Hola
neutral
In Dominican Spanish a casual "hi" is Hola, and with friends ¿Qué lo qué? Buenas also works at any hour.
Meaning: casual greeting (interjection)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| Hola | neutral |
| Buenas | casual |
| ¿Qué lo qué? | slang, Dominican |
Friends often follow the hi with ¿Cómo tú estás? (how are you), keeping the word order casual.
How do you pronounce it?
In fast Dominican speech the final s of words like buenas is often soft or dropped, so Buenas sounds like "buena".
Did you know?
- The soft s at the end of syllables is one of the most noticeable features of Dominican pronunciation.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo tú estás?Hi, how are you?
- ¿Qué lo qué, Maribel?Hi, Maribel, what is up?
- Buenas, ¿todo bien?Hi, all good?
Example conversation
Maribel greets a classmate in Santiago.
- MaribelHola, Carlos. ¿Cómo tú estás?Hi, Carlos. How are you?
- CarlosBien, ¿y tú?Fine, and you?
- MaribelTambién bien.Also fine.
