Greetings & Introductions
Use these phrases when meeting people for the first time, whether you are chatting with a new friend, greeting a colleague, or politely introducing yourself.
Key Phrases
¡Hombre! ¡Cuánto tiempo sin verte! ¿Qué tal te va todo últimamente?
casualMan! Long time no see! How has everything been going with you lately?
A very natural way to greet a friend you haven't seen in a while.
Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted? Espero que todo le vaya muy bien.
politeGood morning, how are you? I hope everything is going very well for you.
Formal and polite; note the use of the subjunctive 'vaya'.
Hola, soy Laura, la persona que te escribió el correo electrónico ayer.
neutralHi, I'm Laura, the person who wrote you the email yesterday.
Useful in professional but approachable contexts when following up on written contact.
Permítame presentarme, soy Javier y seré su contacto principal durante el proyecto.
politeAllow me to introduce myself, I am Javier and I will be your main contact during the project.
Standard polite introduction in a business or formal setting.
Perdona, me lo has dicho antes pero, ¿cómo me dijiste que te llamabas?
casualSorry, you told me before but, what did you say your name was again?
Using the imperfect ('llamabas') is a very common, polite way to ask for a name you forgot.
Disculpe, ¿sería tan amable de recordarme cuál es su nombre, por favor?
politeExcuse me, would you be so kind as to remind me what your name is, please?
Uses the conditional ('sería') to soften the request significantly.
Mira, te presento a mi amigo Carlos; fuimos juntos a la universidad.
casualLook, let me introduce you to my friend Carlos; we went to university together.
The verb 'presentar' (to introduce) is standard for all registers; only the pronouns change.
Le presento a la nueva directora del departamento, que nos visita hoy.
politeLet me introduce you to the new department director, who is visiting us today.
Uses the formal 'le' pronoun.
¡Qué bueno conocerte por fin! Me han hablado muy bien de ti.
casualSo great to finally meet you! I've heard very good things about you.
A warm way to meet someone you already knew by reputation.
Encantado de conocerla. Me alegro mucho de que hayamos podido coincidir hoy.
politePleased to meet you. I'm very glad that we were able to coordinate today.
Uses the present perfect subjunctive ('hayamos podido') to express emotion politely.
Y tú, ¿de dónde eres originalmente? Porque tienes un acento que no reconozco.
casualAnd you, where are you originally from? Because you have an accent I don't recognize.
A natural conversation starter about someone's origin.
Si no es mucha indiscreción, ¿podría decirme de qué parte del país es usted?
politeIf you don't mind my asking, could you tell me what part of the country you are from?
A cautious, formal way to ask personal details.
Soy de Madrid, pero la verdad es que he vivido en varios lugares.
neutralI'm from Madrid, but the truth is I've lived in several places.
Adding 'la verdad es que' (the truth is) makes the response sound much more native.
Bienvenido al equipo. Si necesitas cualquier cosa, no dudes en decírmelo, ¿vale?
casualWelcome to the team. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to tell me, okay?
'No dudes en decírmelo' is a standard offer of help. '¿Vale?' is very common in Spain.
Es un placer tenerle aquí. ¿Le gustaría tomar un café mientras charlamos?
politeIt's a pleasure to have you here. Would you like to have a coffee while we chat?
Uses the conditional ('gustaría') to make a polite invitation.