Pleasantries in Spanish – Keeping in with the Neighbours!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
We recently got an email from Phil, who lives in Andalusia, about a bit of a problem:
“…one of the problems I have with my Spanish neighbours is just exchanging pleasantries, especially showing appreciation for things without just repeating ‘muchas gracias’ over and over again – as the British are wont to do!
They are forever giving us little gifts, inviting us to join them for meals etc, and sometimes we do , and other times we can’t. But I’d love to have a few more ways to say: That’s very kind of you; What a nice thought; What a lovely idea!; Oh, that would be lovely; Oh thank you, but we can’t today etc etc.”
Hopefully the audio above gives you a few more phrases for your arsenal Phil!
Here are the phrases we discuss in the audio above:
Que detalle mas bonito – What a lovely thought
Gracias por haberos acordado de nosotros – Thanks for thinking of us
Que buena idea – What a great idea
Que buen plan – What a great sounding plan
Nos encantaría – We’d love to
Nos encantaría, pero no podemos porque ya hemos quedado – We’d love to but we can’t as we’ve already made other plans
Estamos muy agradecidos estaba todo riquísimo – Thanks so much, it was all delicious
Es que no puedo porque tengo que ir al dentista – I can’t as I have to go to the dentist
Es que no me viene bien - It’s not convenient
Useful links:
For more on making excuses and ‘Quedar’, Listen to:
Inspired Beginners 14 – “Quedar”
For more useful Q and A sessions like this, join Notes in Spanish Gold! Sign Up Here Now!
Posted in: Learn Spanish Phrases | Comments: 24
Comments:
Comment from Franny
These are such useful expressions. I live in Spain too, and these are exactly what I was needing.
The only other expression I know is “me lo he pasado bien/muy bien/pipa” to say I´ve had a really good time .
Comment from Ben
@Phil – glad we could help!
@Franny – Great addition to the list!
Comment from vg
This podcast is practically very useful..
thank you
Comment from Katya
WOW Phil, how lucky! I live in USA I even don’t know my neighbours.
Comment from Sarah
These are very useful. I also live in Spain and find I am saying Gracias too much. My neighbour on one side is a deaf widow who is losing her marbles and on the other they are English! But these are a great help in any case.
Comment from Kenny
I live in the mountains of Nicaragua, in Estelí do these sayings have the same meanings here or just in Spain?
Comment from Andrew
Brilliant – really helpful phrases. It’s also hard to know what subject to chat about. I remember getting short shrift at a Minorcan friend’s house when I mentioned a dip made from cucumber… Minorcans seem to have an aversion to cucumber (something to do with it being introduced by the British…)
Comment from Elspeth
Really useful phrases – particularly the ones with excuses. Wish you could give me some phonetic phrases in Urdu (which I don’t speak) to use on my neighbours who keep trying to give us food which, sadly, we can’t eat as it’s so spicey!
Comment from Ben
@Kenny, we are pretty sure most of them will work where you are, but to be sure, I’d print out the list and ask a local what they think. By the way, great place to live!
Comment from Michael Ehrenberg
You guys are amazing…always coming up with those USEFUL things that we as alumnos are always searching for, especially the nuances!! Michael,
Comment from froukje matthews
I’m surrounded again by English speakers after having lived in Spain for year, that’s why your audios are great: they have a natural flow of language, they’re entertaiing and very very practical and real. Makes keeping up with Spanish a pleasure! Thanks a lot!
Comment from Linda
These are great–thanks so much! Just one point:
Shouldn’t “que” in the phrases above have an accent? (qué buena idea, etc.)
Comment from Jadsey
This is awesome! Thanks 
Comment from Mike
Just what I need when I am back in Spain next month!
Comment from Parismart
ThOSE are really useful expressions. muchas gracios. yo vivo en india. you guys are simple great
Comment from deebee
A great help. My spanish friends laugh at me when I am struggling to say thank you, or it’s wonderful etc., and usually I am reduced to saying Gracias, Muchas gracias. So now I can show off. They often try to help me but I find it difficult to remember, but now it is in writing and much more helpful.
Comment from Jimmy Mcintyre
Hi Ben and Marina,
I just wanted to say how superb your podcasts are. I wrote a review on them a while ago on the HTAL website and I’m about to write another for my blog along with a review of some other quality Spanish podasts. I hope you keep up the good work.
Your review will appear here in the next couple of days(obviously feel free to delete this link if you it doesn’t sit with NIS policy):
http://our-world-adventure.blogspot.com/search/label/spanish
Comment from Bella
I wish I’d read my email yesterday and I would have been more prepared for today when a good spanish friend gave me a brand new mobile phone as a present! I said the normal “muchas gracias” etc but couldn’t think of anything else! Then I showed my spanish flatmate and she was as shocked as I was at the gift, and then said “Que detalle, no?” and I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I just agreed..lol. Now I know! I thought the literal translation sounded a bit odd! I will be sure to use the phrases when I see my friend next time.
Comment from Ben
@Jimmy Mcintyre – Thanks for such a lovely review!
And thanks for all the other comments, Linda, your grammar Q has been passed on to Marina!
Comment from Bonnie
Yo echo de menos de escuchar a los podcasts nuevos. ¿Sería posible para Uds. de grabar nuevos podcasts como Notes in Spanished Advanced en la futura próxima por favor? Discúlpame pero no sé cómo se dice podcasts en español hmmm…¿es podcast un sustantivo masculino o femenino?
Comment from Ben
@Bonnie – Me parece que podcast es masculino. Y ya estamos grabando material nuevo! Make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter to find out when it’s ready!
Comment from nilesh nighot
me gusta mucho sus conversacion.
Comment from robinho
Your efforts in this are wonderful I went through all this and I really appreciate your work about Spanish language thanks for your blog.
Comment from Phil
Great! Just what I was after.
Thank you for responding so quickly and so effectively. Time to go banging the drum for Notes in Spanish, I think!