hola
/ˈola/
The English word "hi" is translated into Spanish as hola.
hola is a friendly, informal greeting.
Meaning: friendly, informal greeting (intj)
Which one should you use?
While hola is a general greeting, it is more informal than using Buenos días (good morning) or Buenas tardes (good afternoon) in formal settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Latin American countries, the informal greeting ¿Qué tal? can be modified to ¿Cómo andas?
How does it change in a sentence?
In written Spanish, an exclamation mark is placed at both the beginning and the end of the interjection.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
Did you know?
- Some linguists have explored a possible connection between hola and the Arabic phrase 'wal-lāh', which means 'by God!'
- While hola is universal, some regions use '¿Qué onda?' to mean 'hi' or 'what is up', literally translating to 'what wave'.
- The spelling of hola is counterintuitive to many learners because the 'h' is silent, making the pronunciation identical to the word 'ola', which means 'wave' in the ocean.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás?Hi! How are you?This example shows how to use hola when asking how someone is.Tatoeba #535238 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- Hola chicos, soy Mike.Hi guys, I'm Mike.This example shows how to use hola when introducing yourself to a group.Tatoeba #1020897 by Shishir, translation #1020895 by CP
- ¡Hola! Soy nuevo aquí.Hi! I'm new here.This example shows how to use hola to state that you are new.Tatoeba #1666523 by marcelostockle, translation #1654229 by Spamster
- Hola, señor Rodríguez, ¿cómo está?Hello, Mr. Rodríguez, how are you?
- Buenas tardes, Profesora García, ¿cómo está usted?Good afternoon, Professor García, how are you?
- Hola, Juan, ¿cómo estás?Hi, Juan, how are you?
- ¿Qué tal, María?Hi, María. How are you?
- 75 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía meet at a local cafe.
- Mateo¡Hola, Lucía!Hi, Lucía!
- LucíaHola, Mateo. ¿Cómo vas?Hi, Mateo. How is it going?
- MateoTodo bien, gracias.Everything is good, thanks.
- LucíaMe 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.
