Which one should you use?
While hola is a general greeting, it is more polite to use time-specific greetings like buenos días when entering a shop or meeting someone for the first time during the day. These include buenos días for good morning, buenas tardes for good afternoon and buenas noches for good evening or good night.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hola is appropriate for almost any informal or semi-formal social situation. For more professional environments, you may choose to use time-specific greetings such as buenos días. While buenas noches can be used for both formal and informal settings, hola remains a standard choice for casual interactions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Chile, hola is the most common and versatile way to say hi. You may also encounter the informal Chilean greeting ¿Cómo estai? (a shortened version of ¿Cómo estás?) or the informal ¿Qué tal? which translates to 'What's up?'
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
When do people say it?
In Chile, people often greet each other with a kiss on the right cheek, though in formal settings, it is best to offer a handshake instead.
Did you know?
- The origins of hola may be linked to an Old High German word used specifically to hail ferrymen.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, a greeting like hola is often accompanied by two kisses, one on each cheek, rather than just one.
- In very informal settings, hola is often blended with other words, such as holas or holita to sound more affectionate.
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 demonstrates using hola to introduce yourself to a group.Tatoeba #1020897 by Shishir, translation #1020895 by CP
- ¡Hola! Soy nuevo aquí.Hi! I'm new here.This example shows using hola when stating you are new to a location.Tatoeba #1666523 by marcelostockle, translation #1654229 by Spamster
- 75 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel see each other at a café.
- María¡Hola, Daniel!Hi, Daniel!
- DanielHola, María. ¿Cómo estás?Hi, María. How are you?
- MaríaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- DanielMe 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.
