Hello and goodbye
The first words of any conversation.
Free · with audio
Basic Spanish phrases
¡Hola!, gracias, no entiendo — 59 phrases to take to Spain or Mexico tomorrow: with translations, audio and a note on when to use the informal “you” and when the formal one.
- 59 phrases
- 7 topics
- Audio
- Days, months, colours
- Quiz
Phrases by topic
Tap a phrase to hear it, or the speaker next to a topic to hear them all. “Formal” and “informal” mark the pairs where it matters.
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Being polite
Thank you, please, excuse me — you can’t do without them.
Getting to know people
How are you, what’s your name, where are you from.
When you don’t understand
Asking someone to repeat, to slow down or to switch to English.
Around town and travelling
Asking the way, buying a ticket, finding the toilet.
In a café or a shop
Ordering, asking the price, paying.
If you need help
Phrases worth knowing before you need them.
Tú or usted: informal or formal “you”
In Spain people switch to tú very quickly — with peers, in cafés, even with young strangers. Usted is for older people, banks, hospitals and official situations. With usted the verb takes the third-person form: ¿Cómo está usted? In Latin America usted is heard more often.
How are you? (formal) · How’s it going?
What’s your name? — formal and informal
Days, months and colours
Where both adults and children start. Tap to listen.
Days of the week
Months
Colours
How to learn the phrases faster
- Listen and repeat aloud: Spanish is pronounced the way it’s written — use that.
- Start with ¡Hola!, Gracias, Por favor and ¡Hasta luego! — you’ll hear them every day.
- Greetings depend on the time: buenos días until lunch (2–3 pm in Spain), buenas tardes until dark, buenas noches in the evening.
- Some words change for women: Estoy perdida, Estoy cansada. And don’t forget the ¿ ¡ at the start of a sentence!
Test yourself
Ten phrases a round: understand them by ear, or remember how to say them.
FAQ
Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.
How do you say hello in Spanish?
¡Hola! works almost anywhere. More formal: ¡Buenos días! (until lunch), ¡Buenas tardes! (afternoon and early evening) and ¡Buenas noches! (evening). People often combine them: “¡Hola, buenos días!”.
How do you say thank you in Spanish?
Gracias — “thank you”, Muchas gracias — “thank you very much”. The reply is De nada — “you’re welcome”.
How do you ask “how are you?” in Spanish?
¿Qué tal? or ¿Cómo estás? informally, ¿Cómo está usted? formally. The answer is Bien, gracias (fine, thanks) or Muy bien (very well), followed by ¿Y tú?
How do you say happy birthday and I love you in Spanish?
Happy birthday is ¡Feliz cumpleaños! I love you is Te quiero (for partners, family and close friends) or the stronger, more romantic Te amo.
How do you say goodbye in Spanish?
Adiós — “goodbye”, ¡Hasta luego! — “see you later” (the most common), ¡Hasta mañana! — “see you tomorrow”, ¡Chao! — an informal “bye”.
What’s next
Grammar for this topic
Rules in plain words — with tables, examples and a quiz in every topic.
Ser vs estar
Soy de Kyiv, estoy en Madrid: two verbs for “to be” — one for what you are, one for states and places.
Level A1–A2The present tense (presente)
Hablo, como, vivo — the endings of the three conjugations, pienso and puedo, tengo and conozco.
Level A1Articles, gender and plural
El libro, la mesa, unos amigos: definite and indefinite articles, noun gender and plurals.
Level A1Gustar: me gusta, me gustan
Me gusta el café, me gustan los gatos: how to say you like something and why the verb agrees with the thing.
Level A1–A2
Next step
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