Today we will learn greetings and farewells in Spanish. Spanish has plenty of expressions for greeting and saying goodbye. Do you know them all? Also, do you know how to pick the right one? Take a look at the blog of El Rincón del Tándem Spanish school to find answers to all your questions ?
When you meet someone, you have a bunch of possible greetings and farewells in Spanish you might use. However, in order to pick the most appropriate one, it is needed to consider context, situation and the level of intimacy you have with the person you are talking to.
In order to help you master a basic initial conversation, we have listed Spanish words and expressions that any Spanish learner should absolutely know when start speaking the language.
First of all, we have to distinguish formal and standard (or neutral) greetings from informal ones. As mentioned above, the register varies according to the situation (informal meeting with friends, a job interview, a visit to the doctor, etc) and the relation between people.
To make the right choice means to use the language properly, behaving politely by respecting social habits.
So, let’s learn greetings and farewells that are used in spoken Spanish.
1. GREETINGS IN SPANISH
That is, what you should say when you meet someone…
- Informal
– ¡Hola! = Hello
– Muy buenas/ Buenas = Hi
This is a very informal greeting that you can use at any time and hour of the day. It stands for buenas tardes/noches and buenos días
– Tanto tiempo sin verte = Long time no see
- Standard
– Buenos días /buenas tardes / buenas noches = Good morning / good afternoon / good evening or good night
In Spanish, buenos días is used from 5 am till 12 pm. Buenas tardes is the greeting Spaniards use from 1 pm to 7 pm while buenas noches is used from 8 pm till 12 am.
– Que gusto verte = Nice to see you
– Que gusto verle (formal) = I am glad to see you
In the latter greeting we address formally someone, using the pronoun Usted instead of Tú. To know more about the correct use of theses pronouns, we invite you to read this post.
2. FAREWELLS IN SPANISH
Now, let’s learn how to say goodbye in Spanish ?
- Informal
– Chao / Chau = Bye!
Chao is a loanword from the Italian language (ciao). It is the most common informal wat to say goodbye.
– ¡Qué te vaya bien! = Have a good day!
– Nos vemos = See ya!
– ¡Cuídate! / ¡Cuídate mucho! = Take care / Take good care of yourself
– Hasta la próxima = See you next time / Until next time
- Standard
– Adiós = Goodbye
Especially used when we know we won’t see the person for long time.
– ¡Qué tengas/pases un buen día! = Have a nice day!
– Hasta mañana = See you tomorrow
– Hasta luego = See you later
– Hasta pronto = See you soon
– Hasta el miércoles = See you on Monday
– Hasta la próxima semana = See you next week
– Me alegró verte = I am glad to see you
To complete the list, let’s learn how to send greetings in Spanish. Here below, you find a couple of examples.
– Por favor, dales recuerdo a tus padres de mi parte = Please, give your parents my regards
– Recuerdos a tu hermana = say hello from me to your sister
Lastly, we remind you that in Spain when you meet someone for the first time, it is customary to greet with one kiss on each cheek, unless it is a person with some authority or from your work environment (bosses, directors, etc.).
Friends usually greet each other with a hug or two kisses on the cheek, starting from the left.
If you feel unsure about how to behave, you can also wait for the other person to take the initiative to greet so you can make sure you’re doing it correctly. ?
As usual, we hope this post will help you master greetings ad farewells in Spanish.
If you want to improve yours speaking skills in Spanish, we suggest you to read our previous post on Spanish expressions.
Finally, we remind you that our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, is happy to provide you with Spanish classes in a cosy space and friendly environment, here in Valencia.
¡Hasta pronto!
