In this lesson
Your one-minute introduction
This class puts together everything from the first six: soy, estoy, tengo, quiero. With them you can already introduce yourself, and that's the conversation you'll have more than any other in Spanish.
Here's the formula. Pick the blocks you need, in any order:
| Block | Say it like this |
|---|---|
| Your name | Me llamo Ana. / Soy Ana. |
| Where you're from | Soy de Texas. |
| Where you live | Vivo en Austin. |
| Your age | Tengo 30 años. |
| What you do | Soy enfermera. |
| What you want | Quiero aprender español. |
Then ask the other person the same, with tú. That's the whole conversation.
Your name
Saying your name
- Me llamo Ana.My name is Ana.
- Soy Ana.I'm Ana.
- Mi nombre es Ana.My name is Ana. (correct, but sounds like a form)
- ¿Cómo te llamas?What's your name?
Me llamo and Soy are what people actually say. Mi nombre es is fine, just a bit stiff. And if someone asks you to spell it, you already know how from the alphabet class.
Where you're from and where you live
Origin and home
- Soy de Estados Unidos.I'm from the United States.
- Soy de Chicago, pero vivo en Denver.I'm from Chicago, but I live in Denver.
- Vivo en la Ciudad de México.I live in Mexico City.
- ¿De dónde eres?Where are you from?
- ¿Dónde vives?Where do you live?
Where you're from is ser, because it's part of who you are (ser vs estar). Where you live uses vivir, a regular verb: vivo (I live), vives (you live).
Your age and your family
Age and family
- Tengo 30 años.I'm 30.
- Tengo dos hijos.I have two kids.
- Tengo un perro y dos gatos.I have a dog and two cats.
- ¿Cuántos años tienes?How old are you?
- ¿Tienes hermanos?Do you have brothers and sisters?
All tener, like in the tener class. Age is never soy.
What you do and what you're like
Job and personality
- Soy maestro.I'm a teacher. (a man)
- Soy maestra.I'm a teacher. (a woman)
- Soy estudiante.I'm a student.
- Soy tranquilo y un poco tímido.I'm calm and a bit shy.
- ¿A qué te dedicas?What do you do? (for a living)
What you want
Plans and reasons
- Quiero aprender español.I want to learn Spanish.
- Quiero viajar a México.I want to travel to Mexico.
- Quiero hablar con mi familia en español.I want to speak with my family in Spanish.
- ¿Qué quieres hacer?What do you want to do?
Quiero + a verb in its basic form, from the querer class. It's the best way to end your introduction, because it gives the other person something to ask about.
✍️ Quick check
0/3
1.___ 30 años. (I'm 30.)
2.Soy ___ Texas. (I'm from Texas.)
3.A woman who's a nurse says…
Ending it right
Nice to meet you
- Mucho gusto.Nice to meet you. (anyone can say it)
- Encantado.Nice to meet you. (said by a man)
- Encantada.Nice to meet you. (said by a woman)
- Igualmente.Likewise.
Common mistakes
✗Me llamo es Ana.
✓Me llamo Ana.
Me llamo already means "my name is". Don't add es.
✗Soy 30 años.
✓Tengo 30 años.
Age is tener.
✗Estoy de Texas.
✓Soy de Texas.
Where you're from is ser.
✗Soy un maestro.
✓Soy maestro.
No un or una before a job.
✗Quiero a aprender español.
✓Quiero aprender español.
No a between quiero and the verb.
✗Encantado. (said by a woman)
✓Encantada.
It matches you.
Put it together
Here's the sentence from class:
Soy Ana, tengo 30 años y quiero aprender español.
- soy Ana: ser, who you are
- tengo 30 años: tener, your age
- quiero aprender: querer + a verb, what you want
In class we do it speed-dating style: one minute to introduce yourself to a new partner, no notes. Here's how it sounds:
¡Hola! Me llamo Ana. ¿Cómo te llamas?
Hi! My name is Ana. What's your name?
Soy Mike. Mucho gusto.
I'm Mike. Nice to meet you.
Encantada. ¿De dónde eres, Mike?
Nice to meet you. Where are you from, Mike?
Soy de Chicago, pero vivo en Denver. Tengo 42 años y soy ingeniero. ¿Y tú?
I'm from Chicago, but I live in Denver. I'm 42 and I'm an engineer. And you?
Soy de Texas. Tengo 30 años y soy enfermera. Quiero aprender español para mi trabajo.
I'm from Texas. I'm 30 and I'm a nurse. I want to learn Spanish for my job.
¡Qué bien! Yo quiero viajar a México. Tengo una amiga en Oaxaca.
Great! I want to travel to Mexico. I have a friend in Oaxaca.
Now make it yours: set a timer for one minute and introduce yourself out loud, without notes. Use at least one soy, one tengo and one quiero. Then ask the three questions back: ¿De dónde eres? ¿Cuántos años tienes? ¿Qué quieres hacer?
Test yourself
✍️ Six quick questions
0/6
1.¿Cómo te ___? (What's your name?)
2.___ en Denver. (I live in Denver.)
3.¿A qué te dedicas? asks about…
4.Quiero ___ a México. (I want to travel to Mexico.)
5.A man says "Nice to meet you":
6.Which introduction is correct?
Cheat sheet
Every yo and tú form from classes 1 to 7
| yo | tú | Use it for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| llamarse | me llamo | te llamas | your name |
| ser | soy | eres | name, origin, job, personality |
| estar | estoy | estás | where you are, how you feel |
| tener | tengo | tienes | what you have, your age, hunger, cold |
| querer | quiero | quieres | what you want |
| necesitar | necesito | necesitas | what you need |
| vivir | vivo | vives | where you live |
Next class you'll learn all the question words (qué, dónde, cuándo, cómo, por qué…), so you can keep the conversation going after the introduction.