No More Awkward Pauses: 10 Spanish Phrases to Keep Conversations Flowing ♫ 240
You're in the middle of a Spanish conversation, everything is going great, and suddenly... your mind goes completely blank. 😳 Before you freeze up or sound like a textbook by saying '¿Puede repetir, por favor?', listen up! In this episode, I'm going to give you 10 Spanish phrases native speakers actually use to buy time, clarify, and keep the conversation going smoothly. 🗣️ Whether you need a second to gather your thoughts, want to ask someone to repeat themselves, or just want to...
You're in the middle of a Spanish conversation, everything is going great, and suddenly... your mind goes completely blank. 😳
Before you freeze up or sound like a textbook by saying '¿Puede repetir, por favor?', listen up!
In this episode, I'm going to give you 10 Spanish phrases native speakers actually use to buy time, clarify, and keep the conversation going smoothly. 🗣️
Whether you need a second to gather your thoughts, want to ask someone to repeat themselves, or just want to sound more natural when clarifying a point—we’ve got you covered.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Conversational phrases to use when you need to buy time or gather your thoughts 🧠
✅ How to politely ask someone to repeat themselves without sounding like a robot 🤖
✅ 5 natural expressions to ask for clarification like a native speaker 🤔
💬 Get the Bonus list of 21 Conversational Spanish Phrases to Keep Your Conversations Flowing (complete with examples in context, translations, & audio), transcripts, and our 7 Songs to Transform Your Spanish 🎵 course when you sign up as a show supporter at learnspanishconsalsa.com/support
Do you want to speak more Spanish but you don't have a reliable conversation partner?
Do you want to get comfortable talking to native Spanish speakers?
Join the Spanish Conversation Challenge...it's FREE! You'll have an opportunity to practice speaking Spanish every day April 25 - May 1, 2026
Sign up now at spanishconversationchallenge.com
Part 1: Gathering Thoughts & Buying Time
"O sea..." (I mean... / In other words...)
Example: "O sea, no es que no quiera ir, es que estoy muy cansado."
(I mean, it's not that I don't want to go, it's that I'm very tired.)
"Fíjate..." (Look... / Get this... / Note that...)
Example: "Fíjate que ayer vi a tu hermano en el centro comercial."
(Get this, yesterday I saw your brother at the mall.)
"A ver, cómo te explico..." (Let's see, how do I explain this...)
Example: "A ver, cómo te explico... es una situación un poco complicada."
(Let's see, how do I explain this... it's a bit of a complicated situation.)
"¿Me entiendes?" (You know what I mean? / Do you understand me?)
Example: "Es muy difícil aprender un idioma si no lo practicas todos los días, ¿me entiendes?"
(It's very difficult to learn a language if you don't practice it every day, you know what I mean?)
"Buena pregunta... yo diría que..." (Good question... I would say that...)
Example: "Buena pregunta... yo diría que lo mejor es esperar hasta mañana."
(Good question... I would say the best thing to do is wait until tomorrow.)
Part 2: Asking to Repeat & Digging Deeper
"¿Qué fue lo que dijiste?" (What was it that you said?)
Example: "Perdona, acaba de sonar el timbre. ¿Qué fue lo que dijiste?"
(Sorry, the doorbell just rang. What was it that you said?)
"No te escucho bien. ¿Cómo dijiste?" (I can't hear you well. What did you say?)
Example: "Hay mucho ruido aquí y no te escucho bien. ¿Cómo dijiste?"
(There's a lot of noise here and I can't hear you well. What did you say?)
"¿A qué te refieres con eso?" (What do you mean by that?)
Example: "Hablas de un 'cambio de planes'... ¿A qué te refieres con eso?"
(You talk about a 'change of plans'... What do you mean by that?)
"Espérate, me perdí un poco. ¿Me lo puedes volver a explicar?" (Hold on, I got a little lost. Can you explain it to me again?)
Example: "Espérate, me perdí un poco con lo del viaje. ¿Me lo puedes volver a explicar?"
(Hold on, I got a little lost about the trip. Can you explain it to me again?)
"¿Cómo fue? Repíteme eso último." (Come again? / How's that? Repeat that last part to me.)
Example: "Habla un poco más lento, por favor. ¿Cómo fue? Repíteme eso último."
(Speak a little slower, please. Come again? Repeat that last part to me.)
⭐Leave us a rating & review and we just might give you a shout out on a future episode ;)
📩 Join our e-mail list and be the first to know when new episodes are released, plus get access to exclusive listener discounts + giveaways
Connect with us...
📲 Follow us on Instagram
👩👩👧👦 Join our Facebook Community
▶️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel
📜 Get transcripts when you sign up as a show supporter
