SkarpChapter 6 of 8
Social Life: Friends, Family, and Small Talk
Expand your small talk skills to talk about family, friends, hobbies, and weekend plans, and keep a simple conversation going.
New Words and Phrases (in English)
In this step, you will learn key Spanish words and phrases to talk about family, friends, hobbies, and weekend plans. You will also see how they look in simple sentences.
| Word | Pronunciation | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| mi familia | mee fah-MEE-lyah | my family | Mi familia es pequeña.(My family is small.) |
| mis amigos | mees ah-MEE-gohs | my friends | Voy al cine con mis amigos.(I am going to the cinema with my friends.) |
| pasar tiempo con | pah-SAR TYEHM-poh kohn | to spend time with | Me gusta pasar tiempo con mi familia.(I like to spend time with my family.) |
| salir | sah-LEER | to go out | Los sábados me gusta salir con amigos.(On Saturdays I like to go out with friends.) |
| quedar con amigos | keh-DAR kohn ah-MEE-gohs | to meet up with friends | Este fin de semana voy a quedar con amigos.(This weekend I am going to meet up with friends.) |
| ¿Qué te gusta hacer? | keh teh GOOS-tah ah-SER | What do you like to do? | ¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?(What do you like to do in your free time?) |
| el fin de semana | ehl feen deh seh-MAH-nah | the weekend | ¿Qué planes tienes para el fin de semana?(What plans do you have for the weekend?) |
| ¡Qué bien! | keh BYEN | How nice! / That’s great! | —Voy a ver a mi familia. —¡Qué bien!(—I’m going to see my family. —That’s great!) |
Language Pattern (in English)
1. Talking about “my” and “my (plural)”
In Spanish, “mi” means “my” for one thing, and “mis” means “my” for more than one thing.
- mi (my, singular noun)
- mi familia — my family
- mi amigo — my (male) friend
- mi amiga — my (female) friend
- mis (my, plural noun)
- mis amigos — my friends
- mis padres — my parents
The form changes depending on the noun, not on you. You are always “my”, but the noun can be singular or plural.
- Mi familia es pequeña.
“My family is small.” (family = one group → mi)
- Mis amigos viven lejos.
“My friends live far away.” (friends = more than one → mis)
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2. Using “gustar” to talk about likes
You already know me gusta (I like). To talk about activities, use a verb in its basic form (the infinitive), like salir, leer, correr.
Pattern:
- Me gusta + [infinitive] = I like to …
Examples:
- Me gusta pasar tiempo con mi familia.
“I like to spend time with my family.”
- Me gusta salir con mis amigos.
“I like to go out with my friends.”
To ask someone about their likes:
- ¿Qué te gusta hacer? — “What do you like to do?”
You can answer with:
- Me gusta + [activity]
Me gusta pasar tiempo con amigos. — “I like to spend time with friends.”
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3. Keeping a conversation going
Use short reactions and follow-up questions to keep small talk alive.
Useful reactions:
- ¡Qué bien! — “How nice! / That’s great!”
- Ah, qué interesante. — “Oh, how interesting.”
Follow-up questions with “y” (and):
- ¿Y tú? — “And you?”
- ¿Y el fin de semana? — “And (what about) the weekend?”
Example mini-exchange:
- A: Este fin de semana voy a quedar con amigos.
“This weekend I’m going to meet up with friends.”
- B: ¡Qué bien! ¿Y tú familia? ¿Pasas tiempo con tu familia?
“That’s great! And your family? Do you spend time with your family?”
Notice how ¡Qué bien! and ¿Y tú? help continue the conversation without adding difficult grammar.
Practice Dialogue (in English)
In this dialogue, two friends talk after class about their families, hobbies, and weekend plans. Read the Spanish and check the English to see how the small talk continues with follow-up questions and reactions.
Two classmates chatting after a Spanish class about family, free time, and weekend plans.
¿Tienes planes para el fin de semana?
Do you have plans for the weekend?
Sí, voy a quedar con amigos y quizá salir a cenar.
Yes, I’m going to meet up with friends and maybe go out for dinner.
¡Qué bien! Me gusta pasar tiempo con mis amigos también.
That’s great! I like to spend time with my friends too.
¿Y tú? ¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?
And you? What do you like to do in your free time?
Normalmente paso tiempo con mi familia y veo películas.
I usually spend time with my family and watch movies.
Ah, qué interesante. ¿Tu familia vive cerca?
Oh, how interesting. Does your family live nearby?
Sí, mi familia vive aquí en la ciudad.
Yes, my family lives here in the city.
Perfecto, entonces puedes pasar mucho tiempo con tu familia.
Perfect, then you can spend a lot of time with your family.
Check Your Understanding (in English)
Answer this question about the new vocabulary and patterns.
How do you best say in Spanish: “I like to spend time with my friends on the weekend”?
- Me gusta pasar tiempo con mis amigos el fin de semana.
- Me gusta paso tiempo con mis amigos el fin de semana.
- Me gusto pasar tiempo con mis amigos el fin de semana.
- Me gusta pasar tiempos con mi amigos el fin de semana.
Show Answer
Answer: A) Me gusta pasar tiempo con mis amigos el fin de semana.
Option 1 is correct: **Me gusta pasar tiempo con mis amigos el fin de semana.** It uses the pattern **me gusta + [infinitive]** (me gusta pasar), the correct singular **tiempo** (not *tiempos*), and the plural **mis amigos** (not *mi amigos*). The other options have grammar errors with the verb form, noun number, or possessive.
Key Terms
- salir
- to go out; common for social plans like going out with friends.
- mi familia
- my family; use 'mi' with a singular noun to say 'my'.
- mis amigos
- my friends; use 'mis' with a plural noun to say 'my'.
- ¡Qué bien!
- How nice! / That’s great!; a short reaction to show interest and keep the conversation going.
- el fin de semana
- the weekend; used for talking about weekend plans.
- pasar tiempo con
- to spend time with; often used with people, e.g. 'pasar tiempo con mi familia'.
- quedar con amigos
- to meet up with friends; very common in everyday conversation.
- ¿Qué te gusta hacer?
- What do you like to do?; a key question to ask about hobbies and interests.