Modern Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide

Taking leave 29.5In the sentences with conocer and presentar, note the use of personal a before thename, ¿conoce usted a + name?, te presento a + name. 25.1.1.1 (p. 116)If you have already met the person you are being introduced to, you can use the phraseYa nos conocemos ‘we have already met’.The standard greetings in an introduction are:Informal:Hola.¿Qué tal?Slightly formal:Mucho/tanto gusto.Pleased or nice to meet you.Formal:Encantado/a.How do you do or Pleased to meet you.¿Cómo está usted?How are you?Mucho gusto en conocerlo(le)/la.Pleased or nice to meet you.El gusto es mío.The pleasure is mine.Encantado/a de conocerlo(le)/la.How do you do or Pleased to meet you.Hello.Hi, how are you?In introductions, younger people and equals will often use the familiar ¿qué tal? or¿hola? instead of more formal forms like mucho/tanto gusto or encantado/a.Latin Americans, overall, are more likely to use expressions which convey moreformality or courtesy, like mucho/tanto gusto, encantado/a de conocerlo/la.Note that the word encantado/a will change for masculine (-o) or feminine (-a),depending on whether the person saying the greeting is a male or a female. Notealso that the masculine pronoun lo in encantado de conocerlo will become le,encantado de conocerle, in many parts of Spain, especially in the centre. 2.1 (p. 11); 8.2.1 (p. 36)29.5Taking leave157Common leave taking expressions are:Hasta luego.Goodbye, see you.