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Chapter 1

Greetings & Polite Basics

Spanish greetings are the foundation of every interaction. Across Central America, being polite and greeting people properly shows respect and opens doors. The good news: the basics are simple and immediately useful.

📚 Vocabulary

Hola/OH-lah/
Hello
Buenos días/BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs/
Good morning
Buenas tardes/BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs/
Good afternoon
Buenas noches/BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs/
Good evening / Good night
¿Cómo está usted?/KOH-moh ehs-TAH oo-STED/
How are you? (formal)
¿Cómo estás?/KOH-moh ehs-TAHS/
How are you? (informal)
Bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?/BEEYEN GRAH-see-ahs ee oo-STED/
Good, thank you. And you?
Más o menos/MAHS oh MEH-nohs/
So-so / More or less
Me llamo.../meh YAH-moh/
My name is...
¿Cómo se llama usted?/KOH-moh seh YAH-mah oo-STED/
What is your name?
Mucho gusto/MOO-choh GOO-stoh/
Nice to meet you
El gusto es mío/el GOO-stoh ehs MEE-oh/
The pleasure is mine
Por favor/por fah-VOR/
Please
Gracias/GRAH-see-ahs/
Thank you
De nada/deh NAH-dah/
You're welcome
Perdón / Disculpe/pair-DON / dees-KOOL-peh/
Excuse me / Sorry
Con permiso/kon pair-MEE-soh/
Excuse me (passing through)
Adiós/ah-dee-OHS/
Goodbye
Hasta luego/AHS-tah LWEH-goh/
See you later
Hasta mañana/AHS-tah mah-NYAH-nah/
See you tomorrow
Nos vemos/nohs VEH-mohs/
We'll see each other / See you

📐 Grammar Notes

Tú vs. Usted (Informal vs. Formal 'You')

Spanish has two words for 'you'. Use 'tú' with friends, family, and people your age. Use 'usted' with elders, strangers, authority figures, or in formal situations. When in doubt with a stranger, use 'usted' — it's always respectful.

¿Cómo te llamas tú?
What's your name? (to a friend)
¿Cómo se llama usted?
What is your name? (formal)
¿Hablas inglés?
Do you speak English? (tú)
¿Habla inglés?
Do you speak English? (usted)

Present Tense of 'Ser' (To Be — permanent) and 'Estar' (To Be — temporary)

Spanish has two verbs for 'to be'. SER is for permanent facts: identity, nationality, profession. ESTAR is for temporary states: feelings, location, conditions. This distinction is key to Spanish.

Soy de los Estados Unidos.
I am from the United States. (SER — origin)
Estoy cansado/a.
I am tired. (ESTAR — temporary state)
El restaurante está cerca.
The restaurant is nearby. (ESTAR — location)
Ella es doctora.
She is a doctor. (SER — profession)

🗣️ Key Phrases

No hablo español muy bien.
I don't speak Spanish very well.
¿Habla usted inglés?
Do you speak English?
Hablo un poco de español.
I speak a little Spanish.
¿Puede hablar más despacio, por favor?
Can you speak more slowly, please?
No entiendo.
I don't understand.
¿Puede repetir eso?
Can you repeat that?
¿Cómo se dice... en español?
How do you say ... in Spanish?

💬 Sample Dialogue

Y
You
Buenos días. ¿Cómo está usted?
Good morning. How are you?
L
Local
Bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?
Good, thank you. And you?
Y
You
Muy bien. Me llamo Sarah. Mucho gusto.
Very good. My name is Sarah. Nice to meet you.
L
Local
El gusto es mío. ¿De dónde es usted?
The pleasure is mine. Where are you from?
Y
You
Soy de los Estados Unidos. Estoy aprendiendo español.
I'm from the United States. I'm learning Spanish.
L
Local
¡Qué bien! Su español es bueno.
How great! Your Spanish is good.
Y
You
Gracias. Hablo solo un poco.
Thank you. I only speak a little.
🎯

Ready to practice?

You arrive at a small hotel in a Central American town. The receptionist greets you. Practice a full introduction: greet them, give your name, say where you're from, and explain you're learning Spanish.

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