Spanish phrases from real texts
Every phrase here comes with the sentence it was used in.
Say what each phrase means, then tap Meaning.
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por lo general
generally
Y el arábica, por lo general, tiene menos que el robusta. And arabica generally has less than robusta.
Mexican Spanish · B2 · Read it in “Tea or coffee: which has more caffeine?”
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a veces
sometimes
A veces el parabrisas parece la frente. Sometimes the windshield looks like a forehead.
Mexican Spanish · A2 · Read it in “Why do we see faces in cars and clouds?”
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no deja de ser
it’s still…, after all
A mí el frío me llega primero a la rodilla izquierda. Ella sabe cuándo va a llover. No deja de ser un fastidio. I feel the cold in my left knee first. It knows when it’s going to rain. It’s quite a nuisance.
Spanish from Spain · B2 · Hear it in “How did people keep warm with a fire under the table?”
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a través de
through
O sea, mi voz llega a mis oídos por fuera y también a través de mi propio cuerpo. So my voice reaches my ears from the outside and also through my own body.
Mexican Spanish · B1 · Hear it in “Why does my voice sound so strange in a recording?”
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no me lo creo
I can’t believe it
¿Algas? ¿En el pelo? No me lo creo. Algae? In its hair? I can’t believe it.
Mexican Spanish · A1 · Hear it in “Does a sloth really sleep most of the day?”
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me quedé dormido
I fell asleep
Ayer me quedé dormido en el sofá y no oí el timbre. Yesterday I fell asleep on the sofa and didn’t hear the doorbell.
Mexican Spanish · A2 · Hear it in “Does a sloth really sleep most of the day?”
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Lo tengo en la punta de la lengua
It’s on the tip of my tongue
De un actor. Empieza por be… Lo tengo en la punta de la lengua. An actor’s. It starts with B… It’s on the tip of my tongue.
Spanish from Spain · A2 · Hear it in “Why does a word get stuck on the tip of your tongue?”
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por más que lo intento
no matter how hard I try
No creas. Por más que lo intento, hay días en que el nombre no sale. Lo tengo ahí, ahí, y nada. Don’t be so sure. No matter how hard I try, some days the name just won’t come to me. It’s right there, right there, and nothing.
Spanish from Spain · B1 · Hear it in “Why does a word get stuck on the tip of your tongue?”
Spanish phrases are easier to remember when you know where they were used. Each phrase in the list comes from a Spanish text or podcast episode on this site, with its English meaning, an example sentence, and a link to the source. Each one is labeled Spanish from Spain or Mexican Spanish. The newest come first.
Last updated:
How to learn a Spanish phrase
Learn it whole, in a sentence, and say it out loud. A phrase works as one piece, so treat it like one long word.
- Read the phrase in the sentence where it was used, and look at what it means as a whole.
- Say the full phrase out loud three times, without stopping between the words.
- Make one sentence of your own with it, about something true for you.
- Come back in a day or two and say your sentence again, from memory.
Try it with tener ganas de, “to feel like (doing something)”. An example: Hoy no tengo ganas de cocinar (“I don’t feel like cooking today”). Your own sentence might be Tengo ganas de ver a mi hermana (“I really want to see my sister”).
Common Spanish phrases for Spain and Mexico
These ten work in both countries. They’re short and useful from your first conversation. Tone matters, though: Me da igual and Ni idea can sound blunt with people you don’t know well.
- ¿Qué tal? How are you? How’s it going?
- Me da igual. I don’t mind. Either is fine.
- No pasa nada. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.
- ¿Me ayudas? Can you help me?
- Más despacio, por favor. Slower, please.
- ¿Cómo se dice … en español? How do you say … in Spanish?
- Ni idea. No idea.
- Por cierto… By the way…
- Depende. It depends.
- Lo tengo en la punta de la lengua. It’s on the tip of my tongue.
Phrases from our texts and episodes
Each phrase in the list at the top of this page was used in a Spanish text or podcast episode on this site, and it links back to the place where you can read or hear it. Next to it you will see its level and the Spanish it came from: Spain or Mexico.
Spain or Mexico: phrases that change
Most everyday phrases are the same in both countries. A few change, and you’ll hear them early, so they’re worth knowing in both versions.
| Spain | Mexico | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Vale. | Sale. | OK. Sounds good. |
| ¡Qué guay! | ¡Qué padre! | How cool! |
| ¿Cómo? | ¿Mande? | Sorry? (when you didn’t catch something) |
| Voy a coger el autobús. | Voy a tomar el camión. | I’m going to take the bus. In Spain, coger is an everyday verb for this. In Mexico and much of Latin America, coger is vulgar, so Mexicans say tomar. |
| ¿Venís a cenar? | ¿Vienen a cenar? | Are you all coming to dinner? |
| Te echo de menos. | Te extraño. | I miss you. |
| ahora mismo | ahorita | right now (in Mexico, ahorita can also mean “in a bit”) |
Ramón and Diego, the AI characters who host our podcast, trip over this too. Diego, from Guadalajara, once asked for a limón with his soup in Madrid and got a yellow lemon. At home, limón is the small green fruit. In Spain, that one is a lima.
Where the phrases come from
Every phrase in the list comes from a Spanish text or podcast episode that’s open on this site. The texts are prepared with AI from named sources and checked automatically by two other AI models. The episodes have AI voices, and their scripts are checked the same way. How we make our texts.
New phrases are added when new texts and episodes open, so the list grows at its own pace. If you find a mistake, write to us at hello@talewell.app.
Questions
How do I learn a new Spanish phrase?
Learn it whole and in a sentence. Read where it was used, say the full phrase out loud three times, then make one sentence of your own with it. Come back a day or two later and say your sentence again from memory. One phrase you can use is worth more than ten you’ve only read.
What is the difference between a phrase and a single word?
A phrase is a few words that work together and often mean more than each word alone. Word by word, tener ganas de is “to have desires of”, but together it means “to feel like”. Learning the whole phrase saves you from translating one word at a time.
Are these phrases used in Spain and in Mexico?
Most are used in both. The ten common phrases above work in both countries. In the list from our texts and episodes, each phrase is labeled with the Spanish it came from: Spain or Mexico. A few everyday ones differ: in Spain you say vale for “OK”, and in Mexico you’ll often hear sale. If you’re not sure, learn the version used by the people you’ll talk to.
Where do the phrases come from?
From Spanish texts and podcast episodes that are open on this site. Each phrase links to the text or episode where it was used. The texts are prepared with AI from named sources, the podcast voices are AI-generated, and both are checked automatically by other AI models.
What are the most common Spanish phrases?
For everyday life, start with ¿Qué tal? (How are you?), por favor and gracias, No pasa nada (It’s fine), Me da igual (I don’t mind) and Más despacio, por favor (Slower, please). All of them work in Spain and in Mexico, and you’ll use them in your first conversations.