Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hola | /ˈola/ | |
| holi | /ˈoli/ | familiar |
| holis | /ˈolis/ |
The primary way to greet someone is using hola. Depending on the time of day and the level of formality, you might also use Buenos días (Good morning) until around noon, Buenas tardes (Good afternoon) or Buenas noches (Good evening or Good night).
Which one should you use?
hola is the standard, neutral greeting. In contrast, holi and holis are diminutive and much more casual versions of the word.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hola is a common informal greeting. However, holi is a playful or cute way to say hello, often used in texting or among close friends and holis is a slangy, highly informal variation used primarily in casual digital communication. For formal situations, it is better to use time-specific greetings like Buenos días, Buenas tardes or Buenas noches.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the casual variation Buenas is used. In Mexico, ¡Buen día! is a common way to say good morning instead of Buenos días. In Mexico, the informal phrase ¿Qué tranza? is popular among young people and in Argentina, the word Che is widely used among friends to mean "pal" or "dude".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
When do people say it?
When greeting someone formally, you can ask ¿Cómo está usted? to say "How are you?" After exchanging greetings, you can use Mucho gusto to say "Nice to meet you" formally. If you want to be informal, you can use ¿Cómo estás? or ¿Qué tal? to ask how someone is doing or use the very informal ¿Qué onda? in Latin America.
Did you know?
- The word hola likely evolved from a command to stop or fetch something, rather than a greeting. It may have come from the French holà or Old High German holā, which was used to hail ferrymen.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a verbal hola is often accompanied by a physical gesture, such as one or two kisses on the cheeks. The number of kisses and which side to start on varies by country.
- In many parts of Latin America, young people use the phrase ¿Qué onda? as an informal way to say hello and ask what is happening. It literally translates to 'what wave?', but it means 'what's up?'
Examples in context
- Dile hola a Jimmy.Say hello to Jimmy.This sentence shows how to use hola when telling someone to greet a third party.Tatoeba #1240331 by Shishir, translation #53376 by CP
- Tom nunca dice hola.Tom never says hello.This sentence illustrates the use of hola in a negative context.Tatoeba #5939755 by arh, translation #5939656 by CK
- Di hola a tus amigos.Say hello to your friends.This sentence provides an example of using hola when addressing a group of friends.Tatoeba #741281 by Shishir, translation #70346 by CK
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro meet at a coffee shop.
- LucíaHola, Alejandro.Hello, Alejandro.
- AlejandroHola, Lucía. ¿Cómo te va?Hello, Lucía. How is it going?
- LucíaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- AlejandroMe alegra mucho escucharlo.I am very glad to hear that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries hola, holi, holis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, holis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
