, to another topic, such as food. You do not need long sentences. A short question with the same recommendation verb is enough. Practice saying the polite question «¿Qué me recomienda ver?», then the follow-up about food «Gracias. ¿Y qué me recomienda para comer?», and imagine you are speaking to the same person. Keep your voice calm and friendly.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
¿Qué me recomienda ver?
What do you recommend I see?
keh meh reh-koh-MYEN-dah behr
¿Qué me recomiendas?
What do you recommend?
keh meh reh-koh-MYEN-dahs
¿Qué lugares me recomienda?
What places do you recommend?
keh loo-GAH-rehs meh reh-koh-MYEN-dah
Te recomiendo el centro histórico.
I recommend the historic center.
teh reh-koh-MYEN-doh el SEN-troh ees-TOH-ree-koh
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
Buenas tardes. ¿Qué me recomienda ver en la ciudad?
Good afternoon. What do you recommend I see in the city?Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.
I recommend the historic center and the central market.Gracias. ¿Y qué me recomienda para comer?
Thank you. And what do you recommend for eating?No se pierda los tamales del mercado. Son muy típicos.
Don't miss the tamales at the market. They are very typical.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided exchange: ask and answer politely
Imagine you are a visitor speaking to a hotel receptionist. You will use the polite form with usted. The receptionist will answer with a polite recommendation.
Your task: First, play the role of the visitor. Say the polite question you hear in «¿Qué me recomienda ver?». Then play the role of the receptionist and say the polite answer you hear in «Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.». Repeat the pair out loud two times. Then change roles: start with the answer «Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.», and respond with the question «¿Qué me recomienda ver?».
Reply comprehension: choose the right answer
You will hear or read a question and then choose the answer that fits. The answers come from the recordings, so listen carefully to the beginning of each one.
Your task: Question 1: Someone asks you the informal question «¿Qué me recomiendas?». Which answer fits better, the informal answer «Te recomiendo el centro histórico.» or the polite answer «Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.»? Question 2: Someone asks you the polite question «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué me recomienda ver en la ciudad?». Which answer fits better, the polite answer «Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.» or the informal answer «Te recomiendo el centro histórico.»? Say your chosen answer out loud, then check below.
Recall and role swap
In this task you will try to remember the lines without looking at the text first. Then you will swap roles and check yourself.
Your task: Cover the lines. Play the visitor in the recorded exchange and try to say the polite question about the city «Buenas tardes. ¿Qué me recomienda ver en la ciudad?», the thank-you and food question «Gracias. ¿Y qué me recomienda para comer?». Then play the local person and try to say the two-place recommendation «Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.» and the food recommendation «No se pierda los tamales del mercado. Son muy típicos.». After that, swap roles and do the same exchange again.
Common questions
When should I use the polite question and when should I use the informal question?
Use the polite question «¿Qué me recomienda ver?» with strangers, hotel staff, or people older than you. Use the informal question «¿Qué me recomiendas?» with friends, young people, or people who have already used tú with you. If you are not sure, the polite form is a safe choice. You can also make the question more specific with «¿Qué lugares me recomienda?» when you want to ask about places.
How do I know if the answer is polite or informal?
Listen to the beginning of the answer. The informal answer uses te, as in «Te recomiendo el centro histórico.». The polite answer uses le, as in «Le recomiendo el centro histórico y el mercado central.». The rest of the sentence can be similar, so the small word at the start tells you which form the speaker chose. If you hear a warning not to miss something, as in «No se pierda los tamales del mercado. Son muy típicos.», the speaker is giving you a strong recommendation.
Sources and further reading
- spanish: ask for a recommendationChecked September 2026
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