- For other specific lists of common phrases, see Common phrases (disambiguation)
This is a list of common phrases in various languages, for a general overview of ten to fifteen basic phrases in all of the major world languages, and certain interesting minor ones.
For more translations of phrases and words, consult Wikipedia’s sister project Wiktionary.
Tourists to a foreign country often get along with a surprisingly short list of phrases, combined with pointing, miming, and writing down numbers on paper. This list is intended to serve as a comprehensive basic introduction to those languages.
- Note: The language family of each language is listed in parentheses.
English ( Germanic)
As a sample, here's English. Differences between British Received Pronunciation, and Standard American English are labelled accordingly:
| Phrase | Translation | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| English | English | /ˈɪŋ.glɪʃ/ |
| hello | hello |
UK /hɛˈləʊ/ US /hɛˈloʊ/ |
| good-bye | good-bye | /ˌgʊdˈbaɪ/ |
| please | please |
UK /pliːz/ US /pliz/ |
| thank you | thank you |
UK /ˈθæŋk juː/ US /ˈθæŋk ju/ |
| that one | that one | /ˈðæt wʌn/ |
| how much? | how much? | /haʊ ˈmʌʧ/ |
| yes | yes | /jɛs/ |
| no | no |
UK /nəu/ US /noʊ/ |
| sorry | sorry |
UK /ˈsɒɹɪ/ US /ˈsɑɹi/ Canada /ˈsoːɹi/ |
| I don’t understand | I don’t understand |
UK /aɪ ˈdəʊnt ʌn.dəˈstænd/ US /aɪ ˈdoʊnt ʌn.dɚˈstænd/ |
| I don't speak English | I don't speak English |
UK /aɪ dəʊnt spiːk ˈɪŋglɪʃ/ US /aɪ doʊnt spik ˈɪŋglɪʃ/ |
| English | English | /ˈɪŋglɪʃ/ |
| Do you speak English? | Do you speak English? |
UK /duː juː spiːk ˈɪŋglɪʃ/ US /du ju spik ˈɪŋglɪʃ/ |
| Where's the bathroom? | Where's the bathroom? |
UK /wɛəz ðə ˈbɑːθˌɹʊm/ US /wɛɹz ðə ˈbæθˌɹum/ |
| generic toast | Cheers! |
UK /tʃɪəz/ US /tʃɪɹz/ |
Afrikaans ( Germanic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Afrikaans | /aːfrɪkaːns/ |
| hello | hallo | /hɑloː/ |
| How are you? | hoe gaan dit? | /huː xaːn dɪt/ |
| good day | goeiedag | /xuːjə dɑx/ |
| good morning | goeiemôre | /xuːjə mɔːrə/ |
| good-bye | totsiens | /tɔʦiːns/ |
| please | asseblief | /ɑsəbliːf/ |
| thank you | dankie | /dɑŋkiː/ |
| sorry | jammer | /jaɪ mer/ |
| that one | daardie | /diː/ |
| how much? | hoeveel | /huːfeːl/ |
| yes | ja | /jaː/ |
| no | nee | /neː/ |
| I don’t understand | ek verstaan nie | /ɛk fərstaːn niː/ |
| I don't speak Afrikaans | ek kan nie Afrikaans praat nie | |
| Where's the bathroom? | waar is die toilet? | /βaːr ɪs diː tojlɪt/ |
| generic toast | gesondheid! | /xəsɔntejt/ |
| English | Engels | /ɛŋgəls/ |
Albanian ( Albanian)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian | shqip | /ʃkʲip/ | (shkEEp) | ( listen) |
| hello | tungjatjeta (abbrev. tung) | /tungʲatjɛta/ | (tUhn-ngIAt-IEta) | ( listen) |
| good-bye | mirupafshim | /mirupafʃim/ | (mEEr-Uh-oA-fshEEm) | ( listen) |
| please | ju lutem | /ju lutɛm/ | (iU LU-tehm) | ( listen) |
| thank you | faleminderit | /faʟɛmindɛrit/ | (fAh-leh-mEE-nde-rEEt) | ( listen) |
| that one | atë | /atə/ | (ATEH) | ( listen) |
| how much? | sa është? | /sa əʃtə/ | (sAh ush-te) | ( listen) |
| English | anglisht | /angliʃt/ | (ahn-GLEE-sht) | ( listen) |
| yes | po | /po/ | (POE) | ( listen) |
| no | jo | /jo/ | (IOH) | ( listen) |
| sorry | më fal | /mə fal/ | (mUh FAL) | ( listen) |
| I don’t understand | nuk kuptoj | /nuk kuptoj/ | (nUhk KUP-toi) | ( listen) |
| where's the bathroom? | ku është banjoja? | /ku əʃtə baɲoja/ | (kuh ush-tEh bA-nio-jA) | ( listen) |
| generic toast | gëzuar | /gəzuar/ | (gUh-zuh-ar) | ( listen) |
| Do you speak English? | flisni Anglisht? | /flisni angliʃt/ | (flee-snEE ahn-GLEE-sht) | ( listen) |
Arabic ( Semitic)
See also: List of Islamic terms in Arabic Note that this is relevant only to Modern Standard Arabic and not to the colloquial forms of Arabic spoken in daily life, which vary from place to place. Also, some of the following expressions were written only to suit a male speaker.
Pronunciation guide: Stress in Arabic is most often on the penultimate syllable (i.e., the one preceding the last).
