Saying hello
Spanish greetings change depending on the time of day - just like "good morning" vs. "good evening" in English, but Spanish speakers use these much more consistently.
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Hola! | Hello! / Hi! | Any time - the universal greeting |
| Buenos días | Good morning | Until roughly midday |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon | From midday until sunset |
| Buenas noches | Good evening / Good night | After sunset (also used to say goodbye at night) |
Note: Buenos días uses the masculine buenos because días is masculine (despite ending in -as). Tardes and noches are feminine, so they use buenas.
Saying goodbye
| Spanish | English | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Adiós | Goodbye | Neutral - works anywhere |
| Hasta luego | See you later | Casual - very common |
| Hasta mañana | See you tomorrow | When you'll see them the next day |
| Hasta pronto | See you soon | Casual |
| Nos vemos | See you (lit. "we see each other") | Casual, among friends |
| Chao / Chau | Bye | Very informal |
How are you?
In Spanish there are two ways to say "you": tú (informal) and usted (formal). This affects which form of the verb you use.
| Spanish | English | Formality |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué tal? | How's it going? | Casual - the most common way |
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? | Informal (tú) |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? | Formal (usted) |
Common replies
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? | Fine, thanks. And you? (informal) |
| Muy bien | Very well |
| Más o menos | So-so (lit. "more or less") |
| Mal | Bad |
| No me puedo quejar | Can't complain |
Introducing yourself
| Spanish | Literal meaning | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Me llamo… | I call myself… | My name is… |
| Soy… | I am… | I'm… |
To ask someone's name:
| Spanish | English | Formality |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo te llamas? | What's your name? | Informal |
| ¿Cómo se llama usted? | What's your name? | Formal |
Pleasantries
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Por favor | Please |
| Gracias | Thank you |
| De nada | You're welcome (lit. "of nothing") |
| Lo siento | I'm sorry |
| Perdón / Perdona | Excuse me / Sorry (to get attention) |
| Mucho gusto | Nice to meet you |
| Encantado/a | Delighted to meet you (-o for male, -a for female) |
Putting it together: a first conversation
Ana: ¡Hola! Buenos días.
Carlos: ¡Hola! Buenos días. ¿Qué tal?
Ana: Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
Carlos: Muy bien, gracias. Me llamo Carlos. ¿Cómo te llamas?
Ana: Me llamo Ana. Mucho gusto.
Carlos: Encantado. ¿De dónde eres?
Ana: Soy de Madrid. ¿Y tú?
Carlos: Soy de Barcelona. Bueno, hasta luego, Ana.
Ana: ¡Hasta luego, Carlos!
Where are you from?
You'll notice Carlos asked ¿De dónde eres? - "Where are you from?" Here's how to answer:
- Soy de… + city or country - Soy de Londres (I'm from London)
- Soy… + nationality - Soy inglés/inglesa (I'm English)
| Country | Nationality (m/f) |
|---|---|
| Inglaterra (England) | inglés / inglesa |
| Escocia (Scotland) | escocés / escocesa |
| Estados Unidos (USA) | estadounidense |
| Canadá (Canada) | canadiense |
| Australia | australiano/a |
Key takeaways
- ¡Hola! works everywhere. Add buenos días / tardes / noches for the time of day.
- Use me llamo… or soy… to introduce yourself.
- Spanish distinguishes informal (tú) and formal (usted). When in doubt with strangers, use usted.
- Mucho gusto and encantado/a are the standard "nice to meet you" phrases.