Which one should you use?
While saludar is the standard way to say greet or say hello, it is considered more formal than the colloquial method of saying 'say hi', which might involve using decir hola.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The informal greeting ¿Qué tal? (How's it going? Or What's up?) is commonly used in both Spain and Latin America. In some regions, the informal ¡Hey! ¿Cómo andas? is used to say 'Hey! How are you doing?'
How does it change in a sentence?
The first-person singular preterite form (past tense) of saludar is saludé (I said hello), and the gerund form is saludando (saying hello).
How do you pronounce it?
/saluˈdaɾ/
When do people say it?
Spanish speakers use different greetings depending on the time of day: Buenos días (good morning) is used until around noon, Buenas tardes (good afternoon) is used from early afternoon until sunset and Buenas noches (good evening or good night) is used once the sun sets.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, it is customary to saludar every single person individually in a group by shaking hands or kissing cheeks, rather than giving one general greeting to the room.
- The verb saludar shares its roots with the English word 'salute'. Both come from the Latin 'salus', which originally referred to health and well-being.
- While 'saludar' is the formal way to express the action, in many Latin American countries, people might simply say echar un saludo to mean 'to send a greeting' or 'to say hi' to someone indirectly.
Examples in context
- Hola, señor García. ¿Cómo está usted?Hello, Mr. García. How are you?
- Buenos días, señora González.Good morning, Mrs. González.
- Buenas tardes, señor Martínez.Good afternoon, Mr. Martínez.
- Buenas noches, señorita López.Good evening, Miss López.
- ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás, Juan?Hi! How are you, Juan?
- ¿Qué tal, María?What's up, María?
- ¡Hey! ¿Cómo andas?Hey! How are you doing?
- Debes saludar a los vecinos.You should say hello to the neighbors.
- Es cortés saludar al entrar.It is polite to say hello when entering.
- No olvides saludar a la profesora.Don't forget to say hello to the teacher.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are at a social gathering.
- DanielMaría, ve a saludar a los invitados.María, go say hello to the guests.
- MaríaEstá bien, iré ahora mismo.Okay, I will go right now.
- DanielGracias, sé muy amable con ellos.Thank you, be very kind to them.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, Daniel.Don't worry, Daniel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry saludar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries saludar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
