Hola, amic.

Hello, friend.

Breakdown of Hola, amic.

• hola: hello
• l'amic: the friend

Questions & Answers about Hola, amic.

How do you pronounce Hola, amic?

A good approximate pronunciation is:

• Hola → OH-la
• amic → uh-MEEK in much of Catalonia, or a-MEEK in some other varieties

A few useful notes:

• The h in Hola is silent
• The stress in Hola is on the first syllable
• The stress in amic is on the second syllable
• The final c in amic is pronounced like k

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like OH-la, uh-MEEK.

Why is there a comma in Hola, amic?

The comma shows that amic is being used to address someone directly. This is called the vocative.

So:

• Hola, amic. = Hello, friend.

You are speaking to the friend, not just talking about a friend.

English often does the same thing:

• Hello, John.
• Thanks, everyone.

The comma helps separate the greeting from the person being addressed.

Why is it amic and not un amic?