Which one should you use?
While hola is a standard greeting, it is more informal than using time-specific greetings like buenos días (good morning) or buenas tardes (good afternoon) in formal settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
In written Spanish, an exclamation point is used at both the beginning and the end of the word, as in ¡hola! to indicate emphasis.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
When do people say it?
When greeting someone based on the time of day, you might use buenos días until around midday, buenas tardes from around midday until early evening or buenas noches primarily in the late afternoon or evening. If you want to ask how someone is doing, you can use ¿qué tal? (How are you?) or the informal ¿qué hubo? (What's up? Or How's it going?), the latter of which is mainly heard in coastal regions like Maracaibo.
Did you know?
- The word hola likely comes from an old French expression meaning 'hey! stop!'
- While hola is universal, people in Mexico often pair it with ¿qué onda?, which literally means 'what wave?'
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a greeting like hola is frequently accompanied by a physical gesture, such as a single cheek kiss or a handshake, rather than just words.
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 shows how to use hola when introducing yourself to a group.Tatoeba #1020897 by Shishir, translation #1020895 by CP
- ¡Hola! Soy nuevo aquí.Hi! I'm new here.This example shows how to use hola when stating that you are new.Tatoeba #1666523 by marcelostockle, translation #1654229 by Spamster
- 75 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo pass each other in a hallway.
- María¡Hola, Mateo!Hi, Mateo!
- MateoHola, María. ¿Cómo estás?Hi, María. How are you?
- MaríaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- MateoMe alegro.I'm 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.
