¡Hola! Learning Spanish Greetings

OK the first thing I want to be able to do in any new language (other than find the bathroom) is to be able to say hi and understand basic terms. What I have below and this will hold true for each of the lessons: is the word is Spanish then how to pronounce the words and finally the English translation. In Spanish both the inverted question mark as well as the inverted exclamation mark is is used at the start of the sentence, when the upright versions of the punctuations are used at the end of the sentence.

Saying Hello in Spanish

¡Hola! is a common greeting in Spanish. It is the same as saying 'hi' or 'hello' in English. It can be used both  to great friends as well as to get a strangers attention. Say ¡Hola! when answering the phone followed by a good morning or good evening depending on the time of day.

Saying Good Morning in Spnaish

Hey, I did not teach you good morning or good evening yet. Well, here you go.

The above greetings are common in both Spanish and English, they are composed of two words, namely Good,  bien in Spanish and the words for morning, afternoon, and night in Spanish of course.

Remember, that although Dias is 'day(s)' in Spanish ¡Buenos dias! is assioated with the morning. Saying ¡Buenos dias! in the evening will sound foolish.   

Asking What Is Your Name in Spanaish

So you say ¡Buenas tardes! ('Good afternoon') to a stranger, now is the  time to ask them their name.

A literal translation of the above phrases is  'How do you call yourself?' The first one beung the causual  situations.  during informal or casual conversations, like when asking a lost kid what his name is, when meeting new acquaintances in school or organizations, or when getting to know a person younger or the same age as you are. The latter is being used during formal instances, like when talking to an elder or anybody with high societal and political positions like professors, mayor, or your friend's mother. The literal translation of "What is your name in Spanish?" is…

If someone asks for your name using any of the above questions, you may also respond with various answers:

Though there are variations when telling your name in Spanish, all are accepted and are used to introduce yourself to other people. However, be reminded that the first introduction is usually a response to the direct question ¿Quién eres tú? or 'Who are you?'; the second introduction is the most common response among Spanish; and the third introduction is used when giving emphasis to what your name is (i.e. My name is [name1], not [name2]).

Questions on knowing 'how you are doing' can be answered depending on how you are actually feeling during the moment you are asked. From the choices above, you can reply: good, a very good, a bad, or a very bad.

A way to remember: Know that muy is 'much' in English, literally. Hence, if something is much, extreme words like 'very' should be used to emphasize it. In this case, 'very' is translated as muy.

As I have already mentioned earlier, bien is 'good;' while mal is 'bad.' If you are having a hard time relating the English to its Spanish counterpart using imaginativethoughts, try associating the number of letters  – both bien and 'good' has 4 letters, while both bad and 'mal' has 3 letters.

Saying Please in Spanish

Por favor is the Spanish way of showing respect when asking a favor or for a cup of coffee. Use Por favor at the beginning or the end of your sentence.

A way to remember: say please when you ask por (for) a favor?

Spanish Programs

Rocket Spanish
Rocket Spanish is the program I bought. I love it! It is extremely comprehensive and I highly recommend it.

Synergy Spanish
If you are not looking to be fluent in Spanish but just want to get by, then this may be for you. It is cheaper than Rocket Spanish but not as comprehensive. It promises to teach you "How To Get By In Spanish With Just 138 Words."

Return to: Spanish tips/ Learning Spanish