Spanish - Changing the Topic

Por cierto, ___.

By the way, ___.

Meaning: By the way, ___.

When to use: Use 'Por cierto, ...' to add a related point casually or drop new information into the chat. Examples: 1) Por cierto, mañana tengo una reunión importante. (By the way, I have an important meeting tomorrow.) 2) Por cierto, ¿viste el correo que te mandé? (By the way, did you see the email I sent you?)

Hablando de ___, ___.

Speaking of ___, ___.

Meaning: Speaking of ___, ___.

When to use: Use 'Hablando de ___, ...' to move from one idea to a closely related topic. Examples: 1) Hablando de viajes, ¿qué tal tu destino de verano? (Speaking of travel, how was your summer destination?) 2) Hablando del jefe, creo que nos pidió más informes. (Speaking of the boss, I think he asked for more reports.)

Eso me recuerda, ___.

That reminds me, ___.

Meaning: That reminds me, ___.

When to use: Use 'Eso me recuerda, ...' when something in the conversation triggers a related memory or point. Examples: 1) Eso me recuerda, tenemos que renovar la suscripción. (That reminds me, we need to renew the subscription.) 2) Eso me recuerda, ¿dónde dejé las llaves? (That reminds me, where did I leave my keys?)

Cambiando de tema, ___.

On another note, ___.

Meaning: On another note, ___.

When to use: Use 'Cambiando de tema, ...' to politely signal a clear change to a different topic. Examples: 1) Cambiando de tema, ¿cómo va tu proyecto nuevo? (On another note, how is your new project going?) 2) Cambiando de tema, me contaste algo sobre tu hermano. (On another note, you mentioned something about your brother.)

Antes de que se me olvide, ___.

Before I forget, ___.

Meaning: Before I forget, ___.

When to use: Use 'Antes de que se me olvide, ...' when you want to mention something important before you forget it. Examples: 1) Antes de que se me olvide, trae el informe el lunes. (Before I forget, bring the report on Monday.) 2) Antes de que se me olvide, felicidades por la nueva casa. (Before I forget, congratulations on the new house.)

Tip: Beginners sometimes say 'antes de que me olvide' — the reflexive 'se' is the natural phrasing here.

¿Podemos hablar de ___ un momento?

Can we talk about ___ for a minute?

Meaning: Can we talk about ___ for a minute?

When to use: Use '¿Podemos hablar de ___ un momento?' to politely ask to shift focus and discuss a specific issue briefly. Examples: 1) ¿Podemos hablar del presupuesto un momento? (Can we talk about the budget for a minute?) 2) ¿Podemos hablar de tu informe un momento? (Can we talk about your report for a minute?)

Te quería preguntar sobre ___.

I wanted to ask you about ___.

Meaning: I wanted to ask you about ___.

When to use: Use 'Te quería preguntar sobre ...' to introduce a question about a new topic; it's a polite and natural opener. Examples: 1) Te quería preguntar sobre las vacaciones de julio. (I wanted to ask you about July vacations.) 2) Te quería preguntar sobre el contrato que firmamos. (I wanted to ask you about the contract we signed.)

Cambiemos de tema.

Let's change the subject.

Meaning: Let's change the subject.

When to use: Use 'Cambiemos de tema.' when you want to move away from the current subject directly; it's clear and commonly used. Examples: 1) Esto está yendo mal—cambiemos de tema. (This is going badly—let's change the subject.) 2) Si quieres, cambiemos de tema y hablemos de algo más. (If you want, let's change the subject and talk about something else.)

Bueno, volviendo a ___.

Anyway, back to ___.

Meaning: Anyway, back to ___.

When to use: Use 'Bueno, volviendo a ...' to bring the conversation back to the main point after a digression. Examples: 1) Bueno, volviendo al plan original, ¿qué días te vienen bien? (Anyway, back to the original plan, which days work for you?) 2) Bueno, volviendo a la reunión, necesitamos confirmar la hora. (Anyway, back to the meeting, we need to confirm the time.)

Volviendo a ___, ___.

Going back to ___, ___.

Meaning: Going back to ___, ___.

When to use: Use 'Volviendo a ___, ...' to reconnect to a topic mentioned earlier and add new information. Examples: 1) Volviendo a tu idea de la semana pasada, me parece buena. (Going back to your idea from last week, I like it.) 2) Volviendo al informe, hay dos correcciones que hacer. (Going back to the report, there are two corrections to make.)

Esto se sale un poco del tema, pero ___

This is a bit off topic, but ___

Meaning: This is a bit off topic, but ___

When to use: Use 'Esto se sale un poco del tema, pero ...' when you want a brief side comment that isn't directly related. Examples: 1) Esto se sale un poco del tema, pero ¿alguien trajo café? (This is a bit off topic, but did someone bring coffee?) 2) Esto se sale un poco del tema, pero hay una noticia importante. (This is a bit off topic, but there's important news.)

¿Puedo mencionar otra cosa?

Can I bring up something else?

Meaning: Can I bring up something else?

When to use: Use '¿Puedo mencionar otra cosa?' to politely ask permission before introducing a different item or topic. Examples: 1) ¿Puedo mencionar otra cosa? Creo que olvidamos al cliente. (Can I bring up something else? I think we forgot the client.) 2) ¿Puedo mencionar otra cosa? Hay un problema con la factura. (Can I bring up something else? There's an issue with the invoice.)

Hay otra cosa que quería mencionar.

There's something else I wanted to mention.

Meaning: There's something else I wanted to mention.

When to use: Use 'Hay otra cosa que quería mencionar.' to add an additional point or reminder in a natural way. Examples: 1) Hay otra cosa que quería mencionar: el invitado llegará tarde. (There's something else I wanted to mention: the guest will arrive late.) 2) Hay otra cosa que quería mencionar sobre el presupuesto. (There's something else I wanted to mention about the budget.)