Learn the 4 most common greetings in Spanish

¡Hola! Learn to Greet in Spanish — the Right Way, at the Right Time

Objective: Learn the 4 most common greetings in Spanish, how to pronounce them, and when to use each one—naturally.

Estimated time: ⏱️ 3–5 minutes

Spanish	Your Pronunciation	Meaning	When to Use
¡Hola!		Hello / Hi	Anytime, informal or neutral
Buenos días		Good morning	Until noon
Buenas tardes		Good afternoon	From noon until it gets dark
Buenas noches		Good night	After it gets dark or at bedtime
Buen día		Good day	Used like “Buenos días” — common in Argentina, Mexico, and others

Note: While buenos días is more formal and widespread, buen día is very common in countries like Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and parts of Mexico. It's often used in casual speech and text messages to mean "good day."

2. Say It Yourself

• ¡Hola! Me llamo Benjamín.
• Buenos días, profesor.
• Buenas tardes, doctor.
• Hola, papá.
• ¡Buen día!
• Buenas noches, mamá.

Optional with AI:
LingoSnacks Prompt: “Pretend you're talking to your teacher, your doctor, and your family. Say hello to each of them based on time of day.”

🕒 Match the Time to the Spanish Greeting

Type the correct greeting for each time. You can use: ¡Hola!, Buenos días, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches.

Time	Your Answer	🎤	Check
A) 07:30
B) 13:00
C) 19:30
D) 22:00
E) 15:45

4. Bonus Tip

Use “Buenas tardes” from noon until the sun goes down. Once it’s dark, switch to “Buenas noches,” even if you're still out for dinner.

5. Real Context Practice

(If you want to get ahead!)

• “¡Hola! ¿Cómo estuvo tu día?” – “Hi! How was your day?”
• “Buenas noches, abuela. Que duerma bien.” – “Good night, granma. Sleep well.”
• “Buenas tardes, estoy buscando al director de esta escuela.” – “Good afternoon, I’m looking for the principal of this school.”
• “Buenos días, ¿me puede traer un café?” – “Good morning, could you bring me a coffee?”

6. Interactive Practice

Prompt: “Imagine you're checking into a hotel in Mexico at 1 PM. Greet the receptionist and introduce yourself politely.”

Example Student Input: “Buenas tardes. Me llamo Benjamín Madeira. Tengo una reservación.”

AI Feedback:
✔️ Natural use of “Buenas tardes”
✨ Tip: Native speakers usually say “me llamo...” — it sounds more natural than “mi nombre es...”

7. Wrap-Up

Today you learned:

• 4 time-appropriate greetings in Spanish
• Real-world uses based on context
• Pronunciation and social nuance

Snack-sized, real-life Spanish. One pop at a time.
→ Next mini-lesson: “How are you?” – 4 Ways to Ask and Answer Naturally.

📚 LingoSnacks Quiz: Brick-by-Brick Spanish Sentences

Type or say each part of the sentence. Accents, ¡ and ¿ are optional — just focus on getting the meaning right!

Use dyslexia-friendly font ❓

📝 Practice Your Greetings – Quiz & Sentence Builder

Objective: Test your understanding of Spanish greetings and build full sentences step-by-step.

Estimated time: ⏱️ 5–8 minutes

Prompt	Your Answer	🎤	Check
You meet your friend at 10:00 AM
You're texting your game mate in Argentina in their morning
You arrive at a restaurant at 3:00 PM
You're saying good night to your mother
🧱 Build this sentence: “Good morning, could you bring me a coffee?”
Good morning
Could you bring me
A coffee
Full sentence
🧱 Build this sentence: “Hi! How was your day?”
Hi
How was
Your day
Full sentence
🧱 Build this sentence: “Good night, grandma. Sleep well.”
Good night
Grandma
Sleep well
Full sentence
🧱 Build this sentence: “Good afternoon, I’m looking for the school principal.”
Good afternoon
I'm looking for
The school principal
Full sentence

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