A1 · Everyday manners

Greetings and manners

The formulas you choose in the first ten seconds of every conversation, and which decide whether you sound warm or distant.

Greeting

¿Qué tal?informal
How is it going?
¿Cómo has estado?
How have you been?
For someone you have not seen in a while.
El pretérito perfecto
Buenos días, señora.formal
Good morning, ma'am.
With señor or señora, switch to usted from there on.
Tú, usted y vos
¿Aló?Peruvian
Hello? (on the phone)
On the phone only. Never in person.
México
¿Bueno?
Argentina
¿Hola?
España
¿Dígame? / ¿Sí?
Colombia
¿Aló?

¿Me haces un favor?
Could you do me a favour?
Softens any request. More natural than a bare command.
¿Me pasas la sal, por favor?
Can you pass me the salt, please?
Spanish asks with a question, not with an imperative.
El imperativo
Muchas gracias, en serio.
Thank you, really.
En serio adds sincerity without sounding overdone.
No te hubieras molestado.formal
You should not have.
Said when receiving a gift. It is politeness, not a complaint.
El imperfecto de subjuntivo

Disculpa la demora.
Sorry for the delay.
With usted: disculpe la demora.
Se me pasó la hora.
I lost track of the time.
Presents the lateness as something that happened to you.
Se me fue, se me olvidó
Fue sin querer.informal
I did not mean to.
Sin querer means unintentionally.

Nos vemos.
See you.
The everyday goodbye, literally we see each other.
Verbos reflexivos
Que estés bien.
Take care.
With usted: que esté bien.
El subjuntivo: formas
Cualquier cosa me avisas.Peruvian
Let me know if you need anything.
Warm and very common as a way to end a conversation.

14 expressions in this pack