Need a phrase I can use for greeting people at work

Question

¡Hola!

I work with many people who speak Spanish as well as English, including myself, although I'm rather rusty and at a loss for words on occasion.

I am looking for a Spanish phrase I can use to greet someone who enters my office -- something not as formal as "May I help you?" but not as slangy as "what's up?"

My question is this: I understand simply replying ¿qué? is rather rude; and one of my co-workers from Puerto Rico tends to reply to this situation with the phrase ¡dígamelo! which seems perhaps a bit too informal. What are some alternative phrases I could try out? ¿Qué tal? might be too confusing (most of the Spanish speakers here use that phrase for "cual", much as they do with ¿qué tanto? = "cuanto".)

I studied Spanish for four years in high school many years ago and have worked with many Spanish-speaking individuals in the past. My bosses are both Spanish speakers and I ask them to speak to me in Spanish to help me practice. However, I don't want to say the wrong thing when they come into my office and sound offputting or rude. (Pay raises are good!)

Thank you in advance for any insight. Feel free to respond in either language. (Practice!)

Welcome to the forum, :) - 00494d19, Oct 4, 2011

Thank you! Glad to be here! - Paralyse, Oct 4, 2011

Answer 1

¿Qué tal ? is actually used like this everywhere so I would consider this very commom.

let me also suggest:

Hola, buenas, ¿qué puedo hacer por ti?

Hola, ¿qué tal? Puedo hacer algo por ti? te puedo ayudar en algo?

Dígamelo...is very colloquial and actually not very correct, as lo has to refer to something already said, jeje, but anyway, we say that here all the time too.

Hola, buenas, ¿qué puedo hacer por ti? I like this one. It seems to strike a nice balance between relaxed and professional. Thanks! - Paralyse, Oct 4, 2011

Answer 2

If it is someone more in your age group, just say,

"Todo bien?" Everything's good?

Or "Como te va?"

Answer 3

If the person entering is older, and depending on which country you plan to use it in, I'd imagine that using the' usted' form could be appreciated:

Buenos días. ¿Lo/la puedo ayudar en algo?

Although often when addressing a male it will be said using polite leísmo:

¿Le puedo ayudar?

What do you think, Heidi and other native/fluent people?

(this confusion of leísmo/laísmo, at least to an English person, means that using 'tú' is much much easier Jeje)