¡Hola! Greetings in Spanish! Are you here to learn all about the numerous ways to greet or say farewell to friends, family members, classmates, or perfect strangers? You’ve come to the right place!
In this lesson, I’m going to show you 35 different greetings in Spanish for you to use in the real world. Not expressions that people don’t really use anymore… real greetings and real expressions used every day by the native Spanish speaker.
Whenever you see this symbol 🔊 followed by a bright red strip, that means you’ll be able to listen to whatever words are included. Use these key tools to listen for syllable breakdowns and to practice your pronunciations.
Buena Suerte! (Good Luck!)
Hello in Spanish
1. The most standard greeting in Spanish is well-known around the world – you simply say, hola.
In Spanish, you don’t pronounce the letter “H”. Whether it’s at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, the “h” gets softened and skipped. Below is a great lesson on this spectacle by Ana of Butterfly Spanish, so be sure to take some time to check it out!
How to Pronounce Hello in Spanish
I have provided you with two different voices to listen to the pronunciation of hola. Starting with the basics is very important, so ensure you can say this initial greeting before tackling the other ones in this list.
Formal Greetings in Spanish
Learning when to use formal Spanish greetings is equally important (if not more important) than understanding when to use informal greetings in Spanish.
You wouldn’t go up to your boss and say “what’s up?” or “how’s it going, man?” would you? Well, some of you might. But, most people don’t have that type of relationship with their boss or superiors.
The greetings below can be used between strangers (out of respect for one another), with your boss or someone with higher authority than you, or even between yourself and older family members (like a mother or grandmother).
Formal greetings don’t have to stop with people you don’t know or someone who is in charge of you. In Hispanic culture (primarily found in Latin America), it is very important to respect your elders and ensure they are well taken care of after they can no longer care for themselves.
If you are ever welcomed into a family home for dinner or a party or event or you welcome others into your home, be sure to use these formal Spanish greetings with the elders in the family!
2. 🔊 ¿Cómo está?– How are you?
This is the most standard formal Spanish greeting you can use. While it is most often used with elders and people with a higher authority in your career, it can be used with anyone.
If you want to be extra polite, you can say this to a barista at a coffee shop, the cashier at a grocery store, or even the gas station attendant.
It usually receives an answer, however, since you are directly asking how someone is, so be prepared for a response. Unlike in the U.S., people of different cultures will actually tell you how they are doing, so don’t be surprised if they tell you they are having a bad day.
Simply reply with something like “Siento escuchar eso” which means “I’m sorry to hear that”, or something similar.
3. 🔊 Bienvenidos – Welcome
Want to welcome someone into your home or gathering? Say bienvenidos! It sends all the positive vibes and they will surely feel comfortable in your home.
4. 🔊 Mi casa es su casa – My home is your home
If you want to truly welcome someone into your home and ensure they feel comfortable, you would tell them this phrase.
Often used towards people who have done something great for the family, offered gifts, or made a positive impact on their life. You could also use it between friends who have never been to each other’s houses, or to anyone that you thoroughly trust.
Formal Greetings in Spanish for a Letter
If you are going old school and are writing a letter to someone, you may want to use some formal greetings to start it off.
If you are writing to a woman, you would use:
5. ✔️ Querida – Dear…
If you are writing to a man, you would use:
6. ✔️ Querido – Dear…
If you want to use a romantic greeting in Spanish, you could use:
7. ✔️ Mi amor – My love
Closing Greetings in Spanish
While you could use one of the farewell messages I’ve included at the bottom of this article, there are a few special ones that would pair well with a handwritten letter.
If you want to sound romantic and a little bit medieval, you could say:
8. ✔️ Hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo – Until we meet again
If you are ending the letter to a loved one, you could say:
9. ✔️ Te quiero muchísimo – I love you very much
If you are sending the letter to a family member, you could say:
10. ✔️ Con amor – With love
Informal Greetings in Spanish
11. 🔊 Buenos días – Good Morning
Typically used before 12:00pm (noon) on any given day. It’s both polite and casual, so you can use it with practically anyone. Just be sure to pay attention to the clock!
