Which one should you use?
For a more casual greeting, you can use ¿Qué tal? (What's up?) or ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?) among friends. In certain regions, other variations exist, such as the slang ¿Qué onda? (What's up?) used primarily in Mexico. In Spain and parts of Latin America, you might also hear the casual shortened version ¡Buenas!
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, speakers often use ¿Cómo andas? instead of ¿Cómo estás? to greet friends or acquaintances.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly pronounce the 'h' in hola as if it were in the English word 'hot'.
When do people say it?
In many Spanish-speaking contexts, greetings change based on the time of day. If you are greeting someone in the morning, you would say Buenos días, whereas Buenas tardes is used from midday until the evening. At night, or when leaving someone in the evening, Buenas noches is the appropriate phrase.
Did you know?
- The word hola might actually be a descendant of the French expression holà, which was originally used to command someone to 'stop!' rather than to greet them.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a greeting like hola is often accompanied by a physical gesture, such as a single kiss on the cheek or a light touch of the cheeks.
- If you use hola in a very formal setting, such as with a judge or a high official, it can sometimes be perceived as overly blunt or lacking in respect.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás?Hi! How are you?This sentence 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 sentence demonstrates using hola to introduce yourself to a group.Tatoeba #1020897 by Shishir, translation #1020895 by CP
- ¡Hola! Soy nuevo aquí.Hi! I'm new here.This sentence illustrates using hola when stating you are new to a place.Tatoeba #1666523 by marcelostockle, translation #1654229 by Spamster
- ¡Hola, amigos!Hello, friends!
- ¡Hola, María! ¿Cómo estás?Hi, María! How are you?
- 75 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel meet at a cafe.
- Lucía¡Hola, Daniel!Hi, Daniel!
- Daniel¡Hola, Lucía! ¿Cómo vas?Hi, Lucía! How is it going?
- LucíaTodo bien, gracias.Everything is good, thanks.
- DanielQué bueno verte.It's good to see you.
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.
