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Greetings and Introductions
¡Hola!, ¿Cómo te llamas? and Mucho gusto: your first conversation in Spanish.
Picture it: you walk into a room and someone says “¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?” By the end of this page you’ll know how to answer, tell them your name, ask theirs, and say goodbye like you mean it.
Here’s the roadmap: greetings, “How are you?”, introducing yourself, where you’re from, goodbyes, the difference between tú and usted, two dialogues, pronunciation tips, then practice and a quiz.
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Saying hello
Hola works almost anywhere, any time of day. The other three depend on the time of day.
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Hola! | Hello! / Hi! | Any time, with anyone |
| Buenos días | Good morning | Morning, until about noon |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon | Afternoon into early evening |
| Buenas noches | Good evening / Good night | Evening and night, as a hello or a goodbye |
How are you?
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? | Informal: a friend, classmate, family member |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | How are you? | Formal: a teacher, an older adult, a stranger |
| ¿Qué tal? | How’s it going? | Casual and friendly |
Answers
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Muy bien, gracias. | Very well, thanks. | Feeling great |
| Bien. | Good / Fine. | Doing well |
| Más o menos. | So-so. | Not great, not bad |
| Mal. | Bad / Not well. | Having a rough day |
| ¿Y tú? | And you? | Turn the question back, informal |
| ¿Y usted? | And you? | Turn the question back, formal |
Introducing yourself
There are two easy ways to give your name. Me llamo literally means “I call myself.” Soy means “I am.”
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Me llamo Sofía. | My name is Sofía. | Giving your name |
| Soy Daniel. | I’m Daniel. | Giving your name, short and simple |
| ¿Cómo te llamas? | What’s your name? | Informal |
| ¿Cómo se llama usted? | What’s your name? | Formal |
| Mucho gusto. | Nice to meet you. | Anyone can say it |
| Encantado. | Pleased to meet you. | Said by a male speaker |
| Encantada. | Pleased to meet you. | Said by a female speaker |
| Igualmente. | Likewise. | A reply to mucho gusto |
Where are you from?
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| ¿De dónde eres? | Where are you from? | Informal |
| ¿De dónde es usted? | Where are you from? | Formal |
| Soy de México. | I’m from Mexico. | Answer with soy de + place |
| Soy de los Estados Unidos. | I’m from the United States. | Answer with soy de + place |
Saying goodbye
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Adiós. | Goodbye. | Any goodbye |
| Hasta luego. | See you later. | You’ll see them again, maybe today |
| Hasta mañana. | See you tomorrow. | You’ll see them tomorrow |
| Hasta pronto. | See you soon. | You’ll see them soon |
| Chao. | Bye. | Casual, with friends |
Tú or usted?
English has one word for “you.” Spanish has two for talking to one person.
Tú is informal. Use it with friends, classmates, family and kids your age or younger.
Usted is formal and shows respect. Use it with teachers, older adults, and people you’ve just met in a formal setting.
The verb changes too: ¿Cómo estás? goes with tú, and ¿Cómo está usted? goes with usted. When you’re not sure, starting with usted is the polite choice.
Notice the accent: tú (you) has one, but tu (your) does not. Small marks can change meaning in Spanish.
Sample dialogues
Read these out loud with a partner. Then swap roles and use your own name.
Two classmates (informal)
Lucía: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo te llamas? ¡Hola! ¿Cómo te llamas? Hi! What’s your name?
Mateo: Me llamo Mateo. ¿Y tú? Me llamo Mateo. ¿Y tú? My name is Mateo. And you?
Lucía: Soy Lucía. Mucho gusto. Soy Lucía. Mucho gusto. I’m Lucía. Nice to meet you.
Mateo: Igualmente. ¿De dónde eres? Igualmente. ¿De dónde eres? Likewise. Where are you from?
Lucía: Soy de Texas. ¡Hasta luego! Soy de Texas. ¡Hasta luego! I’m from Texas. See you later!
Mateo: ¡Chao! ¡Chao! Bye!
A student and a teacher (formal)
Estudiante: Buenos días, profesora. ¿Cómo está usted? Buenos días, profesora. ¿Cómo está usted? Good morning, ma’am (teacher). How are you?
Profesora: Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? Very well, thank you. And you?
Estudiante: Bien, gracias. Bien, gracias. Fine, thanks.
Profesora: ¡Hasta mañana! ¡Hasta mañana! See you tomorrow!
Word note: profesor/profesora = teacher, at any level.
Notice that the student uses usted with the teacher, but the teacher uses tú with the student. That’s normal: the older person or the one in charge often uses tú with a young person.
Pronunciation tips
The silent h
The Spanish h makes no sound. hola sounds like “OH-lah,” and hasta luego like “AH-stah LWEH-goh.”
Short, clear vowels
Spanish has five vowel sounds, and each one stays the same: a as in “father,” e as in “met,” i as in “machine,” o as in “old” (but shorter), u as in “rule.” Try buenos días.
The double l
In most places, ll sounds like the English y in “yes.” Try me llamo (“meh YAH-moh”).
Accent marks show the stress
An accent mark tells you which syllable to stress: días is “DEE-ahs,” and adiós is “ah-DYOHS.”
Practice
Say each answer out loud before you open it.
1. A classmate says “¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?” Answer and ask back.
Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
2. Introduce yourself and say where you’re from.
Me llamo ___. Soy de ___. (Fill in your name and place.)
3. Greet your principal at 9 a.m. and ask how they are.
Buenos días. ¿Cómo está usted?
4. Someone says “Mucho gusto.” Reply.
Igualmente, or encantado / encantada.
5. You’ll see your friend tomorrow. Say goodbye.
¡Hasta mañana!
Quiz
Eight quick questions. Choose one answer for each, then check your score.
Talk About It
- English uses one word for “you.” What are some other ways English speakers show respect when they talk to a teacher or an older adult?
- Why might a language have special greetings for different times of day?
- Which greeting from this page do you think you’ll use most, and with whom?