¿Qué tal, don Miguel, cómo está usted? Adiós, normally meaning ‘goodbye’, is
also used as a greeting, formal or familiar, when passing by.¿Qué es de tu vida? is a
familiar greeting.In most Latin American countries hola is considered an informal greeting, just like
¿qué tal? ¿Qué hay? is unknown in many Latin American countries as a form of
greeting. Instead, you may hear¿qué hubo?, how are things?, in countries like Mexico,
Colombia and Chile. In Chile, this is pronounced as [kjuβo]. In the River Plate
countries (Argentina and Uruguay) buenos días becomes buen día.Note that in formal encounters people normally shake hands when greeting each
other. People also do so occasionally in informal situations, especially when they
have not seen each other for some time. Hand-shaking is also customary in
introductions, except among the young (see 29.4). It is also common when saying
good-bye (see 29.5), especially if you will not be seeing the other person for some
time.Friends and even acquaintances will often kiss on the cheek or both cheeks, depending
on the country, when saying hello or goodbye, especially if they have not met or will
not be meeting for some time. This is customary among women or among men and
women, but it is rarely seen among men, particularly in Latin America, except when
there is a family relationship.29.2 Conveying greetings
29.2.1 To pass on greetings to a third person, use:
Informal/formal:
Recuerdos/saludos a Federico. Regards to Federico.
Informal:Dale recuerdos/saludos a María Luisa.
Give María Luisa my regards.
Dale recuerdos/saludos de mi parte.
Give him/her my regards.
Formal:
Dele recuerdos/saludos (de mi parte) a su marido.
Please give your husband my regards.16.1.1.6 (p. 62)
29.2.2 To pass on someone else’s greetings, use the following:
Informal:Alfredo te manda/envía recuerdos/saludos.
Alfredo sends his regards.
Formal:MAKING SOCIAL CONTACTS 29.2