Introduction
When learning a foreign language, one of the most important things to learn is how to say goodbye and how to say goodbye properly.
There are many different ways to say farewell in Spanish, both in writing (by e-mail, letter, or message) and vocally (by hugging, kissing, or kissing). People who are new to Spanish have a tendency to misuse the most recognized greeting in the country: Hola
How many times, if you are studying Spanish, have you wanted to greet someone in Spanish but just knew how to say “Hola” since you were learning the language?
So, in today’s article, we’ll look at all of the different ways you might welcome someone and say farewell to them. Let’s have a look at them together!
Informal ways to say goodbye verbally
Let’s go over informal ways to say goodbye to other people when you’re face to face
¡Adiós!
The first form of leave-taking we are going to analyze today is: ¡Adiós!
Adiós is a greeting that is used when you are about to leave and take your leave.
Despite this, it is good to keep in mind that the Adiós greeting can also be a bit strong, a bit radical.
If I say to a person “¡Adiós!” it seems that I will never see them again. This is why other alternative expressions are usually used.
Sometimes the greeting Adiós is also used in a joking manner and, in this case, the idea that the two people will never see each other again is not conveyed. This nuance of meaning, however, is closely related to the context and situation in which one finds oneself
Hasta…
Let us now look at other modalities that are used in place of the Adiós greeting and that have a much less strong and radical character.
- Hasta luego This expression is used when you know that you will soon see the person you are greeting (in English it means “See you soon”).
- Hasta pronto: The meaning of this expression is very similar to Hasta luego. The difference is that when you say Hasta pronto to a person you hope that you will see them again soon, but you don’t know exactly when this will happen (With hasta luego, on the other hand, you already know when you will see each other again).
- Hasta entonces: This other greeting corresponds in English to until then
- Hasta otro día/Hasta mañana: Here, too, we say goodbye knowing when the two people will see each other again, but we make explicit when they will see each other again (See you next day/see you tomorrow morning).
Other informal goodbyes
Some other colloquial and informal greetings that are used to take leave are:
- Venga, nos vemos
- Un besito, adios
For both of these expressions, there are no equivalent expressions in English. Let’s see together some example sentences to try to understand the meaning of these two expressions.
Venga, nos vamos al hotel: Come on, everybody, we’re going back to the hotel.
The expression Un besito, adios, on the other hand, is much more difficult to translate. However, we can say that it is an affectionate way of saying goodbye and is used when you are familiar with the person you are talking to.
Formal ways to say goodbye verbally
Now let’s look at some more formal ways to say goodbye when we are with someone we don’t know very well or someone to whom we have some respect.
When I want to say goodbye in a more formal way, I can also use expressions such as buenos dÃas and various others accompanied by the word Adiós.
Let’s look at some examples together to better understand.
- Adiós, buenos días (good morning)
- Adiós, buenas noches (goof night)
- Adiós, buenas tardes (good evening)
This formal way to greet and deliver with people is quite elegant and formal.
Informal ways to say goodbye by e-mail
When you have to write an email and you want to say goodbye to a person you know and with whom you are very familiar, you can use various informal expressions. Let’s see together what they are.
- Saludos afectuosos: affectionate greetings (when you are close friends)
- Un abrazo: (literally means “I hug you”. It is another way to show closeness to the person to whom you are sending the email)
- Cariños: This is another way that is used to greet each other especially between family members, friends (who have known each other for a long time) and co-workers (with whom you have a good relationship).
- Con amor: literally means “with affection”. Also in this case it is used when you are in close relationship with the person you are writing to.
Formal ways to say goodbye by e-mail
Let’s go, at this point, to analyze the various formal greetings that you can use when you need to say goodbye by email. This is probably the most difficult point for many people, since it is always difficult to know which is the best way to greet a person in writing.
Let’s see all the cases one by one and some examples to better understand.
When you just want to greet the person in a formal way
With these three greetings you simply want to greet the person.
- Atentamente: in English corresponds to Sincerely
- Respetuosamente: Literally means Respectfully/ With respect
- Un cordial saludo: very similar to Atentamente
When you want to say goodbye and thank you
With these three greetings you simply mean to greet the person and thank the person you are sending an email to.
- Gracias por su atención: Corresponds to Thank you for your attention.
- Muchas gracias de antemano: means Thank you in advance
When you express the will to want an answer
To ask for a reply or feedback from the person you are writing to, at the end of your e-mail you can write
- Quedo a la espera de su respuesta: Literally means I look forward to your reply
- Espero sus comentarios: This final greeting means I look forward to your comments
When you want to offer help to the person
When at the end of a letter or an e-mail you want to express your willingness to offer help to the person you are talking to, you can use the following expressions:
- Estoy a su entera disposición para cualquier consulta: This expression in English translates as at your entire disposal for any request.
- Esta encantado de ayudaros: This Spanish expression translates into English as: I am pleased to help you.
Conclusion
We have analyzed all the various ways in which you can greet a person and say goodbye: both formally and informally, both when you are in person and when writing an email.
A good command of the Spanish language requires that you do not, as we have understood in today’s article, only use the expression Hola.
Obviously, if you are just starting out, these expressions will seem like a lot and you will find it difficult to remember them all, but, as always, the best thing to do when learning a language is to get involved, make mistakes and learn.
Good luck and good studying!