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | العربيّة | /alʕaraˈbijja/ | (al-ara'beeya) |
| hello/welcome | مرحبًا | /marˈħaba/ | (mar'Haba) |
| see you | إلى اللقاء | /ilalliˈqaʔ/ | (ila-lli'qa') |
| goodbye | مع السلامة | /maʕa ssaˈlaːma/ | (ma-a ssa'la:ma) |
| please | من فضلك | /min ˈfadˁlak/ | (min 'fad/lak) |
| thanks | شكرًا | /ˈʃukran/ | ('Shukran) |
| that one | ذلك | /ˈðalika/ | ('Dalika) |
| How much/How many? | كمْ؟ | /kam/ | (kam) |
| English | الإنجليزيّة | /alʔinʤliˈzeeya/ (formal), /alʔinkliˈzeeya/ (colloquial) | |
| yes | نعم | /ˈnaʕam/ | ('na-am) |
| no | لا | /laː/ | (la:) |
| Where's the bathroom? | أين الحمّام؟ | /ʔejnalħamˈmaːm/ | (eina-Ham'ma:m) |
| What is your name? | ما اسمك؟ | /ˈmasmuk/ | ('masmuk) |
| I don’t know | لا أعرف | /laː ˈʕarifu/ | (la: 'aarifu) |
| I have no clue. | لا أدري | // | () |
| I don’t understand | لا أفهم | /laː ˈʔafham/ | (la: 'afham) |
| I don’t remember | لا أتذكر | /laː ʔataˈðakkar/ | (la: ata'Dakkar) |
| Welcome | أهلاً وسهلاً بكم | /ˈahlan waˈsahlan ˈbikum/ | ('ahlan wa'sahlan 'bikum) |
| I am sick | أنا مريض | /ʔana maˈriːdˁ/ | ('ana ma'ri:d/) |
| Hello | السلام عليكم | /assaˈlaːm ʕaˈlejkum/ | (assa'la:m aa'laykum) |
| Hello (response), how are you? | وعليكم السلام! كيف الحال؟ | /waʕaˈlejkumu ssaˈlaːm. kejfa lħaːl/ | (wa-a'lejkumu ssa'la:m. kejfa lHa:l) |
| Fine, and you? | بخير، الحمد لله. وكيف أنت؟ | /biˈxerrin, alˈħamdu lilˁˈlˁahi. waˈkejfa ʔint/ | (bi'xejrin, al'Hamdu lil/'l/ahi. wa'kejfa int) |
| Bye | ودعا | /wada:ʕan/ | (Wida'an) |
| Where is the airport? | أين المطار؟ | // | (Ayna al-maTa:r?) |
| Help! | !النجدة | // | (Annajda:) |
| I am hungry. | أنا جائع | // | (Ana ju:a:n) |
| I feel tired. | أشعر بالتعب | // | (Ash'ur bitta'b) |
Arapaho ( Algonquian)
| Translation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Arapaho language | hinóno'eitíít |
| hello | héébee (man speaking), tous (woman speaking, or a man speaking to a woman) |
| good-bye | heetce'noohobe3en |
| thank you | hohóu |
| yes | hee (man speaking), 'oo (woman speaking) |
| no | hííko |
| How are you? | Kooni'ííni? |
| Fine. | Nii'ííni. |
| What's happening? | Tóotousííni? |
| Nothing much. | Hoowúúni. |
| What's your name? | Hótousíhi'? |
| ...that's my name. | ...néé'eesíh'inoo. |
| I know/understand. | Hee'ínowoo. |
| I don't know/understand. | Neihoowóé'in. |
| Repeat it! | Ce'ínihii! |
Armenian ( Armenian)
| Translation | Phrase | Transliteration | IPA (Eastern-Western) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armenian | Հայերեն | Hayeren | /hajɛɹɛn/ - /hajɛɹɛn/ |
| hello | բարև | barev | /baɹɛv/ - /paɹɛv/ |
| goodbye | ցտեսություն | ct'esutyun | /ʦʰtɛsutʰjun/ - /ʦtɛsutjun/ |
| please | խնդրեմ (2) | khndrem | /xndɹɛm/ - /xntɹɛm/ |
| thank you | շնորհակալ եմ | shnorhak'al em | /ʃnoɹhakal ɛm/ - /ʃnoɹhagal ɛm/ |
| that one | այս մեկը | ays mek@ | |
| how much? | քանի՞ս | kanis? | |
| yes | այո | ayo | |
| no | ոչ | voch | |
| sorry | ներողություն | neroghutiun | |
| I don't understand | չեմ հասկանում | chem haskanum | |
| I don't speak Armenian | Ես Հայերեն չեմ խոսում։ | Yes Hayeren chem khosum. | |
| English | Անգլերեն | Angleren | |
| Do you speak English? | Անգլերեն խոսու՞մ ես | Angleren khosum es? | |
| Where's the bathroom? | Լվացարանը որտե՞ղ է | lvatzaran@ vortegh e? | |
| generic toast | Կենացդ՜ | K'enacd! |
Avar ( Northeast Caucasian)
| Translation | Phrase | Transliteration | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avar | магIарул мацI | maʕarul macʼ | /maˈʕarul maʦʼ/ | mah-AH-rool mahts |
| Hello! | ВорчIами! (to a man) ЙорчIами! (to a woman) РорчIами! (to several people) |
Worčʼami! Yorčʼami! Rorčʼami! |
/worˈʧʼami/ /jorˈʧʼami/ /rorˈʧʼami/ |
wor-CHAH-mee! yor-CHAH-mee! ror-CHAH-mee! |
| Good afternoon! | Салам гIалейкум! | Salam ʕaleykum! | /saˈlam ʕaˈlɛi̯kum/ | sah-LAHM ah-LAY-koom! |
| Good bye! | Къо-мех лъикI! | Qʼo-mex łikʼ! | /qʼːo mɛχ ɬikʼ/ | kkho-mekh hleek! |
