1.5 Informal Greetings & Introducing Yourself (¿Cómo estás?)

Informal greetings ('los saludos informales') are for friends, family and peers: Hola (hi), ¿Qué tal? (what's up?) and ¿Cómo estás? (how are you?) — which works for both men and women. Notice the ¿ at the start: Spanish opens a question with an upside-down question mark.

To introduce yourself: 'Me llamo ___' (my name is ___) or 'Soy ___' (I am ___). To ask someone's name informally: '¿Cómo te llamas?'. The acento (´) on 'estás' and 'cómo' marks the stress — and can change meaning, so don't skip it.