Greetings and farewells in Spanish

Spanish Greetings

Formal Greetings

1. Buenos días
   • Translation: "Good morning."
   • Context: Used until noon in professional settings or with strangers.
2. Buenas tardes
   • Translation: "Good afternoon."
   • Context: Used from noon until evening in formal situations.
3. Buenas noches
   • Translation: "Good evening" or "Good night."
   • Context: Used in the evening or before bedtime.
4. ¿Cómo está usted?
   • Translation: "How are you?"
   • Context: Formal inquiry about someone's well-being.
5. Mucho gusto / Encantado(a)
   • Translation: "Nice to meet you."
   • Context: Meeting someone for the first time.

Informal Greetings

1. Hola
   • Translation: "Hello" or "Hi."
   • Context: Casual greeting for friends or family.
2. ¿Qué tal? / ¿Cómo estás?
   • Translation: "How are you?" or "What's up?"
   • Context: Informal way to ask how someone is doing.
3. ¿Qué pasa? / ¿Qué onda? (Mexico)
   • Translation: "What's up?"
   • Context: Slang, used with friends.
4. ¡Ey! / ¡Hey!
   • Translation: "Hey!"
   • Context: Very informal, often used among young people.
5. ¡Qué gusto verte! / ¡Cuánto tiempo!
   • Translation: "Great to see you!" or "It's been a while!"
   • Context: Used when seeing someone after a long time.
6. ¡Buenas!
   • Translation: "Hello!"
   • Context: Shortened, casual greeting used at any time of the day.

Spanish Farewells

Formal Farewells

1. Adiós
   • Translation: "Goodbye."
   • Context: Traditional farewell, often final or formal.
2. Hasta luego
   • Translation: "See you later."
   • Context: Neutral, suitable for formal and informal contexts.
3. Hasta mañana
   • Translation: "See you tomorrow."
   • Context: When planning to see someone the next day.
4. Que tenga un buen día / noche
   • Translation: "Have a good day/night."
   • Context: Formal goodbye, often used in customer service.
5. Nos vemos
   • Translation: "See you."
   • Context: Used to indicate a future meeting.
6. Cuídese
   • Translation: "Take care."
   • Context: Expresses care and concern in formal situations.

Informal Farewells

1. Chao / Chau
   • Translation: "Bye."
   • Context: Informal goodbye among friends.
2. Hasta pronto
   • Translation: "See you soon."
   • Context: Suggests a future meeting in a friendly manner.
3. Hasta la vista
   • Translation: "See you later."
   • Context: Often used humorously, popular in pop culture.
4. Hasta la próxima
   • Translation: "Until next time."
   • Context: Informal farewell indicating a future meeting.
5. Cuídate
   • Translation: "Take care."
   • Context: Friendly farewell among peers or family.
6. Nos vemos luego
   • Translation: "See you later."
   • Context: Casual, indicates plans to meet later.
7. Te cuidas
   • Translation: "Take care of yourself."
   • Context: Among friends or family, expressing concern.