Ask anyone in India what they know about Spain and you'll probably hear three things: football, flamenco and the siesta. The first two are real. The third is real too, but not quite in the way most people imagine.
Spanish customs are one of the most fun parts of learning the language, because so many habits come with their own word. Some of those words don't even have an English translation! In this post I'll walk you through the everyday Spanish habits you'll notice first, explain what's true and what's a myth, and give you the A2 vocabulary to talk about all of them. And as you'll see, quite a few of them will feel surprisingly familiar if you grew up in an Indian home.
What is la sobremesathe after-meal chatThe long, relaxed conversation at the table after eating.?
Let's start with my favourite. La sobremesathe after-meal chatThe long, relaxed conversation at the table after eating. is the time you spend sitting at the table after the meal is finished. The plates are empty, but nobody gets up. People order a coffee, maybe a little dessert, and keep talking. And talking. And talking.
The word itself is simple: sobreover or on top ofA common preposition. means "over" and mesatableThe everyday word for a table. means "table". So la sobremesathe after-meal chatLiterally "over the table". is the time "over the table". There's no single English word for it, which tells you a lot about how much Spaniards value it.
A Sunday family lunch can turn into a sobremesaafter-meal chatTime spent talking at the table after eating. that lasts the whole afternoon. With friends at a restaurant, it's normal to sit for an hour or more after eating. And here's something that surprises visitors: in Spain, the waiter usually won't bring the bill until you ask. That's not slow service. Rushing someone out of their sobremesaafter-meal chatTime spent talking at the table after eating. would be rude.
To ask for the bill, just say La cuenta, por favorThe bill, pleaseThe simple, polite way to ask for the bill.. And if you want to describe a long, lovely chat after lunch, you can say Hicimos una sobremesa muy largaWe had a really long after-meal chatHacer una sobremesa is the usual way to say it..
If you want to know more about Spanish meal times and why dinner happens so late, I've written a whole post on why Spaniards eat dinner at 10 pm.
Do Spaniards really take a siestaafternoon napA short rest after lunch. every day?
Here's the honest answer: most don't. The idea of a whole country closing its eyes every afternoon is mostly a myth today, especially in big cities.
Where the word comes from
The word siestaafternoon napA short rest after lunch. comes from the Latin sexta, as in hora sexta, "the sixth hour". In the old way of counting time from sunrise, the sixth hour fell around midday. So the siesta was originally the rest you took in the middle of the day, when the sun was at its strongest.
What the siestaafternoon napA short rest after lunch. looks like today
Think about how most people in Madrid or Barcelona live today. They work in offices, many have a shorter lunch break than before, and they often travel a long way across the city to get to work. There's simply no time to go home, eat, sleep and come back.
So who does nap? Some people at weekends, on holidays, or in summer when it's very hot. Some retired people. Some people in smaller towns, especially in the south, where afternoons can be fierce in summer. It's a lovely habit when you can manage it, but it's not a daily rule for the whole country.
What is still common is the rhythm behind the siesta. In many smaller towns, and in some traditional shops even in cities, you'll see a split day: shops open in the morning, close for a few hours after lunch, and open again in the late afternoon until around 8 pm. That's the horario partidosplit scheduleA working day with a long break in the middle., and it's why you might find a little shop closed at 3 pm. Big stores and shopping centres usually stay open all day.
El paseothe evening strollA relaxed walk, often in the evening, to see people and be seen.: the evening walk
When the day cools down, Spanish streets fill up. Families, couples, groups of older friends and teenagers all head out for el paseothe evening strollA relaxed walk, often in the evening.. There's no destination. You walk along the main street, the seafront or through the park, stop to chat with people you know, and maybe have a drink or an ice cream on the way.
The verb is pasearto strollTo walk for pleasure, not to get somewhere., and you'll hear it all the time: ¿Vamos a dar un paseo?Shall we go for a walk?Dar un paseo means to go for a walk.
If you've ever been on an evening walk in an Indian colony, along a beach promenade or around the local market after dinner, you already understand el paseothe evening strollA relaxed walk to see people and be seen.. It's as much about seeing people as it is about walking.
Dos besostwo kissesThe usual Spanish greeting between friends and new acquaintances.: how Spaniards greet each other
This is the habit that makes many Indian visitors a little nervous. In Spain, when you meet someone socially, especially when a woman is involved, the usual greeting is dos besostwo kissesA light touch of cheeks, one on each side.: two light kisses, one on each cheek. In practice it's more of a cheek touch with a kissing sound than a real kiss.
A few things to know:
- You usually start by leaning to your left, so your right cheek goes first.
- It's normal even when you meet a friend's friend for the first time.
- Two men usually shake hands or hug instead, though close male friends and family may also kiss.
- In business and formal situations, a handshake is the safe choice.
If you're not comfortable with it, a warm smile and a handshake are always fine. Nobody will be offended. I go into greetings in much more detail in my post on how Spaniards say hello.