| Good night! | Сордо лъикI! | Sordo łikʼ! | /sorˈdo ɬikʼ/ | sor-DOH hleek! |
| Good morning! | Радал лъикI! | Radal łikʼ! | /raˈdal ɬikʼ/ | rah-DAHL hleek! |
| Welcome! | ЛъикI щварав! (to a man) ЛъикI щварай! (to a woman) ЛъикI щварал! (to several people) |
Łikʼ ššwaraw! Łikʼ ššwaray! Łikʼ ššwaral! |
/ɬikʼ ˈʃːwarav/ /ɬikʼ ˈʃːwarai̯/ /ɬikʼ ˈʃːwaral/ |
hleek SHWAH-rahv! hleek SHWAH-ruy! hleek SHWAH-rahl! |
| Sorry. | ТIасалъугьа. | Tʼasałuha. | /tʼasaˈɬuha/ | tah-sah-HLOO-hah. |
| Thank you. | Баркала. | Barkala. | /barˈkala/ | bar-KAH-lah. |
| Please... | Бегьулеб батани... | Behuleb batani... | /bɛˈhulɛp baˈtani/ | beh-HOO-lep bah-TAH-nee... |
| yes | у | u | /uː/ | oo |
| no | гьечӀо гуро |
hečʼo guro |
/hɛʧʼo/ /ˈguro/ |
HEHCH-o GOO-roh |
| How are do? | Щиб хIал бугеб? | Ššib ħal bugeb? | /ʃːip ħal bugɛp/ | sheep hahl BOO-gep? |
| What's your name? | Дуда цIар щиб? | Duda cʼar ššib? | /duda ʦʼar ʃːip/ | DOO-dah tsar sheep? |
| generic toast | Сахлъиялда таги! | Saxłiyalda tagi! | /saxˈɬijalda ˈtagi/ | sahkh-LEE-yahl-dah TAH-gee! |
| Have a good trip! | Нух битIаги! | Nux bitʼagi! | /nuχ biˈtʼagi/ | nookh bee-TAH-gee! |
Azeri ( Turkic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Azeri | azəri, Azərbaycan dili | /a:zæ'ri/, /a:zærbaj'dʒan dili/ |
| Hello | salam | /sa'lam/ |
| Good-bye | xudahafiz | /xu'da:fiz/ |
| Please | lütfən | /'lytfæn/ |
| Thank you | minnətdaram | /minnæt'daram/ |
| You're welcome | dəyməz | /dæj'mæz/ |
| Sorry | üzr istəyirəm | /'yzristæjiræm/ |
| Excuse me | bağışlayın | /baɣɯʃ'lajɯn/ |
| Yes | bəli /formal/ hə /informal/ |
/'bæ:li/ /hɛ̃/ |
| No | xeyr /formal/ yox /informal/ |
/xɛjr/ /jox/ |
| English | ingilis | /ingʲi'lis/ |
| Do you speak English? | (siz) ingiliscə danışırsınızmı? | /siz ingʲi'lisdʒæ danɯ'ʃɯrsɯnɯzmɯ?/ |
| I don't speak Azeri | (mən) azəricə danışmıram | /mæn a:zæ'ridʒæ da'nɯʃmɯram/ |
| I don't understand | (mən) başa düşmürəm | /mæn ba'ʃa 'dyʃmyræm/ |
| Where is the bathroom? | ayaqyolu haradadır? | /ajagjo'lu 'har(a)dadɯr?/ |
| Welcome | xoş gəlmisiniz | /xoʃ gʲæl'misiniz/ |
| That one | o | /o/ |
| How much | neçə, nə qədər | /nɛ'tʃæ/, /'nægædær/ |
| I don't know | (mən) bilmirəm | /mæn 'bilmiræm/ |
| I love you | (mən) səni sevirəm | /mæn sæ'ni sɛ'viræm/ |
| generic toast | sizin sağlığınıza! | /si'zin saɣlɯɣ(ɯ)nɯ'za/ |
Basque
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Basque | Euskara | /eus̻kaɾa/ |
| Hello | kaixo | /kajʃ̺o/ |
| Good-bye | agur | /aguɾ/ |
| Please | mesedez | /mes̻edes̺/ |
| Thank you | eskerrik asko | /es̻kerik as̻ko/ |
| That one | hori | /hoɾi/ |
| How much? | zenbat | /s̺enbat/ |
| Yes | bai | /baj/ |
| No | ez | /es̺/ |
| English | Ingelesa | /ingeles̻a/ |
| Do you speak English? | Badakizu ingelesez? | /badakis̺u ingeles̻es̺?/ |
Belarusian ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation (IPA) | Pronunciation (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belarusian | Беларускі | /bʲelaˈruskʲi/ | (bye-lah-ROOH-skee) |
| hello | прывітанне | /prɪvʲiˈtanʲnʲe/ | (pree-vee-TAHN-nye) |
| good-bye | да пабачэння | /da pabaˈʧenʲnʲa/ | (duh puh-buh-CHEN-nyuh) |
| please | калі ласка | /kaˈʎi ˈlaska/ | (kuh-LEE LUS-kuh) |
| thank you | дзякуй | /ˈʥakuj/ | (DZYUH-kooy) |
| sorry | выбачайце | /vɪbaˈʧajʨe/ | (vee-buh-CHUY-tsye) |
| that one | той, тая, тое | /toj/, /ˈtaja/, /ˈtoje/ | (TOY, TUY-uh, TOY-eh) |
| how much? | колькі? | /ˈkoʎkʲi/ | (KOL-kee) |
| yes | так | /tak/ | (tuhk) |
| no | не | /ɲe/ | (nye) |
| I don’t understand | Не разумею | /ɲe razuˈmʲeju/ | (nye ruh-zoo-MEY-ooh) |
| where's the bathroom? | дзе туалет? | /ʥe tuaˈʎet/ | (dzye too-uh-LET) |
| generic toast | за здароў'е | /za zdaˈrou̯je/ | (zuh zduh-ROW-yeh) |
| Do you speak English? | Ці размаўляеце па-англійску? | /ʨi razmauˈʎajeʨe pa anɡˈʎijsku/ | (tsee ruz-muw-LYUY-et-eh puh un-GLEE-skoo) |
Bengali ( Indo-Iranian)
The transliteration of the following phrases into the Roman script is discussed in Bengali language.
