Small talk
The two minutes at the start and the two at the end, which in Peru are not optional.
A1
- Greetings and the fifteen phrases that get you through week one
The phrases you need before any grammar — greeting, asking, apologising, and the two questions that keep a conversation alive when you are lost.
- How to say goodbye in Peruvian Spanish
Why adiós is almost never used, what "ya, nos vemos" really means, and the long Peruvian goodbye that foreigners keep cutting short.
- Small talk in Spanish in Peru
What Peruvians actually say in the first two minutes, why "¿cómo estás?" is not really a question, and how to keep a short exchange going.
A2
- ¿No? ¿Cierto? ¿Ya? — how Peruvians check you agree
The little words tacked onto the end of a sentence to soften it or ask for agreement. What each one does in Lima, and which not to use yet.
- Peruvian diminutives: why -ito is not about size
In Peru -ito is about warmth, softening and politeness far more than size. Ahorita, un cafecito, un momentito — what they mean and when they sting.
- How Peruvians say "friend" (and when each one works)
Pata, causa, choche, amigo. Peru has several words for friend and picking the wrong one marks you out. What each carries, and who to say it to.
B2
- Tú or usted in Peru: the decision, and how to get out of it
Usted is not archaic in Lima and not only for the elderly. Who gets which, how the switch happens, and the safe opening that works either way.