hola

/ˈo.la/

hello

Hola, ¿cómo estás?

Hello, how are you?

informal

A greeting used to say hello.

Hola, buenos días.

Hello, good morning.

¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?

Hi! How's it going?

Used in both formal and informal contexts, but more common in informal settings.

Synonyms

Start conversations casually with 'hola' followed by a friendly question like '¿cómo estás?' or '¿qué tal?' to sound natural.

From Old Spanish 'ola' (wave), derived from Latin 'ola' (hey there!), an exclamation of greeting.

Can be used at any time of day. In some Latin American countries, 'hola' may be perceived as overly familiar in formal contexts.

Diccionario Español-Inglés