36 BEST Greetings in Spanish – Formal and Informal

¡Hola! Greetings in Spanish! Are you here to learn all about the numerous ways to greet someone or say farewell to friends, family members, classmates, or perfect strangers? You’ve come to the right place!

In this lesson, I’m going to show you 35 different greetings in Spanish for you to use in the real world. Not expressions that people don’t really use anymore… real greetings and real expressions used every day by native Spanish speakers.

Whenever you see this symbol 🔊 followed by a bright red strip, that means you’ll be able to listen to whatever words are included. Use these key tools to listen for syllable breakdowns and to practice your pronunciations.

Buena Suerte! (Good Luck!)

Hello in Spanish

1. The most standard greeting in Spanish is well-known around the world – you simply say, hola.

In Spanish, you don’t pronounce the letter “H”. Whether it’s at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, the “h” gets softened and skipped. Here is a great lesson on this spectacle by Ana of Butterfly Spanish, so be sure to take some time to check it out!

How to Pronounce Hello in Spanish

I have provided you with two different voices to listen to the pronunciation of hola (including this YouTube video).

Starting with the basics is very important, so ensure you can say this initial greeting before tackling the other ones in this list.

Formal Greetings in Spanish

Learning when to use formal Spanish greetings is equally important (if not more important) than understanding when to use informal greetings in Spanish.

You wouldn’t go up to your boss and say “what’s up?” or “how’s it going, man?” would you? Well, some of you might. But, most people don’t have that type of relationship with their boss or superiors.

The greetings below can be used between strangers (out of respect for one another), with your boss or someone with higher authority than you, or even between yourself and older family members (like a mother or grandmother).

Formal greetings don’t have to stop with people you don’t know or someone who is in charge of you. In Hispanic culture (primarily found in Latin American countries), it is very important to respect your elders and ensure they are well taken care of after they can no longer care for themselves.

If you are ever welcomed into a family home for dinner or a party or event or you welcome others into your home, be sure to use these formal Spanish greetings with the elders in the family!

2. 🔊 ¿Cómo está? – How are you?

This is the most standard formal Spanish greeting you can use. While it is most often used with elders and people with a higher authority in your career, it can be used with anyone.

If you want to be extra polite, you can say this to a barista at a coffee shop, the cashier at a grocery store, or even the gas station attendant.

It usually receives an answer, however, since you are directly asking how someone is, so be prepared for a response. Unlike in the U.S., people of different cultures will actually tell you how they are doing, so don’t be surprised if they tell you they are having a bad day.

Simply reply with something like “Siento escuchar eso” which means “I’m sorry to hear that”, or something similar.

3. 🔊 Bienvenidos – Welcome

Want to welcome someone into your home or gathering? Say bienvenidos! It sends all the positive vibes and they will surely feel comfortable in your home.

You can also follow up with “¿de dónde eres?” if you want to ask where someone is from to keep the conversation going.

4. 🔊 Mi casa es su casa – My home is your home

If you want to truly welcome someone into your home and ensure they feel comfortable, you would tell them this phrase.

Often used towards people who have done something great for the family, offered gifts, or made a positive impact on their life. You could also use it between friends who have never been to each other’s houses, or to anyone that you thoroughly trust.

Greetings in Spanish Email

If you are going old school and are writing a letter to someone or you are writing a professional email to a company, you may want to use some formal greetings to start it off.

If you are writing to a woman, you would use:

5. ✔️ Querida – Dear…

If you are writing to a man, you would use:

6. ✔️ Querido – Dear…

If you want to use a romantic greeting in Spanish, you could use:

7. ✔️ Mi amor – My love

Closing Greetings in Spanish

While you could use one of the farewell messages I’ve included at the bottom of this article, there are a few special ones that would pair well with a handwritten letter.

If you want to sound romantic and a little bit medieval, you could say:

8. ✔️ Hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo – Until we meet again

If you are ending the letter to a loved one, you could say:

9. ✔️ Te quiero muchísimo – I love you very much

If you are sending the letter to a family member, you could say:

10. ✔️ Con amor – With love

Or, if you want to thank an employer for their consideration, you would say:

11. ✔️ Gracias por su consideración – Thank you for your consideration

Informal Greetings in Spanish

12. 🔊 Buenos días – Good Morning

Typically used before 12:00pm (noon) on any given day. It’s both polite and casual, so you can use it with practically anyone. Just be sure to pay attention to the clock!

Buen día is similar in meaning and takes the translation of “good day.”

13. 🔊 Buenas tardes – Good Afternoon

After noon, locals switch from buenos días to buenas tardes the same way most English-speaking countries switch from saying good morning to good afternoon after 12:00pm.

