hola
The English phrase "hi" is translated into Spanish as hola.
hola is a common informal greeting used to say hello to someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
In written Spanish, an exclamation mark is used at both the beginning and the end of the greeting, such as in ¡Hola!
Did you know?
- Despite its use as a friendly greeting, hola is not used when answering the telephone in Spain, where people traditionally answer with ¿dígame? or ¿sí?
- In some Latin American countries, it is customary to accompany the spoken hola with a single kiss on the right cheek, even between people who have just met.
- If you are typing a message, omitting the opening exclamation mark in ¡hola! is a common mistake even among native speakers, though it is grammatically required.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo estás?Hi, how are you?
- Hola, ¿qué tal todo?Hi, how is everything?
- Hola, mucho gusto.Hi, nice to meet you.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier meet at a local coffee shop.
- SofíaHola, Javier.Hi, Javier.
- JavierHola, Sofía. ¿Cómo vas?Hi, Sofía. How is it going?
- SofíaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- JavierMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
