This article explores a natural, everyday Spanish conversation between two speakers — one from Tenerife and one from Mérida — and uses their exchange as a study guide for learners who want to learn advanced Spanish through real-life topics: travel, weekend plans, personality descriptions, local culture, health, leisure and technology. Reading and practising these examples will help intermediate students build confidence and move toward more advanced, fluent speech.
Overview: What the conversation covers
The speakers talk informally about memorable trips, recent weekends and vacations, personality traits, hopes for the future, friendship, party culture in Tenerife, Canary Islands’ natural identity and gastronomy, public health, leisure activities, technology use and the country’s economic outlook. Each topic supplies useful words, common expressions and verbs learners can practise.
Key conversational topics and useful phrases
1. Travel and unforgettable days
The Tenerife speaker describes a long stay in the Riviera Maya and how a tourist trip became four years living in Mexico. Useful Spanish phrases to practise:
- Un día inolvidable — an unforgettable day
- Me quedé cuatro años — I stayed for four years
- Me encantó la gastronomía, la cultura y la gente — I loved the food, the culture and the people
- Hacer un viaje turístico — to take a tourist trip
Past simple examples: fui, viví, estuve. Practice: “El año pasado fui a México y viví en la Riviera Maya cuatro años.”
2. Weekends and free time
Typical weekend activities mentioned: going to the beach, having a barbecue, eating out and resting. Spanish question examples learners should memorise:
- ¿Qué hiciste el fin de semana pasado? — What did you do last weekend?
- Fuimos a la playa — We went to the beach
- Hicimos una barbacoa — We had a barbecue
3. Describing personality and daily routine
The speaker says she is “una chica muy normal” who loves nature, friends, walking her dog and reading on the beach. Handy adjectives and verbs:
- tranquila / extrovertida / viajera / aventurera
- me gusta + infinitive (me gusta viajar, me gusta leer)
- soy + adjective (soy una persona tranquila)
4. Hopes for the future
Expressions of desire and caution appear often. Useful phrases:
- Ojalá que podamos viajar — I hope we can travel
- Me gustaría viajar por Asia — I would like to travel around Asia
- No pido mucho, solo tranquilidad — I don’t ask for much, just peace of mind
5. Friendship, parties and local culture
Friendship is presented as essential — friends are “como familia.” On Tenerife, nightlife and festivals are common thanks to mild climate and tourism, but island culture is described as mainly focused on nature.
- La amistad — friendship
- ir de fiesta / salir a cenar / festivales
- cultura centrada en la naturaleza
6. Food and the Canary Islands banana
Gastronomy isn’t the region’s strongest point overall, but the Canary Islands’ banana (“plátano de Canarias”) has Protected Designation of Origin. Phrases:
- plátano de Canarias — Canary Islands banana
- denominación de origen — designation of origin
7. Health system and geography
The island has fewer hospitals but Spain’s public health system is strong. Useful structures:
- Tenemos sanidad pública — We have public health care
- Hay dos hospitales — There are two hospitals
- Es mejor viajar a la península si es algo serio — It’s better to travel to the mainland if it’s serious
8. Technology and online education
The speaker relies heavily on the internet for online classes and digital courses. Key vocabulary for learners:
- clases en línea / cursos grabados / internet
- redes sociales — social networks
- usar la tecnología con precaución
Practical language tips to learn from this conversation
- Shadow the speakers: listen and repeat short sentences to improve pronunciation and rhythm. This helps learners who want to learn advanced Spanish reach natural fluency.
- Note common connectors: porque, entonces, además, pero. These appear frequently in everyday speech.
- Practice the past tenses: mix pretérito perfecto and pretérito indefinido as the speakers do when recounting events.
- Use role-play: ask and answer questions like ¿Qué hiciste en tus últimas vacaciones? and Describe tu ciudad.
- Build topic vocabulary lists (viajes, gastronomía, salud, tecnología) and practise them in sentences.
Useful mini-phrases and questions to memorise
- ¿De dónde eres? — Where are you from?
- ¿Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre? — What do you like to do in your free time?
- Me encanta viajar. — I love to travel.
- Viví en la Riviera Maya. — I lived in the Riviera Maya.
- ¿Cómo es la sanidad allí? — How is healthcare there?
Conclusion
Everyday conversations like this one are an excellent resource for learners who want to learn advanced Spanish by building real-world vocabulary, mastering common expressions and practising natural speech patterns. Regular listening, shadowing, vocabulary notebooks and role-play based on these themes (travel, weekends, culture, health, technology) will accelerate progress. Return to these topics often: repetition plus real context is one of the most effective ways to learn advanced Spanish.
“Me encantó la gastronomía, la cultura, la gente… lo que más me gusta es viajar.”
100s of videos to learn Spanish: