hola María
/ola maɾia/from spelling rules
Hi Maria in Spanish is hola María.
This phrase is a friendly greeting used to say hello to a person named Maria. Use Buenos días, María. when meeting Maria early in the day, usually until midday.
Which one should you use?
Buenas is a shortened version of Buenas tardes or Buenas noches but is used regardless of the time of day.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¡Hola, María! is an informal way to say "Hi, Maria!"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, Buenas may be used to say "Good morning" instead of Buenos días.
How does it change in a sentence?
In written Spanish, a greeting like this is often accompanied by an inverted exclamation mark at the beginning of the sentence, such as ¡Hola, María!
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking contexts, the name María is used as a slang clipping for the word marihuana.
- The word hola might have originated from the French expression holà, which was used to command someone to 'stop!' rather than to greet them.
- While English speakers use a kiss on both cheeks or a handshake, a greeting like hola María in Spain is often accompanied by two kisses, one on each cheek.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, María.Good morning, Maria.
- ¡Hola, María!Hi, Maria!
- ¿Qué tal, María?How are you? or What's up, Maria?
- Buenos días, María. ¿Cómo está hoy?Good morning, Maria. How are you today?
- ¡Hola, María! ¿Qué tal tu día?Hi, Maria! How's your day going?
- Hola María, ¿cómo estás?Hi Maria, how are you?
- Hola María, mucho gusto.Hi Maria, nice to meet you.
- ¡Hola María! ¿Qué tal todo?Hi Maria! How is everything?
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are greeting their friend Maria at a cafe.
- ElenaHola María, ¿ya pediste tu café?Hi Maria, did you already order your coffee?
- MateoTodavía no, Elena. Acabo de llegar.Not yet, Elena. I just arrived.
- ElenaPerfecto, Mateo y yo te esperábamos.Perfect, Mateo and I were waiting for you.
- MateoGracias por esperarme.Thanks for waiting for me.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries María, hola, maría, CC BY-SA 4.0.
