by Olly RichardsHola! I’m sure you’ve heard that word a million times, whether you've just started learning Spanish or you're an advanced Spanish learner.
That’s right: hola is one of the most common greetings in Spanish… but it’s not the only one! There are multiple ways to greet a person in Spanish, depending on the time of day, the person you're addressing, and even the country.
In this article, you'll learn more than 20 ways to say “hello” in Spanish beyond the typical hola. Get ready to learn greetings in Spanish for every occasion. ¡Vamos!
Table of Contents
Pro Tip
1. ¡Hola!
We can’t ignore hola, which means simply “hello”. Remember that the “h” in Spanish is a silent letter, so the pronunciation for this word will be ola. After saying hola, you can add a question, like ¿Qué tal? or ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?).
2. Buenos Días
Buenos días is one of those super common greetings in Spanish. Its literal translation is “Good days” or “Good morning” and, as in English, it only makes sense to say it in the morning.
You may be wondering why it is Buenos días, in the plural. Well, I have news for you: experts in the Spanish language are wondering too! One theory suggests that the original phrase was Buenos días los de Dios (God’s days are good), and it was shortened to what we know now.
Anyway, in the Río de la Plata region (Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), the phrase Buen día, in the singular, is more widespread than Buenos días.
3. Bonus: Muy Buenos Días
You can also add the adverb of quantity muy before the phrase Buenos días, especially if you’re in a good mood! This also works with Muy buenas tardes and Muy buenas noches.
4. Buenas Tardes
Buenas tardes means “Good afternoon”, and it’s an example of greetings in Spanish that only make sense at certain times of day. In this case, in the afternoon: between twelve noon and eight at night, approximately.
5. Buenas Noches
At night, the logical thing is to say Buenas noches (Good night). In this case, the singular works halfway: Buena noche is not an incorrect expression, but it certainly doesn’t sound very natural. The same thing happens with Buena tarde.
6. Buenas
Sometimes, it’s not necessary to say Buenos días, buenas tardes or buenas noches: simply saying Buenas is enough. Keep in mind that this is a colloquial expression–something you probably wouldn't say to your boss.
7. ¿Qué Tal?
¿Qué tal? is a question that means something like “How are you?”, although finding a literal translation isn’t an easy thing. You can say it after Hola, but it also works on its own. Finally, you can also use ¿Qué tal? followed by the verb estar (to be): ¿Qué tal estás?
8. ¿Cómo Estás?
¿Cómo estás? (How are you?) is one of the more versatile greetings in Spanish that you'll hear in all the Spanish-speaking countries.
Keep in mind that estás is in the second person of the verb estar with the pronoun tú; meaning, you only use this greeting when addressing close people.
If you're addressing a person to whom you must show respect (a professor or your boss, for example), the correct thing is to use the pronoun usted and say: ¿Cómo está?
9. ¿Cómo Te Va?
¿Cómo te va? (How it’s going?) is quite colloquial: it’s a phrase you would normally say to a friend or co-worker; someone with whom you have a certain level of closeness.
10. Bonus: ¿Cómo Va?
A variation of ¿Cómo te va? is ¿Cómo va?, which is often used in Río de La Plata Spanish (Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay).
11. ¿Qué Onda?
If ¿Cómo te va? is colloquial, then ¿Qué onda? is super colloquial! Seriously: use this one for when you’re talking with your friends! This expression is from Mexico, although it has spread to other countries.
According to the Mexican Academy of Language, it began to be used in the mid-20th century, with the literary movement known as Literatura de la onda (Wave Literature), which used a colloquial language, typical of young people of that time.
Onda was evolving until the creation of the expression ¿Qué onda? as a popular greeting in the Spanish Mexican counterculture of the 1970s.
12. ¿Qué Haces?
¿Qué haces? literally means “What are you doing?”, but it can be translated as “How are you doing?”.
It’s especially common in Argentina and Uruguay, although, in those countries, you should say Qué hacés, with an accent on the “e”: Río de La Plata Spanish uses voseo, which changes the conjugation of some verbs.
13. ¿Qué Pasa?
¿Qué pasa? is very common in Spain, and means “What’s up?”, although it means, literally, “What’s happening?”.
Sometimes it can be accompanied by tío or tía, which in Spanish from Spain means something like “dude” or “friend”: ¿Qué pasa, tío?
Important: don’t say this expression outside of Spain. In Latin America, ¿Qué pasa? is not a greeting, but it means just “What’s happening?” or even “What’s wrong?”. If you say so, they will probably stare at you and say: “What about what?”.
14. Aló
Aló (with the accent on the “o”) is a way of saying “hello” in some Latin American countries. You can say it if you meet someone on the street, but the most common thing is to use it when answering the phone.
