Meeting & Greeting

Typically, men will shake hands. Right forearm or shoulder pats are the norm among females.These are usually accompanied with "buenos dias," "buenas tardes," or "buenas noches," the appropriate greeting for the time of day (good evening). Things will loosen up and become more relaxed among friends and family members; men may embrace and vigorously slap each other on the back, while ladies will kiss each other once on the right cheek.

Never advance your Chilean colleague to this level of formality. Chileans use both their maternal and paternal surnames, similar to many South Americans. The first surname listed is the one used in conversation and is that of the father.

Always try to use titles that you are familiar with. If there is no title, just say "Senor" (for men) or "Senora" (for women), then your last name. When speaking to senior citizens with whom you have a close relationship, you may use the pronouns "don" (for men) or "dona" (for women) before their first names. First names are used between close friends; wait to switch to a first-name basis unless invited.