Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hola | /ˈola/ | |
| holi | /ˈoli/ | familiar |
| holis | /ˈolis/ |
The most common way to say hello in Spanish is hola. Other ways to greet people depending on the time of day include the formal Buenos días for "good morning", Buenas tardes for "good afternoon" and Buenas noches for "good evening" or "good night".
Which one should you use?
While hola is the standard greeting, holi and holis are much more informal and are typically used among close friends or in casual text messaging.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
holi is a cute or diminutive-style version used in very casual settings, and holis is a playful, slangy variation often used in informal digital communication or among young people.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
When do people say it?
To give a greeting a friendly and enthusiastic touch, you can add extra "a's" to create ¡Holaaa! For informal ways to ask how someone is doing, you can use ¿Qué tal?, ¿Cómo estás? or ¿Cómo te va?
Did you know?
- The word hola may have originally functioned as a command to 'stop' or 'hey there' rather than a polite greeting, much like the French 'holà'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying hola is often accompanied by one or two kisses on the cheeks between women or between men and women.
- The silent h in hola is a remnant of the language's evolution, as the letter h is not pronounced at the start of words in modern Spanish.
Examples in context
- Dile hola a Jimmy.Say hello to Jimmy.This sentence is useful for learning how to tell someone to say hola to a third person.Tatoeba #1240331 by Shishir, translation #53376 by CP
- Tom nunca dice hola.Tom never says hello.This sentence shows how to use hola in a negative context.Tatoeba #5939755 by arh, translation #5939656 by CK
- Di hola a tus amigos.Say hello to your friends.This sentence is useful for practicing how to say hola to a group of friends.Tatoeba #741281 by Shishir, translation #70346 by CK
- Buenos días, señor.Good morning, sir.
- Buenos días. ¿En qué puedo ayudarlo?Good morning. How can I assist you?
- ¡Hola! Todo bien, ¿y tú?Hello! All good, and you?
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía meet in a park.
- Mateo¡Hola, Sofía!Hello, Sofía!
- SofíaHola, Mateo. ¿Cómo vas?Hello, Mateo. How are you doing?
- MateoMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- SofíaMe alegra mucho.I am very glad.
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.
