Long time no see
Literally 'So much time without seeing you!'. A common, friendly alternative used with people you address as 'tú'.
Means 'It's been a long time since we've seen each other!'. This is a full sentence and very natural in conversation.
Literally 'What a miracle!'. Use this to show friendly surprise when you unexpectedly see someone after a long time.
Hi, Ana! Long time no see! How are you?
Juan! It's been so long since I've seen you! What's new with you?
Carlos! It's been a long time since we've seen each other! You look great.
Maria! What a surprise (miracle) to see you here!
Unlike English, Spanish doesn't have a direct literal translation. Instead, it uses exclamations about the amount of time that has passed. '¡Cuánto tiempo!' is the most standard across Latin America.
The phrase '¡Qué milagro!' is extremely common here to express happy surprise at seeing someone after a while. '¡Cuánto tiempo!' is also standard.
Along with '¡Cuánto tiempo!', you'll often hear the very friendly '¡Hace rato no te veía!', meaning 'I hadn't seen you in a while!'
It's common to hear this with the local 'che', as in 'Che, ¡cuánto tiempo!'. You might also hear it phrased as a question: '¿Tanto tiempo?'.
'¡Cuánto tiempo!' is also standard. For a group of friends, you would say '¡Tanto tiempo sin veros!' because of the use of 'vosotros'.
Trying a literal translation like 'Largo tiempo no ver'. This is incorrect as Spanish uses set idiomatic expressions like '¡Cuánto tiempo!' instead.
Saying 'Mucho tiempo' by itself. While it means 'a lot of time,' it is not used as a standalone greeting. The correct exclamation is '¡Cuánto tiempo!' which means 'How much time (it's been)!'.
Confusing 'ver' (to see) with 'mirar' (to look at). The correct phrase is 'Tanto tiempo sin verte', not 'sin mirarte'. 'Ver' is for seeing people, while 'mirar' is for actively looking at something.
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how to say see you later in spanish
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