Hello
A polite greeting meaning 'Good morning', used until noon. For more detail, see our page on 'how-to-say-good-morning-in-spanish'.
A polite greeting meaning 'Good afternoon', used from noon until the evening (around 7-8 PM).
A greeting for 'Good evening' or 'Good night'. Use it when you arrive somewhere at night, or when you are leaving for the night.
A very common and friendly 'What's up?' or 'How's it going?'. It can be used by itself as an informal hello.
Hello, how are you?
Good morning, miss. A coffee, please?
Hi, Ana! How's it going?
Good afternoon, I need an appointment with the doctor.
Good evening. A table for two, please.
'Hola' is understood and used everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world. It's the most reliable and universal greeting.
In casual settings, '¿Qué onda?' ('What's the wave?') is a very common 'What's up?'. You may also hear the very informal '¿Qué hubo?', often shortened to '¿Quiubo?'.
'¿Qué más?' is an extremely common greeting. While it literally means 'What else?', it's used to mean 'How's it going?'. '¿Quiubo?' is also popular.
'¿Cómo va?' is a frequent, informal 'How's it going?'. You'll often hear it paired with 'che', as in 'Che, ¿cómo va?'.
Informally, you'll hear '¿Cómo estai?' which is the local 'voseo' form of '¿Cómo estás?'. '¿Qué onda?' is also used.
It's very common to shorten greetings to just '¡Buenas!'. This can mean 'Buenos días', 'Buenas tardes', or 'Buenas noches' depending on the time of day.
Pronouncing the 'H' in 'Hola'. — The 'h' is always silent in Spanish. Say 'OH-lah', not 'HO-lah'. Think of the English word 'honor'.
Using 'Bueno' instead of 'Buenos' or 'Buenas'. — The greeting needs to match the noun. It's 'Buenos días' because 'días' is masculine plural. It's 'Buenas tardes' and 'Buenas noches' because 'tardes' and 'noches' are feminine plural.
Only using 'Hola' in formal settings. — While 'Hola' is never wrong, using 'Buenos días', 'Buenas tardes', or 'Buenas noches' is often more polite when entering a business, shop, or addressing someone you don't know.
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