Hola
everyday
In Chile people say Hola to greet someone. Friends often follow with ¿Cómo estai?, a Chilean form of "how are you?" It is also called Buenas.
Meaning: greeting (interjection)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| Hola | everyday |
| Buenas | short, informal |
| ¿Cómo estai? | informal, Chile |
With a stranger, a coworker or an older person, use buenos días or buenas tardes and the formal ¿cómo está usted?
How does it change in a sentence?
Chilean informal speech has its own verb ending: tú estai, tú tenís and tú querís, in place of estás, tienes and quieres.
Did you know?
- The informal verb ending -ai in Chile is a form of voseo that mixes with the pronoun tú.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo estai?Hello, how are you?
- Buenas tardes, señor.Good afternoon, sir.
Example conversation
Javiera arrives at a friend's house in Santiago.
- JavieraHola, Camila. ¿Cómo estai?Hi, Camila. How are you?
- CamilaBien, ¿y tú?Fine, and you?
- JavieraTodo bien, gracias.All good, thanks.
