Peruvian greetings can be confusing for foreigners. When meeting for the first time, greetings differ by gender - men shake hands or hug strongly with a slap on the back, while women kiss each other's cheeks and hug softly. It is also common for men and women to kiss each other's right cheeks. Proper greetings like "Mucho gusto" and responses like "El gusto es mío" should be used. When introducing themselves, Peruvians may ask personal questions, which is normal and not intrusive. Eye contact and expressions like "En serio?" show interest in the conversation. The terms "usted" and "tu" indicate different levels of formality depending on the person

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Bryce Benavides
Barbara Drake
English TI4
30 April 2012
Peruvian Greetings Are Not Easy
On his first time in Peru, Brandon a newcomer was wondering about how the experience
would be. The first thing he noticed when he had his first social interaction with Peruvians was
the way in which they greet him. At first glance, he was very confused because he received a lot
of kisses on the cheek something that was not common in his home town. After some time he got
used to it, and he realized it was a cultural pattern here in Peru. It is hard for foreigners to
understand the Peruvian cultural behavior, so before travelling to Peru, is good for foreigners to
know about some tips and recommendations about Greetings. On the next paragraphs I will show
and explain the most common behavior foreigners have to take into account when they come to
Peru for the first time.
One important thing to bear in mind is what to do when meeting someone for the first
time. First, foreigners have to notice that greetings differ according to gender. For instance, when
two males meet, they usually shake hands or hug. This hug has to be very strong, and can include
a slap on the back. On the other side, a greeting between two females includes a cheek-to-cheek
kiss and also a soft hug. Also cheek-to-cheek greeting is used between male and female. Usually

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the kiss has to be on the right cheek of the person, and it is only a brush between the two cheeks
that last approximate one second. These kinds of greetings are only used commonly in social
situations, like parties, university, familiar reunions, etc. Moreover they are used with your
friends, relatives and in formal introductions. During formal introductions after the greeting it is a
good idea to say “Mucho gusto”, that means “Nice to meet you” or if the other person first tell
“Mucho gusto” the best response to say would be “El gusto es mío” that means “The pleasure is
mine”.
Another thing foreigners should know is how to act when introducing themselves to a
Peruvian. In Peru, when a person wants to know more about a new person, he can ask some
personal questions. Do not think that is an invasive or intrusive person, this kind of questions are
normal here. When you are introducing yourself, you can also ask the other person questions like
“¿En donde vives?” that means “Where do you live?” and then ask follow up questions to keep
the conversation going and flow smoothly. Also another thing to do while during an introductory
conversation is showing interest you can do this by maintaining eye contact, showing interest and
using expressions like “¿En serio?” that means “Really?”.
Also another thing to be aware of is about the use of “usted” and “tu”. These two words
have very different meaning depending on the person you are talking to, and also depending on
the context. For example, you use “usted” when you are talking to elder people or with people
you do not know well. Conversely, you use “tu” when you are talking with your friends or with
people whom you have a lot of confidence.
An additional recommendation is the use of politeness. Polite expressions like “Buenos
días” that means “Good morning” are usually use to greet elder people or your neighbors when

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you meet them on the street for example. Informal expressions like “Habla causa”, “Habla
brother” or “Habla tío” that means “Hey dude” are often used in informal environment between
teenagers. Zachary Diamond a U.S foreigners that is now living in Peru have experienced some
problems when he was trying to understand about this kind of informal greetings. As he
explained: “When I first heard the expression “habla” I did not understand what it refers to. I got
really confused because “habla” sounds like “talk” in English. But after some time I understood
his meaning, so I get really used to it nowadays. I usually use this expression in informal
situations”.
In summary, foreigners that are planning to come to Peru have to be aware of knowing the
cultural behaviors and patterns about greetings, to avoid any conflict or misunderstanding. The
first thing to worry about is about greetings, you would love to meet Peruvian people, so you
have to give a good impression to the others. I hope these short guidelines can help in your way
to learn more about Peruvian culture, and to take into account these recommendations before
coming here.

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Este obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons
Atribución-NoComercial-Compartir Igual 2.5 Perú.
Diego André Aguirre Ortiz
2012 - 02