How to greet someone in Spanish

Spanish has many ways to say "you," depending on formality.

Whether you are visiting a Spanish-speaking country or are conversing with a Spanish native in the United States, greeting him in his mother tongue will help break the ice and make him feel more comfortable talking to you. Unlike English, Spanish has different verb conjugations depending on the level of formality you want to use. Knowing how to address someone properly prevents you from accidentally sounding too informal in the wrong situations.

Instructions

Greeting the Elderly

1. Shake the person's hand, smile and give eye contact to express friendliness. This will give him a good first impression of you.

2. Greet him with the word "Hola" to say "Hello." The reply to this is also "Hola."

3. Ask him how he is by saying ¿Cómo está usted?" This means "How are you?" "Cómo" means "how" and "está" is the "usted" (the formal form) of the verb "estar" (to be).

Greeting a Friend

1. Shake your friend's hand or give him a hug depending on how close your relationship is with him. In Spain, giving a kiss on each cheek -- called "dos besitos" -- is normal among opposite sexes.

2. Ask him how he is by using the "tú" form of estar, "¿Cómo estás?" The "tú" form is the informal pronoun used with friends and acquaintances.

3. Ask how his day is going with the expression "¿Qué tal tu día?" or ask him "What's up?" by saying "¿Qué pasa?"

References

• Boise State University; Spanish Greeting: Start with Hello; Nelson Baquero; 2009
• Syvum: Spanish Translation Lesson: Greetings

Resources

• Study Spanish: Learn Spanish