Spanish · Greetings

Spanish Greetings & Goodbyes

Hello, goodbye, and everything in between — when each one fits, and how to actually say it.

65 entries ·Hello, goodbye, see you later · Audio on every entry · cross-checked

You walk into a small café in Seville at 10 in the morning. The woman behind the counter looks up. You need one word — just the right one — and your brain serves up a blank. That moment is exactly what this page is for.

Spanish has more ways to say hello and goodbye than most people expect. Hola works almost anywhere, but buenas is what you actually hear. Adiós is fine, but so is hasta luego, and knowing the difference between them tells you something real about how Spanish speakers talk to each other. This page covers the full range: casual greetings, time-of-day phrases, formal options, and the goodbyes that range from "see you in five minutes" to "take care, genuinely."

Each phrase comes with the context that makes it useful — who says it, when, and whether it reads as warm or stiff. The entries are grouped so you can scan by situation: arriving somewhere, leaving, greeting a stranger versus a friend.

Every translation and audio clip on this page has been checked by a native speaker. If something sounds off to you, there is a feedback link at the bottom of each card.

30 ways to greet someone in Spanish

Full index · ordered A → Z

Adiós ah-dee-OHS
y ee
¿Y tú? ee TOO
Adiós ah-dee-OHS
Podría estar mejor poh-DREE-ah es-TAR meh-HOR
Que tengas buen viaje keh TEN-gahs bwen VEE-ah-heh
Que llegues bien a casa keh YEH-gehs bee-EHN ah KAH-sah
Dale mis saludos. DAH-leh mees sah-LOO-dohs
Buenas tardes BWEN-ahs TAR-des
Buenos días boo-EH-nos DEE-ahs
Buenas noches boo-EH-nahs NOH-chess
Buenos días. bweh-nos DEE-ahs
Buenos días, encantado. boo-EH-nos DEE-ahs, en-kahn-TAH-doh
Buenas noches. BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs
Me alegro de verte meh ah-LEH-groh deh VEHR-teh
Adiós ah-dee-OHS
¡Qué gusto verte! keh GOOS-toh VER-teh
Que tengas un buen día keh TEN-gahs oon bwen DEE-ah
Que tengas un buen día keh TEN-gahs oon bwen DEE-ah
Que tengas buena noche keh TEN-gahs boo-EH-nah NOH-cheh
Que tengas un buen fin de semana. keh TEN-gahs oon bwen feen deh seh-MAH-nah
¡Buen viaje! bwen-vee-AH-heh
Hola OH-lah
Oye OH-yeh
Hola OH-lah
Hola a todos OH-lah ah TOH-dohs
¿Cómo estás? KOH-moh es-TAHS
¿Cómo has estado? KOH-moh ahs es-TAH-doh
¿Cómo te va? KOH-moh teh vah
Tengo que TEN-go keh
Tengo que irme TEN-goh keh EER-meh
Tengo que ir al baño. TEN-go keh eer al BAH-nyoh
Yo también te quiero YOH tahm-BYEN teh KYEH-roh
Ya me debo ir YAH meh DEH-boh eer
Estoy bien ehs-TOY bee-EHN
Estoy bien, gracias es-TOY bee-EN, GRAH-thee-ahs
Estuvo bien es-TOO-voh bee-EN
Igualmente ee-gwal-MEN-tay
¡Cuánto tiempo sin vernos! KWAN-toh TYEM-poh seen BER-nohs
Me llamo meh YAH-moh
Con gusto kon GOOS-toh
Mucho gusto MOO-choh GOOS-toh
Nada mal. NAH-dah mahl
Mucho gusto MOO-choh GOOS-toh
Saluda a tu familia SAH-loo-dah ah too fah-MEE-lee-ah
Nos vemos nohs VEH-mohs
Nos vemos en un rato nos VEH-mos en oon RAH-toh
Nos vemos nohs VEH-mohs
Nos vemos pronto. nohs-VEH-mohs-PRON-toh
Hasta mañana AH-stah mah-NYAH-nah
¡Qué casualidad! keh kah-soo-ah-lee-DAHD
Cuídate mucho kwee-DAH-teh MOO-choh
Cuídate mucho kwee-dah-teh MOO-choh
Cuídate mucho Kwee-dah-teh MOO-choh
Tómalo con calma TOH-mah-loh kohn KAH-lmah
Hablamos luego ah-BLAH-mos loo-EH-go
Igualmente ee-GWAHL-men-teh
Hasta la próxima AH-stah lah PROHK-see-mah
Hasta mañana AH-stah mah-NYAH-nah
Bienvenido bee-en-veh-NEE-doh
¡Qué sorpresa! keh sor-PREH-sah
¿Qué te trae por aquí? keh teh TRAH-eh por ah-KEE
Buenos días boo-EH-nos DEE-ahs
¿Qué pasa? keh PAH-sah
Tú también too tahm-BYEN

Frequently asked

what is the difference between hola and buenas in spanish

Hola is the straightforward, all-purpose hello — safe in any situation. Buenas is a clipped, friendly version of the time-of-day greetings (buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches) and is extremely common in everyday speech. Think of buenas as the greeting you hear when someone walks into a shop — casual, warm, and very natural.

when do you use tú versus usted when greeting someone in spanish

Use tú with friends, family, people your own age, and anyone who greets you that way first. Use usted with older people you do not know well, in formal professional settings, or anywhere you want to show clear respect. In Latin America usted is used more broadly than in Spain, so when in doubt, start formal and follow the other person's lead.

will i sound weird or rude if i mispronounce spanish greetings

Almost certainly not. Spanish speakers hear learners every day and appreciate the effort. The bigger risk is freezing up and saying nothing — a confident hola with an obvious accent lands far better than silence. The one thing worth getting right early is the rhythm: Spanish greetings tend to be quick and light, not drawn out.

is buenos días used in spain and latin america or just one region

It is used everywhere Spanish is spoken, morning to roughly midday. The pronunciation shifts slightly by region — in most of Spain the d in días is very soft, almost dropped, while in parts of Latin America it is a little crisper — but the phrase itself is universally understood and appropriate. You will not confuse anyone by using it.