Giving and Receiving: Personal Info in Spanish

When in a new environment, it’s of ultimate importance that you know how to answer questions about personal data. We hope you never find yourself in an emergency, but even under normal circumstances, you’ll need to understand what you’re being asked.

Are you maybe moving to a Spanish-speaking country? Or maybe just doing a bit of travelling, perhaps? Whatever the situation may be, if you’re going abroad, you need to be prepared to answer questions on personal information. So if you want to learn Spanish online, we got you covered. Without further ado, let’s go about some common questions and answers. They’ll come in handy, I promise.

Asking personal data

Here’s a phrase that you will probably hear a lot: “¿Cuál es tu _____?” which translates to “what’s your _____?” To this structure you can add name, last name, age, address, etc., to ask almost anything your heart desires.

• ¿Cuál es tu nombre? – What’s your name?
• ¿Cuál es tu apellido? – What’s your last name?
• ¿Cuál es tu edad? – What’s your age?
• ¿Cuál es tu dirección? – What’s your address?
• ¿Cuál es tu fecha de nacimiento? – What’s your birthday/date of birth?
• ¿Cuál es tu estado civil? –  What’s your marital status?
• ¿Cuál es tu nacionalidad? – What’s your nationality?

This formula is very useful and you can use it whenever it’s your turn to make questions. Unfortunately, it’s not the only way this information can be sought, as it happens in any language. That’s why we have a second list of questions you may hear somebody ask you:

• ¿Cómo te llamas? – What’s your name?
• ¿Cómo te apellidas? – What’s your last name?
• ¿Cuántos años tienes? – How old are you?
• ¿Dónde vives? – Where do you live?
• ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? – When’s your birthday?
• ¿Estás casado o soltero? – Are you married or single?
• ¿De qué país vienes? – What country are you from?

Giving personal information

Now that you know what the questions may be, read these ready-made answers specially for you (and anyone, really):

• Mi nombre es … – My name is …
• Mi nombre completo es … – My full name is …
• Tengo … años – I’m … years old
• Mi dirección es … – My address is …
• Mi fecha de nacimiento es … – My birthday is …
• Estoy/soy casado/soltero/viudo – I’m married/single/widowed
• Soy + nacionalidad – I’m + nationality

Remember, you don’t need to know all these by heart. There may also be many more questions on personal data that we have not covered. However, familiarize yourself with as many phrases as you can so that you’re never caught by surprise.

And now you’re free to go on holiday, on a scholarship abroad, or on to a new life without fearing the otherwise-very-scary paperwork! Spanish bureaucracy is just about as terrifying as everywhere else…

Practice is a great way to learn, but anybody who wants to learn Spanish also needs a strong foundation to start from.