Pleased to meet you.

Question

When speaking to a woman, in a formal setting, is it:

Encantado de conocerla or Encantado de conocerle

I have heard both, La and Le, not sure which is correct. Thanks.

Answer 1

Welcome to the forum YoMaxie

I believe it would be :

For a man addressing a woman: Encantado de conocerla

For a man addressing a man: Encantado de conocerlo

La = You (Ud) and is the indirect object pronoun for you (feminine)

This is of course appropriate for a formal situation

In an informal situation you would simply say:

Encantado (or encantada if you are a woman ) or Mucho gusto

I hope this helps

encantada de conocerlo - kwesiquest, Oct 5, 2010

Muchas gracias :) - FELIZ77, Oct 5, 2010

For a man addressing a woman: Encantado de conocerlA - jeezzle, Oct 5, 2010

Thanks Jeezle I realized that I had changed the wrong ending.. to encantado instead of conocerla - FELIZ77, Oct 6, 2010

Answer 2

I have heard both, La and Le, not sure which is correct. Thanks.

There are regional variations, but "le" is not commonly used for women in most areas all over the world, and grammars recommend to avoid it. "Lo" and "la" are the best options (they are correct everywhere), but "le" for men is used in some places too .

In any case, this is not the only possible answer. JoyceM was under the impression that "Mucho gusto" is appropriate in Latin America and the USA (again, vs. Spain), but it is an answer that has been used for hundred of years in Spanish, and an expression I personally have used hundreds of times in my life (I'm Spanish).

I've heard the same thing as Joyce. I say "mucho gusto", but I've never even been to Spain. Now I know. - KevinB, Oct 6, 2010

Answer 3

Yo diría "Encantado de conoce....eeejj....¡Mucho Gusto!"

but more seriously, I think "la" is technically correct, and "le" is a case of leísmo de cortesía which is common but technically incorrect.

Haha. Welcome to the forum. I agree. The person being met is the direct object of the sentence, so the direct object pronoun (lo/la) is standard Spanish. Use of 'le' here would be leísmo. - MacFadden, Oct 5, 2010

Answer 4

I have found a geographic difference on what is said when meeting people.

In Latin America and the U.S., it is appropriate to say, "mucho gusto!"

However, in Madrid, Spain, people will know that you are from Latin America if you say that here. Here they say, "encantada" when the person you are introduced to is a woman, and "encantado," when the person is a man.

That must be in Madrid, then, because I'm Spanish and I say "Mucho gusto" too! - lazarus1907, Oct 6, 2010

encontado/a according to the person speaking NOT the person to whom one is introduced. - samdie, Oct 6, 2010

Answer 5

If you want to impress "encantado en conocerla/lo is very good. Also, "es un placer conocerlo/la.

Answer 6

Gracias a todos para su ayuda.

gracias por - never gracias para - patch, Oct 6, 2010

Answer 7

It sounds like you may have completed some Spanish through Rosetta Stone? I only ask because I have, and that is precisely what RS teaches is the correct response to meeting a lady, that's what the "la" is for. But I believe a more common response is "Mucho gusto", some native Spanish speakers here can either confirm that or not.

Bienvenido al foro aquí.

"Mucho gusto" is what I say. - MacFadden, Oct 5, 2010

I thought that was more common, I think the other one you'd say if you were meeting the Queen of England! - amykay, Oct 5, 2010