In this post, you will learn how to say ‘how are you?’ in Estonian. You’ll also learn common responses so you can respond if you’re asked this question. This can be really useful if you’re speaking with someone from Estonia or if you’re travelling there.
Estonian is a Uralic language of the Finnic branch. It is the official language of Estonia and is spoken by around 1.1 million people, most of whom live in Estonia.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘How Are You?’ In Estonian
There are a few different ways to ask ‘how are you?’. Here are the most common:
| English | Estonian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Kuidas läheb? | Kui-das la-heb? |
This is the general way to ask ‘how are you?’ in Estonian but there are a few variations.
In formal situations, such as with people you don’t know, you can say:
| English | Estonian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Kuidas teil läheb? | Kui-das teyl la-heb? |
In more informal situations, such as with friends, you can say:
| English | Estonian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Kuidas sul läheb? | Kui-das sool la-heb? |
| How are you doing? | Kuidas käsi käib? | Kui-das kasi kayb? |
Check out the below video to hear the pronunciation of some of these phrases:
How To Respond To ‘How Are You?’ In Estonian
There are many different ways that you can reply to this question. Below are the most common responses to this question. I’ve also included how to say ‘thank you’ as it’s polite to thank someone if they ask how you are.
| English | Estonian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Aitäh | Ai-tah |
| Thank you (alternative) | Tänan | Ta-nan |
| I’m fine | Minul läheb hästi | Min-ool la-heb has-ti |
| Fine | Hästi | Has-ti |
| Good | Hea | Hey-aw |
| So-so | Nii-nii | Nee-nee |
| I’m okay (lit. more or less) | Enam vähem | Enam va-hem |
| Bad | Halvasti | Hal-vas-tee |
| I’m sick | Ma olen haige | Mah oh-len hai-geh |
It’s also useful to know how to say ‘and you?’ or ‘what about you?’ to find out how someone else is if they ask you.
| English | Estonian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| And you? (formal) | Ja teil? | Ya teyl |
| And you? (informal) | Ja sul? | Ya sool |
Example Conversation:
Person 1: Kuidas läheb? (How are you?)
Person 2: Hästi, aitäh. Ja sul? (I’m fine, thank you. And you?)
Person 1: Hästi (I’m fine)
Thanks for reading this post.
You should now know how to say ‘how are you?’ in Estonian and you should also be able to respond if you’re asked!
You can’t go wrong with these simple phrases.
If you found this post useful, you may also want to learn how to say I love you in Estonian.
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