10 ESSENTIAL SPANISH GREETINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Whether you're traveling to Colombia, starting a Spanish course, or just want to impress a Spanish-speaking friend, greetings are the first step. Here are the 10 most essential Spanish greetings used across Latin America.

1. HOLA — HELLO

The universal Spanish greeting. Works in any situation — formal, informal, morning, night. You can't go wrong with hola. It's the equivalent of a friendly wave in word form.

2. BUENOS DÍAS — GOOD MORNING

Used from sunrise until around noon. In Colombia, people often shorten it to just "buenas" as a catch-all greeting at any time of day.

3. BUENAS TARDES — GOOD AFTERNOON

From roughly noon until sunset. The transition from días to tardes varies by region, but around 12–1 PM is standard in most of Latin America.

4. BUENAS NOCHES — GOOD EVENING / GOOD NIGHT

Used both as a greeting when you arrive somewhere in the evening and as a farewell when heading to bed. Context makes the difference.

5. ¿CÓMO ESTÁS? — HOW ARE YOU?

The informal version for friends and people your age. For formal situations (a boss, a stranger, an elder), use ¿cómo está? instead.

6. ¿QUÉ TAL? — WHAT'S UP?

A casual, relaxed greeting. Very common in everyday conversation. The expected answer is usually just "bien" (good) or "todo bien" (all good).

7. ¿QUÉ HUBO? — WHAT'S UP? (COLOMBIAN)

This is the quintessentially Colombian greeting, often pronounced "¿quihubo?" or even shortened to "¿quiubo?". If you learn this one, Colombians will love it.

8. MUCHO GUSTO — NICE TO MEET YOU

Used when meeting someone for the first time. Literally means "much pleasure." The full formal version is "mucho gusto en conocerle", but mucho gusto is perfectly sufficient.

9. ¿CÓMO TE LLAMAS? — WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

An essential follow-up after the initial greeting. Use ¿cómo se llama? in formal contexts. Answer with "me llamo..." (my name is...).

10. NOS VEMOS — SEE YOU LATER

A casual farewell that literally means "we'll see each other." Other common farewells include "chao" (bye), "hasta luego" (until later), and "cuídate" (take care).

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

A typical Colombian conversation might start like this:

— ¡Hola! ¿Qué hubo?
— ¡Bien, y tú?
— Todo bien, gracias. Mucho gusto, me llamo Carlos.
— Mucho gusto, soy Ana.

These 10 greetings will cover 90% of your daily interactions when you start learning Spanish. Master them, and you'll feel confident from your very first conversation.