Starting a Spanish conversation with “Hola” is a great way to break the ice, but it will only take you so far. Luckily, there is a vast range of Spanish greetings that can help you establish more meaningful interactions.
Spanish is a beautiful and complex language with many nuances. You simply wouldn’t greet your doctor the same way you’d greet a friend.
Therefore, we crafted this handy guide to help you expand your vocabulary when learning Spanish. Next time you need to use your Spanish skills, you’ll be more confident in your ability to start your interactions the right way.
Keep reading to learn more or discoveronline Spanish classes on Preply.
Formal or informal?
There is no better way to start a conversation than with a respectful, cordial greeting. And just like other languages, in Spanish we have two registers we use to communicate with people, depending on the situation: formal and informal.
Before choosing what basic words and phrases or greetings in Spanish to use, it’s important to identify the context of the situation you’re in.
As a general rule, you must use formal greetings in Spanish to greet people that:
- you don’t know too well
- are providing you a service (e.g. doctors, professors, bankers)
- are significantly older than you
You should also use formal greetings in other formal situations: job interviews, business meetings, and conferences.
Use informal greetings to greet people that:
- you already know
- are your same age
You should also use informal greetings in other informal situations: meeting people at school, hanging out with friends, and dates.
Pro tip: Although you may find yourself in a formal context, there is a chance that the person with whom you are communicating prefers that you use an informal register. If this is the case, they will ask you to address them using the form “tú“, instead of “usted“, which both mean “you”. But don’t take this for granted! Always make sure to ask first.
Formal greetings in Spanish
1. Buenos días / Buenas tardes / Buenas noches
Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening or good night
These Spanish phrases are your best bet in a formal situation. When in doubt, just go with the time of the day. Also, you can insert an “Hola,” before greeting someone.
For example:
A: Hola, buenas tardes.
B: Buenas tardes.
These expressions are also very useful when you introduce yourself to someone in Spanish.
For example:
A: Buenas tardes, mi nombre es John Martin.
B: Mucho gusto, John.
After someone greets you with a “buenos días”, you can ask: “¿Cómo está?” (How are you?). This is a very common way to greet people. It’s a question that shows interest and elicits a response.
In a formal context, you could even add “usted”, which is just a polite way to approach someone. For example, ¿Cómo está (usted)?
Responding politely does not mean that we have to get too personal. A simple “Bien, gracias” (fine, thank you) will suffice. However, you can reciprocate by asking “¿y usted?” (and you?).
For example:
A: ¿Cómo está?
B: Bien, gracias, ¿y usted?
A: Bien, gracias.
Variations of bien: You can use intensifiers like “Muy bien” (very well) or “Todo bien” (all well).
Informal greetings in Spanish
If you are learning Spanish you are more likely to come across social situations that require casual greetings. Which is great because there’s a whole range of informal Spanish greetings you can start practicing to show off your vocabulary.
2. Buenas
This is just the short version of “Buenas tardes.” Steer away from “Buenos”, people just don’t say it like that.
3. ¿Qué tal?
What’s up?
This greeting can be used basically whenever. As simple and useful as its English counterpart. You can use it at the start of a conversation, which basically means ‘hello’ and isn’t literally asking how the person is doing.
Although “¿Qué tal?” is often used as a question, there’s no need for a specific answer. You can also use it to respond.
4. ¿Cómo estás?
How are you?
Similar, but not the same as the formal version. Notice the “s”? That means we are using the conjugation of “tú” instead of “usted”, because we have a closer relationship with the person or we are in a relaxed setting. With this greeting, people are expected to answer with how things are going.
5. ¿Cómo vas?
How’s it going?
This is really casual. It works the same as saying “how are you doing?”, but it has a more laid-back tone to it. You can reply as you would “¿Cómo estás?”.
When someone greets you informally in Spanish, you can reply with a: “¡Aquí estamos!” (Hanging there). This is to imply that there hasn’t been anything eventful, yet you’re trying your best to stay optimistic. It’s a little abstract, but trust us, every Spanish speaker will get it.
You can also reply with a: “¿Qué hay?” (What’s up?). Consider this greeting as the chill cousin of “¿Qué tal?”. Both serve the same purpose.
You should know that many Spanish speaking countries have different versions of this greeting and their own slang to respond to this greeting.
Goodbye in Spanish
There’s not that much of a difference between formal and informal goodbyes, so you can be safe using “Nos vemos” or “Hasta luego,” but it’s always nice to have more options to express yourself.
Here are a couple of alternatives:
6. Adiós
Goodbye
The standard way of saying goodbye to someone is “adiós.” This one is pretty basic and you can use it in an informal setting as well.
For some natives of the Spanish language, “adiós” can sound a bit too drastic. It can imply that you will never see that person again. Therefore, many prefer to use “Hasta luego” instead.
7. ¡Cuídate! / Que (te) vaya bien
Take care of yourself / Have a good day, Go well, Good luck (Equivalences)
This phrase is very common in many places in Latin America and it’s great for finishing conversations:
A: Adiós, nos vemos.
B: Cuídate. / Que (te) vaya bien.
