01 · The opener
Hola, me llamo…
Hi, my name is…
Two words carry the whole opener. Say your name and you've already done the hard part — everything after this is just details.
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First Meet
Give your name, say where you're from and what you do, then swap contacts — a first meeting, out loud.
A first meeting in Spanish is three quick moves: your name, where you're from, and what you do. Lead with hola, me llamo… and soy de…, then hand it straight back — ¿y tú? ¿cómo te llamas? — so it's a conversation, not a monologue. Ask what someone does with ¿a qué te dedicas? and answer with soy…, trabajo en… or estudio…. Use tú for casual first meets and usted for older people or formal settings. The classic slip is forgetting the preposition: it's always soy de, never soy from.
Below: the phrases for each stage, why a Colombian might stay on usted where a Mexican switches to tú, and a way to run a first meeting out loud before you're at the actual party.
The warm-up pack
The phrases for that first sixty seconds — from hola to swapping numbers, by the drinks table.
01 · The opener
Hola, me llamo…
Hi, my name is…
Two words carry the whole opener. Say your name and you've already done the hard part — everything after this is just details.
02 · Hand it back
¿Y tú? ¿Cómo te llamas?
And you? What's your name? — ¿y vos? in Argentina (voseo).
The easiest slip to make is introducing yourself and going quiet. Tack this on every time and it stays a conversation, not a monologue.
03 · Where you're from
Soy de…
I'm from…
Always de, never soy from — the preposition does the work English needs a separate word for. Soy de Irlanda, soy de México, same shape every time.
04 · Ask them the same
¿De dónde eres?
Where are you from?
Straight back at them. First meetings run on this rhythm: say it, ask it, say it, ask it.
05 · The landing line
Mucho gusto.
Nice to meet you. — Encantado (said by a man) / Encantada (said by a woman) works too, a touch more formal.
Lands right after the name-and-origin exchange, before the talk moves on. Short, warm, impossible to overdo.
06 · What she'll ask next
¿Cuántos años tienes? ¿Dónde vives?
How old are you? Where do you live?
Isabella asks her questions in pairs — expect two at once, not one. Answer the first, then the second; nobody's keeping score.
07 · The question locals ask
¿A qué te dedicas?
What do you do (for work)?
Warmer and broader than 'what's your job' — it covers work or study without assuming either. Casual chat might turn this into ¿en qué chambeas? in Mexico or ¿de qué laburás? in Argentina.
08 · Say what you do
Soy estudiante.
I'm a student.
Swap in trabajo en… (I work at…) or estudio… (I study…) for your own answer — same slot, same simplicity.
09 · The gentle correction
En realidad, trabajo en…
Actually, I work in…
If she guesses wrong about you, this fixes it with no awkwardness. En realidad softens the correction — you're not contradicting her, just filling in a detail.
10 · Swap contacts
¿Tienes WhatsApp?
Do you have WhatsApp?
The natural way to end a good first meeting. It's not forward — it's just what happens after mucho gusto turns into an actual chat.
11 · The warm close
Fue un placer conocerte. Nos vemos pronto.
It was a pleasure meeting you. See you soon.
Close on this and the meeting ends on warmth instead of an abrupt goodbye — the line that makes someone want the next conversation too.
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First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/first-meetRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Colombia |
|---|---|---|
| what do you do? | ¿en qué chambeas? | ¿usted en qué trabaja? |
| where are you from? | ¿de dónde eres? | ¿usted de dónde es? |
| where do you live? | ¿en qué parte de la ciudad vives? | ¿usted dónde vive? |
| let's stay in touch | ¿me pasas tu WhatsApp? | nos hablamos por WhatsApp |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In First Meet, you've just walked into a language exchange and you're meeting Isabella by the drinks table for the first time. She's warm and curious, asks her questions in pairs, and always wants to know how long you've been here. Give your name, where you're from, what you do — then swap contacts before the night moves on. And she talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 4 lessons and First Meet is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Keep it to three beats: hola, me llamo… (name), soy de… (where you're from), and one detail about what you do. Then hand it back with ¿y tú? so it becomes a conversation.
Always soy de — soy de México, soy de Irlanda. The preposition de carries the 'from', so there's no separate word for it. It's one of the most common early slips, and an easy one to fix.
Tú is safe for casual first meets with people around your age. Use usted for older people or formal contexts. Note the regional habit: in Colombia many people stay on usted even when they're being friendly.
The natural phrase is ¿a qué te dedicas? — broader and warmer than 'what's your job?'. Answer with soy… (a profession), trabajo en… (a place) or estudio….
¿Tienes WhatsApp? or ¿me pasas tu número? both work. Close the meeting warmly with fue un placer conocerte and nos vemos pronto.