Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hola | /ˈola/ | |
| holi | /ˈoli/ | familiar |
| holis | /ˈolis/ |
hola is the standard greeting used to say hello in almost any situation. While it is a general greeting, you might choose more specific greetings based on the time of day, such as Buenos días for good morning, Buenas tardes for the period between midday and early evening or Buenas noches for the time from sunset until late hours.
Which one should you use?
hola is the standard, versatile greeting. In contrast, holi and holis are strictly reserved for very casual, youthful or affectionate contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
hola can be used in both formal and informal situations. However, holi is a cute or highly informal way to say hello, often used in texting or among close friends and holis is a playful, slangy variation used primarily in casual digital communication.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the informal phrase ¿Qué tal? is a common way to greet someone. In Costa Rica, ¡Pura vida! is a widely used expression that serves as a greeting.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈola/
When do people say it?
In many casual settings among friends, you might hear the informal phrase ¡Qué onda!, which is used to ask how things are going.
Did you know?
- The word hola shares an unlikely linguistic ancestor with the Old High German word holōn, which was used specifically to hail a ferryman.
- While hola is the standard greeting, the phrase ¡Pura vida! in Costa Rica is used as a greeting and a philosophy of life meaning 'pure life'.
- In Spain, the phrase ¿Qué tal? is so common that it is often used as a standalone greeting without the speaker actually expecting a detailed answer about the person's wellbeing.
Examples in context
- Dile hola a Jimmy.Say hello to Jimmy.This sentence shows how to use hola when telling someone to say hello to a third party.Tatoeba #1240331 by Shishir, translation #53376 by CP
- Tom nunca dice hola.Tom never says hello.This sentence illustrates the use of hola in a negative context regarding someone's habits.Tatoeba #5939755 by arh, translation #5939656 by CK
- Di hola a tus amigos.Say hello to your friends.This sentence demonstrates using hola when addressing a group of friends.Tatoeba #741281 by Shishir, translation #70346 by CK
- Hola, señor García. ¿Cómo está usted?Hello, Mr. García. How are you?
- Buenos días, señora Rodríguez. ¿Tiene usted algún plan para hoy?Good morning, Mrs. Rodríguez. Do you have any plans for today?
- Buenas tardes, señor Martínez. ¿Cómo le va en el trabajo?Good afternoon, Mr. Martínez. How is work treating you?
- Buenas noches, señorita López. ¿Ha disfrutado de su día?Good evening, Miss López. Have you enjoyed your day?
- ¡Qué onda, amigo! ¿Vamos a jugar fútbol hoy?What's up, buddy! Are we playing soccer today?
- ¡Saludos a todos! ¿Cómo ha estado el día?Greetings, everyone! How has your day been?
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? ¿Cómo ha ido todo?Hey! How are you? How's everything going?
- ¿Hola, cómo estás vos? ¿Todo bien?Hey, how are you? Everything good?
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo meet at a cafe.
- Elena¡Hola, Mateo!Hello, Mateo!
- MateoHola, Elena. ¿Cómo estás?Hello, Elena. How are you?
- ElenaEstoy muy bien, gracias.I am very well, thank you.
- MateoQué bueno verte aquí.It is good to see you here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries hola, holi, holis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hola, holis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