14. 🔊 Buenas noches – Good Evening

Around late afternoon to early evening, once it starts getting dark, you can switch to buenas noches. Say it too early and you may confuse some people, but if it’s almost dark out, you’re safe to make the switch.

➡️ You can learn more about these greetings in my popular post on How to Say Goodnight in Spanish 33+ Ways!

15. 🔊 ¿Aló – Hello

Often used when answering the phone, this saying isn’t used much at all during in-person conversations. Similar to the sound of hello without the “h”, ¿Aló is an English-sounding word rarely used in everyday conversation.

16. 🔊 ¿Cómo estás? – How are you?

Once you hear the “s” sound at the end of this phrase, that dictates its informality. If someone were to simply say ¿cómo está, then that would be more formal and you would want to ensure to respond appropriately.

17. 🔊 ¿Cómo están? (¿Cómo estáis? in Spain) – How are you?

The plural form of ¿cómo estás? for when you’re talking to a group of people.

18. 🔊 ¿Qué tal? – How is it going?

Much more informal than the previous sayings, you wouldn’t typically use this phrase with anyone you haven’t previously had a casual conversation with. Avoid using it in business environments and during any inappropriate occasion (i.e. a funeral).

19. 🔊 ¿Cómo va? – What’s up?

Speaking to a close friend or sibling? Feel free to say ¿cómo va? to spark a friendly conversation!

20. 🔊 ¿Cómo andas? – How are you? (very casual)

Though it has the same meaning as ¿cómo está, you must understand that these two Spanish phrases are NOT the same. Using a phrase as informal as ¿cómo andas with someone you don’t know well or an elder or boss, is quite impolite and may be received as such.

Stick to using this phrase only with close friends and family members, unless the person you are speaking with is using strictly informal greetings in Spanish.

21. 🔊 ¿Cómo va todo? – How is everything?

If you’re talking with someone you haven’t seen or heard from in awhile, this is a great phrase to have prepared. It’s an easy, all-around way of asking how their life has been, if they have any major life updates, how their job is doing, and so forth.

It’s neither informal nor formal, so it can really be used in any setting.

22. 🔊 ¡Es tan bueno verte de nuevo! – It’s so good to see you again!

Seeing an old friend from school or a cousin at the first family party in years? This is another great phrase to have up your sleeve in the event that you see someone you’ve missed for the first time in a long time.

This phrase is also neither formal nor informal and shows genuine happiness and excitement. So, as long as you know that the recipient will feel the same way, this is a safe phrase to use.

23. 🔊 ¿Qué pasa? – Is something wrong? / What’s up? / What happened?

This one has a bunch of different meanings depending on the context of the situation. If you’re walking into a friend’s house, then it would likely mean “what’s up?”.

But, if you’re walking down the road and come across caution tape and a clear crime scene and someone comes up to you and says ¿qué pasa?, then they’re not asking you what’s up. Instead, they’re wondering if you know what happened or if something is wrong.

Be sure to use this one in the right context, but saying ¿qué pasa? in a casual setting is very acceptable and widely used.

Spanish Greetings and Responses

What if someone says a greeting in Spanish to you? Not if, but when this happens, you should be prepared. The Spanish phrases below will open up your world of Spanish-speaking and will allow you to continue a conversation past hola. Buena suerte (good luck)!

24. 🔊 Bien, gracias, ¿y usted? – I’m good thanks, and you? (Formal)

25. 🔊 Bien, gracias, ¿y tú? – I’m good thanks, and you? (Informal)

26. 🔊 Muy bien – Very good

27. 🔊 Todo bien – Everything is good

Todo bien is commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries! When I was trekking in Peru with some locals, I would always respond with “todo bien” when they would ask me how I was doing. It’s a comparative form of “it’s all good” or “everything’s good” in English.

Regardless of which one of these sayings you decide to use, it is always polite to ask how the other person is doing, as well. Don’t just say muy bien and walk away. This could be seen as rude and would likely take the person back a little bit.

Be prepared to say ¿y usted? (formal) or ¿y tu? (informal). Even if you can’t understand what they respond with, it’s always best to be polite and then seek clarification after.

You could also let them know that you are practicing your Spanish and most locals are happy to assist by slowing down their words and helping you learn.

To do this, simply say “Lo siento, todavía estoy aprendiendo español” which means “I’m sorry, I’m still learning Spanish.“

Spanish Greetings and Farewells

It doesn’t matter if you’re saying goodbye to your family on the way to your sister’s house or farewell to a friend moving far away, saying goodbye is both polite and expected in Spanish and Hispanic cultures.

You’ll notice as you go down the list that it goes from more to less formal farewells in Spanish. Use your discretion when picking which one you want to use based on who you are talking to. Elders and those to whom you show more respect, stay towards the top of the list.

