hola hermosa, ¿cómo estás?
The English phrase "hello beautiful, how are you?" is translated into Spanish as hola hermosa, ¿cómo estás?
This phrase is a friendly greeting used to ask how a woman is doing while complimenting her appearance.
Which one should you use?
The phrase hola hermosa, ¿cómo estás? uses the informal tú form, which is appropriate for someone you are flirting with or know well, whereas ¿cómo está? would be used for a stranger in a formal setting. You can also use hola guapa, ¿cómo estás? as a common alternative where guapa means beautiful or good-looking.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a man, the adjective hermosa must change to the masculine hermoso, resulting in hola hermoso, ¿cómo estás? which means "hello handsome, how are you?"
Did you know?
- In many Latin American countries, it is common to follow this greeting with a light kiss on the right cheek, even if the greeting is just friendly.
- While English speakers use 'hello' to greet, the word hola shares a common ancestor with the French 'holà', which was originally used as a command to tell someone to stop or stay put.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, using guapa or hermosa as a casual greeting is common even between female friends or from a shopkeeper to a customer.
Examples in context
- Disculpe la confianza, pero quería saludarla. Hola, hermosa. ¿Cómo está usted hoy?Pardon the familiarity, but I wanted to greet you. Hello beautiful. How are you today?
- ¿Qué pasa, preciosa? ¿Cómo te va?What's up, gorgeous? How are you doing?
Example conversation
Mateo sees Sofía at a local cafe.
- MateoHola hermosa, ¿cómo estás?Hello beautiful, how are you?
- SofíaMuy bien, Mateo, gracias.Very well, Mateo, thank you.
- MateoMe alegra mucho verte.I am very happy to see you.
- SofíaYo también, qué amable eres.Me too, you are so kind.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
