Greetings & courtesy · Saludos
20 Spanish words — each with a picture, audio and an example sentence. How every conversation opens and closes — plus please, thanks and sorry.
| Picture | English | Spanish · Español | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | hello / hi | hola | The h is silent ('OH-la'); works at any time of day. |
 | good morning | buenos días | 🔗 Word familyFrom bueno (good) + día (day); note the plural, and día is masculine despite the -a. |
 | good afternoon | buenas tardes | la tarde is the afternoon; tarde also means 'late'. |
 | good night | buenas noches | la noche = night; said both as an evening greeting and at bedtime. |
 | goodbye | adiós | 🔗 Word familyFrom a + Dios (to God). |
 | see you later | hasta luego | Literally 'until later' (luego = later). |
 | thank you | gracias | 🔗 Word familyla gracia (grace, charm). |
 | thank you very much | muchas gracias | ⚠️ Gendergracias is feminine plural, so muchas (not muchos). |
 | you're welcome | de nada | Literally 'of nothing' (nada = nothing). |
 | please | por favor | Literally 'as a favor' (el favor = favor). |
 | sorry | perdón | 🔗 Word familyFrom perdonar (to forgive); also used to get attention or ask someone to repeat. |
 | I'm sorry | lo siento | 🔗 Word familyFrom sentir (to feel); literally 'I feel it'. |
 | yes | sí | The accent matters: si without it means 'if'. |
 | no | no | Also negates the verb: no hablo = I don't speak. |
 | nice to meet you | mucho gusto | 🔗 Word familyFrom gustar (to please); el gusto = pleasure, taste. |
 | congratulations | felicidades | 🔗 Word familyfeliz (happy). |
 | welcome | bienvenido | A greeting — no article; to a woman: bienvenida. From bien (well) + venir (to come). |
 | good luck | buena suerte | la suerte = luck. Say ¡Buena suerte! |
 | enjoy your meal | buen provecho | bueno shortens to buen before a masculine noun; el provecho = benefit. |
 | bless you | salud | Say ¡Salud!; la salud = health. Also used as a toast. |