You’re mindlessly swiping through Tinder, and then someone catches your eye. They’re attractive and have a charming smile. You swipe right. It’s an instant match! But what do you say to this good-looking stranger? How do you break the ice? According to their bio, they prefer to speak Spanish. Now’s your chance to stand out from the dozens of other people who are probably messaging them. Give one of the phrases below a try. After all, first impressions are everything.
1. Hola, ¿cómo va tu semana?
Hi, how’s your week going?
You like to keep things simple to start. It’s enough of a risk to dust off your Spanish for this match; you don’t want to come on too strong. This could be the perfect conversation starter to kick things off. It’s definitely better than just “Hey.”
2. ¿Quieres adoptar un perro conmigo?
Want to adopt a dog with me?
Here’s another low-risk option for your first message. Maybe your match has a pic with a pup, or perhaps you’re just making the pretty safe assumption that they like dogs. Either way, this question is cute and shows off your sensitive side.
3. Perdí mi número. ¿Puedo tener el tuyo?
I lost my number. Can I have yours?
Your sense of humor is a significant part of your personality, and you want to make that clear from the get-go. This clever line should make your match crack a smile, at the very least. Best case scenario: you get to skip straight to texting.
4. Si Cristóbal Colón te viera, diría: ¡Santa María, qué Pinta tiene esta Niña!
If Christopher Columbus saw you, he’d say: Saint Mary, that girl looks incredible!
This one isn’t as clever in English as it is in Spanish, but if you use it correctly, you’ll make your Tinder match laugh while simultaneously dropping some historical knowledge. Intelligence can be a big turn-on!
5. ¡Te pareces mucho a mi próximo/a novio/a!
You look a lot like my next boyfriend/girlfriend!
Here’s another clever pick-up line to make your match swoon — or roll their eyes, but hopefully with a smile. Just be careful with your word endings. Spanish is a grammatically gendered language, so use o-endings for males and a-endings for females.
6. Quisiera ser gato, para pasar siete vidas a tu lado.
If I were a cat, I’d spend all seven lives with you.
No, that’s not a typo. Some Spanish-speaking countries believe cats have seven lives instead of nine. Regardless of how many extra chances felines get, this is a sweet (albeit cheesy) way to compliment a prospective date.