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Now that you have last week’s Spanish Tip on hellos and good byes, let’s move into introductions. The most basic component of any conversation usually starts with a name exchange.  There are two basic ways to say this. Choose which is most comfortable for you and stick with it.

Option 1

Question: Cual es tu nombre? (pronounced kwal/es/to/nome-bray)
Response: Mi nombre es _______ (pronounced me/nome-bray)

Option 2

Question: Comó te llamas? (pronounced Co-mo/tay/yah-moss)
Response: Me llamo ______ ( meh/yah-mo )

Although it maybe initial instinct to put an “es” after mi llamo, it is not necessary. You are saying “What are you called?” and the answer is “I am called____”

After learning someone’s name, it is good to say “mucho gusto,” which basically means, nice to meet you. Often times you will here them respond with “Igualmente,” which means “the same.”

Next, you may want to ask how the person is. This is where the internal battle of informal versus formal begins. A good rule to use initially is this: If you would address the person and Mr. or Mrs. in English, use the Usted form in Spanish. If you would call them by their first name in English, then use the informal form.

Formal: Cómo está Usted? (pronounced Co-mo/es-Ta/oo-sted)
Informal: Cómo estás?

Appropriate response: Bien, y tu?  (pronounced Be-In E Too) This means, “Good, and you?”

If all this formal and informal stuff is confusing you, another good way to ask is “Que tal?” (pronounced K- tall). It fits comfortably in between the above options.

Ok so get out there and practice! Questions? Drop them in the comments and our resident Spanish teacher will answer.