29
Making social contacts
This chapter contains the most useful expressions used by Spanish speakers to establish
social contacts, such as when greeting or introducing people, taking leave, using the
phone or writing letters. Many of these are set phrases, others are constructions which
vary according to context. Reference is made to register when appropriate, so that you
will know for instance whether a certain expression is formal or informal, or whether
it tends to be used in the spoken or written language. The expressions listed are for the
most part those used by the majority of Spanish speakers, in Spain and elsewhere, but
occasional mention is made too of Latin American usage.
29.1 Greeting someone
The standard most common greetings are:
Buenos días.
Good morning.
Buenas tardes.
Good afternoon (early afternoon), good evening. (before night falls)
Buenas noches.
Good evening.
¡Hola!
Hello!, Hi!
¿Qué tal?
Hi!, How are you?
¿Qué hay? (especially Spain)
Hi!, How are things?
¿Qué es de tu vida?
How’s life?
Adiós.
Hello! (when passing by, esp. L. Am.)
The first three greetings are neutral, and can be used in formal and familiar address.
Hola, ‘hello’, can be familiar, e.g.¡hola!, ‘hi!’, formal, e.g. hola, ¿cómo está usted?,
‘hello, how are you?’, or neutral, e.g. hola, buenos días, ‘hello, good morning’.
¿Qué tal? and¿Qué hay? (esp. Spain), ‘Hi!’, on their own, are familiar greetings,
although they can become formal if followed by a formal greeting, for example
