How to Say "Hello Sweetie" in Spanish

hola, cariño

/ˈola kaˈɾiɲo/word by word

The English phrase "hello sweetie" can be translated into Spanish as hola, cariño.

You use hola, cariño as an informal greeting for someone you care about. Other common informal ways to express similar sentiments include Hola cielo (Hello, darling/sweetie), Hola preciosa or Hola precioso (hello beautiful/handsome) and ¿Qué pasa, mi vida? (What's up, my love?). You might also use the word querida(o) to mean "darling."

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase consists of hola, which means "hello" and cariño. While cariño literally means "affection" or "care", it is used as a noun here to mean "dear" or "darling".

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

hola, cariño is an informal phrase. It should only be used with people you are close to, such as partners, family members or very close friends.

How does it change in a sentence?

Although cariño is a masculine noun, it is used as a term of endearment for both men and women. When addressing a woman, you may still use hola, cariño, though some speakers also use hola, cariñito or hola, mi amor.

How do you pronounce it?

/ˈola kaˈɾiɲo/

When do people say it?

In Spanish, it is common to use various terms of endearment when greeting loved ones. For example, saying hola, cielo literally translates to "hello, sky/heaven" and is a frequent way to say "hello sweetie" or "hello, darling".

Did you know?

The word hola likely evolved from a phrase used to hail ferrymen in Old High German, where it meant 'fetch' or 'stop'.
Spanish has a wide variety of 'food-based' terms of endearment, such as bombón (marshmallow or chocolate candy), used similarly to 'sweetie'.
In some regions, the term cariño is used by strangers, such as shopkeepers or waiters, to address customers in a friendly and welcoming way.

Examples in context

Hola cariño, ¿cómo estás?
Hello sweetheart, how are you?
¡Hola cielo! ¿Cómo te encuentras hoy?
Hello sweetie! How are you today?
Hola preciosa, ¿qué has estado haciendo?
Hello beautiful, what have you been up to?
¿Qué pasa, mi vida? ¿Quieres salir a tomar un café?
What's up, my love? Do you want to go out for a coffee?
Hola nena, ¿me prestas tu bicicleta?
Hello sweetie, can I borrow your bike?
Hola, cariño, ¿cómo estás?
Hello sweetie, how are you?
Hola, cariño, ¿dormiste bien?
Hello sweetie, did you sleep well?
¡Hola, cariño! Te extrañé mucho.
Hello sweetie! I missed you a lot.

Example conversation

Sofía greets Daniel when he arrives home from work.

Sofía

Hola, cariño, bienvenido a casa.
Hello sweetie, welcome home.
Daniel

Gracias, Sofía. ¿Qué tal tu día?
Thanks, Sofia. How was your day?
Sofía

Ha sido un día muy largo.
It has been a very long day.
Daniel

Ven, descansa un poco conmigo.
Come, rest a little with me.

Sources

IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (hola, cariño) and can differ in connected speech.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries cariño, hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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How to Say “Hello Sweetie” in Spanish