Spanish - Meeting New People

Lesson 123 of 159

Two people introducing themselves at a social event — Spanish learning: meeting new people phrases.

Goal: Warm, helpful phrases for introductions and small talk

Free Spanish lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Nice to meet you — and welcome to Lesson 123! In this short lesson you'll hear useful Spanish phrases for meeting people and asking about where they live and what they do. Listen, repeat, then try the practice activities.

Level A2: In this lesson you'll practice friendly, everyday phrases for meeting new people — how to give your preferred name, ask where someone lives, say why you're at an event, and suggest staying in touch. This CEFR-aligned pack focuses on short ready-to-use frames you can use right away at parties, meetups, or events.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Practice A2-level phrases for introductions and small talk.
  • Learn how to say your reason for being somewhere and ask about work.
  • Be able to suggest staying in contact and say where you live.
A friendly meetup scene where learners practice asking 'Do you live around here?' and 'What do you do?'.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Por favor, llámame ___.

Please call me ___.

Meaning: Por favor, llámame ___.

When to use: Use this to tell someone which name you prefer. It’s polite and casual.

Tip: Some learners use formal 'llame' in casual settings; 'llámame' is natural with new acquaintances.

Hola, por favor, llámame Ana.
Hi — please call me Ana.
Si prefieres un nombre corto, por favor, llámame Paco.
If you prefer a short name, please call me Paco.

¿Vives por aquí?

Do you live around here?

Meaning: ¿Vives por aquí?

When to use: Ask this when you want to know if someone lives nearby — a casual, friendly question.

Tip: Don't use 'Vive' (usted) if you're aiming for casual conversation with peers.

¿Vives por aquí o vienes de otra ciudad?
Do you live around here or are you from another city?
Veo tu bicicleta a menudo—¿vives por aquí?
I see your bike often — do you live around here?

Vivo cerca de aquí.

I live near here.

Meaning: Vivo cerca de aquí.

When to use: Say this when someone asks if you live nearby.

Sí, vivo cerca de aquí, a cinco minutos caminando.
Yes, I live near here, five minutes on foot.
No, no vivo lejos — vivo cerca de aquí.
No, I don't live far — I live near here.

Estoy aquí por ___.

I'm here for ___.

Meaning: Estoy aquí por ___.

When to use: Use this to explain the reason you're at a place or event (work, conference, friend, etc.).

Estoy aquí por la conferencia de diseño.
I'm here for the design conference.
Estoy aquí por una reunión con colegas.
I'm here for a meeting with colleagues.

¿A qué te dedicas?

What do you do?

Meaning: ¿A qué te dedicas?

When to use: Ask this to learn about someone's job or main activity.

¿A qué te dedicas? — Trabajo en marketing.
What do you do? — I work in marketing.
Si quieres saber mi profesión, puedes preguntar: ¿A qué te dedicas?
If you want to know my profession, you can ask: What do you do?

¿Es tu primera vez aquí?

Is this your first time here?

Meaning: ¿Es tu primera vez aquí?

When to use: Ask this about events or places when you want to know if the person is new.

¿Es tu primera vez aquí? — Sí, es la primera vez que asisto.
Is this your first time here? — Yes, it's my first time attending.
Si no conoces el lugar, puedes preguntar: ¿Es tu primera vez aquí?
If you don't know the place, you can ask: Is this your first time here?

Sigamos en contacto.

Let's keep in touch.

Meaning: Sigamos en contacto.

When to use: Say this when you want to suggest staying in touch after meeting someone.

Fue un gusto conocerte. Sigamos en contacto.
It was nice meeting you. Let's keep in touch.
Si te interesa, sigamos en contacto por correo.
If you're interested, let's keep in touch by email.

¿Qué te trae por aquí?

What brings you here?

Meaning: ¿Qué te trae por aquí?

When to use: A casual way to ask someone's reason for being at the event or place.

Hola, ¿qué te trae por aquí esta tarde?
Hi, what brings you here this afternoon?
¿Qué te trae por aquí? — Vine a escuchar la charla sobre arte.
What brings you here? — I came to listen to the art talk.

Soy amigo de ___.

I'm a friend of ___.

Meaning: Soy amigo de ___.

When to use: Use this to say you are a friend of someone who invited you or whom you both know.

Tip: Remember gender: a female speaker would say 'Soy amiga de ___.'

Soy amigo de Marcos, él me invitó a la fiesta.
I'm a friend of Marcos; he invited me to the party.
Hola, soy amigo de Laura, ella habló muy bien de este grupo.
Hi, I'm a friend of Laura; she spoke highly of this group.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

At a conference coffee break

Anna and David talking at a conference using Spanish introduction phrases: preferred name, reason for being there, and staying in touch.

Why is Anna at the event?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

Hola, por favor, llámame Anna.

Hi — please call me Anna.

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Mucho gusto. ¿Vives por aquí?

Nice to meet you. Do you live around here?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

Vivo cerca de aquí. ¿Y tú?

I live near here. And you?

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

¿Es tu primera vez aquí?

Is this your first time here?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

No, estoy aquí por una conferencia.

No, I'm here for a conference.

Portrait of David in a Spanish lesson dialogue

David

Genial. ¿A qué te dedicas?

Great. What do you do?

Portrait of Anna in a Spanish lesson dialogue

Anna

Soy amiga de Carlos, él me recomendó venir. Sigamos en contacto.

I'm a friend of Carlos, he recommended I come. Let's keep in touch.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which Spanish sentence means "Let's keep in touch."?

Which sentence asks "Is this your first time here?"

Which phrase means "What do you do?" (asking about work)?

Which sentence best matches "I'm a friend of María."?

At the meeting, David asks if Anna lives nearby: "Do you live around here?"

En la reunión, David quiere saber si Anna vive cerca: "___ por aquí?"

Anna prefers to be called another way: "Please, call me Marta."

Anna prefiere que la llamen de otra forma: "Por favor, ___ Marta."

Before leaving, David says: "Let's keep in touch." to maintain the connection.

Antes de irse, David dice: "___" para mantener la relación.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Por favor, llámame ___.

Please call me ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Vives por aquí?

Do you live around here?

Say this phrase out loud:

Vivo cerca de aquí.

I live near here.

Say this phrase out loud:

Estoy aquí por ___.

I'm here for ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿A qué te dedicas?

What do you do?

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Es tu primera vez aquí?

Is this your first time here?

Say this phrase out loud:

Sigamos en contacto.

Let's keep in touch.

Say this phrase out loud:

¿Qué te trae por aquí?

What brings you here?

Say this phrase out loud:

Soy amigo de ___.

I'm a friend of ___.