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Bienvenido, amigo.

Bienvenido, amigo.
Welcome, my friend.
From Lesson 5:Formal and informal you (tú vs. usted)·Spanish (Latin America)

Breakdown of Bienvenido, amigo.

el amigo
the male friend
bienvenido
welcome!

Questions & Answers about Bienvenido, amigo.

The translation says 'my friend', which sounds informal. Does using amigo mean I should use tú with this person?
Yes! Calling someone amigo (friend) establishes a casual, familiar relationship. If you continue talking to this person, you will use the informal tú and its matching verb forms.
Why is there no Spanish word for 'my' in this sentence, even though the translation says 'my friend'?
In English, we often say 'my friend' as a friendly greeting. In Spanish, it is more natural to just drop the 'my' and say amigo when speaking directly to someone. Adding mi to say mi amigo as a direct greeting sounds a bit unnatural.
Would this greeting change if I were welcoming a female friend?
Yes. The word bienvenido changes to match the gender of the person you are welcoming. For a female friend, you would change the ending and say Bienvenida, amiga.
If I wanted to formally welcome a man I just met (using usted), how would this sentence change?
Since amigo is informal, you would replace it with a formal title like señor (sir). The formal greeting would be Bienvenido, señor. You would then use usted for the rest of the conversation.

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