We haven't spoken for a week in Spanish
Two friends clear the air after a quarrel in Spanish. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Llevamos una semana sin hablarnos y ya no me acuerdo ni de por qué.» — We've gone a week without speaking and I don't even remember why anymore. Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two friends clear the air after a quarrel. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Llevamos una semana sin hablarnos y ya no me acuerdo ni de por qué.We've gone a week without speaking and I don't even remember why anymore.
- Yo sí me acuerdo: dijiste delante de todos que soy un despistado.I do remember: you said in front of everyone that I'm absent-minded.
- Perdona, fue una broma. No pensé que te ibas a ofender.I'm sorry, it was a joke. I didn't think you'd take offense.
- Pues me dio vergüenza delante de tus amigos.Well, I felt ashamed in front of your friends.
- Te entiendo. Estaba de mal humor ese día y lo pagué contigo.I understand you. I was in a bad mood that day and I took it out on you.
- No pasa nada. Prefiero que me lo digas a que dejemos de hablarnos.It is nothing. I prefer you telling me to us not speaking anymore.
- Entonces hacemos las paces y no se habla más del tema.Then we make up and we do not talk about it anymore.
- Hecho. Y la próxima vez, regáñame en privado.Deal. And next time, scold me in private.
Lines one by one
| Spanish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Llevamos una semana sin hablarnos y ya no me acuerdo ni de por qué. | — | We've gone a week without speaking and I don't even remember why anymore. |
| Yo sí me acuerdo: dijiste delante de todos que soy un despistado. | — | I do remember: you said in front of everyone that I'm absent-minded. |
| Perdona, fue una broma. No pensé que te ibas a ofender. | — | I'm sorry, it was a joke. I didn't think you'd take offense. |
| Pues me dio vergüenza delante de tus amigos. | — | Well, I felt ashamed in front of your friends. |
| Te entiendo. Estaba de mal humor ese día y lo pagué contigo. | — | I understand you. I was in a bad mood that day and I took it out on you. |
| No pasa nada. Prefiero que me lo digas a que dejemos de hablarnos. | — | It is nothing. I prefer you telling me to us not speaking anymore. |
| Entonces hacemos las paces y no se habla más del tema. | — | Then we make up and we do not talk about it anymore. |
| Hecho. Y la próxima vez, regáñame en privado. | — | Deal. And next time, scold me in private. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Spanish in this situation?
“Llevamos una semana sin hablarnos y ya no me acuerdo ni de por qué.” — We've gone a week without speaking and I don't even remember why anymore.. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.