Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hola | /ˈola/ | |
| holi | /ˈoli/ | familiar |
| holis | /ˈolis/ |
hola is a versatile greeting that can be used in both formal and informal settings. Other ways to greet people depending on the time of day include the formal Buenos días (Good morning) until around midday, Buenas tardes (Good afternoon) from roughly midday until evening and Buenas noches. If you are meeting someone for the first time in a formal setting, you might use ¡Mucho gusto! to say Nice to meet you. To welcome a group of people, you can say ¡Bienvenidos!
Which one should you use?
While hola is the standard form, holi is a more cutesy, diminutive and highly informal version used among close friends or in casual texting. Similarly, holis is a slangy, playful variation of hola.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hola is appropriate for both formal and informal situations. However, if you want to be specifically informal when asking how someone is, you can use ¿Qué tal? or ¿Cómo estás? For a very casual greeting, you might say ¡Hola, amigo/amiga!, using amigo for a male friend or amiga for a female friend.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different Spanish-speaking regions have unique greetings. In Spain, you might hear the informal ¿Qué pasa? (What's up?) or the shortened Buenas, which is used as a version of Buenas tardes or Buenas noches. In Mexico, ¿Qué onda? is an informal way to say What's up? In Argentina, Che is used as an informal greeting among friends. In Colombia, ¿Qué más? means What's new? And ¿Todo bien? means Is everything good?
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of hola is /ˈola/.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, hola is often accompanied by 'dos besos' or two kisses on the cheeks during social introductions.
- The word hola may not have started as a friendly greeting, but rather as a command like 'hey, stop!' or a way to hail a ferryman.
- In Mexico, the greeting ¿Qué onda? literally translates to 'What wave?', but it is used to mean 'What's up?'
Examples in context
- Dile hola a Jimmy.Say hello to Jimmy.This example shows how to use hola to tell someone to say hello to a third party.Tatoeba #1240331 by Shishir, translation #53376 by CP
- Tom nunca dice hola.Tom never says hello.This example illustrates the use of hola in a sentence about someone's habits.Tatoeba #5939755 by arh, translation #5939656 by CK
- Di hola a tus amigos.Say hello to your friends.This example shows how to use hola when addressing friends.Tatoeba #741281 by Shishir, translation #70346 by CK
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía meet in a coffee shop.
- DanielHola, Sofía.Hello, Sofía.
- Sofía¡Hola, Daniel! ¿Cómo estás?Hello, Daniel! How are you?
- DanielMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- SofíaMe alegro mucho.I am very happy.
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.
