Small talk with coworkers: Chatting about the weekend on Monday morning

💬 With me, quedar means "to stay". Without it, quedar usually means "to meet up": quedé con amigos "I met up with friends".

💬 In Spain, comer on its own usually means the midday meal, not just "to eat". Dinner is cenar.

💬 Spanish uses el where English says "on" with days. For a habit, use the plural: los domingos "on Sundays".

🇪🇸 Long Sunday family lunches, starting around 2 or 3 pm, are a big tradition in Spain. Saying this is a completely normal weekend answer.

💬 pues at the start is a soft lead-in, like English "well". Spaniards use it constantly to open a reply.

💬 oye literally means "listen", from oír "to hear". It's the everyday way to grab someone's attention or change topic.

💬 After antes de, use the basic "to" form of the verb, where English uses "-ing". For example: antes de comer "before eating".

🇪🇸 A quick coffee with colleagues, often at a nearby bar, is a normal part of the working day in Spain. Accepting is a good way to bond.

💬 vale is the go-to "OK" in Spain, but it sounds odd in Latin America. There, people say está bien or okey.

💬 In casual speech, que can mean "because" when you tack on a quick reason. For example: Me voy, que es tarde "I'm off, it's late".

💬 venga is a very Spanish way to say "come on" or "right then". On its own it can also wrap up a chat, like "OK, see you".