hola hermosa
/ola eɾmosa/from spelling rules
The English phrase "hello beautiful" is translated into Spanish as hola hermosa.
Hola hermosa is a friendly greeting used to address a woman that the speaker finds attractive. While hermosa means beautiful, using the phrase as a direct address is often perceived as flirtatious or highly complimentary.
Which one should you use?
To address a man, you must change the adjective to the masculine form hola hermoso (hello handsome). Other variations include hola bella for "hello beautiful" and the informal hola guapa for "hello beautiful/good-looking".
Is it said differently in some regions?
Regional preferences vary: in Argentina, ¡Hola, hermosa! is used. In Mexico, ¡Hola, bonita! is used. And in Spain, ¡Hola, guapa! or the more colloquial hola guapa is very common.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective hermosa must be in the feminine form to agree with a female subject.
Did you know?
- While hola is used to say 'hello' today, its linguistic ancestor was an emphatic command used to hail a ferryman or tell someone to stop.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, calling a stranger guapa or guapo is not necessarily a flirtatious advance, but can simply be a friendly, casual way to greet a shopkeeper or acquaintance.
- Using hermoso to greet a man is much less common than using hermosa for a woman and can sometimes be perceived as sarcastic or overly dramatic.
Examples in context
- Hola hermosa, ¿cómo estás?Hello beautiful, how are you?
- Hola hermosa, qué alegría verte.Hello beautiful, it is a pleasure to see you.
- Hola hermosa, te ves radiante hoy.Hello beautiful, you look radiant today.
Example conversation
Mateo greets María at a party.
- MaríaHola hermosa, ¿estás disfrutando la fiesta?Hello beautiful, are you enjoying the party?
- MateoSí, me lo estoy pasando muy bien.Yes, I am having a great time.
- MaríaTe ves muy elegante esta noche.You look very elegant tonight.
- MateoGracias, Mateo. Tú también te ves bien.Thank you, Mateo. You look good too.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
