me alegro de verte
/me aleɡɾo de beɾte/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "it is nice to see you" is expressed as me alegro de verte.
This phrase is a friendly greeting used when meeting someone you already know. For a more enthusiastic expression of this sentiment, you can say qué alegría verte, which means "how happy I am to see you".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase me alegro de verte literally translates to "I rejoice at seeing you".
Which one should you use?
While me alegro de verte is used for people you already know, do not use it when meeting someone for the first time. In that situation, use mucho gusto (nice to meet you) instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the phrase Gusto en verte is used to mean "Pleasure in seeing you". In some Latin American countries, it is common to add amigo or amiga to the expression Qué bueno verte.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase formal, replace the informal verte with the formal verle, resulting in me alegro de verle.
How do you pronounce it?
/me aleɡɾo de beɾte/
Did you know?
- In Spain, the greeting me alegro de verte is frequently accompanied by dos besos, which are two kisses on the cheeks, even between people who are not romantic partners.
- The verb alegrar in me alegro is a reflexive-style construction that means 'to make happy'. Technically, you are saying 'I make myself happy by seeing you'.
- In some contexts, qué bueno verte can be used sarcastically if the person appearing is someone the speaker has been avoiding.
Examples in context
- Buenas tardes, señor Pérez. Es un placer verlo.Good afternoon, Mr. Pérez. It is a pleasure to see you.
- El placer es mío. Me alegra verlo también.The pleasure is mine. It makes me happy to see you as well.
- ¡Hola Juan! Qué gusto verte por aquí nuevamente.Hi Juan! It's great to see you here again.
- ¡Hola María! Me da gusto verte también. ¿Cómo has estado?Hi María! It gives me pleasure to see you as well. How have you been?
- ¡Hola, me alegro de verte!Hi, it is nice to see you!
- Me alegro de verte por aquí.It is nice to see you around here.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María run into each other at a cafe.
- Alejandro¡Hola María! Me alegro de verte.Hi María! It is nice to see you.
- María¡Hola Alejandro! Yo también me alegro de verte.Hi Alejandro! I am glad to see you too.
- Alejandro¿Cómo has estado?How have you been?
- MaríaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