8. Hasta luego / Hasta pronto
See you later / See you soon
We’ve all heard or used the famous catchphrase by Arnold Schwarzenegger “Hasta la vista, baby.” But many students of the Spanish language do not understand why “Hasta” is used to say goodbye.
Put simply, “hasta” is literally translated as “until.” Which, in this scenario, means that you’ll see that person later or soon.
Actually, you can use Hasta + a time unit if you already know when you’ll see that person again.
For example:
- Hasta mañana
Until tomorrow
- Hasta la siguiente semana
Until next week
- Hasta el lunes
Until Monday
9. Nos vemos
See you
Another common phrase that you can use when you’re ending a conversation. If the other person says this to you, you can reply with the same answer:
A: Adiós, nos vemos.
B: Nos vemos.
10. ¡Chau!
Ciao! / Bye!
This Italian variation may sound pretty familiar. However, saying “chau” is also common in Spanish. It works like a friendlier version of “adiós”.
We know the goal is to practice Spanish, but you won’t get in trouble for using ‘bye’ or ‘ciao’! They’re both quite common.
11. Hasta luego / Adiós
It’s very common to excuse yourself before leaving a place. You can say goodbye (Hasta luego / Adiós) or excuse yourself and walk away. It won’t be considered rude.
For example:
A: Hasta luego.
B: Nos vemos. Con permiso.
12. Con permiso / Permiso
Excuse me
This is used in formal contexts only, with acquaintances or people you don’t know too well. Say this phrase when you’re leaving the place or the group of people you were talking to.
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Useful holiday greetings in Spanish
Our guide wouldn’t be complete without a list of holiday greetings. Each Spanish-speaking country has its own festivities; however, we’ll address the most common ones celebrated in most countries.
When someone greets you with a holiday greeting, you can respond in the same way since these phrases imply good wishes. The key is that you will hear the word “feliz” (happy/merry) preceding the name of the holiday.
These are some examples:
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños! – Happy birthday!
- ¡Feliz Navidad! – Merry Christmas!
- ¡Feliz Nochebuena! – Merry Christmas Eve!
- ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! – Happy New Year!
- ¡Feliz Día de la Madre! – Happy Mother’s Day!
- ¡Feliz Día del Padre! – Happy Father’s Day!
- ¡Feliz Día de San Valentín! / ¡Feliz San Valentín! – Happy Valentine’s Day!
Note: Since we are talking about holidays and they are proper names, all words should be capitalized, except for prepositions, regular words, and definite articles when placed in the middle–just like in English.
Also, both exclamation marks are used in Spanish, one at the beginning and one at the end.
Quick reminder: When forming the plural of “feliz”, don’t forget to replace the “z” with a “c,” and add the ending “es,” which corresponds to some plurals in Spanish.
For example: ¡Felices fiestas! / ¡Felices vacaciones! – Happy holidays!
Using Spanish greetings in context
The saying goes ‘Practice makes perfect’, but it’s also accurate to say: practice brings confidence! To boost your Spanish confidence, why not practice with a safe pair of hands? Taking Spanish lessons with a certified native tutor will help you improve your Spanish skills fast!
Now that you have a list of possible greetings in Spanish and goodbyes, we’ll give you a couple of examples of how to use them in some situations.
Running into someone at a restaurant
You walk into a restaurant to have dinner with a friend and you see a familiar face: it’s a coworker you like!
You approach them. You don’t want to sound too distant with a simple ‘hola’. To make it a little more sophisticated, you might want to add a question: “Hola, ¿cómo estás?”. You could also go with a simple “¿Qué tal?”.
If it was your boss, on the other hand, you might want to use a formal greeting like “Buenas noches” or “Buenas tardes”.
Meeting your partner’s extended family
You’re finally ready to take your relationship a step further and you’re visiting your partner’s grandma. Most likely, you’ll also meet aunts, uncles and a few cousins. When greeting grandma, it’s better to use formal greetings and speak using usted:
You: Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está (usted)?
Grandma: Muy bien, gracias ¿y tú?
That’s right, Grandma gets to use tú with you because she’s older. The same thing will happen with aunts and uncles, but with cousins it depends on their age and how close the relationship is. You are safe using “¿¡Qué tal!?” and similar greetings if cousins are around your age or older than you.
Walking by someone on the street
If you come across someone you don’t know very well or they’re just too far to approach and greet them, it’s always a great idea to just wave and say “Adiós.”
Leaving a business meeting
Let’s say a meeting is getting longer than expected, but you need to go back to your desk to take a call. If it’s clear you’re no longer needed, then you can just say “Buenas tardes, con permiso.”
Practicing Spanish greetings and farewells
As you’ve seen in this article, the vocabulary you decide to use for Spanish greetings and goodbyes will depend on the context of the situation and who you’re speaking to. If you’re not sure what to use, you can listen to what the other person says. If they greet you first, you’ll be able to answer accordingly, following the suggestions in this guide.
Practice your Spanish greetings as much as possible. Start thinking about the situations or scenarios where you could use them and feel free to apply them as soon as possible. You will see that with time, everything will flow naturally.
¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)
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