Having A Basic Grasp Of Spanish Greetings Is Very Important

Spanish greetings are fairly simple to learn, whether formal or informal. The formal ones are always proper, but informal ones can be used with relatives, friends, children, or those who are contemporary in age and met in an informal setting.

'Hola' means 'hello', and is proper for any occasion, although you may want to use a more formal greeting if you are meeting an older man or woman. 'Buenos dias' is more formal, meaning good day (note the -os ending of the first word, connoting the masculine nature of the second.) For the afternoon or early evening, you can use 'Buenas tardes' (-as since the word tares is feminine) and for a nighttime greeting or farewell, 'Buenas noches' is usual.

Other forms of hello include the Italian word 'Ciao', used both for hello and good by. This is a trendy way of greeting friends or children. 'Que tal?' is very informal, meaning 'what's happening?' and used when seeing friends on the street and in similar casual encounters. 'Que pasa?' means 'What's going on?' and is similar to 'What's new?' in English. 'Buen dia' is often heard in Latin America and is a slang contraction that has become fairly universal.

For formal greetings, it is polite to preface a last name with 'Senor', 'Senora', or 'Senorita'. For those who you greet with a first name but would like to show respect for, the terms 'Don' and 'Dona' are used. When you are introduced to a new acquaintance, it is polite to respond with 'Mucho gusto', which means 'Pleased to meet you'. In response to 'Mucho gusto', you may say 'El gusto es mio', or '... Es mia', if you are female.
To bring the greeting a little more interaction, you might say, "Buenos dias, Senor. Como esta Usted?" This means, 'Hello, Sir. How are you today?" The response may be, "Bien, gracias. Et Usted?" to which you reply, "Muy bien, gracias."

Having a basic grasp of Spanish greetings is very important when you're traveling or living in an area where Spanish is commonly spoken. Being able to greet someone in their own language shows them that you are attempting, at least, to really communicate, and will make them more likely to want to deal with you. Although the basic ideas are the same, there are a variety of Spanish sayings and Spanish expressions that are more appropriate for certain occasions. Being polite with strangers will make the fact that you have a poor command of the language less of a factor. Here, we'll go over some of the common Spanish phrases you will want to use when meeting people.

The most obvious things you will need are very simple Spanish greetings, such as hello and goodbye.Hello is written in Spanish as "hola", although spelled phonetically in English it would be "o-la". The emphasis is placed on the first syllable.

Goodbye is written in Spanish as "adios" (which translates literally as "to God"), and spelled phonetically it would be "a-di-os", with the emphasis on the last syllable.

Alternative greetings include good morning, good afternoon, and good night. Good morning is buenas dias. Good afternoon is buenas tardes. Good night is buenas noches. All of these phrases place the emphasis on the first syllable of both words.

Once you have learned the greetings, you should learn some Spanish courtesy phrases.These include things like excuse me, which is "perdon". The emphasis is on the second syllable.

"With your permission", which is "con su permiso", is used as an alternative to "excuse me". The former is used when, for example, you are moving through a group of people or need someone to get out of your way. The latter is used when you are trying to get someone's attention.