Hola
casual, Panama
A quick "hi" in Panama is Hola or Buenas. With friends, ¿Qué xopá? is the slang version.
Meaning: casual greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| Hola | casual, Panama |
| Buenas | casual |
| ¿Qué xopá? | slang, Panama |
Buenas works at any time of day when you pass someone. A short Hola is fine in shops, at school and at work.
Which one should you use?
Panamanians keep the informal tú form, so a friend asks ¿Cómo estás? and not the voseo forms of Nicaragua or Argentina.
How does it change in a sentence?
Estás is the tú form of estar, the form most people in Panama use with friends.
Did you know?
- The letter h has no sound in Spanish, so hola sounds like "OH-la" in Panama too.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿qué tal?Hi, how is it going?
- Buenas, ¿cómo estás?Hi, how are you?
- ¿Qué xopá, compa?What's up, pal?
Example conversation
Classmates Diana and Omar greet each other at school in Santiago.
- DianaHola, Omar. ¿Cómo estás?Hi, Omar. How are you?
- OmarBien, ¿y tú?Fine, and you?
- DianaBien, vamos a clase.Fine, let us go to class.
