If you have Spanish-speaking friends, it’s very likely that, at some point, they might want to introduce you to other people. Knowing what to say in these situations is crucial to leave a good impression or start a conversation. As a result, learners should know different ways to say nice to meet you in Spanish.
In Spanish, there are different expressions to say nice to meet you. Some of the most common ones include:
- Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you
- Encantado de conocerte – Pleased to meet you
- Es un placer – It’s a pleasure
- He escuchado mucho sobre ti – I have heard so much about you
- ¡Qué tal! – How do you do?
Knowing different expressions to say nice to meet you in Spanish not only will improve your vocabulary, but it might also help you start a conversation and practice your Spanish. Since these polite expressions are very important, I’ve compiled a list of 5 common ways ‘to say nice to meet you’ in Spanish.
In addition to providing you with these expressions, I’ll also include small descriptions so you know when to use them, some examples to give you an idea of how to apply them as well as some interesting variations of these expressions that you can use. If needed, I’ll give a phrase structure that you can follow to customize your expressions.
By the end of this, you’ll know 5 different ways to say nice to meet you in Spanish!
1. Mucho gusto – Nice to meet you
As you may have already guessed, mucho gusto is one of the most common and easiest ways to say ‘nice to meet you’ in Spanish. Due to its popularity, this expression can be used in both formal and informal introductions.
Another advantage of using ‘mucho gusto’ is that, unlike other expressions, you don’t need to customize or change it. But if you’re really happy to meet someone, you can intensify ‘mucho gusto’ by using the superlative form muchísimo.
Here are some examples:
Hola, mucho gusto, soy Daniela y, ¿ustedes?
Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Daniela and you?
Tú eres la novia de David, ¿verdad? ¡Muchísimo gusto!
You are David’s girlfriend, right? So nice to meet you!
| Spanish | English |
| Persona 1: Lenny, esta es Patricia | Person 1: Lenny, this is Patricia |
| Persona 2: Hola, mucho gusto, bienvenida. | Person 2: Hi, nice to meet you, welcome. |
Take Note: Spanish superlatives allow you to intensify the characteristics or qualities presented by an adjective or adverb. In this case, ‘muchísimo gusto’ expresses great joy for meeting a person.
2. Encantado de conocerte – Pleased to meet you
Encantado de conocerte is also another popular expression that you can use to say ‘nice to meet you’ in Spanish. However, this expression has a higher degree of formality and politeness than ‘mucho gusto’. It can be translated as:
- Pleased to meet you
- It’s a pleasure to meet you
In other words, you might use ‘encantado de conocerte’ when meeting your friend’s parents, a date or in more formal contexts such as working environments. In order to use ‘encantado de conocerte’ correctly, you need to perform some changes when using it in different situations:
- ‘Encantado’ needs to match the speaker’s gender (encantado for males and encantada for females).
- Conocerte has a direct object pronoun attached to it. This pronoun needs to change to match the person that you’re talking to.
Let’s clarify this with some examples:
Encantado + de + conocer + [direct object pronoun]
¿Eres la hermana de Luis? Encantada de conocerte
You are Louis’s sister? It’s a pleasure to meet you
Hola, soy la amiga de Victoria, encantada de conocerlo, señor
Hello, I’m Victoria’s friend, pleased to meet you, sir
No nos han presentado, soy Paul, encantado de conocerlas, señoritas
They haven’t introduced us, I’m Paul, pleased to meet you, ladies
Take example #3 as a guide. Señoritas is a feminine plural noun. Since the direct object pronoun needs to match these characteristics, you need add the pronoun ‘las’ (feminine and plural) at the end of conocer.
If you don’t want to get into trouble with pronouns, you can use the short version ‘encantado’.
| Spanish | English |
| Persona 1: Sr. Williams, esta es mi esposa, Hanna. | Person 1: Mr. Williams, this is my wife, Hanna. |
| Persona 2: Encantado, señora. | Person 2: Pleased to meet you, madam. |
Take Note: When an infinitive verb works with object pronouns, the pronoun gets attached to the verb and both become one word (conocerte).
