Inklingo
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A friendly child standing outdoors and raising one hand in a clear waving gesture towards another person.

saluda

sah-LOO-dah

VerbA1regular ar
greets?He/She/You (formal) greets (Present Tense),say hello?Command: Greet! (Tú imperative),salutes?Formal acknowledgment or military action
Also:acknowledges?Recognizing someone's presence

Quick Reference

infinitivesaludar
gerundsaludando
past Participlesaludado

📝 In Action

Mi hermano siempre saluda a la cajera.

A1

My brother always greets the cashier.

Usted saluda a la audiencia antes de empezar.

A2

You (formal) greet the audience before starting.

¡Saluda a tu abuela! Es de mala educación no hacerlo.

A1

Greet your grandmother! It's rude not to.

El militar saluda a la bandera cada mañana.

B1

The soldier salutes the flag every morning.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • dar la bienvenida (to welcome)
  • decir hola (to say hello)

Antonyms

  • despedirse (to say goodbye)
  • ignorar (to ignore)

Common Collocations

  • saludar con la mano – to wave hello
  • saludar a alguien – to greet someone

💡 Grammar Points

Dual Role of 'Saluda'

This form is used for two purposes: 1) Present tense for 'he/she/it' and 'usted' (formal you). 2) Giving a direct command to 'tú' (informal you).

Regular -AR Verb

Since 'saludar' is a regular verb ending in -ar, its conjugations follow the most common pattern in Spanish, making it easy to predict other tenses.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Confusing Imperative Forms

Mistake: "Using 'saludas' (the present tense 'tú' form) when giving a command. E.g., '¡Saludas a tu madre!'"

Correction: For an informal command, drop the 's': '¡Saluda a tu madre!' (Greet your mother!).

⭐ Usage Tips

Greeting vs. Saluting

While it can mean 'to salute' (like in the military), 99% of the time in daily conversation, it just means 'to say hello' or 'to wave.'

🔄 Conjugations

indicative

present

él/ella/ustedsaluda
yosaludo
túsaludas
ellos/ellas/ustedessaludan
nosotrossaludamos
vosotrossaludáis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsaludaba
yosaludaba
túsaludabas
ellos/ellas/ustedessaludaban
nosotrossaludábamos
vosotrossaludabais

preterite

él/ella/ustedsaludó
yosaludé
túsaludaste
ellos/ellas/ustedessaludaron
nosotrossaludamos
vosotrossaludasteis

subjunctive

present

él/ella/ustedsalude
yosalude
túsaludes
ellos/ellas/ustedessaluden
nosotrossaludemos
vosotrossaludéis

imperfect

él/ella/ustedsaludara/saludase
yosaludara/saludase
túsaludaras/saludases
ellos/ellas/ustedessaludaran/saludasen
nosotrossaludáramos/saludásemos
vosotrossaludarais/saludaseis
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: saluda

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'saluda' as a direct command?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

saludar(to greet (infinitive)) - verb
el saludo(the greeting) - noun
la salud(health (related concept)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'saluda' used only for saying hello?

No. While it most often means 'to say hello' or 'to greet,' it can also be used in formal contexts to mean 'to salute' (like a flag or a superior) or 'to recognize' someone's achievement.

How is 'saluda' different from 'saludas'?

'Saludas' has an 's' and means 'You (informal) greet' (present tense). 'Saluda' without the 's' is used for 'He/She/You (formal) greets' AND for the command 'Greet!'