How to say hello and goodbye in Spanish
Buenos días
“Good morning”
When: Walking into any shop or bar before about 2 p.m.
The moment
You walk into a small neighbourhood bakery in Madrid and the woman behind the counter looks up at you. You want to greet her properly, answer if she asks how you are, and say goodbye on your way out.
A1 · Unit 1 · First words
The lines
Greeting by time of day
In Spain you greet with the time of day, not just a bare hello. Before lunch you say "Buenos días" to anyone behind a counter, and they say it straight back.
Buenos días
“Good morning”
When to use it: Walking into any shop or bar before about 2 p.m.
What you’ll hear back: Buenos días. (Good morning.)
Asking how someone is
"Hola, ¿qué tal?" greets someone and asks how they are in one breath. The answer is short, never a life story: "Bien, ¿y tú?"
Hola, ¿qué tal?
“Hi, how are you?”
When to use it: With friends, colleagues and anyone roughly your age
What you’ll hear back: Bien, ¿y tú? (Good, and you?)
Words for this scene
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Buenas | BWEH-nahs | Hi there |
Buenas, ¿qué tal todo? Hi there, how's everything? Tip: Works at any hour when you don't want to check the clock. | ||
| Hasta luego | AHS-tah LWEH-goh | See you later |
Vale, hasta luego. Okay, see you later. Tip: The default goodbye in Spain, even to strangers you'll never see again. | ||
| Adiós | ah-DYOHS | Goodbye |
Adiós, hasta mañana. Goodbye, see you tomorrow. Tip: Spaniards also say it passing someone in the street, without stopping. | ||
Your objective
Say hello, ask how they are, and say goodbye properly as you leave.
- a greeting
- asking how they are
- a goodbye
Lines that get it done
- Buenos días
- Hola, ¿qué tal?
- Adiós, hasta mañana. · Goodbye, see you tomorrow.
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You walk into a bakery in Madrid at ten in the morning. What do you say to the woman behind the counter?
- Buenos días
- Buenas noches
- Hasta luego
- Adiós
Show the answer
Buenos días
Before lunch the greeting is "Buenos días"; the others are for night-time or for leaving.
2. A colleague says "Hola, ¿qué tal?" How do you answer?
- Bien, ¿y tú?
- Buenas noches
- Hasta luego
- Adiós, buenos días
Show the answer
Bien, ¿y tú?
You answer in two words and bounce the question back with "¿y tú?"
3. You are walking out of a small shop. What is the most natural thing to say in Spain?
- Hasta luego
- Buenos días
- ¿Qué tal?
- Buenas
Show the answer
Hasta luego
"Hasta luego" is what Spaniards call out on their way out of almost any shop.