Las terrazasoutdoor seatingTables outside cafés and bars. and life on the street
Spaniards spend a lot of time outside. As soon as the weather is good, people sit at las terrazasoutdoor seatingTables outside cafés, bars and restaurants., the tables outside cafés and bars. Even in winter, you'll see people sitting outside in the sun with a coat on.
This is where a lot of social life happens. Meeting friends for a drink is often called tomar algoto have somethingLiterally "to take something". A drink, a coffee, a snack, anything., and it's one of the most useful phrases you can learn: ¿Quedamos para tomar algo?Shall we meet up for a drink?Quedar means to arrange to meet.
Notice the verb quedarto meet upTo arrange to meet someone.. It's everywhere in Spanish social life, and it's a perfect A2 verb to learn early.
La hora del vermúvermouth timeA pre-lunch drink and snack, especially on weekends.: the weekend pre-lunch ritual
On weekend mornings, especially Sundays, many Spaniards meet for el vermúvermouthA sweet, herby fortified wine, often served with ice and an orange slice. before lunch. It's served with a few small snacks like olives or crisps, and it's a social moment more than a drinking one. Many people have a soft drink instead. The point is to meet, chat and work up an appetite for a long lunch.
You'll hear people call this la hora del vermúvermouth timeThe time before Sunday lunch when people meet for a drink., "vermouth time". It's especially popular in Madrid and Catalonia.
Late nights and a flexible clock
Everything in Spain happens a little later than you might expect. Lunch is around 2 or 3 pm, dinner is often at 9 or 10 pm, and on weekends young people may not even go out until midnight. There's a verb for staying up late: trasnocharto stay up lateTo go to bed very late, or stay up all night..
What about punctuality? It depends on the situation. Work meetings, doctor's appointments, trains and classes start on time. With friends, though, arriving a few minutes late is often fine. That sounds a lot like "Indian Standard Time", doesn't it? Just don't use that excuse for a job interview!
El puentethe bridgeA long weekend made by taking an extra day off.: the long weekend
Here's a clever habit. If a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday, many people take the Monday or the Friday off too, to make a four-day weekend. This is called hacer puenteto make a bridgeTo take an extra day off between a holiday and the weekend., because the day off is a "bridge" between the holiday and the weekend. A puentebridgeAlso the word for a long weekend made this way. usually means busy roads and full trains, as everyone heads out of the city at once.
In India we know this one well, don't we? Everyone checks the holiday calendar in January to see which festivals fall next to a weekend.
El santosaint's dayA celebration on the day of the saint you are named after.: a second birthday
In Spain, many first names come from saints, and every saint has a day in the calendar. Traditionally, people celebrated el santosaint's dayThe day of the saint you are named after. as well as their birthday. If your name is JoséJosephA very common Spanish first name., for example, your day is 19 March, the feast of San JoséSaint JosephHis feast day is 19 March..
Today it's less important than it used to be, and younger people often don't celebrate it at all. But in some families, especially with older relatives, you'll still hear ¡Felicidades!Congratulations!Said on birthdays and saint's days. on someone's saint's day. And ¡Felicidades!Congratulations!The all-purpose Spanish way to wish someone well on a special day. is a word worth learning anyway: Spaniards use it for birthdays, too.
Sundays and shop hours
Sunday in Spain is family day. In many places, most small shops are closed, and lots of people spend the day with a long family lunch and, yes, a long sobremesaafter-meal chatTime spent talking at the table after eating.. Rules on Sunday opening are different in each region, so in Madrid you'll find many shops open, while in other cities it's much quieter.
My advice for visitors: buy what you need on Saturday, and plan to enjoy Sunday the Spanish way.
Words to talk about Spanish habits
Here's the vocabulary from this post in one place. Try saying each word out loud before you flip the card.
Flashcards tap a card to flip it
How to talk about your own habits in Spanish
At A2 level, talking about routines and habits is one of the key skills, and it's a topic that comes up in every conversation class. Here are a few sentences you can adapt:
- Normalmente como a las dosI usually have lunch at twoNormalmente is a great word for routines.
- Los domingos comemos con mi familiaOn Sundays we have lunch with my familyLos domingos means "on Sundays", every Sunday.
- Después de cenar, damos un paseoAfter dinner, we go for a walkDespués de plus an infinitive means "after doing something".
- En la India también hacemos sobremesaIn India we also have long chats after mealsA nice way to compare cultures.
- Nunca echo la siestaI never take a napNunca goes before the verb.
Comparing Spanish habits with Indian ones is honestly one of the best conversation starters you can have with a Spaniard. People love hearing how things work in India, and you'll get to practise real Spanish while you do it.
Keep going
Spanish habits are easier to understand once you have the words for them, and the words are much easier to remember once you know the habits behind them. That's why I always bring culture into my classes. If you'd like to talk about your own routine, compare India and Spain and practise real A2 conversations, have a look at my A2 batches. They're live on Google Meet with up to 5 students, so everyone gets time to speak. ¡Venga!Come on!A friendly push to get going.