You are preparing to speak Spanish in a work setting where you will meet colleagues, exchange basic information about yourself, and ask others about their role and location. This session helps you practise the actual turns such conversations take: opening casually, giving your name and origin, describing what you do, and asking follow-up questions about work, home, and meeting up. You will use familiar phrases such as ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?, Soy de Canadá, Me gusta la música, ¿A qué te dedicas?, and ¿Dónde vives? as building blocks, then stretch them into longer workplace exchanges. The goal is not to memorize a script but to build the flexibility to respond when a colleague adds an unexpected detail, changes the subject, or asks you something you did not prepare for.
Preparing your three-part work introduction
Before any real conversation, decide what you will say in the first thirty seconds. The lesson pattern Hola, soy + name, Soy de + place, and Me gusta + interest gives you a reliable three-part introduction you can adapt for work. For a workplace setting, choose an interest that can naturally connect to small talk, such as Me gusta la música or another activity you genuinely enjoy. Practise saying the three parts aloud until they flow without a pause between them, because the most common problem is not vocabulary but hesitation. Then prepare one question to hand the conversation back: ¿Y tú? with a peer, or ¿Y usted? with someone older or more senior. Rehearse the whole exchange as a loop, not as isolated sentences, so that your introduction and your question sound like one move rather than two separate recitations.
Handling the question you did not expect
The harder turn in a work conversation is usually the follow-up question that goes beyond your prepared script. Someone may ask ¿A qué te dedicas? and then add a detail about their own role, or ask ¿Dónde vives? and mention a neighborhood you do not know. When this happens, resist the urge to answer with a single word. Use the question word as your anchor: if they asked about work, answer with a short statement and then ask the same question back. If they asked where you live, name the city or area and add one simple detail, then ask ¿Y tú? or ¿Y usted? If you do not understand a word, you can say ¿Puedes repetir? and keep the conversation going. The key skill is staying in the exchange rather than freezing when the topic shifts.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?
Hi! How's it going?
OH-lah keh TAHL
¿Qué onda?
What's up? / What's going on?
keh OHN-dah
¿Qué más?
What's up? / How's it going?
keh MAHS
¿Cómo andas?
How are you doing? / How's it going?
KOH-moh AHN-dahs
Hola, soy Alex.
Hi, I'm Alex.
OH-lah, soy AH-leks
Soy de Canadá.
I'm from Canada.
soy deh kah-nah-DAH
Soy de México.
I'm from Mexico.
soy deh MEH-hee-koh
Me gusta la música.
I like music.
meh GOOS-tah lah MOO-see-kah
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?
Hi! How's it going?Todo bien, ¿y tú?
All good, and you?Bien. ¿Qué onda? ¿Vas a la clase?
Good. What's up? Are you going to class?Sí, nos vemos allá.
Yes, see you there.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
First meeting with a new colleague
You are at a team lunch on your first day. A colleague around your age sits down next to you and says: ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? Soy Marta. Soy de Colombia.
Your task: Greet her back using an informal greeting from the lesson, then give your name, where you are from, and one interest. End by asking her one open question about her work using ¿A qué te dedicas?
Coffee break with a senior colleague
You are getting coffee and a colleague you have not met before, who is older than you, introduces herself: Buenos días, soy la señora Ríos. Soy de México.
Your task: Respond with a polite greeting and introduce yourself using soy and soy de. Use usted when you ask her what she does, and include one interest of yours so the exchange is balanced.
Planning to meet up after work
You have been chatting with a colleague named Daniel for a few minutes. He says: Me gusta la música. ¿Y a ti? You have already introduced yourself earlier in the day.
Your task: Answer with Me gusta plus one interest of your own. Then invite him to do something after work using a low-pressure invitation such as ¿Te gustaría salir algún día? or ¿Te gustaría tomar un café?
Common questions
I know the phrases but I freeze when someone asks a follow-up question. What can I do?
Prepare a bridge phrase for exactly that moment, such as ¿Y tú? or ¿Puedes repetir? Having one short phrase ready gives you a second to think and keeps the conversation moving instead of stopping.
Should I use tú or usted with colleagues in a work setting?
It depends on the workplace and the person. A safe starting point is tú with peers your own age and usted with people who are older or more senior, then switch to tú if they use it with you first.
Sources and further reading
- spanish: greet friends casuallyChecked September 2026
- spanish: introduce yourself sociallyChecked September 2026
- spanish: ask basic personal questionsChecked September 2026
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