Lesson 1 - Hi! Greetings and Goodbyes in Spanish - Learn Spanish from Scratch with Simple Spanish Now!
- José Alberto
- Aug 4
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 12
Lesson 1 - Hi! Greetings and Goodbyes in Spanish
Welcome to the first stop on this exciting adventure to learn this woderfull language with Simple Spanish Now!
Hello! My name is José Alberto, and as a Spanish as a foreign language teacher with 10 years of experience, I'm absolutely delighted you're joining me on this wonderful adventure I've lovingly created for you.
You can watch the full lesson below (Available on Youtube) and use the supplementary materials we provide here on the blog:
- Vocabulary summaries. (Images in each blog post.)
- Workbook with exercises and solutions for each lesson. (At the bottom of each page.)
And don't forget to subscribe to our Simple Spanish NOW! YouTube channel to stay updated with the course. Your subscription helps us tremendously and keeps us motivated to continue this wonderful mission of sharing the beauty of the Spanish language with you.
Greetings and Goodbye in Spanish! Your First Class to Connect Like a Native
Today, we're unlocking the secrets of one of the most essential parts of any language: how to say hello and goodbye (Greetings and Goodbyes in Spanish). Get ready to greet and bid farewell like a true Spanish speaker, in both formal conversations and with your new friends.
And so, you don't feel alone on this journey, we're introducing Carlos, who will accompany you in each lesson, step by step. Ready to dive in and feel at home in the wonderful world of Spanish? Let's get started!
Greetings that Adapt to the Time of Day and Trust Levels
In Spanish, we don't just use one greeting for everything. It's much more interesting than that! We adapt our greetings based on the time of day and the level of trust we have with the person we're speaking to.
Formal Greetings (When You Want to Be Respectful!)
When the situation calls for a bit more formality, here are your best allies:
Buenos días: To greet someone in the morning.
Buenas tardes: To greet someone in the afternoon.
Buenas noches: To greet someone in the evening or at night.
Buenas: A shorter, versatile option you can use in formal situations.
Informal Greetings (When There's Trust!)
If you're among friends or in a relaxed setting, the magic word is:
Hola: Simple, universal, and perfect for any time of day!
Farewells: Many Ways to Say "See You Soon"
Just as we greet, we also have a wide variety of ways to say goodbye. Here are some of the most common ones:
Adiós: The classic, always useful.
Hasta mañana: For when you know you'll see the person the next day.
Nos vemos: Implies you'll see each other again, without specifying when.
Hasta luego: Very common, meaning "until later" or "see you soon."
Hasta la próxima: If you plan to meet another time.
Hasta pronto: Indicates that the reunion will be relatively soon.
Hasta la vista: A "longer" farewell, sometimes used with a touch of humor or to indicate you won't see that person for a while.
How are You? Ask and Answer Like a Pro
After a greeting, it's very common and polite to ask about the other person's state of mind. This is where the conversation truly comes alive!
Questions About Well-being:
Formal:
¿Cómo está usted? (How are you? - formal)
¿Qué tal está? (How are you? - formal, literally "How is it?")
Informal:
¿Cómo estás? (How are you? - informal)
¿Qué tal? (How's it going? / What's up?)
¿Qué tal estás? (How are you? - informal, slightly more specific)
Possible Answers:
You can be as specific as you want, or get straight to the point:
Estoy muy bien. / Muy bien. (I'm very well. / Very well.)
Estoy bien. / Bien. (I'm fine. / Fine.)
Estoy regular. / Regular. (I'm okay. / Okay.)
Estoy más o menos. / Más o menos (like "so-so").
Estoy mal. / Mal. (I feel sad. / Sad.)
Estoy muy mal. / Muy mal. (I feel very sad. / Very sad.)
Ask Back!
Once you've answered, it's good etiquette to return the question. Don't forget to use "y usted" for formal situations and "y tú" for informal ones. And, of course, a "gracias" (thank you) never hurts.
Here's a summary of how to greet, say goodbye, and ask about someone's mood:
Time to Practice! Real-Life Situations
To bring all of this to life, let's analyze two key conversations. Try to identify whether the situation is formal or informal.
Conversation 1 (Carlos y María)
Carlos: ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás? (Hi, how are you?)
María: Estoy más o menos. ¿Y tú? (I'm so-so. And you?)
Carlos: Estoy bien, nos vemos mañana. (I'm fine, see you tomorrow.)
María: ¡Hasta mañana! (See you tomorrow.)
Got it? This is an informal situation! You can tell by the use of "hola," "¿qué tal estás?", and "nos vemos."
Conversation 2 (Carlos y Alfonso)
Carlos: ¡Buenos días! ¿Cómo está usted? (Good morning, how are you? - formal)
Alfonso: Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? (Very well, thank you. And you? - formal)
Carlos: Estoy muy bien también, gracias. Hasta luego. (I'm very well too, thank you. See you later.)
Alfonso: Hasta pronto. (So long.)
Excellent! This is a formal situation. The key lies in "buenos días," "¿cómo está usted?", and the use of "usted."
Challenge: Complete the Formal Dialogue
Imagine you need to complete a formal dialogue. What would you say?
Your turn:
A formal greeting.
A formal question about emotional state.
A positive answer.
A farewell.
Ready to check?
Formal Greeting: ¡Buenos días! or ¡Buenas!
Formal Question: ¿Cómo está usted? or ¿Cómo está?
Positive Answer: Estoy muy bien or Estoy bien.
Farewell: Adiós.
Let's practice the pronunciation of a possible complete dialogue! (Watch the class video)
¡Buenos días! ¿Cómo está usted? (Good morning, how are you?)
Estoy muy bien. (I'm very well.)
Me alegro. Adiós. (I'm glad, goodbye.)
Order the Expressions and Connect!
To reinforce what you've learned, it's time to put these expressions in order and form two coherent conversations.
Conversation 1 (Formal)
Jumbled Expressions:
Estoy muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?
¡Buenos días!
Nos vemos. Hasta mañana.
Muy bien también. Nos vemos.
¡Buenos días! ¿Cómo está?
Correct Order!
¡Buenos días!
¡Buenos días! ¿Cómo está?
Estoy muy bien. Gracias. ¿Y usted?
Muy bien también. Nos vemos.
Nos vemos. Hasta mañana.
Conversation 2 (Informal)
Jumbled Expressions:
¡Hola!
Regular. ¿Y tú?
Yo estoy más o menos. Hasta mañana.
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás?
Nos vemos.
Correct Order!
¡Hola!
¡Hola! ¿Qué tal estás?
Regular. ¿Y tú?
Yo estoy más o menos. Hasta mañana.
Nos vemos.
Supplementary Materials
Lesson 1 - Workbook with answers.
Didactic exercises:
Excercise 1:
Excercise 2:
Excercise 3:
Congratulations!
Excellent job on this first lesson! You've just taken a big step towards communicating in Spanish. Remember, practice makes perfect. Don't miss the next class with Carlos to keep advancing on this exciting adventure.
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