But, where does this Spanish greeting come from? There are a few theories about it. One of them says that it comes from the English word “hello”.
Other people say that the term was popularised by the Hungarian engineer Tavidar Puskás, who was testing the telephone with Thomas Edison, and, every time he took the phone, he said the Hungarian word hallom (hello).
15. Diga
¿Diga? is another way of answering the phone. Diga is the second person of the verb decir (to say) in its imperative mood. Remember to add the intonation of a question; otherwise, it might sound like you’re giving an order.
16. Bonus: Other Ways To Answer The Phone In Spanish
¿Diga? is not the only way to answer the phone. Depending on the country, you can use others like ¿Hola?, ¿Sí? and ¿Bueno?
17. ¿Qué Cuentas?
¿Qué cuentas? is another way of greeting a person and asking how they are. Contar means “to tell”, although the reply would probably just be bien (fine), nada (nothing), or even aquí (here). You can also add the personal pronoun te: ¿Qué te cuentas?
18. ¿Qué Más Pues?
If you ever heard the song ¿Qué más pues?, by Colombian singer J. Balvin and Argentine singer María Becerra, you may have wondered what that phrase means.
In that song, the singers say: ¿Qué más pues, cómo te ha oído?, which means “Hello, how did it go?”.
¿Qué más pues? is a typical way of greeting in Colombian slang. While ¿Qué más? literally means “What else?”, pues is a common conjunction in Spanish, and it has different meanings depending on the context.
This phrase only works inside Colombia, although to be fair, the song has made many other Latin American countries familiar with it.
19. ¿Qué Hubo?
Let's continue with Colombian slang, and it’s the turn of ¿Qué hubo?
Hubo is a form of the past tense of the verb haber (to have), so ¿Qué hubo? is the literal translation of “What was there?”. But, as you already know, sometimes literal translations just don’t work.
¿Qué hubo? is said quickly (it almost sounds like kiubo?). Some Colombians write it like this: ¿Quiubo?
20. ¿Cómo Andás?
And from Colombia let's go to Argentina, in the south of the American continent. There, the most typical expression to greet people is ¿Cómo andas? Andar means “to walk”, but, in this case, it refers to “the way life is treating you”.
By the way, you probably noticed that there's an accent mark on the second “a” in the word andás.
As you learned earlier, in Argentina they use voseo, meaning you replace tú with vos, and, with it, the conjugation of some verbs. So, tú andas becomes vos andás.
21. ¿Qué Hay?
Hay is a form of the verb haber, and the literal translation of ¿Qué hay? is “What’s there?”, but it’s another way to say “What’s up” or “How’s it going?” in Spanish.
22. Holis
Holis (and holi) are “cute” ways to say “hello”. We could say that they are more common in digital environments, such as social media or chat networks. These words are part of youth slang. In other words, DON’T say holis in a job interview.
23. Bonus: Holiwis
Want an even cuter way than holis? How about holiwis? This expression is frequently associated with the “kawaii” popular culture, which originates from Japan and refers to cute things.
Spanish Greetings FAQs
What Is A Typical Greeting In Spanish?
A typical greeting in Spanish is “Hola” (Hello), often followed by “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?). In more formal situations, Spaniards might use “Buenos días” (Good morning), “Buenas tardes” (Good afternoon), or “Buenas noches” (Good evening/night). These greetings are widely used across Spanish-speaking countries and are essential for initiating polite conversation.
How Do Spanish People Greet Each Other?
Spanish people typically greet each other with a combination of verbal and physical gestures. In informal settings, friends often exchange two kisses on the cheeks, starting with the left. For more formal encounters, a handshake is common. Verbal greetings are usually accompanied by these physical gestures, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere in social interactions.
Is “Como Estás” A Greeting?
Yes, “¿Cómo estás?” is a common greeting in Spanish. It literally translates to “How are you?” and is often used immediately after “Hola” (Hello). This phrase is a friendly way to start a conversation and show interest in the other person's well-being, similar to the English “How are you doing?”
What Is The Meaning Of Mucho Gusto?
“Mucho gusto” is a polite Spanish phrase meaning “Nice to meet you” or “Pleased to meet you”. It's commonly used when being introduced to someone for the first time. The literal translation is “much pleasure”, indicating that it's a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the person you're meeting.
Final Thoughts On Greetings In Spanish
Why say Hola when there is a whole universe of possible greetings in Spanish?
Spanish is a language full of words, phrases, and slang that you can use to say hola. Sometimes, it sounds much more natural to say ¿Qué onda? or ¿Cómo va?!
By the way, you can listen to real Spanish thanks to our StoryLearning method, where learning languages goes hand in hand with enjoying stories.
Check out the StoryLearning Spanish podcast and YouTube channel (we upload multiple videos a week!).
