How do you say Hello in Spanish?
The most common way to say “hello” in Spanish is ¡Hola!. Here are the main options, when to use each, and how to pronounce them.
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¡Hola!
OH-lah
Works with anyone, at any time of day.
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¡Buenos días!
BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs
Good morning, until about midday. A little politer than hola on its own.
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¡Buenas tardes!
BWEH-nahs TAR-des
Good afternoon, from midday until it gets dark.
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¡Buenas!
BWEH-nahs
Short for any of the above. Casual, and very common in shops and bars.
Use it in a sentence
- Hello, how are you?Hola, ¿cómo estás?
- Hello everyone!¡Hola a todos!
- Hello, good morning. Do you have a table for two?Hola, buenos días. ¿Tienen una mesa para dos?
- Say hello to your mother for me.Saluda a tu madre de mi parte.
Good to know
The h in hola is silent: OH-lah, not HO-lah.
Greetings are often combined. Hola, buenos días is a normal, friendly way to greet a shopkeeper or a colleague.
On the phone, people answer with ¿Aló? in much of South America, ¿Bueno? in Mexico and ¿Diga? or ¿Sí? in Spain.
To ask how someone is, add ¿qué tal? or ¿cómo estás? See how are you in Spanish and hi in Spanish.