Learn Basic Spanish Phrases and Introductions for Free

Welcome to Free Spanish Lessons. In this post you will learn how to say basic introductions and phrases in Spanish, and all for free. Learn how to say "Hello", "How are you?", "What's up?", "What's going on?" in Spanish.
All conversations in Spanish, as in English, begin with a greeting (Hello).
Below are two lists of greetings categorized by their appropriateness in formal or informal conversations.

1. Greetings appropriate for both formal and informal conversations.

Hola- Hello (this is the most standard greeting)
Buenos dias - Good morning
Buenas tardes - Good afternoon
Buenas noches - Good evening/Good night (it used as a greeting)

This formal phrase/question is part of most standard formal greetings. In a formal conversation it is used in conjunction with a form of “hello.”

¿Como esta usted? - How are you? (Como - How) (esta - are) (usted - you (formal))
Response: Basic responses to this question are bien (good), mal (bad), asi asi (so so), or mas o menos (more or less/alright). Your individual response is based on how you feel.

Por ejemplo (for example):
Juan - Hola Pablo. ¿Como esta usted?
Pablo - Bien, ¿y usted?
Translation
Juan (John) - Hello Pablo (Paul). How are you?
Pablo (Paul) - Good, and you?

2. Informal greetings.
Oye - Hey

These phrases/questions are used as greetings in informal conversations or they can be used in conjunction with a form of “hello:”

¿Que pasa? - What’s up?
Response: Basic responses to this question are nada (nothing) or an explanation of what you are doing (you will learn how to do this in time), much like in English.
Further explanation: In English when someone posses the question “What’s up?” the most common response is nothing, however sometimes people do explain “what is up” with them. People do not answer the question “What’s up?” with “good” or “alright.” It is the same concept in Spanish.

¿Que onda? - What’s going on?
Response: Basic responses to this question are nada (nothing) or an explanation of what you are doing, much like in English and similar to the concept addressed with “¿Que pasa?”

¿Que tal? - How are you?
Response: Basic responses to this question are bien (good), mal (bad), asi asi (so so), or mas o menos (more or less/alright). Your individual response is based on how you feel.

¿Como estas tu? - How are you? (Como - How) (estas - are) (tu - you (informal))
Response: Basic responses to this question are bien (good), mal (bad), asi asi (so so), or mas o menos (more or less/alright). Your individual response is based on how you feel.


Por ejemplo (for example):
Juan - Oye Pablo. ¿Que pasa?
Pablo - Nada, ¿y tu?
Translation
Juan (John) - Hey Pablo (Paul). What’s up?
Pablo (Paul) - Nothing, and you?

Otro ejemplo (another example):
Juan - Hola. ¿Que tal?
Pablo - Bien, ¿y tu?
Translation
Juan (John) - Hello. How are you?
Pablo (Paul) - Good, and you?

I hope that this free Spanish lesson has helped you learn some basic Spanish phrases. The links to the left of this post contain more information about Spanish introductions and phrases and help with pronunciation. I will continue to update this post with more information. Until later, Adios.