- A firm handshake with eye contact and a smile is the appropriate greeting in most situations.
- Men should wait for a woman to extend her hand first.
- Women may hold each other’s forearms instead of shaking hands.
- Once people become acquainted, greetings become a lot warmer and Colombians often prefer to embrace (abrazo). This involves a hug accompanied with a pat on the shoulder or elbow (between men) or a kiss on the right cheek (between women).
- The common verbal greeting is “Buenos dias” (Good day), “Buenas tardes” (good afternoon) or “Buenas noches” (good evening/night) depending on the time of day.
- The formal title to greet people with is ‘señor’ (mister) for men and ‘señora’ (missus) for women.
- People may call each other a ‘primo’ (cousin) or ‘vecino’ (neighbour) out of affection when they may not be that close to you.
- It is common politeness to show personal interest in a person whilst greeting. Enquire about their family and health.
Greetings
A trusted source to answer your questions about the world's cultures and religions.
Inclusion Program
Download this Cultural Profile
Too busy to read it right now?
You can download this cultural profile in an easy-to-read PDF format that can be printed out and accessed at any time.