3. Es un placer – It’s a pleasure
Another polite and formal way to say ‘nice to meet you’ in Spanish is by using the expression es un placer. Usually, this expression is used when you want to be super polite or when you are in formal situations such as office and school environments.
‘Es un placer’ literally means it’s a pleasure. But, of course, there are other common variations that you could use in its place. Most of these variations can be translated as ‘it is a pleasure to meet you’.
- Me alegra mucho conocerte – Slightly more informal. Can be used if you have more familiarity with the person that is being introduced to you.
- (Es) Un placer conocerte – It’s another formal and polite variation. Notice that this expression requires you to use direct object pronouns.
- Un placer – It’s not as casual as ‘me alegra mucho conocerte’, but it’s slightly more informal than ‘es un placer’. It can also mean a pleasure.
Here are some examples of how to use these expressions:
[Ser conjugated] + un placer
Buenas noches, fue un placer conocerlos
Good night, it was a pleasure to meet you
Beatriz, es un placer, Matthew habla mucho sobre ti
Beatriz, it’s a pleasure, Matthew talks about you a lot
Laura, un placer, siéntete como en tu casa, por favor
Laura, a pleasure, please, make yourself at home
Take Note: If you conjugate the verb ser in the expression ‘es un placer’, this phrase will function as a farewell in Spanish, but also as a way to reaffirm that you were pleased to meet that person.
4. He escuchado mucho sobre ti – I have heard so much about you
He escuchado mucho sobre ti is another Spanish expression that you can use to say ‘nice to meet you’. Actually, this phrase is the direct translation of ‘I have heard so much about you’. As a result, it’s a polite expression that you can use when you have some expectations about meeting this person.
If you want this expression to be a little bit more polite, you can combine it with other phrases from this list. Below there are some phrase structures and some examples that you can use:
[Haber conjugated] + escuchado sobre + [prepositional pronouns]
Hola, Claudia, he escuchado mucho sobre ti
Hi, Claudia, I’ve heard so much about you
Mucho gusto, señora, he escuchado mucho sobre usted
Nice to meet you, ma’am, I have heard so much about you
Bienvenidas, hemos escuchado mucho sobre ustedes, chicas
Bienvenidas, hemos escuchado mucho sobre ustedes, girls
Take Note: With this expression, the verb haber needs to be conjugated depending on the speaker (the person saying the phrase). Additionally, the prepositional pronoun needs to match the person that you’re talking to.
5. Qué tal – How do you do?
Even though you might not be familiar with it, qué tal is a common expression that Spanish speakers use to say ‘nice to meet you’. Just like ‘mucho gusto’, this phrase can be used in both formal and casual conversations.
Additionally, if you want, you can combine this expression with other phrases from the list. Here are some examples:
Qué tal, soy Sergio, encantado de conocerte
How do you do? I’m Sergio, pleased to meet you
| Spanish | English |
| Persona 1: Susy, te presento a mi novio. | Person 1: Susy, this my boyfriend |
| Persona 2: ¡Qué tal! ¿Andrew, verdad? | Person 2: How do you do? Andrew, right? |
Take Note: In other contexts, qué tal can also be used as a way to say hello in Spanish. Keep this meaning in mind so you don’t get confused.
Wrapping Up
If you’re learning Spanish, it’s very likely that you will meet other speakers. Therefore, you need to know what to say when people introduce themselves or a friend introduces you to someone else. For that reason, in this article, I’ve compiled a list of 5 common ways to say nice to meet you in Spanish.
As a quick reminder, here are the expressions we’ve learned:
- Mucho gusto
- Encantado de conocerte
- Es un placer
- He escuchado mucho sobre ti
- Qué tal
Even though all of these phrases are the same semantically, keep in mind that their degree of formality varies. So, before you apply them, make sure you choose the best option for your situation.
Now that you know what to say, you’re ready to go out there and start meeting new Spanish speakers. ¡Buena suerte!