hola a todos
/ola a todos/from spelling rules
hola a todos is the Spanish way to say hello everyone.
hola a todos is a neutral and polite way to address a group of people. Depending on the time of day, you might also use Buenos días a todos (Good morning everyone) until around noon, Buenas tardes a todos (Good afternoon everyone) from noon until around sunset or Buenas noches a todos (Good evening/night everyone) during nighttime hours. If you want to ask how the group is doing, you can say ¿Cómo están todos? (How is everyone?).
Which one should you use?
While the word todos is grammatically masculine, it serves as the default collective pronoun for a mixed-gender group, similar to how everyone functions in English. If you are addressing a group consisting entirely of women, you should use hola a todas. In highly inclusive or formal settings, speakers may use hola a todos y todas to explicitly acknowledge both men and women.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes based on the gender of the group being addressed: use hola a todas for an all-female group and hola a todos for mixed-gender groups or groups of men.
How do you pronounce it?
/ola a todos/
Did you know?
- The word hola may have originated from the French 'holà', which was used as a command meaning 'hey! stop!'
- While 'todos' is the standard for a mixed group, some modern Spanish speakers use 'todxs' or 'tod@s' in text messages to be more inclusive of non-binary identities.
- In Spain, a common way to address a group of friends more colloquially than 'hola a todos' is '¡Hola, chicos!' regardless of whether the group is actually all boys.
Examples in context
- Hola a todos, soy Tom.Hello, everyone, I'm Tom.This example shows how to introduce yourself using hola a todos.Tatoeba #10147612 by Shishir, translation #5478488 by CK
- ¡Hola a todos!Hello everyone!This example demonstrates an enthusiastic use of hola a todos.Tatoeba #540483 by Shishir, translation #854117 by piksea
- Hola a todos, ¿cómo están?Hello everyone, how are you?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier walks into a room where Lucía and her friends are gathered.
- JavierHola a todos, ¿puedo pasar?Hello everyone, may I come in?
- LucíaSí, Javier, adelante.Yes, Javier, come in.
- JavierGracias, Lucía.Thanks, Lucía.
- LucíaDe nada, siéntate.You're welcome, have a seat.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
