Chapter 3: Los Saludos y Despedidas (Greetings and Farewells)

Expand your conversational skills with more greetings, farewells, and essential polite phrases.

Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

Introduction/Warm-up

¡Hola de nuevo! In Chapter 2, you learned how to say hello, introduce yourself, and ask for someone's name. Now, let's expand your conversational toolkit by learning more ways to greet people, inquire about their well-being, and say goodbye. These phrases will make your initial interactions in Spanish feel much more natural and complete.

(Optional Review): Can you recall the difference between using 'tú' and 'usted' when asking for someone's name? Keep this in mind as we explore more ways to interact!

Greetings, Farewells, and Polite Phrases

More Greetings

¿Qué tal? : (What's up? / How's it going?) - A very common and informal greeting. ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? (Hi! What's up?)
¿Cómo estás? : (How are you? - informal) - Used with people you address as "tú." Hola, Ana. ¿Cómo estás? (Hi, Ana. How are you?)
¿Cómo está? : (How are you? - formal) - Used with people you address as "usted." Buenos días, señor López. ¿Cómo está? (Good morning, Mr. López. How are you?)
¿Todo bien? : (Is everything okay? / All good?) - A casual way to check if someone is doing well. ¿Qué tal, Juan? ¿Todo bien? (Hey Juan, is everything okay?)

Responses to "¿Cómo estás?" and "¿Qué tal?"

Bien, gracias. : (Fine, thank you. / Well, thank you.) - A standard and polite response. ¿Cómo estás? — Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? (How are you? — Fine, thank you. And you?)
Así así. : (So-so / Okay.) - Used when you're neither great nor bad. ¿Qué tal? — Así así. Un poco cansado. (What's up? — So-so. A little tired.)
No muy bien. : (Not very well.) - Used when you're not feeling good. ¿Cómo estás? — No muy bien. Tengo dolor de cabeza. (How are you? — Not very well. I have a headache.)

Farewells

Adiós. : (Goodbye.) - A general and common way to say goodbye. Adiós, hasta luego. (Goodbye, see you later.)
Hasta luego. : (See you later.) - Used when you expect to see the person again, but not immediately. Hasta luego, nos vemos mañana. (See you later, see you tomorrow.)
Hasta pronto. : (See you soon.) - Used when you anticipate seeing the person in the near future. Hasta pronto, que tengas un buen día. (See you soon, have a good day.)
Nos vemos. : (We'll see each other. / See you.) - A casual way to say goodbye, implying you'll meet again. Bueno, nos vemos. (Well, see you.)

Polite Phrases

Por favor. : (Please.) - Used when making a request. ¿Me puede ayudar, por favor? (Can you help me, please?)
Gracias. : (Thank you.) - Used to express gratitude. Gracias por tu ayuda. (Thank you for your help.)
De nada. : (You're welcome. / It's nothing.) - The most common way to respond to "gracias." Gracias. — De nada.

Practice Activities

Practice with Flashcards

Reinforce these greetings, farewells, and polite phrases.

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Recognition Practice:
Exercise 1: Matching Greetings

Instructions: Draw a line (mentally or on paper) to match the Spanish greeting on the left with its English equivalent on the right.

¿Qué tal?        (  ) How are you? (formal)
¿Cómo estás?    (  ) What's up? / How's it going?
¿Cómo está?     (  ) Is everything okay? / All good?
¿Todo bien?     (  ) How are you? (informal)

Answer Key:

¿Qué tal?        →   What's up? / How's it going?
¿Cómo estás?    →   How are you? (informal)
¿Cómo está?     →   How are you? (formal)
¿Todo bien?     →   Is everything okay? / All good?
Exercise 2: Choosing the Appropriate Response

Instructions: Choose the best Spanish response from the options in parentheses for each greeting (the correct answer is bolded in the key).

  1. ¿Cómo estás? (Bien, gracias. / Adiós. / Por favor.)
  2. ¿Qué tal? (Hasta luego. / Así así. / Gracias.)
  3. ¿Cómo está? (No muy bien. / Nos vemos. / De nada.)
  4. ¿Todo bien? (Bien, gracias. / Hasta pronto. / Por favor.)

Answer Key:

  1. Bien, gracias.
  2. Así así.
  3. No muy bien.
  4. Bien, gracias.
Exercise 3: Matching Farewell to Situation

Instructions: Match the Spanish farewell on the left with the most appropriate English situation on the right.

Adiós           (  ) Saying goodbye when you expect to see someone again soon.
Hasta luego     (  ) A general way to say goodbye.
Hasta pronto    (  ) Saying goodbye when you don't expect to see someone again immediately.
Nos vemos       (  ) A casual goodbye, implying you'll meet again.

