LinguaOne word opens every conversation: hola
Hola works at any hour, with anyone – a friend, a shop assistant, a stranger in the street. Remember from the last unit that the h is silent: the word starts with the o. Spanish usually adds a second greeting that names the time of day, and this one changes: buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches. Notice buenos with días but buenas with tardes and noches: the ending follows the noun, so learn the three as fixed phrases for now.
| Greeting | When | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | morning, until lunch (around 2 pm) | good days |
| buenas tardes | afternoon, until it gets dark | good afternoons |
| buenas noches | after dark, and also as good night | good nights |
Asking how someone is: ¿qué tal? and ¿cómo estás?
¿Qué tal? is the shortest way to ask how things are going; it fits nearly everyone. ¿Cómo estás? is the full question to a friend or someone your age. The usual answers are bien, muy bien or regular, often followed by gracias, and then you return the question with ¿y tú?
| Answer | Meaning |
|---|---|
| muy bien | very well |
| bien | fine, well |
| regular | so-so |
| mal | badly, not well |
–Hola, Ana, ¿qué tal? –Muy bien, gracias, ¿y tú?–Hello, Ana, how are things? –Very well, thanks, and you?
Saying goodbye: adiós, hasta luego, hasta mañana, chao
Adiós is the classic goodbye. In everyday speech people more often say hasta luego (see you later), and hasta mañana when they will meet again tomorrow – hasta means "until", so you can say until any moment. Chao, borrowed from Italian, is very common in Latin America and relaxed Spain.
| Farewell | Use it when |
|---|---|
| adiós | any goodbye, a little final |
| hasta luego | you will see each other again, soon or not |
| hasta mañana | you will meet tomorrow |
| chao | relaxed, among friends |
Buenas noches, Pedro, hasta mañana.Good night, Pedro, see you tomorrow.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hola | hello, hi | Hola, Pedro, ¿cómo estás? Hello, Pedro, how are you? |
| buenos días | good morning | Buenos días, Marta. Good morning, Marta. |
| buenas tardes | good afternoon | Buenas tardes, Juan. Good afternoon, Juan. |
| buenas noches | good evening; good night | Buenas noches, Ana, hasta luego. Good night, Ana, see you later. |
| ¿qué tal? | how are things? | ¿Qué tal, Pedro? How are things, Pedro? |
| ¿cómo estás? | how are you? (to a friend) | Hola, Ana, ¿cómo estás? Hello, Ana, how are you? |
| bien | well, fine | Bien, gracias, ¿y tú? Fine, thanks, and you? |
| regular | so-so | Regular, ¿y tú? So-so, and you? |
| adiós | goodbye | Adiós, Marta, hasta mañana. Goodbye, Marta, see you tomorrow. |
| hasta luego | see you later | Hasta luego, Juan. See you later, Juan. |
| hasta mañana | see you tomorrow | Hasta mañana, Ana. See you tomorrow, Ana. |
| chao | bye (informal) | Chao, amigos. Bye, friends. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
It is ten in the morning and you meet your neighbour. Which greeting fits the hour?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.