Phrases
Hello and goodbye in Esperanto – greetings guide
Saluton! works any time with anyone; Ĝis! is how most Esperanto speakers say goodbye.
"Hello" in Esperanto is Saluton! (sa-LU-ton), and "goodbye" is Ĝis revido! (ĝis re-VI-do) or simply Ĝis! (ĝis). Both work at any time of day and with anyone, from a friend to a stranger. Pronunciation guides on this page split words into syllables and show the stressed syllable in capitals.
Saying hello
| Esperanto | Pronunciation | English | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saluton! | sa-LU-ton | Hello! | Any time, any situation |
| Sal! | sal | Hi! | Very informal, short for Saluton |
| Bonan matenon! | BO-nan ma-TE-non | Good morning! | Morning |
| Bonan tagon! | BO-nan TA-gon | Good day! / Hello! | Daytime |
| Bonan vesperon! | BO-nan ves-PE-ron | Good evening! | Evening |
| Bonvenon! | bon-VE-non | Welcome! | Receiving guests |
| Saluton al ĉiuj! | sa-LU-ton al ĈI-uj | Hello, everyone! | Greeting a group |
| Karaj geamikoj! | KA-raj ge-a-MI-koj | Dear friends! | Opening a speech or letter |
Greetings like Bonan matenon! end in the accusative -n because they are short for full sentences: Bonan matenon! means (Mi deziras al vi) bonan matenon! – "(I wish you) a good morning". The reference grammar PMEG explains that this -n became the usual form for such traditional expressions. Bonan matenon and similar wishes already appear in the Fundamento of 1905.
Saying goodbye
| Esperanto | Pronunciation | English | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ĝis! | ĝis | Bye! | Everyday, very common |
| Ĝis revido! / Ĝis la revido! | ĝis (la) re-VI-do | Goodbye! (literally "until seeing again") | Neutral |
| Ĝis baldaŭ! | ĝis BAL-daŭ | See you soon! | You will meet soon |
| Ĝis poste! | ĝis POS-te | See you later! | Later the same day |
| Ĝis morgaŭ! | ĝis MOR-gaŭ | See you tomorrow! | Next day |
| Ĝis la venonta fojo! | ĝis la ve-NON-ta FO-jo | Until next time! | Next meeting |
| Bonan nokton! | BO-nan NOK-ton | Good night! | Going to bed or leaving late |
| Fartu bone! | FAR-tu BO-ne | Take care! (literally "fare well") | Warm farewell |
| Bonan vojaĝon! | BO-nan vo-JA-ĝon | Have a good trip! | Someone is travelling |
| Adiaŭ! | a-DI-aŭ | Farewell! | Parting for a long time or for ever |
Ĝis is a preposition meaning "until", so Ĝis! is literally "Until…!" – the rest of the sentence is understood. PMEG notes that Adiaŭ! is used very little in everyday speech; people prefer Ĝis revido! or Ĝis!, which suggest you will meet again. Say Adiaŭ! only when you really do not expect to see someone for a long time.
"How are you?" and how to answer
| Esperanto | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Kiel vi fartas? | KI-el vi FAR-tas | How are you? |
| Kiel vi? | KI-el vi | How are you? (informal) |
| Kio nova? | KI-o NO-va | What's new? |
| Bone, dankon. Kaj vi? | BO-ne, DAN-kon. kaj vi | Fine, thanks. And you? |
| Tre bone! | tre BO-ne | Very well! |
| Bonege! | bo-NE-ge | Great! |
| Ne malbone. | ne mal-BO-ne | Not bad. |
| Tiel-tiel. | TI-el TI-el | So-so. (colloquial) |
| Malbone. | mal-BO-ne | Badly. / Not well. |
| Nenio speciala. | ne-NI-o spe-ci-A-la | Nothing special. |
Farti means "to be in a certain state of health or well-being": Mi fartas bone – "I am well". The answer uses an adverb in -e (bone, not bona) because it describes how you are doing.
Formal or informal?
Esperanto uses vi for everyone – one person or many, a child or a minister (see pronouns). A singular "you", ci, exists in theory, but PMEG notes that it is normally not used. Formality comes from other words:
- Titles: sinjoro "Mr, sir", sinjorino "Mrs, Ms, madam", gesinjoroj "ladies and gentlemen".
- Letters: Estimata sinjoro Novak – "Dear Mr Novak", literally "esteemed" (formal); Kara Maria – "Dear Maria" (friendly).
- Signing off: Amike – "in friendship" or Kore – "cordially" in friendly letters; Ĝis! in a quick message.
Esperanto greeting customs
- "Ĝis!" everywhere. PMEG notes that ĝis and ĝis revido are the usual goodbyes; you will see Ĝis! in conversation, chat and email alike.
- Samideano. Some Esperantists address each other as samideano – literally "person of the same idea", meaning a fellow Esperantist.
- Don't "crocodile". At Esperanto events, switching to your native language with compatriots is called krokodili "to crocodile" and is usually discouraged.
- Short informal forms. Online you will see Sal! for Saluton! and Ĉaŭ! (from Italian ciao).
For more everyday phrases, see Basic Esperanto phrases. For telling the time of day, see days, months and time.
Common questions
How do you say hello in Esperanto?
Saluton! (sa-LU-ton). It works at any time and in any situation. In the morning you can also say Bonan matenon!, and during the day Bonan tagon!
How do you say goodbye in Esperanto?
Ĝis revido! or simply Ĝis! – literally "until seeing again" and "until". Ĝis morgaŭ! means "See you tomorrow!" and Ĝis baldaŭ! "See you soon!"
Why do Esperanto greetings end in -n?
They are shortened sentences: Bonan tagon! stands for "I wish you a good day", where tagon is the object of "wish". The accusative ending -n stayed after the verb was dropped.
What is the difference between Ĝis and Adiaŭ?
Ĝis expects another meeting; Adiaŭ is for a long or final parting. In daily life almost everyone uses Ĝis!
How do you answer "Kiel vi fartas?"
Bone, dankon. Kaj vi? – "Fine, thanks. And you?" Other answers are Tre bone! "Very well!", Ne malbone "Not bad" and Tiel-tiel "So-so".
Sources
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