Spanish Common Expressions and Greetings: DELE A1 Complete Guide

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Key Takeaways

• Learn essential greetings and farewells in Spanish
• Master polite expressions and social phrases
• Understand common idiomatic expressions
• Learn conversation starters and responses
• Essential for DELE A1 social interactions

Welcome to your complete guide to Spanish common expressions and greetings, essential for basic social interactions, polite conversations, and everyday communication on the DELE A1 exam. This vocabulary is fundamental for all speaking and listening sections.

Basic Greetings

Everyday Greetings

Spanish	English	Example Sentence	English Translation
Hola	Hello	Hola, ¿cómo estás?	Hello, how are you?
Buenos días	Good morning	Buenos días, señor García	Good morning, Mr. García
Buenas tardes	Good afternoon	Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está?	Good afternoon, how are you?
Buenas noches	Good evening/night	Buenas noches, hasta mañana	Good night, see you tomorrow
¿Qué tal?	How’s it going?	¿Qué tal? ¿Todo bien?	How’s it going? Everything good?

DELE A1 Tip: Use “Buenos días” before noon, “Buenas tardes” until evening, and “Buenas noches” in the evening and night. The “s” at the end is always used.

Asking How Someone Is

Personal Well-being Questions

Spanish	English	Example Response	English Translation
¿Cómo estás?	How are you? (informal)	Estoy bien, gracias	I’m fine, thank you
¿Cómo está?	How are you? (formal)	Muy bien, ¿y usted?	Very well, and you?
¿Qué hay?	What’s up?	Nada nuevo	Nothing new
¿Cómo te va?	How’s it going?	Todo bien	All good
¿Qué pasa?	What’s happening?	Nada especial	Nothing special

Responses to Greetings

Common Replies

Spanish	English	Context
Bien, gracias	Fine, thank you	Standard polite response
Muy bien	Very well	Positive response
Más o menos	So-so	Neutral response
Regular	Okay	Average response
Mal	Bad	Negative response

Farewells and Goodbyes

Ending Conversations

Spanish	English	Example Sentence	English Translation
Adiós	Goodbye	Adiós, hasta pronto	Goodbye, see you soon
Hasta luego	See you later	Hasta luego, amigo	See you later, friend
Hasta mañana	See you tomorrow	Hasta mañana en la escuela	See you tomorrow at school
Nos vemos	We’ll see each other	Nos vemos el lunes	See you on Monday
Chao	Bye (informal)	Chao, cuídate	Bye, take care

Polite Expressions

Essential Courtesy Phrases

Spanish	English	Example Usage
Por favor	Please	Por favor, ayúdame
Gracias	Thank you	Muchas gracias
De nada	You’re welcome	Response to “gracias”
Perdón	Sorry/Excuse me	Perdón por llegar tarde
Lo siento	I’m sorry	Lo siento mucho

Introductions

Meeting People

Spanish	English	Example Dialogue
¿Cómo te llamas?	What’s your name?	¿Cómo te llamas? – Me llamo María
Mucho gusto	Nice to meet you	Mucho gusto – Igualmente
Encantado/Encantada	Delighted to meet you	Encantado de conocerte
¿De dónde eres?	Where are you from?	¿De dónde eres? – Soy de México
¿Qué haces?	What do you do?	¿Qué haces? – Soy estudiante

Common Social Expressions

Everyday Conversation Phrases

Spanish	English	Context
Claro	Of course	Agreement
Por supuesto	Of course	Formal agreement
No sé	I don’t know	Expressing uncertainty
¡Qué bien!	How great!	Expressing happiness
¡Qué lástima!	What a pity!	Expressing sympathy

Emergency and Help Phrases

Important Situational Expressions

Spanish	English	When to Use
¡Ayuda!	Help!	Emergency situations
Necesito ayuda	I need help	Requesting assistance
¿Puede ayudarme?	Can you help me?	Polite help request
No entiendo	I don’t understand	Communication issues
Hable más despacio	Speak more slowly	Asking to slow down

DELE A1 Exam Practice

Speaking Section Examples

• Greet someone: “Buenos días, ¿cómo está?” – “Good morning, how are you?”
• Introduce yourself: “Mucho gusto, me llamo Carlos” – “Nice to meet you, my name is Carlos”
• Ask for help: “Perdón, ¿puede ayudarme?” – “Excuse me, can you help me?”
• End conversation: “Hasta luego, que tengas un buen día” – “See you later, have a good day”

Writing Section Examples

• Write a simple introduction dialogue
• Create a conversation between two people meeting
• Write polite requests and responses
• Create a short social interaction scenario

Telephone Expressions

Phone Conversation Phrases

Spanish	English	Context
¿Aló?	Hello?	Answering phone
Habla…	Speaking…	Identifying yourself
¿De parte de quién?	Who’s calling?	Asking caller’s identity
Un momento, por favor	One moment, please	Putting on hold
Llame más tarde	Call back later	Asking to call back

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Wrong formality: ❌ “¿Cómo estás?” to older person ✅ “¿Cómo está?“
• Missing courtesy: ❌ “Dame eso” ✅ “Por favor, dame eso”
• Wrong time greeting: ❌ “Buenas noches” at 10 AM ✅ “Buenos días“

Next Step: Test Your Knowledge!

Ready to check your understanding of Spanish common expressions and greetings?

Take our DELE A1 Spanish Expressions and Greetings Quiz here to confirm you’re ready for this part of the exam.

What’s Next in Your DELE A1 Journey?

• Ready for conversations? Study Spanish Basic Conversations Guide
• Need more social phrases? Review Spanish Social Expressions
• Practice all A1 vocabulary? Take a Full A1 Vocabulary Test

Good luck with your DELE A1 preparation!

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