How to Greet Someone in Spanish
Every conversation in Spanish starts here — and the wrong greeting or an unreturned question ends it. Below is the complete greeting sequence, from hello to goodbye, including the two-way rule most textbooks forget to teach: in Spanish you answer, then hand the question back.
Quick answer
¡Hola!
Hello!
¡Hola! (OH-lah) works everywhere, any time of day — the H is silent. For time-based greetings: "Buenos días" (good morning), "Buenas tardes" (good afternoon/evening), "Buenas noches" (good evening/night).
1. Saying hello
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Hola! | Hello! | OH-lah (H is silent) |
| Buenos días. | Good morning. (until around lunchtime) | BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs |
| Buenas tardes. | Good afternoon/evening. (after lunch until dark) | BWEH-nahs TAHR-dehs |
| Buenas noches. | Good evening/night. (once it's dark) | BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs |
2. Asking how they are
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? (informal, friends) | KOH-moh ehs-TAHS |
| ¿Qué tal? | How's it going? / What's up? | keh TAHL |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? (formal, elders/strangers) | KOH-moh ehs-TAH oos-TEHD |
3. Answering — and handing it back
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Bien, gracias. | Good, thanks. | bee-EHN, GRAH-see-ahs |
| Muy bien, gracias. | Very well, thanks. | mwee bee-EHN, GRAH-see-ahs |
| ¿Y tú? | And you? (informal) | ee TOO |
| ¿Y usted? | And you? (formal) | ee oos-TEHD |
4. Saying goodbye
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Adiós. | Bye. / Goodbye. | ah-dee-OHS |
| Hasta luego. | See you later. | AHS-tah LWEH-goh |
| Hasta mañana. | See you tomorrow. | AHS-tah mah-NYAH-nah |
| Nos vemos. | See you. (lit. we'll see each other) | nohs BEH-mohs |
Common mistakes English speakers make
Asking "¿Cómo estás?" to a stranger or someone much older
Use "¿Cómo está usted?" until they invite informal speech. Spanish draws a hard line between tú and usted — start formal, wait for the invitation.
Answering the greeting without returning it
After "Muy bien, gracias" you must hand the question back: "¿Y tú?" Answering without asking back signals disinterest — Spanish greetings are two-way by design.
Using "buenas noches" before dark
"Buenas tardes" covers the afternoon and evening until dark. "Buenas noches" only after dark — using it at 4pm confuses people.
Watch a beginner do it — live
A real beginner's first session with the coach — watch where she freezes and how the English rescue unblocks her. Same coaching pattern your first greetings will run on. Tap for sound.
The trick: greetings in Spanish are two-way by design
English lets you answer "good, thanks" and walk away. In Spanish the greeting expects a return — "¿Y tú?" hands the turn back. Once this becomes reflexive, every Spanish hello becomes an automatic two-line conversation: answer, return, then talk.
Hola. ¿Qué tal? — Hola. Muy bien, ¿y tú? — the two-line exchange that runs every Spanish conversation.
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