Your first day of Spanish doesn't need grammar tables. It needs ¡Hola! — and the courage to say it out loud.
This is the exact path I follow in my first class with absolute beginners (level 0–A1). By the end of this post you'll be able to greet someone, introduce yourself, say how you feel, and count to 20. Read it, say everything aloud, and do the practice at the end.
1. Greetings: say hello and goodbye
The all-purpose greeting. Works anywhere, with anyone, at any hour.
Choose by time of day: días until noon, tardes until sunset, noches after dark. Buenas noches also means "good night" when you leave.
Hasta luego is softer and more common in daily life.
Your three magic words. Colombians value politeness — use them all the time.
2. Introduce yourself
Three sentences are enough for your first conversation. Fill in the blanks with your own information:
Me llamo Ana. — My name is Ana.
Soy de México. — I'm from Mexico.
Tengo 25 años. — I'm 25 years old.
And the questions that go with them:
¿Cómo te llamas? — What's your name?
¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?
¿Cuántos años tienes? — How old are you?
Mucho gusto. — Nice to meet you. (Answer: Igualmente.)
3. How are you? ¿Cómo estás?
This is the most common question in Spanish. Answer with Estoy… and always return the question with ¿Y tú?
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Estoy muy bien 😀 | I'm very well |
| Estoy bien 🙂 | I'm fine |
| Estoy así así 😐 | I'm so-so |
| Estoy mal 😞 | I'm bad |
| Estoy cansado/a 😴 | I'm tired |
Want a native speaker to correct your pronunciation from day one?
Book a class — from $104. Numbers 0–20
You need numbers for your age, phone numbers, prices and the bus. Say each one aloud, then count backwards:
5. Countries and nationalities
Use Soy de + country for where you're from, and Soy + nationality for what you are. Nationalities ending in -o change to -a for women.
| Soy de… | Soy… |
|---|---|
| Colombia 🇨🇴 | colombiano / colombiana |
| Estados Unidos 🇺🇸 | estadounidense |
| México 🇲🇽 | mexicano / mexicana |
| España 🇪🇸 | español / española |
| Brasil 🇧🇷 | brasileño / brasileña |
| Francia 🇫🇷 | francés / francesa |
| Alemania 🇩🇪 | alemán / alemana |
| Italia 🇮🇹 | italiano / italiana |
Practice: your first conversation
Read this dialogue with a partner, then swap roles and use your real information.
A: ¡Hola! Me llamo Sara. ¿Cómo te llamas?
B: Hola, Sara. Me llamo Tom. Mucho gusto.
A: Igualmente. ¿De dónde eres, Tom?
B: Soy de Estados Unidos. ¿Y tú?
A: Soy de Colombia. ¿Cuántos años tienes?
B: Tengo 28 años. ¿Y tú?
A: Tengo 24. ¡Hasta luego!
Quick check — tap to reveal each answer:
1. It's 8 p.m. What do you say when you arrive?
Buenas noches.
2. How do you answer "¿Cómo te llamas?"
Me llamo + your name. For example: Me llamo Ana.
3. Say "I'm 19 years old."
Tengo diecinueve años.
4. Someone asks "¿De dónde eres?" and you're French. Answer in two ways.
Soy de Francia. / Soy francés (francesa).
5. What do you say after "Estoy bien, gracias"?
¿Y tú? — to return the question politely.
Role play: step into the scene
Pick a scene, tap a character to play their part, and say your lines out loud. Tap 🔊 to hear the Spanish, and reveal the English only when you need it.
A little Colombian flavor
In Colombia, friends often greet each other with "¿Qué más?" or "¿Cómo vas, parce?" Once you've mastered the basics, learn the slang in my post 10 Colombian expressions you'll never find in a textbook.
Why speak from day one?
You don't need to "finish the grammar" before talking. Beginners who speak in their first class build confidence — and pronunciation habits — much faster than those who only read. Every sentence above is something you can use today.
