¿Qué bolá?
casual, Cuba
Friends in Cuba greet each other with ¿Qué bolá?, a casual "what's up". Asere is a friendly word for a buddy and often comes with it. Hola works everywhere. It is also called ¿Asere, qué bolá?
Meaning: greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| ¿Qué bolá? | casual, Cuba |
| ¿Asere, qué bolá? | casual, Cuba, friends |
| Hola | standard |
Use ¿Qué bolá? with people your age or friends. With an older stranger or in a formal setting, Buenos días or Buenas tardes is safer.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Asere is typical of Cuban street talk, and ¿Qué bolá? is shortened from ¿Qué bola? Both mark a speaker as Cuban or familiar with Cuba.
Did you know?
- Asere is widely linked to Cuban slang, and Cubans use it much like "dude" or "man".
Examples in context
- Hola, buenas tardes.Hello, good afternoon.
- ¿Qué bolá, mi hermano?What's up, brother?
Example conversation
Yosvani meets his friend Raúl on a street in Havana.
- Yosvani¿Qué bolá, asere?What's up, buddy?
- RaúlAquí, caminando. ¿Y tú?Here, walking around. And you?
- YosvaniTodo bien, mi hermano.All good, brother.