12. 🔊 Buenas tardes– Good Afternoon
After noon, locals switch from buenos días to buenas tardes the same way most English-speaking countries switch from saying good morning to good afternoon after 12:00pm.
13. 🔊 Buenas noches – Good Evening
Around late afternoon to early evening, once it starts getting dark, you can switch to buenas noches. Say it too early and you may confuse some people, but if it’s almost dark out, you’re safe to make the switch.
➡️ You can learn more about these greetings in my popular post on How to Say Goodnight in Spanish 33+ Ways!
14. 🔊 ¿Aló – Hello
Often used when answering the phone, this saying isn’t used much at all during in-person conversations. Similar to the sound of hello without the “h”, ¿Aló is an English-sounding word rarely used in everyday conversation.
15. 🔊 ¿Cómo estás? – How are you?
Once you hear the “s” sound at the end of this phrase, that dictates its informality. If someone were to simply say ¿cómo está, then that would be more formal and you would want to ensure to respond appropriately.
16. 🔊 ¿Cómo están? (¿Cómo estáis? in Spain) – How are you?
The plural form of ¿cómo estás? for when you’re talking to a group of people.
17. 🔊 ¿Qué tal? – How is it going?
Much more informal than the previous sayings, you wouldn’t typically use this phrase with anyone you haven’t previously had a casual conversation with. Avoid using it in business environments and during any inappropriate occasion (i.e. a funeral).
18. 🔊 ¿Cómo va? – What’s up?
Speaking to a close friend or sibling? Feel free to say ¿cómo va? to spark a friendly conversation!
19. 🔊 ¿Cómo andas? – How are you? (very casual)
Though it has the same meaning as ¿cómo está, you must understand that these two phrases are NOT the same. Using a phrase as informal as ¿cómo andas with someone you don’t know well or an elder or boss, is quite impolite and may be received as such.
Stick to using this phrase only with close friends and family members, unless the person you are speaking with is using strictly informal greetings in Spanish.
20. 🔊 ¿Cómo va todo? – How is everything?
If you’re talking with someone you haven’t seen or heard from in awhile, this is a great phrase to have prepared. It’s an easy, all-around way of asking how their life has been, if they have any major life updates, how their job is doing, and so forth.
It’s neither informal nor formal, so it can really be used in any setting.
21. 🔊 ¡Es tan bueno verte de nuevo! – It’s so good to see you again!
Seeing an old friend from school or a cousin at the first family party in years? This is another great phrase to have up your sleeve in the event that you see someone you’ve missed for the first time in a long time.
This phrase is also neither formal nor informal and shows genuine happiness and excitement. So, as long as you know that the recipient will feel the same way, this is a safe phrase to use.
22. 🔊 ¿Qué pasa? – Is something wrong? / What’s up? / What happened?
This one has a bunch of different meanings depending on the context of the situation. If you’re walking into a friend’s house, then it would likely mean “what’s up?”.
But, if you’re walking down the road and come across caution tape and a clear crime scene and someone comes up to you and says ¿qué pasa?, then they’re not asking you what’s up. Instead, they’re wondering if you know what happened or if something is wrong.
Be sure to use this one in the right context, but saying ¿qué pasa? in a casual setting is very acceptable and widely used.
How to Respond to Spanish Greetings
What if someone says a greeting in Spanish to you? Not if, but when this happens, you should be prepared. The phrases below will open up your world of Spanish-speaking and will allow you to continue a conversation past hola. Buena suerte (good luck)!
23. 🔊 Bien, gracias, ¿y usted? – I’m good thanks, and you? (Formal)
24. 🔊 Bien, gracias, ¿y tú? – I’m good thanks, and you? (Informal)
25. 🔊 Muy bien – Very good
26. 🔊 Todo bien – Everything is good
Regardless of which one of these sayings you decide to use, it is always polite to ask how the other person is doing, as well. Don’t just say muy bien and walk away. This would be very rude and would likely take the person back a little bit.
