How to invite someone out in Spanish
¿Te vienes el viernes a tomar unas cañas?
“Do you want to come for a few beers on Friday?”
When: Inviting a friend or friendly colleague out
The moment
Outside a bar in Madrid you want a Spanish friend to come out with you on Friday. Get the invitation out, and if the day does not work for them, put another one on the table.
A2 · Unit 4 · Small talk & stories
The lines
The everyday invitation
'¿Te vienes el viernes a tomar unas cañas?' literally asks if they are coming along. Swap the plan for 'al cine', 'a cenar' or 'a la exposición' and keep the rest.
¿Te vienes el viernes a tomar unas cañas?
“Do you want to come for a few beers on Friday?”
When to use it: Inviting a friend or friendly colleague out
What you’ll hear back: ¡Claro que sí! ¿A qué hora? (Of course! What time?)
Saying no without the sting
Warm up the refusal first: 'Me encantaría, pero es que ya he quedado.' The 'es que' introduces the excuse and is what makes a Spanish no sound friendly.
Me encantaría, pero es que ya he quedado.
“I'd love to, but I already have plans.”
When to use it: Turning down a plan you cannot make
What you’ll hear back: Nada, otra vez será. (No worries, another time then.)
Words for this scene
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Me apunto! | meh ah-POON-toh | I'm in! |
¿Vamos de tapas el jueves? ¡Me apunto! Shall we go for tapas on Thursday? I'm in! Tip: Signals you are definitely coming, not a vague maybe. | ||
| ¿Lo dejamos para el sábado? | loh deh-HAH-mos PAH-rah el SAH-bah-doh | Shall we make it Saturday instead? |
El viernes no puedo, ¿lo dejamos para el sábado? I can't do Friday, shall we make it Saturday instead? Tip: A no without an alternative reads as a polite brush-off. | ||
| Anímate, va a estar genial | ah-NEE-mah-teh bah ah es-TAR heh-NYAL | Come on, it'll be great |
Anímate, va a estar genial y viene todo el grupo. Come on, it'll be great and the whole group is coming. Tip: One friendly nudge is normal in Spain; a second one is pushy. | ||
Your objective
Invite them to something on a specific day, and when they can’t make it, suggest another day and a time.
- what you’re inviting them to
- another day
- a time
Lines that get it done
- ¿Te vienes el viernes a tomar unas cañas?
- ¿Lo dejamos para el sábado? · Shall we make it Saturday instead?
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You want to invite a friend out for beers on Friday. What do you say?
- ¿Te vienes el viernes a tomar unas cañas?
- ¿Te vas el viernes a tomar unas cañas?
- ¿Me vengo el viernes a tomar unas cañas?
- ¿Vienes te el viernes a unas cañas?
Show the answer
¿Te vienes el viernes a tomar unas cañas?
'¿Te vienes...?' asks if they are coming along and is the standard invitation in Spain.
2. You already have plans that night. Which refusal sounds polite?
- Me encantaría, pero es que ya he quedado.
- Me encantaré, pero es que ya he quedado.
- Me encantaría, pero es que ya quedar.
- No quiero, ya tengo planes.
Show the answer
Me encantaría, pero es que ya he quedado.
'Me encantaría' softens the no and 'es que' introduces your excuse.
3. Your friend is hesitating about the plan. Which line nudges her along?
- Anímate, va a estar genial.
- Ánimo, estuvo genial.
- Anímate, no vengas.
- Da igual, déjalo.
Show the answer
Anímate, va a estar genial.
'Anímate' plus 'va a estar genial' sells a plan that has not happened yet.