To ask somebody if they would prefer you to do something, use prefieres or prefiere (depending on whether you speak to them as tú or usted) with que and the verb in the subjunctive. For more information on the subjunctive, see here.
Would you rather…?
| ¿Prefieres que quedemos en el centro? | Would you rather we met in town? |
| ¿Prefieres que quedemos otro día? | Would you rather we met another time? |
| ¿Prefieres que pase a recogerte? | Would you rather I came to collect you? |
Would it be better to…?
| ¿Es mejor invitar también a las parejas? | Would it be better to invite partners as well? |
| ¿Es mejor avisarte antes de pasar por allí? | Would it be better to let you know before dropping in? |
| ¿Es mejor llamarte por la noche? | Is it better to ring you in the evening? |
Are we agreed…?
| ¿Estamos de acuerdo sobre la fecha? | Are we agreed on the date? |
| ¿Estamos de acuerdo en dónde nos encontraremos? | Are we agreed on where to meet? |
| ¡De acuerdo! | Agreed! |
¿LO SABÍAS?
¡Vale! is used to accept or to agree: ¿Vamos juntos? – ¡Vale! (Shall we go together? – OK!).
To say that you have to do something in Spanish, you can use tengo que (I have to) followed by the infinitive.
I have to…
| Tengo que hacer una llamada. | I have to make a phone call. |
| Esta noche tengo que quedarme en casa. | I have to stay in tonight. |
| Tenemos que estar allí a las ocho en punto. | We have to be there at eight o’ clock sharp. |
To say that you have to do something in Spanish, you can also use debo (I must) and then the infinitive. debo comes from the verb deber. For more information on deber, see here.
I must…
| Esta noche debo irme temprano. | I must leave early tonight. |
| Debo decirle que no puedo ir. | I must tell her that I can’t come. |
| No debes llegar tarde. | You mustn’t be late. |
To say that you should do something, use debería (I should) and then the infinitive.
I should…
| Debería llamar a Ana. | I should call Ana. |
| Debería irme ya. | I should be going now. |
| Deberías venir a visitarnos. | You should come and visit us. |
¿LO SABÍAS?
As you’ll see in the first example above, in Spanish you say llamar a alguien for to call somebody. For more on this use of a, see here.
These are some of the questions you are likely to be asked by people you meet, and some of the comments they might make.
| ¿Es la primera vez que vienes a España? | Is this the first time that you’ve been to Spain? |
| ¿Cuánto tiempo hace que estudias español? | How long have you been learning Spanish? |
| ¿Te estás enterando de la conversación? | Are you following the conversation? |
| Habla usted muy bien español. | Your Spanish is very good. |
| ¿Hablo demasiado rápido? | Am I speaking too fast? |
| ¿Prefiere que hable en inglés? | Would you prefer it if I spoke English? |
| ¿Quiere que repita lo que he dicho? | Shall I repeat what I said? |
| ¿Quiere que hable más despacio? | Do you want me to speak more slowly? |
| Me puedes tutear. | You can call me tú. |
| ¿Nos tuteamos? | Shall we call each other tú? |
| ¿Cuánto tiempo vas a estar en Madrid? | How long are you staying in Madrid? |
| ¿Te gusta Sevilla? | How do you like Seville? |
| ¿Vienes por aquí a menudo? | Do you come here often? |
| ¿Estás aquí con amigos? | Are you here with friends? |
| ¿Estás casado? | Are you married? |
• When you want to talk to people that you either don’t know at all, or don’t know very well, the way to say you is usted. Nowadays, younger people in Spain tend not to use usted in this way, however it is always still used in Latin America.
• People who work together every day usually say tú to each other, but it’s always safer to wait a little before taking that step, especially with older or more senior colleagues. Many people don’t like to be called usted, because they think it’s too formal. They will usually suggest you call them tú by saying: puedes tutearme (you can call me tú) or nos podemos tutear (we can call each other tú). If you think that the other person will be more comfortable using the tú form, you can make the first move and ask: ¿Nos tuteamos? (Shall we call each other tú?).
• When meeting someone socially for the first time, you usually shake hands – darse la mano – if it’s a man, or kiss if it’s a woman. In business and formal situations, everybody would shake hands.
• Men who are on friendly terms usually shake hands or pat each other on the back, while women kiss - darse un beso. Men also kiss female friends and in some cases other men, for instance when they belong to the same family. Spanish people usually kiss twice, once on each cheek.
• If you hear someone talking about their pareja (partner), remember that, although it’s a feminine noun, it is used for both men and women.
