The Spanish greetings worth learning first are Hola (hi or hello), Buenos días (good morning), Buenas tardes (good afternoon), Buenas noches (good evening and good night), Adiós (goodbye), Hasta luego (see you later), ¿Cómo estás? (how are you?), Mucho gusto (nice to meet you), and Bienvenido (welcome). Learn this handful and you can open and close almost any everyday conversation in Spanish.
The 12 greetings, with an example for each
These are the first phrases in Vocabcord's A1 Spanish set, a 622 phrase foundation that spans 29 everyday themes. Greetings sit at the front because they open every conversation you will ever have. A few rows below repeat a Spanish phrase on purpose: Hola covers both hi and hello, and Buenas noches does the work of two English phrases.
| Spanish | English | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Hola | Hello | Hello, how are you? |
| Hola | Hi | Hi, my name is Anna. |
| Buenos días | Good morning | Good morning, everyone. |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon | Good afternoon, sir. |
| Buenas noches | Good evening | Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. |
| Buenas noches | Good night | Good night, sleep well. |
| Adiós | Goodbye | Goodbye, see you tomorrow. |
| Adiós | Bye | Bye, have a good day! |
| Hasta luego | See you later | See you later, take care. |
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? | How are you today? |
| Mucho gusto | Nice to meet you | Nice to meet you, Anna. |
| Bienvenido | Welcome | Welcome to our home. |
Buenos días, buenas tardes, or buenas noches: which one and when?
Buenos días runs from waking until midday. Buenas tardes takes over from about noon until it gets dark. Buenas noches covers everything after dark. Two things tend to surprise English speakers. First, Spanish puts these in the plural: it is literally good days, good afternoons, good nights. Second, the switch to buenas noches waits for the dark, so on a long summer evening you may still be saying buenas tardes at nine at night.
The buenas noches trap
In English, good evening is a hello and good night is a goodbye. Spanish folds both into one phrase. You greet someone with buenas noches when you arrive after dark, and you use the very same words when you leave or head to bed. There is no separate good night. Beginners often hunt for a second phrase that does not exist, when they already have it.
Tú or usted: how formal to be
¿Cómo estás? is the friendly, informal how are you, for friends, peers, and anyone who has invited the casual tú. With a stranger, an elder, or in a professional setting, switch to the formal ¿Cómo está? (no final s). The same instinct applies to Bienvenido: it becomes bienvenida for a woman and bienvenidos for a group, because in Spanish a welcome agrees with who you are welcoming.
Which greeting to default to
If you remember only one, make it hola: it fits any hour and any person, formal or casual. Layer the time-of-day greetings on top as they start to feel automatic, and keep buenas tardes as your safe default for the long stretch from midday until dark. Because they are so short, greetings are the easiest words to pick up in passing, a phrase at a time, rather than in a study session you have to sit down for.
Common questions
How do you say hello in Spanish?
The most common way to say hello in Spanish is Hola, which works at any time of day and with anyone. For a warmer, time specific greeting, use buenos días in the morning, buenas tardes in the afternoon, and buenas noches after dark.
What is the difference between buenos días and buenas tardes?
Buenos días means good morning and is used from waking until around midday. Buenas tardes means good afternoon and takes over from about noon until it gets dark.
Is buenas noches good evening or good night?
Both. Spanish uses buenas noches as a greeting when you arrive after dark and as a farewell when you leave or go to bed. Unlike English, there is no separate phrase for good night.
How do you say goodbye in Spanish?
Adiós is the standard goodbye. For a casual see you later, use hasta luego.
