I want to sign up for a course in Spanish
At a language school: signing up for a course and talking about level in Spanish. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Buenos días, quería apuntarme a un curso de español. ¿Tiene un minuto?» — Good morning, I would like to sign up for a Spanish course. Do you have a minute? 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: at a language school: signing up for a course and talking about level. 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.
- Buenos días, quería apuntarme a un curso de español. ¿Tiene un minuto?Good morning, I would like to sign up for a Spanish course. Do you have a minute?
- Por supuesto. ¿Qué nivel de idioma tiene usted ahora?Of course. What is your language level now?
- No estoy seguro. Entiendo de oído bastante, pero me cuesta hablar.I'm not sure. I understand quite a lot by ear, but speaking is hard for me.
- Eso es muy normal. ¿Ha estudiado con profesor o por su cuenta?That is very normal. Have you studied with a teacher or on your own?
- Por mi cuenta, con un diccionario y vídeos. La gramática la llevo mejor.On my own, with a dictionary and videos. I manage better with grammar.
- Entonces le pongo en el grupo de la tarde. No es de principiantes.Then I'll put you in the afternoon group. It's not for beginners.
- Perfecto. ¿Y la primera clase es gratis, para probar?Perfect. And is the first class free, to try it out?
- Sí. Y si falta a clase, los apuntes se los pasa el grupo por el móvil.Yes. And if you miss a class, the group sends you the notes by phone.
Lines one by one
| Spanish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos días, quería apuntarme a un curso de español. ¿Tiene un minuto? | — | Good morning, I would like to sign up for a Spanish course. Do you have a minute? |
| Por supuesto. ¿Qué nivel de idioma tiene usted ahora? | — | Of course. What is your language level now? |
| No estoy seguro. Entiendo de oído bastante, pero me cuesta hablar. | — | I'm not sure. I understand quite a lot by ear, but speaking is hard for me. |
| Eso es muy normal. ¿Ha estudiado con profesor o por su cuenta? | — | That is very normal. Have you studied with a teacher or on your own? |
| Por mi cuenta, con un diccionario y vídeos. La gramática la llevo mejor. | — | On my own, with a dictionary and videos. I manage better with grammar. |
| Entonces le pongo en el grupo de la tarde. No es de principiantes. | — | Then I'll put you in the afternoon group. It's not for beginners. |
| Perfecto. ¿Y la primera clase es gratis, para probar? | — | Perfect. And is the first class free, to try it out? |
| Sí. Y si falta a clase, los apuntes se los pasa el grupo por el móvil. | — | Yes. And if you miss a class, the group sends you the notes by phone. |
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?
“Buenos días, quería apuntarme a un curso de español. ¿Tiene un minuto?” — Good morning, I would like to sign up for a Spanish course. Do you have a minute?. 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.