Choose your greeting
Polyfy’s first Spanish lesson practices hello, good morning, and good afternoon. They are enough to start. The extra evening phrase below helps you see the full daily pattern; it is covered later in the greetings sequence.
| Spanish | English | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Hola | Hello / hi | Any time of day; a flexible first word. |
| Buenos días | Good morning | From the morning until around midday. |
| Buenas tardes | Good afternoon | From after midday into the early evening; the changeover varies by place. |
| Buenas noches | Good evening / good night | When greeting someone at night or saying good night as you leave. |
Time boundaries are not exact across Spanish-speaking regions. If you are unsure, hola is a safe, natural choice.
A two-line conversation
Imagine meeting a neighbor in the morning. Read each line aloud, then swap roles.
A: Buenos días. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning. How are you?
B: Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?I’m well, thank you. And you?
A: Bien, gracias.Well, thank you.
¿Cómo estás? uses the familiar “you.” For a more formal conversation, you may hear ¿Cómo está?. The first lesson focuses on saying hello; asking how someone is appears in a later greetings lesson.
A few things to notice
- Do not use one form for every time of day. It is buenos días, but buenas tardes and buenas noches. Learn each as a whole phrase first.
- Keep the accent in días. It marks how the word is written and stressed. Write buenos días, not “buenos dias.”
- Start questions with ¿. In writing, ¿Cómo estás? needs both question marks, and cómo and estás keep their accents.
Try it in your day. When you see someone in the morning, quietly choose between hola and buenos días. That tiny decision is practice, too.
Check what stuck
- It is 9 a.m. You meet a classmate. Say “Good morning.”
- It is late afternoon. You greet a shopkeeper. Which time-of-day greeting fits?
- Write “How are you?” in the familiar form, including punctuation and accents.
Show suggested answers
- Buenos días.
- Buenas tardes. You can also say hola.
- ¿Cómo estás?
Put the words into repetition
Ready for a few quick rounds? Polyfy’s Saying Hello lesson practices hola, buenos días, and buenas tardes. Select Spanish in the app before starting.
Practice Saying Hello in Polyfy