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello. | ˈasːalamuˌalajkum] [ˈnɔmoʃkaɹ |
Assalamu alaikum. Nômoshkar. |
(Muslims) (Hindus) | |
| Greetings. | ˈʃubʰetʃʰːa | Shubhechchha. | ||
| How are you? | ˈt̪umi ˈkæmon ˈatʃʰo ˈapni ˈkæmon ˈatʃʰen |
(Tumi) kêmon achho? (Apni) kêmon achhen? |
(informal) (formal) | |
| (I'm) fine. | ˈami ˈbʰalo ˈatʃʰi | (Ami) bhalo achhi. | ||
| How's it going? | ˈki ˈkʰɔboɹ | Ki khôbor? | ||
| That's okay/fine. | ˈʈʰik atʃʰe | Ţhik achhe. | ||
| Okay. | ˈatʃʰːa | Achchha. | ||
| Good-bye. | ˈalːa ˌhafez] [ˈkʰod̪aɦafez] [ˈnɔmoʃkaɹ |
Allah/khoda hafez. Nômoshkar. | ||
| See you later. | ˈpɔɹe ˈd̪ækʰa ˈhɔbe | Pôre dêkha hôbe. | ||
| Talk to you later. | ˈpɔɹe ˈkɔt̪ʰa ˈhɔbe | Pôre kôtha hôbe. | ||
| See you again. | ˈabaɹ ˈd̪ækʰa ˈhɔbe | Abar dêkha hôbe. | ||
| Please | ekʈu]- [ˈd̪ɔeakore |
Ekţu- Dôeakore |
(before verbs) (formal) | |
| Thank you. | ˈd̪ʰonːobad̪ | Dhonnobad. | ||
| I'm sorry. | ˈami ˈkʰubi ˈd̪ukʰːit̪o | Ami khub-i dukkhito. | ||
| Forgive me. | ˈmafkoɹo] [ˈmafkoɹben |
Maph koro. Maph korben. |
(informal) (formal) | |
| English | ˈiŋɹedʒi | Ingreji | ||
| Bengali | ˈbaŋla | Bangla | ||
| Nice/good | ˈbʰalo | Bhalo | ||
| Bad | ˈkʰaɹap] [ˈbadʒe |
Kharap Baje | ||
| That one | ˈojʈa | Oiţa | ||
| How much does this cost? | ˈejʈaɹ ˈd̪am ˈkɔt̪o | Eiţar dam kôto? | ||
| How much does that cost? | ˈojʈaɹ ˈd̪am ˈkɔt̪o | Oiţar dam kôto? | ||
| What is your name? | ˈt̪omaɹ ˈnam ˈki] [ˈapnaɹ ˈnam ˈki |
Tomar nam ki? Apnar nam ki? |
(informal) (formal) | |
| My name is ___. | ˈamaɹ ˈnam ___ | Amar nam ___. | ||
| I can’t understand. | ˈami ˈbuzt̪e ˈpaɹtʃʰi na | Ami bujhte parchhi na. | ||
| Can you help me? | ˈt̪umi ki ˈamake ˈʃahadʒːo ˈkoɹt̪e ˈpaɹbe] [ˈapni ki ˈamake ˈʃahadʒːo ˈkoɹt̪e ˈpaɹben |
Tumi kì amake shahajjo korte parbe? Apni kì amake shahajjo korte parben? |
(informal) (formal) | |
| I don’t know. | ˈami ˈdʒani na | Ami jani na. | ||
| I don’t speak Bengali. | ˈami ˈbaŋla ˈbol̪t̪e ˈpaɹi na | Ami Bangla bolte pari na. | ||
| I don’t understand Bengali. | ˈami ˈbaŋla ˈbudʒʰi na | Ami Bangla bujhi na. | ||
| Do you speak English? | ˈt̪umiki ˈiŋɹedʒi ˈbol̪t̪e ˈpaɹo] [ˈapniki ˈiŋɹedʒi ˈbol̪t̪e ˈpaɹen |
Tumi kì Ingreji bolte paro? Apni kì Ingreji bolte paren? |
(informal) (formal) | |
| Could you repeat what you just said? | ˈd̪ɔeakoɹe ˈaɹekbaɹ ˈekţu ˈbolbe ˈd̪ɔeakoɹe ˈaɹekbaɹ ˈekţu ˈbolben |
(Dôeakore) arekbar ekţu bolbe? (Dôeakore) arekbar ekţu bolben? |
(informal) (formal) | |
| Yes. | ˈhæ] [ˈdʒi |
Hê. Ji. |
(informal) (formal) | |
| No. | ˈna] [ˈdʒina |
Na. Ji na. |
(informal) (formal) | |
| What? | ˈki | Ki? | ||
| How? | ˈkibʰabe | Kibhabe? |
Bosnian ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosnian | Bosanski | (Bos-ahn-skee) | ||
| hello | zdravo | (zdrah-vo) | ||
| good-bye | doviđenja | (doh-vidge-eh-nya) | ||
| please | molim | (moh-lIm) | ||
| Thank You | hvala | (hva-la) | ||
| sorry | oprostite | (oh-pro-stee-teh) | ||
| that one | to', taj | (toe)/(t-eye) | ||
| how much | koliko? | (ko-lee-ko) | ||
| yes | da | (dah) | ||
| no | ne | (neh) | ||
| I don’t understand | ne razumijem | (neh rah-zoo-mee-yehm) | ||
| Where is the bathroom | gdje je toalet/vece? | (gdee-yeh yeh to-ah-let/vay-tsay) | ||
| generic toast | na zdravlje | (nah zdrav-lyeh) | (to our health) | |
| English | engleski | (ayn-glesk-ee) | ||
| Do you speak English | govorite li engleski? | (go-vo-ri-teh lee ayn-gleh-skee) |
Breton ( Celtic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Breton: | Brezhoneg | /bʁɛˈzõ.nɛk/ |
| hello: | salud | /"saːlyt/ |
| good-bye: | kenavo | /kenaˈvoː/ |
| please: | mar plij | /maʁ pliʃ/ |
| thank you: | trugarez | /tʁyˈgaːʁɛs/ |
| sorry: | digarez | /diˈgaʁɛs/ |
| that one: | hennezh | /ˈennɛs/ |
| how much?: | pegement | /peˈgemɛn/ |
| yes: | ya | /ja/ |
| no: | nann | /nãn/ |
| I don’t understand: | Ne gomprenan ket | /ne gɔ̃mpʁenãn ket/ |
| Where's the bathroom?: | Pelec'h emañ ar sal dour ? | /peˈlɛx ema aʁ zal duʁ/ |
| generic toast: | yec'hed mat ! | /jexɛt mat/ |
| Do you speak English?: | Kaozeal a rit saozneg? | /kozeal a ʁit saoznɛk/ |
Bulgarian ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Pronunciation | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hello | здравей | /zdravɛj/ | zdra-'vey | ||
| hello | здрасти | /zdrasti/ | 'zdrasti | informal | |
| good morning | Добро утро | /dɔbrɔ utrɔ/ | do-'broh 'oo-tro | ||
| good day | Добър ден | /dɔbər dɛn/ | 'do-buhr den | ||
| good evening | Добър вечер | /ˈdɔbər ˈvɛtʃer/ | 'do-buhr veh-cher | ||
| good night | Лека нощ | /ˈlɛka nɔʃt/ | leka nosht | ||
| goodbye | Довиждане | /dɔviˈʒdanɛ/ | do-'vizh-da-ne | ||
| how are you? | Как си? | /ˈkak si/ | kak see | informal | |
| I’m fine | Добре съм | /ˈdɔbrɛ səm/ | do-'bre suhm | ||
| Where is the toilet? | Къде е тоалетна? | /kədɛ ɛ tɔaˈlɛtna/ | kuh-'de e toa-'let-na | ||
| all the best | Всичко най-хубаво | /vˈsitʃkɔ nai-xubˈavɔ/ | vsich-ko nay hoo-bavo | ||
| regards | Поздрави | /'pɔzdravi/ | 'poz-dra-vi | ||
| thank you | Благодаря | /blagɔdaˈrʲa/ | bla-go-da-'ryuh | ||
| happy birthday | Честит рожден ден! | /tʃɛˈstit rɔʒdˈɛn dɛn/ | chestit rozh'den den | ||
| Bulgarian language | Български език | /bəlgˈarski ɛˈzik/ | 'buhl-gar'ski e-'zik | ||
| Do you speak Bulgarian? | Говорите ли български? | /go'voritɛ li 'bəlgarski/ | Go-'vo-ree-teh lee 'buhl-gar-ski? | ||
| yes | да | /da/ | da | ||
| no | не | /nɛ/ | ne | ||
| of course | разбира се | /razˈbira sɛ/ | razbira se | ||
| Please, enter! | Влезте, моля! | /ˈvlɛztɛ ˈmɔʎa/ | vlezte molya | formal (2nd p. plural) | |
| Enter! | Влез! | /vlɛz/ | vlez | informal (2nd p. singular) |
Catalan ( Romance)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalan: | català, valencià | [kətəˈlɑ], [vałensi'ɑ] | |
| hello: | hola | [ˈɔlə] | |
| good-bye: | adéu | [əˈðew] | (go) to God |
| please: | si us plau, sisplau | [sisˈplɑw] | if it pleases |
| thank you: | gràcies; mercès | [ˈgrɑsjəs]; [mərˈsɛs] | |
| sorry: | perdó | [pərˈðo] | Pardon |
| that one: | aquest (m.); aquesta (f.) | [əˈkɛt]; [əˈkɛstə] | |
| how much?: | quant val; quant és | [ˈkwɑmˈbɑl]; [ˈkwɑnˈes] | what value; how much is (it worth) |
| yes: | sí | [ˈsi] | |
| no: | no | [ˈno] | |
| I don’t understand: | No ho entenc | [ˈnowənˈteŋ] | |
| Where's the bathroom?: | On és el bany?; on és el lavabo? | [ˈonˈezəlˈβɑɲ]; [ˈonˈezəlləˈβɑβu] | |
| generic toast: | Salut! | [səˈlut] | health |
| Do you speak English?: | Que parleu anglès? (formal), Que parles anglès? (informal) Parles anglés? (valencian) | [kəpərˈlɛwənˈglɛs]; [kəˈpɑrləzənˈglɛs] | |
| Do you speak Catalan?: | Que parleu català? (formal), Que parles català? (informal) Parles valencià? (valencian) | [kəpərˈlɛwkətəˈlɑ]; [kəˈpɑrləskətəˈlɑ] |
Cebuano ( Malayo Polynesian)
- English: Inggles
- Visayan: Binisaya
- Good day: Maayong adlaw
- good-bye:paalam
- How are you:Kumusta (ka na)
- Where?: asa?
- This one?: mao kini?/kani?
- thank you: salamat
- Do you speak English?: Makaistorya ka'g Ingles?
- Do you speak Visayan?: Makaistorya ka'g Binisaya?
- yes: Oo
- no: Dili
- this: kini, kani
- clock: relo; orasan
- What time is it?: unsa nang oras?
- It's twelve o'clock: alas dose na
- Do you understand?: kasabut ka?
- How much?: pila?
- Can I use your phone?: Pwede ko makagamit sa imong telepono?
- Can I pay with dollars?: Pwede ko makabayad ug dolyares?
- Have a good trip!: maayong pag biyahe!
