What's the most common Spanish greeting?

Hola is the most common, used in any situation. Followed by ¿Cómo estás? (informal) or ¿Cómo está usted? (formal). For informal contexts, regional alternatives include ¿Qué tal? (Spain), ¿Qué onda? (Mexico).

When do I use buenos días vs. buenas tardes vs. buenas noches?

Buenos días = until noon. Buenas tardes = noon to sunset (about 7-8 PM). Buenas noches = after sunset (also means goodnight when leaving / going to bed).

What are regional informal greetings?

Spain: ¿Qué tal? Mexico: ¿Qué onda? Cuba: ¿Qué bola? Colombia: ¿Qué más? Argentina: ¿Cómo andas? All mean roughly 'what's up?' and identify the region of origin.

How can I sound more natural when greeting in Spanish?

Don't stop at hola - add a follow-up question (¿cómo estás?). Match the region (informal greetings vary by country). Add time-of-day in formal contexts. Use mucho gusto for first meetings. Parrot's videos show real native greetings in context.

Spanish grammar · Beginner

How to Say Hello in Spanish: All Greetings Explained

Written by Sofia Ramirez, Lead Spanish Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Hola is the universal hello in Spanish. Beyond hola, Spanish has time-specific greetings (buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches) and regional informal greetings (¿qué tal?, ¿qué onda?, ¿qué pasa?, ¿qué bola?).

¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?

Hi! How are you?

What it is

Hola is the basic, universal hello in Spanish, used in all contexts (formal and informal, day and night). Beyond hola, Spanish has time-of-day greetings (buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches) and many regional informal greetings.

Hola is the foundation. Add time-of-day: Hola, buenos días (Hello, good morning). Add a question: Hola, ¿cómo estás? (Hi, how are you?).

How to spot it

Universal: hola. Time-of-day: buenos días (morning), buenas tardes (afternoon), buenas noches (evening / night). Informal regional: ¿qué tal? (Spain), ¿qué onda? (Mexico), ¿qué pasa?, ¿qué bola? (Cuba), ¿qué más? (Colombia).

¡Hola! — Hi!
Buenos días. — Good morning.
¿Qué tal? — What's up? (Spain)

Hola works in any situation. Add a time-of-day or follow-up question to sound more natural.

How to Say Hello in Spanish Quick Reference

Spanish greetings by context

Greeting	Meaning	When to Use
Hola	Hi / Hello	Universal, any context
Buenos días	Good morning	Until noon
Buenas tardes	Good afternoon	Noon to sunset
Buenas noches	Good evening / night	After sunset (also goodnight)
¿Cómo estás?	How are you?	Informal follow-up
¿Cómo está usted?	How are you?	Formal follow-up
¿Qué tal?	What's up?	Informal (Spain especially)
¿Qué onda?	What's up?	Informal (Mexico)
¿Qué pasa?	What's happening?	Informal (many regions)

Common How to Say Hello in Spanish Examples in Spanish

Spanish greetings in context:

Universal: Hola

¡Hola!: Hi!
Hola, ¿cómo estás?: Hi, how are you?
Hola, buenos días.: Hi, good morning.
Hola a todos.: Hello, everyone.

Hola works in any situation: formal, informal, day, night, with strangers, with friends. The safe default.

Time-of-Day Greetings

Buenos días.: Good morning. (until noon)
Buenas tardes.: Good afternoon. (noon to sunset)
Buenas noches.: Good evening / night. (after sunset)
Buen día. (Argentina): Good day.

Use buenos días (plural) until noon. Buenas tardes (plural) afternoon. Buenas noches at night / before bed (also = goodnight).

Informal Regional Greetings

¿Qué tal? (Spain): What's up?
¿Qué onda? (Mexico): What's up?
¿Qué bola? (Cuba): What's up?
¿Qué más? (Colombia): What's up?
¿Cómo andas? (Argentina): How are you doing?

Each region has its own informal greeting. Locals recognize you're from elsewhere if you use the 'wrong' one.

Formal Greetings

Buenos días, señor / señora.: Good morning, sir / ma'am.
Mucho gusto.: Pleased to meet you.
Encantado / encantada.: Charmed (pleased to meet you).
Es un placer conocerte.: It's a pleasure to meet you.

For formal first meetings, add señor / señora and use mucho gusto / encantado.

How to Greet in Spanish

Hola Is Universal

Hola works in any context: formal, informal, day, night, strangers, friends. The safe default for any greeting situation.

¡Hola!

Hi!

Default to hola.

Add Time-of-Day for Politeness

Buenos días (morning), buenas tardes (afternoon), buenas noches (evening / night). Plural form is standard. Singular buen día is used in some regions (Argentina).

Buenos días. Buenas tardes. Buenas noches.

Good morning / afternoon / evening.

Plural is standard.

Follow Up With a Question

Always follow hola with a question: ¿Cómo estás? (informal), ¿Cómo está usted? (formal), ¿Qué tal?, ¿Qué onda?. Greeting without a question feels abrupt.

Hola, ¿cómo estás?

Hi, how are you?

Always follow with a question.

Pick Region-Appropriate Greetings

Each region has informal greetings: ¿Qué tal? (Spain), ¿Qué onda? (Mexico), ¿Qué bola? (Cuba), ¿Qué más? (Colombia). Using a local greeting shows cultural fit.

Different regions, different greetings.

Region-specific informal greetings.

Match the region.

Common Mistakes with How to Say Hello in Spanish

Incorrect: Buen día. (in Spain) — Good morning.

Correct: Buenos días. — Good morning.

Standard Spanish uses plural buenos días. Buen día is used in Argentina, less common elsewhere. In Spain or most LatAm, use buenos días.

Incorrect: Hola, ¿cómo está? (to a close friend) — Hi, how are you?

Correct: Hola, ¿cómo estás? — Hi, how are you?

With close friends, use tú form (estás), not usted (está). Usted is formal / professional / for strangers / elders.

How to Say Hello in Spanish FAQs

How do you say hello in Spanish?: Hola is the universal greeting (any context, any time). Add time-of-day for politeness: buenos días (morning), buenas tardes (afternoon), buenas noches (evening). Follow with a question: ¿cómo estás?
What's the most common Spanish greeting?: Hola is the most common, used in any situation. Followed by ¿Cómo estás? (informal) or ¿Cómo está usted? (formal). For informal contexts, regional alternatives include ¿Qué tal? (Spain), ¿Qué onda? (Mexico).
When do I use buenos días vs. buenas tardes vs. buenas noches?: Buenos días = until noon. Buenas tardes = noon to sunset (about 7-8 PM). Buenas noches = after sunset (also means goodnight when leaving / going to bed).
What are regional informal greetings?: Spain: ¿Qué tal? Mexico: ¿Qué onda? Cuba: ¿Qué bola? Colombia: ¿Qué más? Argentina: ¿Cómo andas? All mean roughly 'what's up?' and identify the region of origin.
How can I sound more natural when greeting in Spanish?: Don't stop at hola - add a follow-up question (¿cómo estás?). Match the region (informal greetings vary by country). Add time-of-day in formal contexts. Use mucho gusto for first meetings. Parrot's videos show real native greetings in context.