Basic greetings: Common greetings

💬 Spanish question marks come in pairs: opening [¿] and closing [?]. In [¿cómo estás?], the stress marks also matter: [cómo] and [estás] need them.

💬 [Te llamas] literally uses the verb for "call": [¿cómo te llamas?] is "what do you call yourself?" You can reuse the pattern with other people: [¿cómo se llama?] for "What is your name?" in a formal situation.

💬 [Me llamo] uses the same verb as [¿cómo te llamas?]: [me] for "I" and [te] for "you." Swap the little word, not just the name: [me llamo Ana], [te llamas Carlos].

💬 The ending changes with the speaker: a man says [encantado], a woman says [encantada]. The same kind of swap happens in many common phrases, like [cansado/cansada].

🇪🇸 In Spain this is a very standard, natural thing to say when meeting someone. With strangers or in formal situations, you'll also hear [encantado de conocerle] instead of [conocerte].

🇪🇸 In Spain, [buenos días] is used until lunchtime, often later than English "good morning." It's also a common polite greeting when entering a shop or café.

🇪🇸 [Buenas tardes] usually starts after lunch and runs into the evening in Spain. It often covers a longer part of the day than English "good afternoon."