Use buenos días until noon, buenas tardes from noon to around 7–8 PM, and buenas noches after that. Using the wrong one is not rude, but the right one shows cultural awareness.
When entering a room — a shop, an office, a classroom — greet everyone with at least a general ¡Buenos días! or ¡Hola, buenas! Ignoring this can come across as cold or arrogant.
Match your greeting to the pronoun form. Say ¿cómo estás? (tú) with friends and peers; ¿cómo está usted? with elders, bosses, professors, or strangers in formal settings.
In Latin America, a greeting often includes a handshake, a hug, or a cheek kiss depending on closeness. Even a smile and direct eye contact during a greeting signals genuine friendliness.
In everyday Latin American speech, people often shorten all time greetings to just ¡Buenas! — it works at any hour and in any setting. Casual, friendly, and universally understood.
The simplest and most natural response to most greetings is to mirror them back. Someone says ¡Buenos días! — you say ¡Buenos días! It shows attentiveness and warmth.
Each phrase plays in Spanish. After it finishes, a 4-second countdown gives you time to say it aloud. This trains natural pronunciation, rhythm, and confidence.