Tips for initiating small talk with native Spanish speakers

Here are some tips for initiating small talk with native Spanish speakers, based on cultural and pragmatic insights:

• Use polite greetings and informal questions about well-being, such as “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?) or “¿Qué tal?” (What’s up?), as these are common conversation starters. ¹

• Display confianza (familiar trust) gradually by sharing a little about yourself first, which encourages the other person to open up. ¹

• Show respeto (hierarchical respect) when appropriate, particularly with elders or in formal settings, by using polite forms like “usted” instead of “tú”. ²

• Mitigate potential face threats with softening phrases or mitigation strategies, especially when making requests or comments that could be perceived as direct. ³

• Be culturally sensitive and aware of context, as different Spanish-speaking regions have varying norms; for example, Mexico often emphasizes confianza and respeto in interactions ,. ^{2, 1}

• Engage with culturally relevant topics such as local traditions or recent events, which can facilitate a more natural and inclusive conversation. ⁴

Would you like specific phrases or examples to start a conversation?

References

• Mexican Politeness: an Empirical Study on the Reasons Underlying/Motivating Practices to Construct Local Interpersonal Relationships

• Después de usted: Variation and Change in a Spanish Tripartite Politeness System

• Mitigation Strategies in Colloquial Conversations: A Contrastive Approach in European, Cuban, Mexican, Argentinian and Chilean Spanish

• Testing the impact of culturally-relevant communication style on engagement with Hispanic and Latinx adults