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You have introduced yourself, ordered coffee, and found your way around the city. Now comes the next conversational frontier: small talk. In Colombia, small talk is not filler -- it is how relationships begin. This lesson teaches you to talk about weather with hacer, family with tener, and interests with a preview of gustar, using possessive adjectives throughout.
Language Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Spanish does not say "it is cold" the way English does. It says hace frio -- literally "it makes cold." The verb hacer (to make/do) is used impersonally for weather. There is no visible subject.
| Spanish | Literal | Natural English |
|---|---|---|
| Hace frio | It makes cold | It is cold |
| Hace calor | It makes heat | It is hot |
| Hace sol | It makes sun | It is sunny |
| Hace viento | It makes wind | It is windy |
| Hace buen tiempo | It makes good weather | The weather is nice |
| Hace mal tiempo | It makes bad weather | The weather is bad |
Exception: Rain and clouds use different verbs.
Someone says 'Hoy llueve mucho en Bogota.' What are they telling you?
To talk about family members, Spanish uses tener (to have). You learned tener in Course 2 -- now apply it to real conversations about your family.
| Sentence | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tengo dos hermanos | tener + number + family | I have two brothers/siblings |
| Tengo una hija | tener + number + family | I have one daughter |
| No tengo hijos | no + tener + family | I do not have children |
| ¿Usted tiene hermanos? | tener in question | Do you have siblings? |
| Mi mama vive en Cali | possessive + family + verb | My mom lives in Cali |
How do you say 'I have three children' in Spanish?
When talking about family and personal life, you need possessive adjectives to say whose things or people you are referencing.
| Possessive | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| mi / mis | my | Mi mama, mis hermanos |
| tu / tus | your (informal) | Tu familia, tus hijos |
| su / sus | your (formal) / his / her / their | Su esposa, sus padres |
| nuestro/a / nuestros/as | our | Nuestra familia, nuestros amigos |
Key rule: Possessive adjectives agree in NUMBER with the thing possessed, not the owner. Mi hermano (one brother), mis hermanos (multiple siblings). Su hijo (one child), sus hijos (multiple children).
You will study gustar fully in Lesson 7. For now, learn the basic pattern so you can use it in small talk: me gusta + singular noun / infinitive.
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Me gusta + singular | Me gusta Bogota | I like Bogota |
| Me gusta + infinitive | Me gusta viajar | I like traveling |
| Me gustan + plural | Me gustan las montanas | I like the mountains |
| No me gusta | No me gusta el frio | I do not like the cold |
Why is gustar backwards? In English, YOU like something. In Spanish, the thing pleases YOU. "Me gusta el cafe" literally means "Coffee pleases me." The subject is coffee, not you. This is why the verb agrees with what you like (gusta for singular, gustan for plural), not with you.
How do you say 'I like Colombian music'?
Hace buen tiempo hoy, ¿no? -- Weather is the universal conversation starter. Use hacer + weather word.
Tengo dos hermanos. ¿Y usted? or Me gusta mucho Bogota. -- Move from impersonal weather to personal sharing.
¿Su familia vive aqui? or ¿Que le gusta hacer los fines de semana? -- Use possessives and gustar to keep the conversation flowing.
Chatting with a Taxi Driver in Bogota
Driver: ¿Usted de donde es? You: Soy de Canada. Estoy en Bogota de vacaciones. Driver: ¿Le gusta Bogota? You: Si, me gusta mucho. Pero hace mucho frio. En Canada tambien hace frio, pero aqui es diferente. Driver: Ja, si. En Bogota siempre hace frio. ¿Tiene familia aqui? You: No, mi familia esta en Canada. Tengo dos hermanos. ¿Y usted? Driver: Yo tengo tres hijos. Mi hijo mayor esta en la universidad. You: ¡Que bien! ¿En Bogota? Driver: Si, en la Nacional.
Every sentence uses grammar from this lesson: hacer for weather, tener for family, gustar for likes, possessives (mi familia), estar for location.
At a Language Exchange Event
Partner: ¿Que le gusta hacer en su tiempo libre? You: Me gusta viajar y me gusta la musica. ¿Y a usted? Partner: Me gustan los deportes. Tengo un hermano y jugamos futbol los domingos. You: ¿Su hermano vive aqui en Bogota? Partner: Si, el vive en Suba con su esposa y sus dos hijos. ¿Usted tiene hermanos? You: Si, tengo una hermana. Ella vive en Toronto.
Note: 'sus dos hijos' -- the possessive 'sus' agrees in number with 'hijos' (plural), not with the brother (singular owner).
Weather Small Talk with Your Host
Host: Buenos dias. Hoy hace sol, ¡aproveche! You: ¡Que bueno! Ayer llovio mucho. Host: Si, en Bogota llueve casi todos los dias por la tarde. ¿Hace frio en su pais? You: Si, en invierno hace mucho frio. Pero me gusta el clima de Bogota. Host: A mi tambien. No hace mucho calor ni mucho frio.
Weather small talk is universal. Learning these hacer patterns gives you an easy conversation opener anywhere in Colombia.
Daily Practice Tasks
¡Que chevere! / ¡Que interesante! -- React positively. Close with Muy amable, que gusto hablar con usted.