Hola is the Spanish word for “hi” and “hello”, and is one of the most common words in the Spanish language. Though a stand-alone greeting, it may be combined with other expressions, making it suitable for all settings.
Expressions in Spanish to say “hi”
| Hola Hi, hello | Buenas noches Good evening | Hola, ¿qué haces? Hi, what’s up? |
| Hola, ¿qué tal? Hi, how’s it going? | ¡Qué bueno verte! Great to see you! | Hey Hey |
| Hola, ¿cómo estás? Hello, how are you? | Hola, ¿todo bien? Hi, everything OK? | Hola, ¿qué onda? Hey, what’s up? |
| Buenos días Good morning | Hola, ¿cómo va todo? Hi, how’s everything? | Hey, ¿qué hay de nuevo? Hey, what’s new? |
| Buenas tardes Good afternoon | Buenas Hi | Holi Hey |
—¡Hola! ¿Cómo va?
Hi! How’s it going?
—Hola, buenas tardes. ¿Cómo le va, doctor?
Hello, good afternoon. How are you, doctor?
Common ways to say “hi” in Spanish
The most common ways to say “hi” in Spanish are:
1. Hola / Hi, hello
Hola is the most basic yet frequent greeting in Spanish, which is translated as “hello”, “hi”, or “hey” depending on the context:
—¡Hola, Marcos! ¿Cómo estás?
Hi, Marcos! How are you doing? (informal situation)
—Hola, señora González. ¿Cómo está usted hoy?
Hello, Mrs. González. How are you today? (formal situation)
2. Hola, ¿qué tal? / Hi, how’s it going?
A typical way to say “hi” in Spanish, it is used in informal as well as neutral settings.
—Hola, ¿qué tal?
Hi, how’s it going?
—¡Hola!
Hi!
3. Hola, ¿cómo estás? / Hello, how are you?
Another most frequent expression in Spanish, it is used in informal as well as neutral contexts:
—Hola, ¿Cómo estás?
Hello, how are you?
—¡Bien! ¿Cómo andas tú?
Fine! How are you doing?
4. Buenos días / Good morning
This is a neutral, slightly more formal way to say “hi”.
—Buenos días. ¿Dormiste bien?
Good morning. Did you have a good night’s sleep?
—Sí, gracias. Y tú?
Yes, thank you. And you?
Quick tip: Depending on the time of day, buenas tardes (meaning “good afternoon” and said roughly between 1 and 8 p.m.) and buenas noches (meaning “good evening” and said after 8 p.m.) are used. Note that buenas noches (also meaning “good night”) is used as a farewell greeting.
5. ¡Qué bueno verte! / Great to see you!
A casual and polite expression used in informal and neutral contexts.
—¡Qué bueno verte! ¡Tanto tiempo!
Hi! Great to see you! Long time no see!
—¡Sí! ¿Hace cuánto que no nos vemos?
Really! How long has it been?
6. Hola, ¿todo bien? / Hi, everything OK?
This is a cool, laid-back expression used in casual settings.
—Hola, ¿todo bien? ¿Qué tal tu familia?
Hey, everything OK? How’s your family doing?
—Todo bien por acá, ¿y tú?
Everything’s fine here, what about you?
7. Hola, ¿cómo va todo? / Hi, how’s everything?
A casual and cool way of saying “hi”.
Hola, ¿cómo va todo?
Hi, how’s everything?
Similar expressions: hola, ¿cómo (te) va? (hi, how are you doing?), ¿qué cuentas? (what’s up?), ¿cómo va la vida? (hi, how’s life?).
More informal ways to say “hi” in Spanish
Some expressions are more typically reserved for very informal contexts:
8. ¡Buenas! / Greetings!
A very relaxed way of saying hi.
—¡Buenas! ¿Cómo va todo?
Greetings! How's everything?
—¡Hey! ¿Cómo va?
Hey! How are you doing?
9. Hola, ¿qué haces? / Hi, what’s up?
An informal, familiar greeting.
—Hola, ¿qué haces? Adelante, pasa.
Hi, what’s up? Come on in.
—Buenas, ¿cómo estás?
Hi, how’s it going?
10. Hey / Hey
A very informal, cool way to say “hi”.
—Hey, ¿cómo va, todo bien?
Hey, how are you doing? Everything OK?
—¡Hola! ¿Cómo va?
Hi! How are you?
11. Hola, ¿qué onda? / Hey, what’s up?
This very casual and colloquial expression is particularly used by young people:
—Hola, ¿qué onda? ¿Cómo va todo?
Hi, what’s up? How are things?
—Todo perfecto, ¿y tú?
Everything’s great, and you?
12. Hey, ¿qué hay de nuevo? / Hey, what’s new?
A very informal greeting especially used by young people:
—Hola, ¿qué hay de nuevo?
Hey, what’s new?
—Todo bien.
All good.
13. Holi / Hey
A derivation of the word hola mainly used by children and young people.
—¡Holi!, ¿qué haces?
Hey! What are you up to?
—Holi, amiga.
Hi, buddy!
Formal ways to say “hi” in Spanish
Some expressions appear exclusively in formal settings, and may be introduced by the word hola, or the more formal buenos días (good morning), buenas tardes (good afternoon), or buenas noches (good evening), making the greeting more formal:
14. Buenos días, ¿cómo está? / Good morning, how are you? (formal)
This greeting addresses the pronoun usted (formal “you”) when the setting requires social distance, particularly with older people.
—Buenos días, ¿cómo está? Encantado.
Good morning, how are you? Nice to meet you.
—El gusto es mío.
The pleasure is mine.
A synonym greeting with the same meaning is: hola, ¿cómo le va?
15. Un gusto de verlo / It’s nice to see you
This expression addresses the formal usted “you”. When the listener is a female, un gusto de verla is used, with a final -a.
—Buenas tardes, ¡qué sorpresa! Un gusto de verlo.
Good afternoon, what a surprise! It’s nice to see you.
—Gusto de verlo a usted también.
It’s nice to see you too.
- See also: “Good night” in Spanish
Regional ways to say “hi” in Spanish by country
Just as happens with all expressions and idioms in Spanish, regionalisms and localisms determine that some of them are frequent in certain regions and countries but not in others:
| Ways to say “hi” | Translation | Country |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué hacés? | What are you up to? | Argentina |
| Wena | Hi | Chile |
| Quiubo | Hey, hi | Colombia |
| Pura vida | Hola, ¿cómo estás? | Costa Rica |
| ¿Qué bolá? | How’s it going? | Cuba |
| ¿Qué onda, güey? | What’s up, dude? | Mexico |
| ¡Habla, causa! | How are you doing? | Peru |
| Épale | Hello | Venezuela |
| Hola tío | Hi, dude | Spain |
How to say hi by email
How “hi” is said by email will depend on register (the level of formality or informality required). The greetings below are common ways to say “hi” in writing:
- Hola (hello). Informal to neutral greeting.
Hola Simón:
Hello Simón,
- Querido/a (dear). Loving greeting.
Querido hermano:
Dear brother,
- EstimadoIa (dear). Neutral to formal greeting.
Estimados todos:
Dear all,
- Buenos días (good morning). Neutral to formal greeting.
Buenos días, señor Gutiérrez:
Good morning, Mr. Gutiérrez,
How to say hi by phone
The Spanish way of answering the phone will depend on regional as well as country distinctions. The words below are used in most Spanish-speaking countries, all of which mean “hello?”:
Related articles:
References
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press, accessed July 29, 2024, 2024
- Wordreference.com, accessed July 29, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
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