Hola
casual, Nicaragua
To say a quick "hi" in Nicaragua, use Hola or the shorter Buenas. Friends add ¿Qué hubo? or ¿Cómo andás?
Meaning: casual greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| Hola | casual, Nicaragua |
| Buenas | casual |
| ¿Qué hubo? | informal |
Buenas works at any time of day, which makes it handy when you are not sure whether to say morning, afternoon or evening.
Which one should you use?
The voseo shows up in the verb: friends say ¿Cómo andás? where other regions say ¿Cómo andas?
How does it change in a sentence?
Andás is the voseo form of andar, with the stress on the last syllable.
Did you know?
- The voseo form vos replaces tú in daily speech in Nicaragua, even in the media.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo andás?Hi, how are you doing?
- Buenas, Pedro.Hi, Pedro.
- ¿Qué hubo, chavalo?Hey, kid, what's up?
Example conversation
Classmates Luisa and Gerardo meet at the school gate in Chinandega.
- LuisaHola, Gerardo. ¿Cómo andás?Hi, Gerardo. How are you doing?
- GerardoBien, ¿y vos?Fine, and you?
- LuisaBien, vamos a clase.Fine, let us go to class.
