How to talk about your weekend in Spanish
El sábado fui a un concierto y luego cené fuera.
“On Saturday I went to a concert and then had dinner out.”
When: Answering what you did at the weekend
The moment
It is Monday morning at the coffee machine in your Madrid office and a colleague asks you '¿Qué tal el finde?'. Tell them two or three real things you did, then ask about theirs.
A2 · Unit 4 · Small talk & stories
The lines
Two things in one line
Chain your weekend with 'y luego': 'El sábado fui a un concierto y luego cené fuera.' Swap in 'fui al cine', 'quedé con amigos' or 'dormí toda la tarde' and the pattern still works.
El sábado fui a un concierto y luego cené fuera.
“On Saturday I went to a concert and then had dinner out.”
When to use it: Answering what you did at the weekend
What you’ll hear back: ¿Ah, sí? ¿Y qué tal el concierto? (Oh yeah? And how was the concert?)
Handing the story back
After your turn, ask '¿Y tú qué hiciste?' — 'hiciste' is the past of 'hacer' for 'you'. It is the line that keeps a Monday chat alive instead of letting it die.
¿Y tú qué hiciste?
“And what did you do?”
When to use it: Right after you finish your own story
What you’ll hear back: Yo me quedé en casa, hizo muy mal tiempo. (I stayed home, the weather was awful.)
Words for this scene
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| el finde pasado | el FEEN-deh pah-SAH-doh | last weekend |
El finde pasado estuve en Valencia con mi hermana. Last weekend I was in Valencia with my sister. Tip: 'Finde' is what everyone says; 'fin de semana' sounds like paperwork. | ||
| ¡Qué envidia! | keh em-BEE-dyah | I'm so jealous! / Sounds amazing! |
¿Dos semanas en Cádiz? ¡Qué envidia! Two weeks in Cádiz? I'm so jealous! Tip: It is a compliment in Spain, not real jealousy. | ||
| estuvo genial | es-TOO-boh heh-NYAL | it was great |
La cena estuvo genial, terminamos a las dos. The dinner was great, we finished at two. Tip: Spaniards rate a night or a trip with 'estuvo', not 'era'. | ||
Your objective
Tell them two things you did at the weekend; when they ask about one, give a detail, then ask about their weekend and react.
- two things you did
- a detail when they ask more
- a question about their weekend
Lines that get it done
- El sábado fui a un concierto y luego cené fuera.
- La cena estuvo genial, terminamos a las dos. · The dinner was great, we finished at two.
- ¿Y tú qué hiciste?
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 say you went to a concert on Saturday and then had dinner out. Which sentence is right?
- El sábado fui a un concierto y luego cené fuera.
- El sábado voy a un concierto y luego ceno fuera.
- El sábado fue a un concierto y luego cenó fuera.
- El sábado fui a un concierto y luego cenar fuera.
Show the answer
El sábado fui a un concierto y luego cené fuera.
'Fui' and 'cené' are the past forms for 'I', and 'y luego' links the two events.
2. You have just finished your weekend story. How do you ask what your colleague did?
- ¿Y tú qué hiciste?
- ¿Y tú qué haces?
- ¿Y tú qué has hacido?
- ¿Y tú qué hacer?
Show the answer
¿Y tú qué hiciste?
'Hiciste' is the past of 'hacer' for 'you', so it asks about a weekend that is over.
3. A friend tells you she spent the weekend in Mallorca. Which reaction sounds most natural?
- ¡Qué envidia!
- ¡Qué rabia!
- ¡Qué va!
- ¡Qué caro!
Show the answer
¡Qué envidia!
'¡Qué envidia!' is the standard warm reaction to someone else's good plan.