More interesting ways to say “hello” in Spanish!
Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock can say “hello” and “hi” in Spanish – it’s easy! If you really want to set yourself apart as a Spanish conversational master, “hola” just won’t cut it. So, here are some Spanish greetings that native speakers actually use. Step into any bar or restaurant in Spain, and this is what you will hear.
Greetings in Spanish
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¡Hace tiempo que no te veo! | Long time no see! |
| ¡Tanto tiempo sin verte! | Long time no see! |
| ¿Cómo andas? | How you doin'? |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? (usted is more formal than tú) |
| ¿Cómo estamos? | How are we? |
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? |
| ¿Cómo te ha ido? | How have you been? |
| ¿Cómo te va? | How are you? |
| ¿Cómo va? / ¿Cómo va tu día? | How are things going? |
| ¿Cómo van las cosas? | How are things? |
| ¿En qué andas? | What’s new? |
| ¿Qué cuentas? | What’s up? |
| ¿Qué haces? | How are you? / What's up? |
| ¿Qué hay de nuevo? | What’s new? |
| ¿Qué hay? | What’s up? |
| ¿Qué hubo? | What’s up? |
| ¿Qué onda? | What’s up? |
| ¿Qué pasa? | What’s up? |
| ¿Qué pasó? | What’s up? |
| ¿Qué tal? | How are you? / What's up? |
| Bienvenido | Welcome |
| Buen día | Good morning (Argentina) |
| Buenas | Hi (informal) |
| Buenas noches | Good evening |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon |
| Buenos días | Good morning |
| Gusto en verlo | Good to see you |
| Muy buenas | Hi (informal) |
| Que gusto de verlo | What a pleasure to see you |
| ¿Aló? | Hello? (more common on the phone) |
Remember, not all greetings are appropriate for all scenarios. Take into account how formal or colloquial the Spanish greeting is. Some of them change based on the time of day. (And to make things just a little bit more complicated, Spanish speakers have a slightly different perception of time – for example, buenas tardes (“good afternoon”) is really not even used until after 7 or 8pm. This could be due to the popularity of the siesta, or early afternoon nap). Finally, be sure you know when to use tú, vos, usted, ustedes, or vosotros.
Try using one of these greetings in your next chance interaction with a Spanish speaker and see how they respond – they may be impressed. After you have learned the best Spanish greetings, you may want to learn the 25 ways to say “goodnight” in Spanish.
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