Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hola | /ˈola/ | |
| holi | /ˈoli/ | familiar |
| holis | /ˈolis/ |
While this is a general greeting, you might also use time-specific greetings such as Buenos días for Good morning, Buenas tardes for Good afternoon or Buenas noches for Good evening or night. If you are meeting someone for the first time in a formal setting, you can say Mucho gusto to mean Nice to meet you. For an informal way to ask how someone is doing, you can use ¿Cómo estás?
Which one should you use?
While hola is the standard greeting, holi and holis serve as more casual, slangy variations used in specific contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The forms holi and holis are informal. holi is a cute or diminutive way to say hello often used among close friends or in texting, and holis is a slangy, highly informal variation primarily used in casual digital communication.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Uruguay, ¡Hola! is the standard way to say hello across both formal and informal contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
Did you know?
- While English uses 'hello' for both greetings and answering the phone, Spanish speakers often use ¿Dígame? or ¿Aló? instead of hola when picking up a call.
- Depending on the country, a greeting like hola might be followed by a 'double kiss' on both cheeks, while others only use one.
- The word hola might actually trace its roots back to an old command used to halt someone, such as the French expression holà meaning 'hey, stop!'
Examples in context
- Dile hola a Jimmy.Say hello to Jimmy.This sentence shows how to use hola to direct a greeting to someone.Tatoeba #1240331 by Shishir, translation #53376 by CP
- Tom nunca dice hola.Tom never says hello.This sentence illustrates the use of 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 demonstrates using hola when greeting a group of people.Tatoeba #741281 by Shishir, translation #70346 by CK
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and María meet at a café.
- DanielHola, María. ¿Cómo estás?Hello, María. How are you?
- MaríaHola, Daniel. Estoy muy bien.Hello, Daniel. I am very well.
- Daniel¿Quieres tomar un café?Do you want to have a coffee?
- MaríaSí, me encantaría.Yes, I would love to.
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.
