Spanish Greetings for Every Situation
Updated June 28, 2026
Spanish greetings change with the time of day and how formal you are being. These are the openings and goodbyes you will hear in the first minutes of almost any Spanish show.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| hola | hi, helloany time, any setting |
| buenos días | good morning |
| buenas tardes | good afternoon |
| buenas noches | good evening, good night |
| ¿qué tal? | how's it going?casual |
| mucho gusto | nice to meet you |
| hasta luego | see you later |
| adiós | goodbye |
Want these to stick? Hear them in real context: LingoBinge surfaces words like these while you watch Spanish shows on Netflix, and saves them for spaced review.
Hear them in: Cable Girls, Who Killed Sara?.
Frequently asked questions
- Is buenas noches a greeting or a goodbye in Spanish?
- Both. Buenas noches works as good evening when you arrive and good night when you leave, similar to English. Context makes it clear.
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