Hola
neutral
Hola is already the right greeting for a guy. It has no masculine or feminine form, so you say it the same way to a man or a woman. It is also called Hola, amigo and Hola, ¿cómo estás?
Meaning: hello, said to a male friend or acquaintance (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| Hola | neutral |
| Hola, amigo | friendly |
| Hola, ¿cómo estás? | friendly |
To make it personal for a guy, add his name or amigo, for example Hola, Daniel. To ask how he is, add ¿cómo estás?
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
With a man you do not know well you can say Hola, buenos días and use señor. With a friend, Hola alone is enough.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it like "OH-la" with the h silent.
Did you know?
- The Spanish h is one of the few silent letters in the language, which is why hola starts with a vowel sound.
Examples in context
- Hola, Daniel.Hello, Daniel.
- Hola, amigo, ¿cómo estás?Hello, my friend, how are you?
- Hola, señor, buenos días.Hello, sir, good morning.
Example conversation
Nuria meets her new classmate Hugo on the first day of class.
- NuriaHola, soy Nuria.Hello, I am Nuria.
- HugoHola, Nuria. Yo soy Hugo.Hello, Nuria. I am Hugo.
- NuriaMucho gusto, Hugo.Nice to meet you, Hugo.
