How to Say Greetings in Spanish

The Spanish language has dozens of possible greetings. Some are more formal than others, and the most commonly used terms, like hola, sometimes sneak into English sentences. In formal writing, the greetings posed as questions have two question marks. The first one is upside-down and placed at the beginning of the question.

Instructions

1. The main word for hello is "hola." The "h" is silent, so it sounds more like "oh-la."

2. "Cómo" means "how" and "estás" means "you are." The phrase "Hola. Cómo estás" means hello, how are you.

3. Qué pasa is a casual term widely used in Mexico. It basically means "What's happening?"

4. "Cómo andas?" is a slang term frequently used greeting in Spanish. It literally means how are you walking, but it's commonly understood to mean "How is it going?" or "How are things going?"

5. "Qué hay" sounds like "kay eye." Literally, it means what's there, but it also means "What's happening?" or "What's going on?"

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind there are dozens of possible greetings in Spanish, but these are the most commonly used.

• Spanish questions have two question marks. The first one is upside-down and placed at the beginning of the question.

References

• Digital Dialects
• Spain City: Useful Phrases in Spanish