Hola
[ˈo̞.lə]
The Catalan phrase Hola means hello.
Hola is a common greeting used to say hello to someone. You might also encounter the full phrase Hola, com estàs?, which is equivalent to the English "Hello, how are you?" or the informal question Què tal?, meaning "How is it going?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Catalonia, such as Barcelona, the interjection Ei! is used as a casual greeting meaning "Hey!" or "Hi!"
Did you know?
- The Catalan word Hola is borrowed from Spanish, rather than being a direct evolution from Latin like many other basic Catalan words.
- In some traditional rural areas, a common response to a greeting is not another greeting, but a comment on the weather or the harvest.
- While 'Hola' is used throughout Catalonia, people in the Valencian Community often prefer using 'Bon dia' even for informal greetings, as the habit of starting with 'Hola' is less culturally ingrained there.
Examples in context
- Bon dia, senyor García. Com es troba avui?Good morning, Mr. García. How are you today?
- Hola Maria! Com va tot?Hello Maria! How's everything going?
- Hola Jordi, com estàs? T'he trobat a faltar!Hello Jordi, how are you? I missed you!
- Què tal, Laura? Com ha anat el teu dia?How is it going, Laura? How was your day?
- Hola, com va tot?Hello, how is everything going?
- Hola, bona tarda!Hello, good afternoon!
- Hola a tots!Hello to everyone!
Example conversation
Aleix and Júlia meet in a local park.
- AleixHola, Júlia!Hello, Júlia!
- JúliaHola, Aleix. Com estàs?Hello, Aleix. How are you?
- AleixMolt bé, gràcies.Very well, thanks.
- JúliaEm alegro molt!I am very glad!
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry hola.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