- Return soon: balik puhon
- Good Luck: maayong swerte
Chinese languages
Chinese, Cantonese ( Sinitic)
Note: Cantonese is a tonal language. Pronunciations provided below include numbers indicating tone. Tone 1 is high and level/falling; 2 is medium and rising; 3 is medium and level; 4 is low and falling; 5 is low and rising, 6 is low and level. For more info, see Standard Cantonese. The characters shown are Traditional Chinese characters. Pronunciation is given using Jyutping and IPA. However, non-use of the tones will not hinder comprehension for such simple phrases.
| Translation | Phrase | Jyutping | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cantonese: | 廣東話 | gwong2 dung1 waa2 | /kwɔːŋ2 tʊŋ1 wɑː2/ |
| hello | 你好 | nei5 hou2 | /nei5 hou2/ |
| good-bye | 再見 | zoi3 gin3 | /tsɔːi3 kiːn3/ |
| bye-bye | 拜拜 | baai1 baai3 | /pɑːi1 pɑːi3/ |
| please | 唔該 | m4 goi1 | /m̩4 kɔːi1/ |
| thank you (for gifts) | 多謝 | do1 ze3 | /tɔː1 tsɛː3/ |
| thank you (for services rendered) | 唔該 | m4 goi1 | /m̩4 kɔːi1/ |
| sorry | 對唔住 | deoi3 m4 zyu6 | /dɵy3 m̩4 tsyː6/ |
| this one | 呢個 | ni1 go3 or nei1 go3 | /niː1 kɔː3/ or /nei1 kɔː3/ |
| that one | 嗰個 | go2 go3 | /kɔː2 kɔː3/ |
| how much/many? (ask for quantity) | 有幾多呀 | yau5 gei2 do1 aa3 | /jɐu5 kei2 tɔː1 ɑː3/ |
| how much? (ask for amount of money) | 幾多錢呀 | gei2 do1 cin2 aa3 | /kei2 tɔː1 ts̚in2 ɑː3/ |
| yes | 係 | hai6 | /hɐi6/ |
| no | 唔係 | m4 hai6 | /m̩4 hɐi6/ |
| correct/right | 啱 | am1 | /a:m1/ |
| incorrect/wrong | 唔啱 | m4 am1 | /m̩4 a:m1/ |
| I don’t understand | 我唔明白 | ngo5 m4 ming4 baak6 | /ŋɔː5 m̩4 mɪŋ4 bɑːk6/ |
| Where's the washroom (toilet, lavatory)? | 洗手間喺邊度呀？ | sai2 sau2 gaan1 hai2 bin1 dou6 aa3 | /sɐi2 sɐu2 kɑːn1 hɐi2 piːn1 tou6 ɑː3/ |
| Do you speak English? | 你識唔識講英文呀？ | nei5 sik1 m4 sik1 gong2 jing1 man2 aa3 | /nei5 sɪk1 m̩4 sɪk1 kɔːŋ2 jɪŋ1 mɐn2 ɑː3/ |
Note: Cantonese, like most of the other Chinese languages, does not actually have words for “yes” and “no”. Translations for “yes” and “no” given above actually mean “it is” and “it is not” and can be used for questions asking for confirmation. However, for certain yes/no questions, one would normally respond with the verb or the negation of the verb. For instance, to respond to a question such as “do you want to go?” one would respond with “want” or “not want”.
Chinese, Mandarin ( Sinitic)
Note || Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. Tone 1 (e.g. mā) is high and level; 2 (e.g., má) is rising; 3 (e.g., mǎ) is low dipping; 4 (e.g., mà) is falling. For more info, see pinyin. Also note that the first set of characters preceding the slashes are in simplified Chinese characters and the ones following the slashes are in traditional characters. If the simplified- and traditional-character versions of a phrase are identical, only one phrase is shown.
| Translation | Phrase | Pinyin | IPA | Pronunciation | Remarks | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mandarin Chinese | 国语 / 國語or 普通话 / 普通話 |
(guóyǔ) (pǔtōnghuà) |
[kwɔ̌ jỳ] [pʰù tʰʊ̋ŋ xwɑ̂] |
(gwo yu) (poo-toong-hwa) |
National language Common speech | |
| hello | 你好 | (ní hǎo) | [nǐ xàw] | (knee-how) | You're good | |
| good-bye | 再见 / 再見 | (zàijiàn) | [tsâj ʨjɛ̂n] | (dzai-jyen) | Meet again, lit “to the next sighting” | |
| please | 请 / 請 | (qǐng) | [ʨʰìŋ] | (cheeng) | ||
| thank you | 谢谢 / 謝謝 | (xièxie) | [ɕjɛ̂-ɕjɛ̂] | (shyeh-shyeh) | ||
| that one | 那个 / 那個 | (nèige) | [nêj gə] | (nay guh) | See Usage Note 1 | |
| sorry | 对不起 / 對不起 | (duì bù qǐ) | (dway boo chee) | |||
| how much? | 多少 | (duōshǎo) | [twɔ̋ ʂàw] | (dwo shahw) | Many few | |
| English | 英文 | (Yīngwén) | [jɪ̋ŋ wə̌n] | (ing wen) | ||
| yes | 是 | (shì) | /ʂɻ̂/ | (sher as in sherpa) | See Usage Note 2 | [It] is |
| no | 不 | (bù) | [pû] | (boo) | ||
| where's the toilet? | 厕所在哪里 / 廁所在哪裏 | (cèsuǒ zài nálǐ?) | [tsʰɤ̂ swɔ̀ tsâj nɑ̌ lì] | (tsuh swo dzai nah lee?) | Not the politest, but you'll get your point across! | Bathroom at/in where |
| generic toast | 干杯 / 乾杯 | (gān bēi) | [ka̋n pe̋j] | (gahn bay) | Dry glass/cup |
- The second syllable of “nèige” is actually a generic measure word; it is replaced by the appropriate measure word for the noun it refers to. You may therefore hear a number of different syllables after the initial nèi. In many parts of southern China, nèi is also pronounced nà.
