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LOS SALUDOS
GREETINGS
If you want to start a conversation in Spanish, first thing you need to know is: there is a formal & informal way to greet someone. Unlike English, where "you" is used to speak formally and in a familiar way to someone, in Spanish you have the "tú" and "usted" form ( familiar & formal way to say "you"!) .
Obviously no one will criticize you if you make a mistake here and there, but if you are commited to learn well, here are the rules you need to know.
Los saludos |
English |
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Español |
formal |
Good morning Prof.Gusmán. How are you?
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Buenos días, Prof. Guzmán. ¿Cómo está Ud.?
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informal |
Good morning Pablito. How are you today?
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Hola, Pablito. ¿Cómo estás hoy?
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The expression "How are you" in Spanish has two forms, depending on the familiarity you have to the person you are speaking with.
- When talking to your friends, classmates,brothers, sisters,a little kid, etc.you can probably be very informal, right?
Then you must use the tú (singular) or vosotros (plural) form (equivalent to "you" in English). Note the form of the verb "estar" :
- Hola, Juan. ¿Cómo estás (tú) ? ( tú form/ you- sing)
-¿Cómo estáis (vosotras) , amigas? (vosotros form / you-plural)
- When talking to your Professor, to a person that you don't know, or to anyone you need to show respect, the Usted/Ustedes form must be used. Observe again the verb:
- Hola, abuela. ¿Cómo está Ud. ?
-Buenos días, ¿Cómo están (ustedes) ?
One of the uses of the verb estar (to be) is to express feelings & emotions.
Note how the verb form changes according to the subject pronoun.
The most common ways to greet someone in Spanish:
Estar (verb to be) |
| Yo |
estoy |
I am |
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Yo estoy bien. |
I'm well. |
| Tú |
estás |
You are |
(sing.-informal)
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¿Cómo estás tú? How are you? |
How are you? |
| Él / Ella / Usted |
está |
He / She is
You are (formal) |
Ud. form is singular / formal
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Ella está bien.
El está bien.
Ud. está bien. |
She is doing well.
He is doing well.
You are doing ok. |
| Nosotros |
estamos |
We are |
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Nosotros estamos bien. |
We are doing ok. |
| Vosotros / vosotras |
estáis |
You are
(inf. / pl) |
(pl. informal) * this form is used in Spain more than in South America.
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¿Estáis (vosotros) bien? |
Are you ok? |
| Ellos / Ellas / Uds. |
están |
They are
You are |
(Ustedes is plural form. It can be used in formal as informal situation)
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Ellos están muy bien, gracias. |
They are ok, thanks |
The most common ways to greet someone in Spanish:
| Hola |
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Hi, Hello |
| Buenos días |
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Good morning |
| Buenas tardes |
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Good afternoon/evening |
| Buenas noches |
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Good night |
| ¿Qué tal? |
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How are things? |
| ¿Cómo estás? |
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How are you? (informal) |
| ¿Cómo está usted? |
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How are you ? (formal) |
| ¿Qué pasa? |
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What's happening? (informal) |
¡A practicar!
Decide if the dialogues below are formal or informal.
1
-Hola, Juan, ¿cómo estás?
- Bien, gracias. ¿y tú?
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2
- Buenos días, Dr. Guillén, ¿Cómo está?
- Muy bien, Marta. ¿Y ud.? |
3
- Buenas tardes, Sr. Ybarra. ¿Cómo está ud..?
-Bien, Paloma, ¿y ud? ¿Cómo está? |
4
- Hola, Paco. ¿Qué tal?
-Hola, amigo. Bien, ¿y tú ? |
Click here to check the correct answers.
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