Formal And Informal Spanish Greetings

Formal And Informal Spanish Greetings

It is easy to memorize the most common Spanish greetings, both informal and formal. Spanish greetings, like their adjectives, follow the rules of gender association. Using formal greetings is always acceptable, but there are times when the informal terms are not proper.

‘Hola’ means ‘hello’, and is proper for any occasion, although you may want to use a more formal greeting if you are meeting an older man or woman. ‘Buenos dias’ is more formal, meaning good day (note the -os ending of the first word, connoting the masculine nature of the second.) For the afternoon or early evening, you can use ‘Buenas tardes’ (-as since the word tares is feminine) and for a nighttime greeting or farewell, ‘Buenas noches’ is usual.

Other forms of hello include the Italian word ‘Ciao’, used both for hello and good by. This is a trendy way of greeting friends or children. ‘Que tal?’ is very informal, meaning ‘what’s happening?’ and used when seeing friends on the street and in similar casual encounters. ‘Que pasa?’ means ‘What’s going on?’ and is similar to ‘What’s new?’ in English. ‘Buen dia’ is often heard in Latin America and is a slang contraction that has become fairly universal.

‘Senor’, ‘Senora’, and ‘Senorita’ correspond to ‘Mr.’, Mrs.’, and ‘Miss’ in English and make part of a formal greeting when last names are used. Respectful first names may be prefaced with ‘Don’ or ‘Dona’. Upon being introduced, it is polite to respond with ‘Mucho gusto’, or ‘I am pleased to meet you.’ If you are met with this phrase, reply with ‘El gusto es mio’ or ‘mia’, depending on your gender.

To bring the greeting a little more interaction, you might say, “Buenos dias, Senor. Como esta Usted?” This means, ‘Hello, Sir. How are you today?” The response may be, “Bien, gracias. Et Usted?” to which you reply, “Muy bien, gracias.”

For a Spanish greeting on the telephone, use ‘Bueno?’ or ‘Alo?’.

Did you learn from this article? Go to the web’s best site about this topic right now! Click here!: Learn Spanish, learning spanish for beginners and spanish for beginners