# 11. Useful Greetings & Farewells

> Source: [A Complete Guide To Every Fundamental In Spanish](https://youtube.com/watch?v=YHDZSHCt1DE&t=2450s)

This chapter covers the most practical Spanish greetings, farewells, and polite phrases — including the literal breakdowns that explain *why* they're said the way they are.

## Key Rules
- `bienvenido` literally = "well-come" (from `bien` + `venido`, past participle of `venir`).
- Time-of-day greetings agree in number: `buenos días` (m. pl.), `buenas noches` (f. pl.).
- For *how are you?*, use **estar** because well-being changes over time: `¿Cómo estás?` → `Estoy bien`.
- `adiós` literally means "to God" — historically "go with God" → modern "goodbye."
- `hasta + (time/event)` is the pattern for "see you ___" expressions.

## Greetings & Conversation Starters
| Spanish | Literal / Notes | Meaning |
|---------|-----------------|---------|
| Hola | — | Hi / Hello |
| Bienvenido / Bienvenidos | "well-come" (sing/pl) | Welcome |
| Buenos días | "good days" | Good morning |
| Buenas tardes | "good afternoons" | Good afternoon |
| Buenas noches | "good nights" | Good evening / Good night |
| ¿Qué pasa? | what passes/happens | What's going on? / What's up? |
| ¿Qué está pasando? | present progressive | What's happening? |
| ¿Qué tal? | "what such" | How are you? / How's it going? |
| ¿Cómo estás (tú)? | uses estar | How are you? |
| (Yo) estoy bien. | uses estar | I'm well. |

## Polite Words
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---------|---------|
| Por favor | Please |
| (Muchas) Gracias | Thank you (very much) |
| De nada | You're welcome ("of nothing") |
| Perdón | Sorry / Pardon me |

## Farewells
| Spanish | Literal | Meaning |
|---------|---------|---------|
| Adiós | "to God" | Goodbye |
| Chau / Chao | (from Italian) | Bye |
| Hasta la vista | "until the view" | See you later / Until next time |
| Hasta luego | "until later" | See you later |
| Hasta pronto | "until soon" | See you soon |

## Notes & Gotchas
- `¿Cómo estás?` uses **estar** (not ser) because mood/well-being is temporary.
- `buenos días` is masculine plural; `buenas tardes` and `buenas noches` are feminine plural — match the gender of the noun (día m., tarde/noche f.).
- `de nada` is the standard reply to thanks; literal "of nothing" implies "no need to thank me."
- `chau`/`chao` is borrowed from Italian *ciao* and is very informal.
- Use written question marks: opening `¿` and closing `?` (and `¡ ... !` for exclamations).
