Learning Spanish: A1 – Making Simple Plans and Invitations

This guide will help you start speaking basic Spanish! We’ll focus on making simple plans, offering invitations, and responding to them. Don’t worry about perfect grammar at this stage; the goal is communication. It’s okay to make mistakes – that’s how you learn!

Key Vocabulary

Here are some words and phrases you’ll need:

• Sí (Yes)
• No (No)
• ¿Qué? (What?)
• ¿Cuándo? (When?)
• ¿A qué hora? (What time?)
• Vamos a… (Let’s go to…)
• Quiero… (I want…)
• Me gusta… (I like…)
• Con gusto (With pleasure)
• ¡Vale! (Okay!)

Making Simple Plans

Let’s start with saying you want to do something. It’s common to use “Vamos a…”

Example Dialogue 1:

Person A: ¡Hola, María! ¿Qué haces? (Hello, Maria! What are you doing?)

Person B: Hola, Juan! Estoy leyendo. ¿Y tú? Vamos a tomar un café después. (Hi, John! I’m reading. And you? Let’s go have coffee later.)

Juan: ¡Vale! ¡Me gusta! (Okay! I like it!)

Mistake and Correction:

A common mistake for beginners is saying “Yo quiero ir…” (I want to go…). While correct, it’s less natural than “Vamos a…” Try to use ‘vamos a…’ when suggesting an activity.

Offering Invitations

Now let’s learn how to invite someone. We often start by asking if they’re free and then offering an idea.

Example Dialogue 2:

Person A: Hola, Pedro! ¿Tienes tiempo? (Hello, Pedro! Do you have time?)

Person B: Sí, un poco. ¿Quieres ir al cine? (Do you want to go to the cinema?)

Pedro: ¡Sí, quiero! ¿A qué hora? (Yes, I want! What time?)

More Phrases for Invitations

• ¿Te apetece…? (Do you feel like…?)
• ¿Qué te parece si…? (What do you think if…?)

Responding to Invitations

When someone invites you, it’s important to respond clearly.

Example Dialogue 3:

Person A: Quiero invitarte a comer. (I want to invite you to eat.)

Person B: ¡Sí, vale! ¡Me parece bien! ¿Cuándo? (Yes, okay! That sounds good! When?)

Useful Responses

• ¡Genial! (Great!)
• Perfecto (Perfect)
• Sí, claro (Yes, of course)

Practice Time

Try these simple sentences:

• “Vamos a la playa.” (Let’s go to the beach.)
• “Quiero comer pizza.” (I want to eat pizza.)
• “¿Te apetece ir al parque?” (Do you feel like going to the park?)

Don’t be afraid to try! The more you speak, even if you make mistakes, the faster you’ll improve. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)