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Spanish Greetings and Introductions
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Every Spanish greeting you actually need, when to use tú and usted, and how to introduce yourself — with pronunciation and examples.
The greetings that cover most situations
Spanish has a small set of greetings that work almost everywhere. The two you will use most are hola (hello) and buenos días (good morning). After midday people switch to buenas tardes (good afternoon) and after dark to buenas noches (good night — also used as a greeting when arriving late).
Introducing yourself
To say your name you use me llamo (literally "I call myself") or soy (I am). Both are correct: Me llamo Ana and Soy Ana both mean "I am Ana". To ask someone's name, say ¿Cómo te llamas? (informal) or ¿Cómo se llama? (formal).
Tú vs usted — the register choice
Spanish has two words for "you": tú for friends, family, children and peers, and usted for strangers, older people and formal situations. Most of Latin America defaults to usted more than Spain does. When unsure, usted is the safer, more respectful choice.
¿Cómo estás? — asking how someone is
¿Cómo estás? means "how are you?" (informal); ¿Cómo está? is the formal version. The everyday answer is Bien, gracias (fine, thanks) or Muy bien (very well). To be polite you add ¿y tú? (and you?) or ¿y usted?.
| Greeting | When to use it |
|---|---|
| hola | hello — any time, any register |
| buenos días | good morning — until midday |
| buenas tardes | good afternoon — midday to evening |
| buenas noches | good evening / good night |
| adiós | goodbye |
| hasta luego | see you later |