
When You Freeze in Spanish… Say This
From Real Spanish Conversations, by Notes in Spanish by Ben Curtis and Marina Diez
March 11, 2026 · 6 min
About this episode
This episode discusses muletillas, the small words and phrases used by Spanish speakers to buy thinking time while speaking.
Do you ever freeze when speaking Spanish and need a moment to think? In this episode we talk about muletillas — the small words and phrases Spanish speakers use all the time to buy themselves a little thinking time.They also make you sound much more Spanish, because native speakers use them all the time! Free '15 Spanish Slang Phrases Every Intermediate Learner Must Know!' report: https://www.notesinspanish.com/op/fluent/ Get our REAL Intermediate Course: https://www.notesinspanish.com/sp/real-intermediate/ Ben & Marina – Notes in Spanish • Teaching real Spanish online since 2006 • 40+ million podcast, audio & video downloads • 25,000+ students learning with our courses
People in this episode
Hosts: Ben Curtis, Marina Diez
Topics covered
- Spanish language
- muletillas
- thinking time
- intermediate learners
- Spanish slang
Keywords
- muletillas
- Spanish speaking
- thinking time
- intermediate Spanish
- Spanish slang phrases
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Notes in Spanish
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