Hola
everyday, informal
To greet a guy casually, Hola always works. Friends also say ¿Qué tal?, and in Mexico ¿Qué onda? is very common.
Meaning: casual greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| Hola | everyday, informal |
| ¿Qué tal? | casual |
| ¿Qué onda? | slang, Mexico |
The greeting itself does not change with the person, since Spanish hola has no masculine or feminine form. What changes is the word you add, such as a name or a nickname.
Which one should you use?
Adding amigo or hermano makes it warmer, as in Hola, amigo. For a woman you would say amiga. With a stranger a plain Hola or Buenas is safer than slang.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Spain often uses tío among young friends, as in Hola, tío. Argentina uses che, as in Hola, che.
Did you know?
- In Mexico güey is a very casual word for "dude" among friends, and it can be rude with people you do not know.
Examples in context
- Hola, amigo.Hi, friend.
- ¿Qué tal, Javier?How is it going, Javier?
- ¿Qué onda, güey?What is up, dude?
Example conversation
Diego runs into his friend Mateo outside a cafe.
- DiegoHola, Mateo. ¿Qué tal?Hi, Mateo. How is it going?
- MateoHola, Diego. Todo bien, ¿y tú?Hi, Diego. All good, and you?
- DiegoBien también. ¿Tomamos un café?Good too. Shall we have a coffee?
