01 · Start with cost
¿Cuánto cuesta la mensualidad?
How much is the monthly membership?
Gyms expect this question first — ask it plainly, no need to work up to it.
andbefluent.com/spanish/gym-buddy
Gym Buddy
Ask about prices, trials, and classes, and get help with the machines — out loud.
Gyms expect direct questions, so ask them: ¿cuánto cuesta la mensualidad?, ¿qué incluye la membresía?, and — before you sign anything — ¿puedo cancelar cuando quiera? Ask for a trial first: ¿tienen pase de prueba? The word for the monthly fee is regional — la mensualidad in Mexico, la cuota in Argentina and Spain — and in Spain also ask ¿hay permanencia?, the minimum-contract catch. For anything unfamiliar on the floor, one polite formula covers it: ¿me puede explicar cómo funciona esta máquina?
Below: the phrases for signup, the class schedule, and the gym floor, what locals actually say, the contract questions people forget — and a way to rehearse the whole conversation out loud before you walk up to the desk.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that actually get said at the front desk and on the gym floor — and how to say them back.
01 · Start with cost
¿Cuánto cuesta la mensualidad?
How much is the monthly membership?
Gyms expect this question first — ask it plainly, no need to work up to it.
02 · Try before you buy
¿Tienen pase de prueba?
Do you have a trial pass?
A completely normal ask before committing to anything — most front desks expect it.
03 · What's actually included
¿Qué incluye la membresía?
What does the membership include?
Ask this before comparing prices — two memberships at the same cost can include very different things.
04 · The question people forget
¿Puedo cancelar cuando quiera?
Can I cancel anytime?
Ask it before you sign, not after — it's the one question that actually protects you later.
05 · The schedule
¿A qué hora es la clase de yoga?
What time is the yoga class?
Swap yoga for spinning, pilates, whatever's on the board — the question stays the same shape.
06 · Do you need to book?
¿Necesito reservar con antelación?
Do I need to book in advance?
Worth asking every time — some classes fill up, and this saves you showing up to a full room.
07 · Find the machines
¿Dónde están las pesas?
Where are the weights?
Direct and useful on your first visit, when the layout is still unfamiliar.
08 · Ask for help on the floor
¿Me puede explicar cómo funciona esta máquina?
Can you explain how this machine works?
Nobody expects you to know every machine — staff and members answer this constantly.
09 · Small talk that works
¿Vienes mucho por aquí?
Do you come here often?
Light, easy, and exactly what gym small talk sounds like — no need for more than this.
10 · Between sets
¡Buen entrenamiento!
Good workout!
Two words is genuinely enough — gym chat is meant to be brief, not a full conversation.
11 · Talk about your goals
Estoy intentando ganar masa muscular.
I'm trying to build muscle.
Swap in perder peso or hacer cardio for whatever's actually true — this is the honest, ordinary way to say it.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/gym-buddyRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| monthly fee | la mensualidad | la cuota |
| a trial | el pase de cortesía | la clase de prueba |
| showers | las regaderas | las duchas |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? | ¿Cuánto sale? |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Gym Buddy pack, the final lesson drops you at the front desk of a neighborhood gym in early evening — music on, treadmills humming — and Isabella is the receptionist: energetic, encouraging, knows the whole schedule by heart, and always recommends a trial class before you commit. She lays out two pricing tiers and you have to compare them, ask what's included, and book a yoga class — plus find out about the lockers and showers before you leave. Out loud. And she talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Gym Buddy is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
¿Cuánto cuesta la mensualidad?, then ¿qué incluye la membresía? and ¿hay descuento para estudiantes? In Spain, add ¿hay permanencia? — is there a minimum contract?
¿Tienen pase de prueba? — and pair it with the question people forget: ¿puedo cancelar cuando quiera? In Mexico you may hear pase de cortesía; in Argentina, clase de prueba.
¿Qué clases ofrecen?, ¿a qué hora es la clase de yoga?, ¿necesito reservar con antelación? — and if you're starting out, ¿hay clases para principiantes?
¿Me puede explicar cómo funciona esta máquina? — or, to a fellow member, ¿me puedes ayudar con esto? Keep floor chat brief; a friendly ¡buen entrenamiento! is enough between sets.
Quiero perder peso (in Mexico, bajar de peso), estoy intentando ganar masa muscular, entreno tres veces por semana — and it's fine to say acabo de empezar a hacer ejercicio.