Greetings and Farewells

Now that you have a solid understanding of Spanish pronunciation, it is time to put it into practice with your first real-world vocabulary: greetings and farewells. These are the phrases you will use every single day when speaking Spanish.

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Why Greetings Matter

In Spanish-speaking cultures, greetings are much more than a formality — they are a sign of respect and warmth. It is considered rude to walk into a shop, office, or gathering without greeting people. Even in brief interactions, a greeting is expected.

Cultural Note: In Spanish-speaking countries, people generally greet everyone when entering a room, including strangers in a waiting room or lift. A simple Buenos días or Buenas tardes is sufficient and appreciated.

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Basic Greetings

Spanish	Pronunciation	English	When to Use
Hola	"OH-lah"	Hello / Hi	Any time — informal and universal
Buenos días	"BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs"	Good morning	Until around noon
Buenas tardes	"BWEH-nahs TAHR-dehs"	Good afternoon	From noon until sunset
Buenas noches	"BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs"	Good evening / Good night	After sunset

Notes on Time-Based Greetings

• Buenos días uses the masculine buenos because día is masculine (despite ending in -a).
• Buenas tardes and Buenas noches use the feminine buenas because tarde and noche are feminine.
• The exact boundary between tardes and noches varies by region — some switch at sunset, others at a fixed time like 8 or 9 PM.
• In casual speech, you may hear just Buenas as a shortened greeting that works at any time of day.

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Asking "How Are You?"

Spanish	Pronunciation	English	Register
¿Qué tal?	"keh tahl"	How's it going?	Informal
¿Cómo estás?	"KOH-moh ehs-TAHS"	How are you?	Informal (tú)
¿Cómo está usted?	"KOH-moh ehs-TAH oos-TEHD"	How are you?	Formal (usted)
¿Cómo te va?	"KOH-moh teh bah"	How's it going for you?	Informal
¿Cómo le va?	"KOH-moh leh bah"	How's it going for you?	Formal
¿Qué hay?	"keh eye"	What's up?	Very informal
¿Qué pasa?	"keh PAH-sah"	What's happening?	Informal
¿Qué onda?	"keh OHN-dah"	What's up?	Informal (Mexico)

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Common Responses

Spanish	Pronunciation	English
Bien, gracias.	"byehn GRAH-syahs"	Fine, thanks.
Muy bien.	"mwee byehn"	Very well.
Más o menos.	"mahs oh MEH-nohs"	So-so. / More or less.
Regular.	"rreh-goo-LAHR"	OK / Fair.
Mal.	"mahl"	Bad.
Todo bien.	"TOH-doh byehn"	All good.
Aquí andamos.	"ah-KEE ahn-DAH-mohs"	Here we are. / Getting by.
¿Y tú?	"ee too"	And you? (informal)
¿Y usted?	"ee oos-TEHD"	And you? (formal)

Tip: In Spanish-speaking culture, even if you are not feeling great, the expected response is usually positive. Bien, gracias is the standard answer unless you know the person well enough to share how you really feel.

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Farewells