You probably already know basic greetings like "¡Hola!" and "¿Cómo estás". There are also various ways to say "Hi", "Hello", or "How are you" in Spanish. Learning how to greet someone is the first step to make a conversation in Spanish. Here is a list of Spanish greetings that you can use in formal and informal situations.
How to say Hello in Spanish?
1.
¡Hola! = Hello/Hi
This is the most common greeting in Spanish. It can be used to greet any person in any situation.
Pronounce it “oh-la” and keep the “h” silent.
2.
¿Qué pasa? = What's happening?
¿Qué tal?/¿Qué hay? = What's up?
¿Qué haces? = What are you doing?/What are you up to?
These expressions are often used when talking to your friends or acquaintances.
3.
¿Cómo está? = How are you? (formal)
¿Cómo está usted? = How are you? (also formal)
¿Cómo estás? = How are you? (informal)
¿Cómo están? = How are you (plural)
Saying "How are you" is also a way to greet someone in Spanish. However, in Spanish, you need to change the form of "estar" depending on the person you're greeting.
When you are talking to someone older than you or someone in a position of authority, you can say "¿Cómo está?" or "¿Cómo está usted?" which both mean "How are you".
When you are talking to someone of your age or younger, say "¿Cómo estás?".
When you greet a group of people, you would say ¿Cómo están?. The "n" at the end shows that you just said hello to everyone.
4.
¡Buenos días! = Good morning
¡Buenas tardes! = Good afternoon
¡Buenas noches! = Good evening
These are common Spanish greetings based on the time of the day.
If you are unsure which of the above greeting would be appropriate, you would use "¡Muy buenos!". It can be used at any time of the day.
5.
¿Qué onda? = What's up?
This phrase literally means "What wave" in English. It is often used as a casual and informal way of greeting in Spanish. It generally means "What's up?". When you say this phrase, you should watch your tone as it can be interpreted as "You got a problem?"
You can also take a look at some common greetings and farewells in Spanish.
6. Greetings when you meet someone for the first time
When you meet someone for the first time, you can use “Mucho gusto” which means “Nice to meet you”. It is often used while shaking hands and as an alternative to “encantado” (if the other person says it first.)
Encantado / Encantado de conocerle = How do you do / Pleased to meet you
How to respond to "greetings" in Spanish?
When someone say "¿Cómo estás?" (How are you), you can reply "Bien, gracias" which means "I'm well, thanks" or "Más o menos" which means "okay" or "fine".
If things are going more than just well, you can say "Todo bien", meaning "Everything's good", or "Muy bien", meaning "Very good".
If someone say "¿Qué tal?" (What's up?), you might reply "Nada" which means "nothing".
"¡No me quejo!" which means "Can't complain!" is also a common colloquial phrase to respond to greetings.
So that is how to say Hello, Hi, How are you, What's up, Good morning, and other common expressions used to greet someone in Spanish. There are different ways that we can use to greet each other. Though they all depend on the context and the closeness or intimacy of a relationship. If you would like to add more ways of saying Hello, please leave a comment below!