Cómo Estás and Other Spanish Greetings

 ¿Cà ³mo està ¡s? How are you? With that simple line — its pronounced KOH-moh ess-TAHSS — you can greet almost any Spanish speaker youve met before. Add to that these phrases below, and youll be well-positioned to make a good first impression wherever you go in Spain or most of Latin America. Spanish Greetings and Similar Phrases Phrases in common use can vary with location and sometimes with age or social status. But except where indicated, those listed below can be used appropriately in almost any situation. Pronunciations given are approximate; in all pronunciations below, the th is pronounced as in this, and the oo is pronounced as in boom. Hola — Hello, hi — OH-lah —  This greeting is suitable in both formal and informal contexts.Hola, alà ³, jalà ³, bueno, diga — Hello (on the telephone) — OH-lah, ah-LOH, hah-LOH, BUEH-no, DEE-gah —  The choice of telephone greeting varies from location to location. Hola would be understood anywhere but is not customary in many places.Adià ³s — Goodbye — ah-THYOHSS  Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã‚  An informal alternative in many areas is chau (pronounced chow, sometimes spelled ciao, from Italian). ¿Cà ³mo està ¡s?  ¿Cà ³mo està ¡? — How are you? — KOH-moh es-TAHSS, KOH-moh es-TAH —The first form (which is informal) normally would be used with someone you know on a first-name basis or when speaking with a child. The second form generally would be used in other situations. Usage can depend quite a bit on where you are; in some areas, the informal form (està ¡s) would be expected where under the same circumstance s the formal form would be used in other areas. If youre a foreigner, chances are no one will criticize you for using the wrong form, although you may be politely corrected.Muy bien, gracias — Very well, thank you  Ã¢â‚¬â€ mwee-vyenn GRAHSS-yahss.Buenos dà ­as — Good day, good morning — BWEH-nohss DEE-ahss —  In some areas, a shortened form, buen dà ­a, is used.Buenas tardes — Good afternoon, good evening — BWEH-nahss TAR-dess —  In most areas, buenas tardes should be used in the early evening in preference to buenas noches.Buenas noches — Good night — BWEH-nahss NOH-chess —  Unlike the English translation, buenas noches can be used as a greeting as well as a farewell. ¿Cà ³mo te va?  ¿Cà ³mo le va?  ¿Quà © tal?  ¿Quà © hay? — Hows it going? —  KOH-moh teh-VAH, KOH-moh leh-VAH, kay-TALL, kay-AYE — There is also a variety of colloquial alternatives, although many of the m depend on the area. The first one given is informal, used as with  ¿Cà ³mo està ¡s? above. ¿Quà © pasa? — Whats happening?  Ã¢â‚¬â€ kay PAHSS-ah. ¿Quà © hubo?  ¿Quà © onda? — How is it going? Whats happening? — kay OO-boh, kay OHN-dah —  These phrases are most common in Mexico. ¿Cà ³mo te llamas?  ¿Cà ³mo se llama usted? — Whats your name? — KOH-moh teh YAHM-mahss, KOH-moh seh YAHM-mah oo-STETH  Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã‚  A literal translation would be What do you call yourself? or, somewhat less literally, What are you called? The first form normally would be used with a child, or possibly with someone of equal social status at an informal occasion. If youre uncertain which form to use, the second one is safer. Also see the explanation with the entry for  ¿Cà ³mo està ¡s? above.Me llamo (nombre).— My name is (name). — meh YAHM-moh (NOHM-breh)  Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã‚  A literal translation would be I call myself (name) o r, somewhat less literally, I am called (name). You can also literally translate the English: Mi nombre es (nombre).Mucho gusto. Encantado. — Its a pleasure to meet you. — MOO-choh GOO-stoh, en-kahn-TAH-thoh. Either of these could be said when someone introduces him- or herself to you. If youre female, you should say encantada  (en-kahn-TAH-thah) instead of encantado.Bienvenido, bienvenida, bienvenidos, bienvenidas — Welcome — byem-beh-NEE-thoh, byem-beh-NEE-thah,  byem-beh-NEE-thohss,  byem-beh-NEE-thahss  Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã‚  Note the difference in number and gender. Bienvenido would be used with a man, bienvenida with a woman, bienvenidas with a group of all females, and bienvenidos with males or a mixed group.