Greetings (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Spanish greetings
Learning how to greet people properly is essential when starting to speak Spanish. While many students know "hola", Spanish speakers use many different greeting expressions depending on the time of day, level of formality, and social situation.
Time-based greetings
Spanish speakers often use different greetings depending on what time of day it is. These expressions work both for saying hello when you arrive and goodbye when you leave.
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos días | Good morning | Morning until around 2pm |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon | Afternoon until evening |
| Buenas noches | Good evening/Good night | Evening and night |
| Buenas | Hello/Goodbye (casual) | Any time (informal) |
| Muy buenas | Hello/Goodbye (casual) | Any time (informal) |
Worked Example: Time-based Greeting Conversations
Morning scenario:
- ¡Buenos días, señora García! = Good morning, Mrs García!
Afternoon scenario:
- Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está usted? = Good afternoon, how are you?
Evening scenario:
- ¡Buenas noches y hasta mañana! = Good night and see you tomorrow!
Casual scenario:
- ¡Muy buenas! ¿Qué tal? = Hello there! How's it going?
Grammar note: Notice that "buenos" is masculine (used with "días") while "buenas" is feminine (used with "tardes" and "noches"). The shortened forms "buenas" and "muy buenas" are perfect for casual situations with friends or family.
Formal greetings
When speaking to someone you don't know well, someone older, or in professional situations, use the formal "usted" form.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? |
| ¿Cómo le va? | How's it going? |
| ¿Qué hace? | What are you doing? |
Worked Example: Formal Greeting Scenarios
Professional setting:
- ¿Cómo está usted esta mañana? = How are you this morning?
Workplace conversation:
- ¿Cómo le va en el trabajo? = How's it going at work?
Informal greetings
With friends, family, and people your own age, use the informal "tú" form.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? |
| ¿Cómo te va? | How's it going? |
| ¿Qué haces? | What are you doing? |
| ¿Qué tal? | What's up?/How's it going? |
Worked Example: Informal Greeting Conversations
With friends:
- ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? = Hi! How are you?
Casual conversation:
- ¿Qué tal? ¿Todo bien? = What's up? Everything alright?
Grammar note: The key difference is "usted" (formal) vs "tú" (informal). This affects the verb endings: "está" (formal) vs "estás" (informal).
Common responses
When someone asks how you are, here are useful ways to respond:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Bien, gracias | Well, thanks |
| Muy bien | Very well |
| Como siempre | As always |
| Más o menos | So-so/Okay |
| Todo bien | All good/Everything's fine |
| Nada | Nothing (response to ¿Qué tal?) |
Worked Example: Response Dialogue
A: ¿Qué tal? = What's up? B: Todo bien, ¿y tú? = All good, and you?
Meeting someone new
When you meet someone for the first time, these expressions show politeness:
| Spanish | English | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Mucho gusto | Nice to meet you | Anyone |
| Encantado | How do you do/Pleased to meet you | Men |
| Encantada | How do you do/Pleased to meet you | Women |
Notice that "encantado" and "encantada" change based on the speaker's gender - men say "encantado" and women say "encantada".
Worked Example: First Meeting Scenarios
General introduction:
- Soy María. Mucho gusto. = I'm María. Nice to meet you.
Formal introduction (man speaking):
- Encantado de conocerla. = Pleased to meet you.
Saying goodbye
| Spanish | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Adiós | Goodbye | General goodbye |
| Hasta luego | See you later | When you'll see them again soon |
| Hasta más tarde | See you later | Later the same day |
| Hasta mañana | See you tomorrow | Next day |
| Hasta pronto | See you soon | In the near future |
| Hasta la próxima | Until next time | Indefinite future meeting |
| Hasta ahora | See you in a minute | Very soon |
| Nos vemos | See you | Casual, indefinite |
Formal goodbye expressions:
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Que tenga un buen día | Have a nice day |
| Encantada de haberle visto | Pleased to have seen you |
Worked Example: Goodbye Scenarios
End of workday:
- ¡Adiós! Hasta mañana. = Goodbye! See you tomorrow.
Casual goodbye:
- Nos vemos pronto. = See you soon.
Translation practice
Spanish to English:
- ¿Cómo estás? Todo bien.
- Buenas tardes. Mucho gusto.
English to Spanish: 3. Good morning. How are you? (formal) 4. See you later. Have a nice day.
These practice sentences combine multiple concepts from this lesson - try to identify which greeting style (formal/informal) and time context is being used.
Phrase bank
Here are essential phrases you'll use in real conversations:
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? = Hi! How's it going?
- Muy bien, gracias, ¿y usted? = Very well, thanks, and you? (formal)
- Encantado de conocerte = Nice to meet you (man speaking, informal)
- ¡Hasta luego! = See you later!
- Que tengas un buen día = Have a nice day (informal)
Key Points to Remember:
- Spanish greetings change depending on the time of day - use "buenos días" in the morning, "buenas tardes" in the afternoon, and "buenas noches" in the evening
- Always use "usted" forms with people you don't know well or in formal situations, and "tú" forms with friends and family
- "¿Qué tal?" is a very common informal greeting that means "What's up?" or "How's it going?"
- You can use the same time-based greetings (buenos días, buenas tardes, buenas noches) for both hello and goodbye
- When meeting someone new, "mucho gusto" is the safest and most common expression to use
Translation answers:
- How are you? Everything's fine.
- Good afternoon. Nice to meet you.
- Buenos días. ¿Cómo está usted?
- Hasta luego. Que tenga un buen día.