- This actually means “it is” and can only be used in an answer to a question with the verb “to be” (in casual speech, this can be neglected). Languages like Chinese, Irish, Toki Pona, and Welsh do not have words for “yes” or “no”. Instead you repeat the main verb of the question in your answer. Shaking your head in affirmation or negation works as expected, though speakers should ensure they are answering negative questions as literally asked – answering in the negative to “You don’t like him?” would indicate that you do like him.
Chinese, Shanghainese ( Sinitic)
Note: Chinese characters for Shanghainese are not standardized and are provided for reference only. IPA transcription is for the Middle period of modern Shanghainese (中派上海话), pronunciation of those between 20 and 60 years old.
| translation | Northern Wu | Lumazi | IPA | Simplified Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghainese (language): | Zanheghaewo | Zanheireiwo | zɑ̃.'he.ɦɛ.ɦʊ] | 上海咸话 |
| Shanghainese (people): | Zanhegnin | Zanheinin | zɑ̃.'he.ɲɪɲ] | 上海人 |
| I | ghoo, gnou | wo, ngu | ɦʊ], [ŋu] | 我 |
| we or I | álá | aelae | ɐˑ.lɐʔ] | 阿拉 |
| he/she | ji | yi | ɦi] | 伊 |
| they | jila | yila | ɦi.la] | 伊拉 |
| you (sing.) | non | non | noŋ] | 侬 |
| you (plural) | na | na | na] | 人那 |
| hello: | non ho | non ho | noŋ hɔ] | 侬好 |
| good-bye: | tsewe | tzeiwei | ˈtse.ɦue] | 再会 |
| thank you: | ziaja non | zhaya non | ʑ̻ia.ja noŋ] | 谢谢侬 |
| sorry: | tevéchi | teivechi | te.vəˑ.ʨʰi] | 对勿起 |
| but, however: | daezu, daezu ne | deizi, deizi nei | dɛ.zɿ], [dɛ.zɿ.ne] | 但是, 但是呢 |
| please: | tshin | chin | ʨʰɪɲ] | 请 |
| that one: | etsá, itsá | eitzae, itzae | ˈe.tsɐʔ], [i.tsɐʔ] | 哎只, 伊只 |
| there: | etá, itá | eitae, itae | ˈe.tɐʔ], [i.tɐʔ] | 哎耷, 伊耷 |
| over there: | emitá, imitá | eimitae, imitae | ˈe.mi.tɐʔ], [i.mi.tɐʔ] | 哎米耷, 伊米耷 |
| here: | gétá | getae | gəˑ.tɐʔ] | 搿耷 |
| to have | jeuté | youte | ɦiɤɯ.təʔ] | 有得 |
| to exist, here, present: | láhe | laehei | lɐˑ.he] | 辣海 |
| now, current: | jieze | yizei | ɦi.ze] | 现在 |
| what time is it?: | jieze citie tson? | yizei citi tzon? | ɦi.ze ʨi.ti 'tsoŋ] | 现在几点钟？ |
| where: | ghalitá, sadifan | ralitae, sadifan | ɦa.ɺi.tɐʔ], [sa.di.fɑ̃] | 何里耷, 啥地方 |
| what: | sa | sa | sa] | 啥 |
| who: | sagnin | sanin | sa.ɲɪɲ] | 啥人 |
| why: | wesa | weisa | ɦue.sa] | 为啥 |
| when: | sazencuan | sazenkuan | sa.zəɲ.kuɑ̃] | 啥辰光 |
| how: | nanen, nana, nanenca | nanen, nana, nanenka | na.nəɲ], [na.na], [na.nəɲ.ka] | 哪能, 哪哪, 哪能家 |
| how much?: | cidie a? | cidi a? | ʨi.di 'a] | 几钿啊? |
| yes: | eh | ei | ˈe] | 哎 |
| no: | m, vézu, mmé, vio | m, vezi, mme, vio | m̩], [vəˑ.zɿ], [m̩məʔ], [viɔ] | 呒、勿是、呒没 |
| telephone number: | diewo ghodeu | diwo rodou | di.ɦʊ ɦɔ.dɤɯ] | 电话号头 |
| home: | ólihian | oelishan | oˑ.ɺi.ɕiã] | 屋里向 |
| Come to our house and play. | to álá ólihian le bésian. | to aelae oelishan lei beshan. | tɔ ɐˑ.lɐʔ oˑ.ɺi.ɕiɑ̃ le bəˑ.ɕiã] | 到阿拉屋里向来孛相（白相）！ |
| Where's the restroom?: | daseucae lélá ghalitá? | dasoukei lelae ralitae? | da.sɤɯ.kɛ ɺəˑ.ɺɐʔ ɦa.ɺi.tɐʔ] | 汏手间勒勒何里耷? |
| Have you eaten dinner?: | javae chícoulé va? | yavei chiekule va? | ɦia.vɛ ʨʰɪˑ.ku.ləʔ va] | 夜饭吃过了伐? |
| I don’t know: | ghoo véhioté. | wo veshote. | ɦʊ vəˑ.ɕiɔ.təʔ] | 我勿晓得 |
| Do you speak English?: | non Inven weté can va? | non Inven weite kan va? | noŋ ˈɪn.vəɲ ɦue.təʔ kã va] | 侬英文会得讲伐? |
| I love you: | ghoo e non! | wo ei non. | ɦʊ e noŋ] | 我爱侬！ |
| I adore you: | ghoo emó non. | wo eimoe non. | ɦʊ e.moʔ noŋ] | 我爱慕侬 |
| I like you a lot: | ghoo lo huoehi non ghé! | wo lo hueushi non re. | ɦʊ ɺɔ ˈhuø.ɕi noŋ ɦəʔ] | 我老欢喜侬个！ |
| news | sinven | shinven | ɕɪɲ.vəɲ] | 新闻 |
| dead | sithélé | shithele | ɕi.tʰəˑ.ləʔ] | 死脱了 |
| alive | wéláhe | welaehei | ɦuəˑ.lɐˑ.he] | 活辣海 |
Unlike Mandarin, Shanghainese actually has the direct “yes” (eh/ei) similar to English.
