How to Say "Hello Hello" in Spanish

hola hola

/ola ola/from spelling rules

The English phrase "hello hello" is translated into Spanish as hola hola.

hola hola is a casual and friendly greeting. It is often used when answering the phone or when someone enters a room and wants to get people's attention in a friendly way.

Which one should you use?

While a single hola is a standard informal greeting used at any time, repeating the word as hola hola makes the tone more casual, playful or enthusiastic.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

hola hola is an informal expression. For more formal situations, you should use time-specific greetings: Buenos días (Good morning) from early morning until around noon, Buenas tardes (Good afternoon/evening) from noon until evening or Buenas noches (Good evening/night) after sunset. In other informal settings, you might use Hola, ¿Qué tal? or ¿Cómo estás?

Is it said differently in some regions?

In certain Latin American regions, the slang expression ¿Qué hubo? is a popular way to say "What's up?" to friends and peers. Additionally, some Spanish speakers, especially in Latin America, use the shortened version Buenas as an informal way to say "Good" (from buenos días or buenas tardes).

How do you pronounce it?

/ola ola/

Did you know?

Some linguists have investigated whether hola is related to the Arabic phrase wal-lāh, which means 'by God!' or 'really?'
In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a warm 'hello' is often accompanied by a single cheek kiss or a handshake, even among acquaintances.
The phrase hola hola is frequently used by radio hosts and podcasters in Spanish to create an energetic and welcoming atmosphere for their audience.

Examples in context

Buenos días, señor García. ¿Cómo está usted hoy?
Good morning, Mr. García. How are you today?
¡Hola, Juan! ¿Qué tal?
Hello, Juan! How are you?
¡Hola, María! ¿Qué tal? Hace mucho que no te veo.
Hello, María! How's it going? It's been a while since I last saw you.
¡Hola, Carlos! ¿Cómo estás? ¿Cómo ha sido tu día?
Hello, Carlos! How are you? How has your day been?
¡Hola hola! ¿Cómo estás?
Hello hello! How are you?
Hola hola, ¿qué tal todo?
Hello hello, how is everything?
¡Hola hola! Mucho gusto.
Hello hello! Nice to meet you.

Example conversation

Lucía and Daniel meet at a local cafe.

Lucía

¡Hola hola, Daniel!
Hello hello, Daniel!
Daniel

¡Hola hola, Lucía! ¿Cómo vas?
Hello hello, Lucía! How are you doing?
Lucía

Muy bien, gracias.
Very well, thank you.
Daniel

Me alegro mucho.
I am very glad.

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.

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How to Say “Hello Hello” in Spanish