The Hail Mary in Spanish is the Ave María, which begins “Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo”: “God save you, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” It is prayed by hundreds of millions of Spanish-speaking Catholics, in the Rosary, the Angelus and at the end of many prayers. Below is the full traditional Spanish text from the classic catechism of Gaspar Astete, the small differences in today’s wording, an easy pronunciation guide for English speakers, a line-by-line translation, and the English Hail Mary.
The Ave María in Spanish
The traditional text, as given in Gaspar Astete’s Catecismo de la Doctrina Cristiana:
Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia; el Señor es contigo; bendita eres entre todas las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús.
Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros, pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Amén.
Today’s wording. Most people now say “bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres” (“blessed are you among all women”); otherwise the prayer is the same.
How to pronounce the Ave María
Spanish is pronounced as it is written (stressed syllables in capitals):
dee-OHS teh SAHL-veh, mah-REE-ah, YEH-nah EH-rehs deh GRAH-see-ah;
ehl seh-NYOHR ehs kohn-TEE-goh;
behn-DEE-tah (too) EH-rehs EHN-treh TOH-dahs lahs moo-HEH-rehs,
ee behn-DEE-toh ehs ehl FROO-toh deh too vee-EHN-treh, heh-SOOS.
SAHN-tah mah-REE-ah, MAH-dreh deh dee-OHS,
ROO-eh-gah pohr noh-SOH-trohs peh-kah-DOH-rehs,
ah-OH-rah ee ehn lah OH-rah deh NWEHS-trah MWEHR-teh.
ah-MEHN.
Tips: “ll” sounds like “y” (llena); “ñ” like “ny” (Señor); “j” like a strong “h” (Jesús, mujeres); “h” is silent (hora).
Line-by-line translation
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Dios te salve, María | Hail, Mary (literally “God save you, Mary”) |
| llena eres de gracia | full of grace |
| el Señor es contigo | the Lord is with thee |
| bendita (tú) eres entre todas las mujeres | blessed art thou among women |
| y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús | and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus |
| Santa María, Madre de Dios | Holy Mary, Mother of God |
| ruega por nosotros, pecadores | pray for us sinners |
| ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte | now and at the hour of our death |
| Amén | Amen |
The Hail Mary in English
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
The Hail Mary in Latin
The Spanish follows the Latin Ave Maria. See the Hail Mary in Latin.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say the Hail Mary in Spanish?
“Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo…” The full text is at the top of this page.
Why does the Spanish say “Dios te salve” instead of “Ave”?
“Dios te salve” (“God save you”) was the traditional Spanish greeting that translated the Latin Ave, “Hail.”
Is it “bendita eres” or “bendita tú eres”?
Both are correct. Older catechisms say “bendita eres”; most people today say “bendita tú eres.”
More prayers in Spanish
- Hail Mary in French
- Hail Mary in Italian
- Apostles’ Creed in Spanish
- Hail Holy Queen in Spanish
- Catholic prayers in Spanish
- Our Father in Spanish
- Hail Mary prayer
- Hail Mary in Latin
- Rosary prayers
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
Texts and sources
- Ave María, Gaspar Astete, Catecismo de la Doctrina Cristiana (1599; Valladolid edition, 1787), public domain (Spanish Wikisource).
- Hail Mary, Baltimore Catechism No. 3 (Kinkead, 1891), public domain (Project Gutenberg #14553).
- Pronunciation guide and translation table written for this page.