Wondering how to say hello in Estonian?
This post covers how to greet people in Estonian and teaches you some essential phrases including ‘hello’, ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’.
It also covers some other greeting etiquette such as handshakes.
Hopefully you’ll leave this page knowing some essential Estonian greetings.
Table of Contents
How Do You Say Hello In Estonian?
If you want to say hello in Estonian then you can do so with the following phrases.
Click on the Estonian words to hear the pronunciation, I have included this wherever possible.
- Hello – Tere (Teh-reh)
Tere is the most common way to say hello in Estonian.
It can be used in most scenarios and in both formal and informal situations.
- Hello – Tervist (Tehr-vist)
This word literally means ‘health’ but is another way that you can greet someone in Estonian. This greeting is like saying ‘good health’.
- Hello/hi (informal) – Tšau (Chaow)
This informal greeting is only used with friends and family. It sounds like the Italian word ‘ciao’.
Interestingly, this word can also be used to say ‘bye’ informally as well as ‘hello’.
Greeting Someone Who Is Working In Estonian
If you are greeting someone who is working then there is a separate greeting you can use.
- Hello – Jõudu tööle(Yow-du tur-la)
This phrase literally means ‘have strength for work’.
Another version you can use instead is:
- Hello – Tere jõudu (Teh-reh yow-du)
This phrase literally means ‘hello, strength be with you’ but it is used as a way to say hello if someone is at work.
If someone says one of the above two phrases to you, you can reply by saying:
- Hello (response) – Jõudu tarvis (Yow-du tar-vis)
This response literally means ‘strength is needed’ so it’s a way to thank someone for their greeting.
How To Say Other Greetings In Estonian e.g. ‘Good Morning’
You may want to use some other greetings in Estonian such as ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’.
Check out these other Estonian greetings below.
How To Say Good Morning In Estonian
To say good morning in Estonian, you can say:
- Good morning – Tere hommikust (Teh-reh hom-ik-ust)
This expression can be shortened to say just ‘hommik’ which is similar to saying just ‘morning’ in English instead of the full ‘good morning’.
You should only use this phrase in the morning time up until around 12PM.
How To Say Good Afternoon In Estonian
To say good afternoon in Estonian, you can say:
- Good afternoon – Tere päevast (Teh-reh pai-vast)
This expression can be shortened to say just ‘päev’ (pronounced ‘paiv’) which is similar to saying just ‘afternoon’ in English instead of the full ‘good afternoon’.
This phrase can be used in the afternoon from around 12PM noon to around 6PM but Estonians are not as defined on times of day as other countries.
How To Say Good Evening In Estonian
To say good evening in Estonian, you can say:
- Good evening – Tere õhtust (Teh-reh ukh-tust)
This expression can be shortened to say just ‘õhtut’ (pronounced ‘ukh-tut) which is similar to saying just ‘evening’ in English instead of the full ‘good evening’.
This phrase can be used in the evening from around 6PM.
How To Say Good Night In Estonian
To say good night in Estonian, you can say:
- Good night – Head ööd (Hey-ah-d uhd)
This phrase is the most common way to say good night in Estonian.
Use this phrase if you’re going to bed and want to say ‘good night’.
Check out the video below to hear the pronunciation of these words by a native speaker:
Estonian Greeting Etiquette
Estonian people are often very warm and friendly by nature however when meeting new people they are often quiet and reserved.
Informal Greetings
Estonian people will usually greet people they know well, like friends, with a warm handshake or a hug.
They sometimes also greet with a slight nod or a wave of a hand if it’s from a distance.
You would also use the informal pronoun for ‘you’ when speaking with a friend. This pronoun is ‘sina’ or its shortened form ‘sa’.
Formal Greetings
In formal situations, if you are seated, you should always stand when greeting someone. This shows respect which is an important value in Estonian culture.
It would be considered rude to greet someone whilst seated.
The standard way to greet someone in a formal situation is with a firm handshake and direct eye contact.
Estonians also tend to use surnames and titles when addressing a person until that person invites them to use their first name.
The most common titles are:
- Mr – Härra (Hah-rruh)
- Mrs – Proua (Pro-ah)
- Miss – Preili (Prey-ee-li)
All of the above 3 words should be followed by the persons’ surname. These are formal ways to address someone.
Only use someone’s first name when you have been invited to do so by the person.
Estonians will also use the formal pronoun for ‘you’ rather than the informal ones. This pronoun is ‘teie’ or its shortened form ‘te’.
Estonian people are very reserved and formal so don’t be alarmed if they don’t come across super friendly. They tend to warm up more once you get to know them.
Thanks for reading this post on how to greet someone in Estonian. Continue your conversation by learning how to say ‘how are you?’ in Estonian.
Hopefully you now know how to say ‘hello’ in Estonian and also how to say ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’ in Estonian.
You can find out more about the Estonian language here.
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