hola
/ˈola/
The English phrase "hi" is translated into Spanish as hola.
hola is the most common and versatile word for "hi" in Spanish. It can be used in both formal and casual situations. You might also encounter the phrase ¡Hola, qué tal?, which translates to "Hi, how are you?" and is commonly used among friends and acquaintances.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce the 'h' in hola as an aspirated sound like in the English word 'hot'.
Did you know?
- While hola is a friendly greeting today, its ancestors were actually commands used to stop someone or hail a ferryman.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a verbal hola is often accompanied by a single cheek kiss or a touch of the cheeks, even between casual acquaintances.
- While hola is common, some Spanish speakers use buenas as a shorthand greeting that works for 'morning', 'afternoon' and 'evening'.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás?Hi! How are you?Tatoeba #535238 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- Hola chicos, soy Mike.Hi guys, I'm Mike.Tatoeba #1020897 by Shishir, translation #1020895 by CP
- ¡Hola! Soy nuevo aquí.Hi! I'm new here.Tatoeba #1666523 by marcelostockle, translation #1654229 by Spamster
- 75 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo meet in the street.
- Lucía¡Hola, Mateo!Hi, Mateo!
- MateoHola, Lucía. ¿Cómo estás?Hi, Lucía. How are you?
- LucíaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- MateoMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hi” translations and entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
