Spanish greetings: hello, goodbye and how are you
The first bits of Spanish you'll use, and the ones you'll use most. Each one has a rough "say it like" guide, with the loud bit in capitals.
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| Español | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Hola! | Hello! | OH-la |
| ¡Buenas! | Hiya! (any time of day) | BWEH-nas |
| Buenos días | Good morning | BWEH-nos DEE-as |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon / evening | BWEH-nas TAR-des |
| Buenas noches | Good evening / good night | BWEH-nas NO-ches |
When to use which: buenos días until lunch, and in Spain lunch is around 2pm. Buenas tardes from lunch until it gets dark, which can be 9pm in summer. Buenas noches after that, to say hello and to say goodnight. Not sure? Just say ¡hola! or ¡buenas! and you can't go wrong.
How are you?
| Español | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué tal? | How's it going? | keh TAL |
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? | KO-mo es-TAS |
| Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? | Good, thanks. And you? | byen, GRA-thyas. ee TOO |
| Muy bien | Really good | mwee BYEN |
| Regular | So-so | reh-goo-LAR |
| Fatal | Awful | fa-TAL |
| ¿Qué pasa? | What's up? | keh PA-sa |
¿Qué tal? is the one you'll hear most. It's so common people often say hola, ¿qué tal? as one phrase without waiting for an answer.
Names and meeting people
| Español | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo te llamas? | What's your name? | KO-mo teh YA-mas |
| Me llamo Sam | My name's Sam | meh YA-mo Sam |
| Soy Sam | I'm Sam | soy Sam |
| Encantado / Encantada | Nice to meet you (said by a man / a woman) | en-kan-TA-do / en-kan-TA-da |
| Mucho gusto | Nice to meet you | MOO-cho GOOS-to |
| Este es mi amigo / Esta es mi amiga | This is my friend (m / f) | ES-teh es mee a-MEE-go |
Goodbye
| Español | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Adiós | Goodbye | a-DYOS |
| Hasta luego | See you later | AS-ta LWEH-go |
| Hasta mañana | See you tomorrow | AS-ta ma-NYA-na |
| Hasta pronto | See you soon | AS-ta PRON-to |
| Nos vemos | See you | nos BEH-mos |
| Chao | Bye | CHOW |
| ¡Venga, hasta luego! | Right, see you later! | BEN-ga, AS-ta LWEH-go |
In Spain, hasta luego gets used all the time, even when you won't see the person later. Leaving a shop? Hasta luego. Shop assistants will often say it to you first.
Please, thank you and sorry
| Español | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Por favor | Please | por fa-BOR |
| Gracias | Thank you | GRA-thyas |
| Muchas gracias | Thanks a lot | MOO-chas GRA-thyas |
| De nada | You're welcome | deh NA-da |
| Perdón | Sorry / excuse me | per-DON |
| Lo siento | I'm sorry | lo SYEN-to |
| Disculpa | Excuse me (to get someone's attention) | dees-KOOL-pa |
Two kisses or a handshake?
Friends, family and people being introduced usually greet with dos besos, a light kiss on each cheek. Men tend to shake hands with each other, unless they're family or close friends. At work or with someone much older, a handshake is fine.
Tú or usted?
Both mean "you". Tú is the friendly one and in Spain you'll use it with nearly everyone: friends, waiters, shop staff, people your age. Usted is the polite one, for older people you don't know or very formal situations. On this site I teach tú, because that's what you'll hear most in Spain.
| Español | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? (tú) |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? (usted) |
Want the difference between Spain and Latin America? It's all on my Spain vs Latin American Spanish page.
Keep going: Useful phrases · Pronunciation · How to start learning Spanish · All my free Spanish guides, flashcards and games.
Questions people ask
How do you say hello in Spanish?
¡Hola! (OH-la). The h is silent. In the morning you can also say buenos días, and ¡buenas! works any time of day.
What's the difference between buenas tardes and buenas noches?
Buenas tardes is for the afternoon and early evening, from lunch until it gets dark. Buenas noches is for later in the evening and for saying goodnight.
How do you reply to ¿qué tal?
Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? (Good, thanks. And you?). If you're having a great day, say muy bien.
Should I use tú or usted in Spain?
Tú, nearly always. Spain is quite informal. Save usted for older people you don't know or very formal situations.
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