hola
/ˈola/
In Spanish, hi hello is said as hola.
hola is a common greeting used to say hello to someone.
Which one should you use?
While hola is a general greeting used at any time, buenos días is a more specific, polite greeting used specifically in the morning.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hola is a versatile greeting that can be used in both informal and neutral settings. If you want to be more formal or specific, you can use Buenos días for Good morning or Buenas tardes for Good afternoon. In much more informal situations, you might use ¡Buenas!, ¿Qué onda? or ¿Qué tal?
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin American countries, ¿Cómo va? is a common way to say How's it going? In some Central American countries, you may hear ¿Qué hubo? to mean What's up or What happened? In Spain, ¡Buenas! is often used to mean Good day or Greetings.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a greeting like hola is often accompanied by a physical gesture, such as a single kiss on the cheek or two alternating kisses in Spain.
- The word hola may have originated from a phrase used to hail ferrymen to fetch a boat. It is likely related to the French holà which was used as a command to stop.
- Depending on the region, greetings like ¿Qué onda? can shift meaning. In Mexico, it literally asks about a 'wave' but functions as 'What's up?'
Examples in context
- Hola, señor Cruz. ¿Cómo ha sido su día?Hello, Mr. Cruz. How has your day been?
- ¡Buenas! ¿Cómo va todo?Hey! How's everything going?
- ¿Qué onda, compa? ¿Vamos al cine esta tarde?What's up, buddy? Shall we go to the movies this afternoon?
- Saludos, chicos. ¡Qué bueno verlos nuevamente!Greetings, guys. Great to see you again!
- ¡Hola, amigo! ¿Cómo va todo por allá?Hi, friend! How's everything going over there?
- ¿Qué hubo, pana? Hace tiempo que no nos vemos.What's up, buddy? Long time no see.
- ¡Buen día, compañero! ¿Cómo va eso?Good day, mate! How's it going?
- Hola, ¿cómo estás?Hi, how are you?
- ¡Hola! Buenos días.Hello! Good morning.
- Hola a todos.Hello to everyone.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena meet at a cafe.
- JavierHola, Elena.Hi, Elena.
- Elena¡Hola, Javier! ¿Qué tal?Hello, Javier! How's it going?
- JavierMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- ElenaMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hola, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
