Essential Spanish Greetings: How to Say Hello & Be Polite in Spanish

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February 26, 2025

Learning Spanish greetings and polite expressions is an essential step for anyone beginning their Spanish learning journey. Whether you’re traveling, making new friends, or preparing for Spanish conversations at work, knowing how to greet people and express politeness will help you feel more confident and natural in your interactions. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Spanish greetings, asking how someone is doing, and the most important polite expressions. Let’s dive in!

Basic Spanish Greetings

Spanish greetings are straightforward but fundamental for any conversation. Here are the most common ways to say hello in Spanish:

Hola – Hello
Buenos días – Good morning
Buenas tardes – Good afternoon
Buenas noches – Good evening/night

💡 Cultural Insight: In Spain, people often say Buenas informally as a general greeting. In Latin America, Buenos días, Buenas tardes, and Buenas noches are more commonly used depending on the time of day.

📝 Pro Tip: When greeting someone in a professional setting or meeting someone for the first time, it’s best to use Buenos días, Buenas tardes, or Buenas noches instead of just Hola, as it sounds more polite.

🔹 Challenge: Try greeting someone in Spanish three different ways today!

How to Ask “How Are You?” in Spanish

After greeting someone, it’s polite to ask how they’re doing. Here are the key phrases:

¿Cómo estás? – How are you? (Informal)
¿Cómo está usted? – How are you? (Formal)
¿Qué tal? – How’s it going?
¿Cómo te va? – How is it going for you?
¿Cómo andas? – How are you doing? (Casual)

Common Responses

Bien, gracias. – Good, thanks.
Muy bien, gracias. – Very well, thank you.
Todo bien. – Everything’s good.
Más o menos. – So-so.
No muy bien. – Not very well.

❌ Common Mistake: Many learners respond to ¿Cómo estás? with Estoy bien. While this is grammatically correct, native speakers typically say Bien, gracias instead.

🔹 Challenge: The next time someone asks you ¿Cómo estás?, try responding with a different phrase, like Todo bien or Más o menos.

Polite Expressions in Spanish

Being polite is key to making a good impression in any language. Here are some essential Spanish polite expressions:

Por favor – Please
Gracias – Thank you
Muchas gracias – Thank you very much
De nada – You’re welcome
No hay de qué – It’s nothing / Don’t mention it
Perdón – Excuse me / Sorry
Disculpa / Disculpe – Excuse me (informal/formal)
Con permiso – Excuse me (when passing by someone)
Lo siento – I’m sorry

💡 Cultural Insight: In Mexico, Disculpa is used when interrupting someone, while Perdón is more commonly used for apologizing. In Spain, Perdón and Lo siento are often interchangeable, but Lo siento is more formal.

📝 Pro Tip: When saying thank you, Muchas gracias is more polite than just Gracias and can make a better impression in professional or formal situations.

🔹 Challenge: Use at least two polite expressions in a conversation today!

Saying Goodbye in Spanish

Just as greetings are important, so are farewells. Here are the most common ways to say goodbye in Spanish:

Adiós – Goodbye
Hasta luego – See you later
Hasta pronto – See you soon
Hasta mañana – See you tomorrow
Nos vemos – See you (casual)
Chao – Bye (commonly used in Latin America)
Que tengas un buen día – Have a good day (informal)
Que tenga un buen día – Have a good day (formal)

💡 Cultural Insight: In Spain and many Latin American countries, it’s common to say Nos vemos instead of Adiós when expecting to see someone again soon.

🔹 Challenge: Try using a new farewell phrase today instead of just saying “Adiós”.

Quick Recap:

✅ Use greetings based on the time of day: Buenos días, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches. ✅ Ask ¿Cómo estás? (informal) or ¿Cómo está usted? (formal) to check how someone is doing. ✅ Express politeness with Por favor, Gracias, Perdón, Disculpa. ✅ Say goodbye with Hasta luego, Nos vemos, Que tengas un buen día.

Keep practicing, and soon these phrases will become second nature. ¡Nos vemos! 👋

Final Thoughts

Now you’re ready to greet people in Spanish with confidence! Whether you’re practicing with a friend, traveling, or simply improving your Spanish skills, using these Spanish greetings and polite expressions will help you sound more natural and polite. Keep practicing, and soon it will feel effortless.

¡Nos vemos! 👋