Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hola | /ˈola/ | |
| holi | /ˈoli/ | familiar |
| holis | /ˈolis/ |
hola is the most common and versatile way to say "hello" in Spanish and can be used at any time of day. For more specific time-based greetings, you can use Buenos días for "good morning" until midday and Buenas tardes for "good afternoon" from midday until early evening.
Which one should you use?
While hola is the standard greeting, holi and holis are much more playful versions. holi is a cute or diminutive way to say hello, and holis is a slangy variation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In contrast, holi and holis are much more playful and should be avoided in professional settings. holi is primarily used in texting or among close friends, while holis is highly informal slang used in social media or casual messaging.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the greeting Hola, ¿qué tal? and the form ¡Buenas! are commonly used. In Mexico, you might hear the informal greetings ¿Qué onda? (What's up?) or ¿Cómo andas? (How are you doing?). In Argentina, people use ¿Qué hacés? (What are you up to?) and Che, ¿cómo va? (Hey, how's it going?).
How does it change in a sentence?
When asking how someone is informally, you can use ¿Qué tal? or ¿Cómo estás? In these contexts, the informal form of "you" is tú.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
When do people say it?
Beyond simple greetings, speakers often follow up with informal questions like ¿Qué tal? or ¿Cómo estás? to ask "How are you?" among friends and peers.
Did you know?
- The word hola may actually originate from a command to stop, stemming from the French expression holà which means 'hey, stop!'
- In Argentina, it is common to start a greeting with Che, a versatile word used to get someone's attention before saying hola.
- The playful versions holi and holis follow a common Spanish linguistic trend of adding 'i' sounds to make words sound 'cute' or 'sweet'.
Examples in context
- Dile hola a Jimmy.Say hello to Jimmy.This sentence is useful for practicing how to direct someone to say hola to another person.Tatoeba #1240331 by Shishir, translation #53376 by CP
- Tom nunca dice hola.Tom never says hello.This sentence illustrates a habit regarding the use of hola.Tatoeba #5939755 by arh, translation #5939656 by CK
- Di hola a tus amigos.Say hello to your friends.This sentence shows how to use hola when addressing a group of friends.Tatoeba #741281 by Shishir, translation #70346 by CK
- Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted?Good morning, how are you?
- Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está usted?Good afternoon, how are you?
- Buenas noches, ¿cómo está usted?Good evening, how are you?
- Hola, ¿cómo estás?Hi, how are you?
- ¡Buenas! ¿Qué tal?Hi! How's it going?
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena meet at a coffee shop.
- Mateo¡Hola, Elena!Hello, Elena!
- ElenaHola, Mateo. ¿Cómo estás?Hello, Mateo. How are you?
- MateoMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- ElenaMe alegra mucho.I am very happy to hear that.
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.
