I want to sign up for the gym in Spanish
At the gym: the pass, the machines, a first injury in Spanish. 9 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Buenas, quería información. ¿Qué bonos tenéis?» — Hi, I wanted some information. What passes do you have?; «Hay uno de diez sesiones y una tarifa mensual sin límite.» — There is a ten-session one and a monthly rate with no limit. 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 the gym: the pass, the machines, a first injury. 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.
- Buenas, quería información. ¿Qué bonos tenéis?Hi, I wanted some information. What passes do you have?
- Hay uno de diez sesiones y una tarifa mensual sin límite.There is a ten-session one and a monthly rate with no limit.
- Empiezo con el bono. ¿Entra la piscina?I'll start with the pass. Is the pool included?
- Sí, y el vestuario con taquilla. La toalla la traes tú.Yes, and the changing room with a locker. You bring your own towel.
- Vale. ¿Y las máquinas de gimnasio me las explica alguien?Okay. And will someone explain the gym machines to me?
- El primer día sí. Y siempre empieza con el calentamiento.On the first day, yes. And always start with the warm-up.
- La última vez me hice un esguince por no calentar.Last time I got a sprain from not warming up.
- Pues con mancuernas ligeras y sin tirar de la barra el primer mes.Then light dumbbells, and no pulling the bar the first month.
- Trato hecho. Me traigo el chándal mañana y empiezo.Deal. I'll bring my tracksuit tomorrow and start.
Lines one by one
| Spanish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Buenas, quería información. ¿Qué bonos tenéis? | — | Hi, I wanted some information. What passes do you have? |
| Hay uno de diez sesiones y una tarifa mensual sin límite. | — | There is a ten-session one and a monthly rate with no limit. |
| Empiezo con el bono. ¿Entra la piscina? | — | I'll start with the pass. Is the pool included? |
| Sí, y el vestuario con taquilla. La toalla la traes tú. | — | Yes, and the changing room with a locker. You bring your own towel. |
| Vale. ¿Y las máquinas de gimnasio me las explica alguien? | — | Okay. And will someone explain the gym machines to me? |
| El primer día sí. Y siempre empieza con el calentamiento. | — | On the first day, yes. And always start with the warm-up. |
| La última vez me hice un esguince por no calentar. | — | Last time I got a sprain from not warming up. |
| Pues con mancuernas ligeras y sin tirar de la barra el primer mes. | — | Then light dumbbells, and no pulling the bar the first month. |
| Trato hecho. Me traigo el chándal mañana y empiezo. | — | Deal. I'll bring my tracksuit tomorrow and start. |
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?
“Buenas, quería información. ¿Qué bonos tenéis?” — Hi, I wanted some information. What passes do you have?. 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.