Be prepared to say ¿y usted? (formal) or ¿y tu? (informal). Even if you can’t understand what they respond with, it’s always best to be polite and then seek clarification after.
You could also let them know that you are practicing your Spanish and most locals are happy to assist by slowing down their words and helping you learn.
To do this, simply say “Lo siento, todavía estoy aprendiendo español” which means “I’m sorry, I’m still learning Spanish.“
Spanish Goodbyes and Farewells
It doesn’t matter if you’re saying goodbye to your family on the way to your sister’s house or farewell to a friend moving far away, saying goodbye is both polite and expected in Spanish and Hispanic cultures.
You’ll notice as you go down the list that it goes from more to less formal farewells in Spanish. Use your discretion when picking which one you want to use based on who you are talking to. Elders and those to whom you show more respect, stay towards the top of the list.
For friends and casual conversations, feel free to use any of these Spanish goodbyes!
27. 🔊 Adiós – Goodbye
The most standard way of saying goodbye in Spanish. Adiós can be used in practically any conversation, so when in doubt (if you aren’t sure which phrase would be appropriate or you simply forget all of the others in this list), say adiós when saying goodbye.
28. 🔊 Adiós por ahora – Goodbye for now
If you plan on seeing someone a little bit later or you are trying to say that this won’t be the last time you see someone, adiós por ahora is a useful phrase to know.
29. 🔊 Hasta la proxima vez – Until next time
If you are saying goodbye to a dear friend or family member, this is a good Spanish farewell to use.
It’s a little more formal and meaningful, so the person receiving the message will understand your goodbye is more heartfelt.
30. 🔊 Te veo pronto! – See you soon!
Often used in mainly casual settings, this phrase is good for talking to friends, family members, and anyone you get along well with.
It’s not necessarily recommended for a boss or elder, unless you have that type of casual relationship with them.
31. 🔊 Nos vemos – See you
While polite, this phrase isn’t great for friends or family members.
It usually comes off as “stiff” or “monotone”, so it’s typically used between people who spend time together, but aren’t necessarily friends (i.e. coworkers, business partners, etc.)
32. 🔊 Te veo luego – See you later
This phrase is pretty informal, so it wouldn’t normally be used with teachers, bosses, and so forth.
33. 🔊 Hasta mañana – See you tomorrow
This phrase is appropriate for anyone you’ll be seeing the next day, including bosses, coworkers, friends, and family members. It is neither formal nor informal, so it’s acceptable in most settings.
34. 🔊 Hasta luego – See you later
If you have ever watched a movie in Spanish or taken a Spanish class, you’ll probably recognize this one. Hasta luego is a classic Spanish farewell, so you can feel pretty comfortable using this with almost anyone that you’ve had a casual conversation with.
It’s a very standard saying, so saying this to your boss who you’ll see at the holiday party later that evening is acceptable, as well.
35. 🔊 Chau – Bye (very casual)
Typically only used when speaking to friends or siblings, don’t use this phrase unless you know the person won’t get offended.
It’s very casual, so it is not usually used with anyone older than you or with anyone you wouldn’t be comfortable having a very informal conversation with.
Other Spanish-Learning Resources
If you enjoyed this Spanish language-learning article, be sure to compliment your studies with some of our other essential guides below!
✔️ Learn Numbers 1-100 in Spanish (with PDF Guide)
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✔️ Happy Birthday in Spanish 13 Different Ways
🌎 Pssst… if you are learning a new language for a future trip and you enjoy my itineraries, you can now have me design a custom itinerary just for you! Simply fill out the contact form below, and we’ll get started right away on a unique vacation that caters to your personal travel style and preferences!
If you’re interested in learning Spanish and French, check out some of our French language learning articles too!
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Whether you are greeting a friend, family member, or even a stranger at a café, using proper Spanish greetings and expressions is essential for polite and meaningful communication!
The same goes for when wishing someone a good day or saying goodbye, and even when writing someone a letter.
Take the time to practice your pronunciations so the next time you want to give a special ¡hola! to someone, you’ll have several great greetings in Spanish right up your sleeve.
Adiós!
Emily
