Greetings in Spanish: the standard and the colombian way
What do you say when you just meet someone in the morning, afternoon or night?
Well, this is the standard way, used often in Colombia and Latin America
If you are familiar with that person you could simply say “Buenos días” or “Hola” followed by a question about how they are:
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| Question | Answer | |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Buenos días. ¿Cómo estás? Good morning. How are you? | Bien, gracias y ¿tú? Good, thank you and you? |
| Afternoon | Buenas tardes. ¿Cómo estás? Good afternoon. How are you? | Bien, gracias y ¿tú? Good, thank you and you?/td> |
| Night | Buenas noches. ¿Cómo estás? Good evening. How are you? | Bien, gracias y ¿tú? Good, thank you and you? |
| Morning / afternoon/ Night | Hola. ¿Cómo estás? Hi. How are you? | Bien, gracias y ¿tú? Good, thank you and you? |
If you are in a formal situation, you simply say “Buenos días”, “Buenas tardes” or “Buenas noches” and the answer will be also “Buenos días”, “Buenas tardes” or “Buenas noches”, respectively.
And now.. the Colombian way! Mostly used between friends (not the boss!)
¡Buenas!
“Buenas” is probably the most common way of greeting someone in Colombia. It is short for “Buenas tardes” or “Buenas Noches” but you can also use it in the morning.
¡Qué hubo!
“Qué hubo” is pronounce like ¡Quiubo! and means What’s been going on?
¿Qué más?
“¿Qué más?” literally means, “What else?” but we use it to say “Hey! How are you?
¿Qué cuentas?
“¿Qué cuentas?” literally means “What do you have to tell?” but we use it to simply ask, “What’s been going on?”
