Pleasantries
Hello
I am travelling through South America (Peru, Bolivia, Columbia and Cuba) and I would like to have a few phrases to use to wish people a pleasant day/afternoon/night when I leave their presence. Currently I am using 'que vaya bien' (I think is very formal) and 'tenga un buen dia/tarde/noche' (I think this is just a direct translation from english which native speakers do not really use). People have been saying pasa bien to me but I am not sure if this is wishing me a good trip or if I can use this phrase too. Any other phrases would be nice too.
Gracias
1 Answer
I think the full version of what you're hearing is one of the follwing -
¡Que (se) lo pase bien! - usted/formal (Spain)
¡Que (te) lo pases bien! - tú/informal (Spain)
Que (se) la pase bien! - usted/formal (Lat. Am.)
¡Que (te) la pases bien! - tú/informal (Lat. Am.)
which is a bit like 'have a good time'.
Here's a list of some common greetings/pleasantries.
A couple of others are 'cuídate' or more formal 'cuídese' (take care of yourself), nos vemos (see you later), ¡Que te/le vaya bien!. - Have a good one! or just 'chau' - bye!
Not all farewells but here are a few more phrases that you can used in relaxed conversations where you let the other person do most of the talking but they help you stay involved.
General responses for conversation
Oh, and if you're a visual learner, here's some greetings/pleasantries in mind map form.