For friends and casual conversations, feel free to use any of these Spanish goodbyes!

28. 🔊 Adiós – Goodbye

The most standard way of saying goodbye in Spanish. Adiós can be used in practically any conversation, so when in doubt (if you aren’t sure which phrase would be appropriate or you simply forget all of the others in this list), say adiós when saying goodbye.

29. 🔊 Adiós por ahora – Goodbye for now

If you plan on seeing someone a little bit later or you are trying to say that this won’t be the last time you see someone, adiós por ahora is a useful phrase to know.

30. 🔊 Hasta la proxima vez – Until next time

If you are saying goodbye to a dear friend or family member, this is a good Spanish farewell to use.

It’s a little more formal and meaningful, so the person receiving the message will understand your goodbye is more heartfelt.

31. 🔊 Te veo pronto! – See you soon!

Often used in mainly casual settings, this phrase is good for talking to friends, family members, and anyone you get along well with.

It’s not necessarily recommended for a boss or elder, unless you have that type of casual relationship with them.

32. 🔊 Nos vemos – See you

While polite, this phrase isn’t great for friends or family members.

It usually comes off as “stiff” or “monotone”, so it’s typically used between people who spend time together, but aren’t necessarily friends (i.e. coworkers, business partners, etc.)

33. 🔊 Te veo luego – See you later

This phrase is pretty informal, so it wouldn’t normally be used with teachers, bosses, and so forth.

34.🔊 Hasta mañana – See you tomorrow

This phrase is appropriate for anyone you’ll be seeing the next day, including bosses, coworkers, friends, and family members. It is neither formal nor informal, so it’s acceptable in most settings.

35. 🔊 Hasta luego – See you later

If you have ever watched a movie in Spanish or taken a Spanish class, you’ll probably recognize this one. Hasta luego is a classic Spanish farewell, so you can feel pretty comfortable using this with almost anyone that you’ve had a casual conversation with.

It’s a very standard saying, so saying this to your boss who you’ll see at the holiday party later that evening is acceptable, as well.

36. 🔊 Chau – Bye (very casual)

Typically only used when speaking to friends or siblings, don’t use this phrase unless you know the person won’t get offended.

It’s very casual, so it is not usually used with anyone older than you or with anyone you wouldn’t be comfortable having a very informal conversation with.

FAQ: Greetings in Spanish

How to Greet a Friend in Spanish

When you want to greet your friend in Spanish, most of the above phrases would do. You can choose the classic ¿qué tal? which translates to how’s it going or what’s up since it’s most commonly used between friends.

If you wanted to greet them based on the time of day, you could say buenos días for the morning, buenas tardes for the afternoon, or buenas noches for the evening.

You could also keep it simple and just say ¿Cómo está? 

Funny Greetings in Spanish

If you want to keep your greetings silly and lively, you could say Qué hay, hermano? which is an informal way of saying what’s up brother. Simply swap “hermano” for “hermana” if you want to say what’s up sister.

To joke around, you could also say pues mira quien es which translates to well look who it is. Similarly, you could say Mira lo que arrastró el gato which means look what the cat dragged in.

However, this is more of an English-saying, so not every native Spanish-speaker will understand the lingo.

Is ¿Qué tal a Common Greeting in Spanish?

¿Qué tal is a very common Spanish greeting. It’s used daily in many Spanish-speaking countries and, in English, translates to “how are you?”

Depending on the context, it can also be used as a polite way to ask someone what is wrong or if there is something they need help with. No matter how it’s used, ¿qué tal? is almost always a friendly and welcoming question.

Other Spanish-Learning Resources

If you enjoyed this Spanish language-learning article, be sure to complement your studies with some of our other essential guides below!

Learn Numbers 1-100 in Spanish (with PDF Guide)
Congratulations in Spanish 38+ Ways for Every Occasion
Happy Birthday in Spanish 13 Different Ways

Whether you are greeting a friend, family member, or even just learning someone’s name, using proper Spanish greetings and expressions is essential for polite and meaningful communication!

The same goes for when wishing someone a good day or saying goodbye, and even when writing someone a letter.

That’s why I also use Duolingo to help me learn Spanish online for free! This amazing language-learning platform is perfect for helping me practice my Spanish pronunciations, learn Spanish vocabulary, and even just practice common Spanish phrases so I’m ready for my next trip to a Spanish-speaking country.

They have endless content for learning Spanish allowing you to level up whenever you feel ready, so start practicing your Spanish every day like I do!

No matter what you decide to do, be sure to take the time to practice your Spanish skills so the next time you want to give a special ¡hola! to someone, you’ll have several great greetings in Spanish right up your sleeve.