Answer Key:

Adiós           →   A general way to say goodbye.
Hasta luego     →   Saying goodbye when you don't expect to see someone again immediately.
Hasta pronto    →   Saying goodbye when you expect to see someone again soon.
Nos vemos       →   A casual goodbye, implying you'll meet again.
Exercise 4: Selecting Polite Phrases

Instructions: Choose the correct Spanish word for the English phrase (the correct answer is bolded in the key).

  1. Please: (Gracias / Por favor / De nada)
  2. Thank you: (Por favor / Gracias / Adiós)
  3. You're welcome: (Hola / De nada / Hasta luego)

Answer Key:

  1. Por favor
  2. Gracias
  3. De nada
Production Practice:

Instructions: Practice the following speaking exercises aloud.

Exercise 1: Greeting Intonation

Say the following greetings aloud, trying to use a natural and friendly intonation:

  • ¿Qué tal? (Imagine asking a friend.)
  • ¿Cómo estás? (Imagine asking a classmate.)
  • ¿Cómo está? (Imagine asking your teacher.)
  • ¿Todo bien? (Imagine checking on a colleague.)
Exercise 2: "¿Qué tal?" and "¿Cómo estás?" Exchanges

Role-play the following short exchanges aloud with yourself or a partner:

  • Person A: ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?
  • Person B: Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?

  • Person A: Buenos días. ¿Cómo estás?
  • Person B: Así así. Un poco cansado. ¿Y usted?

  • Person A: Buenas tardes. ¿Cómo está?
  • Person B: No muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?
Exercise 3: Farewell Scenarios

Imagine the following scenarios and say the most appropriate farewell aloud:

  • You are leaving a friend's house after a visit, and you'll see them again next week. (e.g., Hasta luego / Nos vemos)
  • You are saying goodbye to a shopkeeper after buying something, and you don't know when you'll be back. (e.g., Adiós)
  • You are leaving a party and saying goodbye to the host, whom you expect to see again soon. (e.g., Hasta pronto / Nos vemos)
  • You are saying goodbye to a colleague at the end of the workday. (e.g., Hasta mañana / Hasta luego / Nos vemos)
Exercise 4: Polite Requests and Responses

Practice the following mini-scenarios aloud:

  • Ask someone to repeat something: "Por favor, ¿puede repetir?"
  • Thank someone for their help: "Gracias por su ayuda."
  • Respond to "Gracias": "De nada."
  • Ask for information politely: "¿Podría decirme... por favor?"
Interactive Activity (with a study partner or imagining a scenario):
Exercise 1: Creating Greetings and Farewells Dialogues

Instructions: With a partner, create three short dialogues. Each dialogue should include: an appropriate greeting (formal or informal), an exchange about how each person is doing (using "¿Qué tal?" or "¿Cómo estás?/¿Cómo está?" and a response), and a farewell (use a different farewell in each dialogue). Practice saying the dialogues aloud.

(No answer key needed - focus on practice)

Exercise 2: Polite Requests Role-Play

Instructions: Take turns playing the roles in the scenarios below.

Scenario 1: One person needs to borrow a pen. Ask politely using "por favor." The other person lends the pen and says "de nada" after being thanked.

Scenario 2: One person wants to know the time. Ask politely using "¿Podría decirme la hora, por favor?" The other person tells the time, and the first person says "gracias." The second person responds with "de nada."

(No answer key needed - focus on interaction)

Cultural Insight

In Spanish-speaking cultures, it's common to engage in a brief exchange of greetings and inquiries about well-being before getting to the main purpose of a conversation. Skipping these pleasantries can be seen as impolite, especially with people you don't know well.

The level of formality in greetings and farewells is important. Remember to use 'usted' and '¿cómo está?' with elders, superiors, and those you are meeting for the first time. 'Tú' and '¿cómo estás?' are used with friends, family, and people you know well.

A simple 'de nada' is the most common response to 'gracias,' but you might also hear 'no hay de qué' (it's nothing) or 'con gusto' (with pleasure).

Review and Consolidation

Key Vocabulary:

¿Qué tal?, ¿Cómo estás?, ¿Cómo está?, ¿Todo bien?, Bien, gracias, Así así, No muy bien, Adiós, Hasta luego, Hasta pronto, Nos vemos, Por favor, Gracias, De nada.

Key Phrases:
Self-Assessment:

Can you now use a variety of greetings? Can you ask and respond to questions about well-being? Can you say goodbye appropriately? Can you use "por favor," "gracias," and "de nada" correctly?

Looking Ahead

In the next chapter, we'll start learning about numbers in Spanish, which are essential for many everyday situations.

Previous Chapter: Bienvenidos Next Chapter: Numbers