Chinese, Min Nan / Taiwanese ( Sinitic)
The Han characters provided below are for reference only. They are not necessarily standard.
| Translation | Characters | Romanization | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min Nan | 閩南語 | Bân-lâm-gú | |
| Taiwanese | 臺灣話 | Tâi-oân-oē | |
| Hokkien | 福建話 | Hok-kiàn-oē | |
| Hello. | 食飽未? | Chia̍h pá boeh? | (literally, Eaten full yet? Note: This greeting came about at a time when most of Taiwan was in poverty, so to say that one has had enough to eat would be to imply that the person is “doing well”.) |
| Goodbye. | 平安 | Pêng-an. | (literally, Peace, can also be used as a greeting; primarily Christian usage.) |
| Please | 拜託 | Pài-thok | |
| Thank you | 勞力 | Ló·-la̍t | 感謝 (Kám-siā) (literally, "be grateful for, praise") or 感恩 (Kám-ún) is more common in Taiwan. |
| That one | 彼個 | Hit-ê | |
| how much? | 若濟? | goā choē? | |
| is | 是 | Sī | |
| not | 唔是 | m̄-sī | (literally, "not is") |
| Sorry | 失禮 | Sit-le | |
| Embarrassed! | 歹勢! | Pháiⁿ-sè! | (often used in response when offered/given something by a host) |
| I don't understand. | 我聽無. | Goá thiaⁿ bô. | (literally, "I hear not") |
| Where's the bathroom? | 便所佇叨? | Piān-só· tī toh? | (literally "bathroom is where?") |
| Cheers! | 呼乾啦! | Hō· ta lah! | (literally, Let it [the cup/glass] be dry [empty]!) |
| Do you speak English? | 你咁講英語? | Lí kám kóng Eng-gú? |
Cook Islands Maori ( Malayo-Polynesian)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Islands Maori | Māori Kūki 'Āirani | |
| hello | kia orāna, kia ora ana | |
| good-bye | kia manuia | |
| thank you | meitaki |
Croatian ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Croatian | hrvatski | |
| hello | bog (more often: bok) | |
| good day | dobar dan | |
| good-bye | doviđenja | |
| please | molim (lit. I beg) | |
| thank you | hvala | |
| you're welcome | molim (polite), Nema na čemu | |
| excuse me | ispričavam se (lit. I excuse myself) | |
| sorry | oprosti, oprostite (polite) | |
| that one | onaj, taj | |
| how much | koliko? | |
| yes | da | |
| no | ne | |
| generic toast | uzdravlje! (lit. to your health), živjeli! (lit. live) | |
| I don’t understand | ne razumijem | |
| My name is... | Ime mi je or more often Zovem se... (lit. I'm calling myself...) | |
| Where is the bathroom | Gdje je zahod? | |
| English | engleski | |
| Do you speak English | Govorite li engleski? | |
| What? | Što?, Molim? (polite) | |
| OK | u redu (lit. in order) | |
| I don't know | ne znam |
Czech ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation | IPA | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czech | Česky | CHEHskee | /'ʧɛski/ | |
| Czech Republic | Česká republika | CHEHskah REHpublikah | /'ʧɛskɐː ɾɛpublikɐ/ | |
| hello | dobrý den | DObree den | /'dobɾiː dɛn/ | Literal translation: Good day |
| good-bye | na shledanou | na sKHLEdanow | /nɐ 'sxlɛdɐnou/ | Literal translation: Until we see each other again |
| please | prosím | PROseem | /'pɾosiːm/ | Literal translation: I beg |
| thank you | děkuji vám | DYEkooyi vam | /'ɟɛkuji vɐːm/ | |
| that one | tamten | tamten | /tɐmtɛn/ | |
| how much? | kolik | KOlik | /'kolik/ | |
| English | anglicky | anglytskee | /ɐngliʦki/ | |
| yes | ano | /ɐno/ | Sometimes shortened to /no/ (!) | |
| no | ne | /ne/ | ||
| sorry | promiňte | /pɾomiɲte/ | Literal translation: Forgive | |
| generic toast | Na zdraví | /nɐ zdɾɐviː/ | Literal translation: To health | |
| I don’t understand | Nerozumím | /nɛɾozumiːm/ | ||
| Where's the bathroom? | Kde je toaleta? | /gdɛ jɛ toɐletɐ/ | ||
| Do you speak English? | Mluvíte anglicky? | /mluviːtɛ ɐngliʦki/ | ||
| I don’t speak Czech | Nemluvím česky | /nɛmluviːm 'ʧɛski/ | ||
| Do you speak Czech? | Mluvíte česky? | /mluviːtɛ 'ʧɛski/ | ||
| Where can I find a restaurant? | Kde najdu restauraci? | /gdɛ nɐjdu ɾɛstɐurɐʦi/ | ||
| Where is the nearest hospital? | Kde je nejbližší nemocnice? | /gdɛ jɛ nɛjbliʃiː nɛmoʦniʦɛ/ |
Danish ( Germanic)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danish | dansk | ⓘ | |
| hello | hej | ⓘ | |
| good-bye | farvel | Audio file "Da-farvel.ogg" not found | |
| please | 1 (Be understood. A matter of course, if not Audio file "Da-vær-så-venlig.ogg" not found) | ||
| thank you | tak | Audio file "Da-tak.ogg" not found | |
| that one | denne her | Audio file "Da-denne-her.ogg" not found | |
| how much? | hvor meget? | Audio file "Da-hvor-meget.ogg" not found | |
| English | engelsk | Audio file "Da-engelsk.ogg" not found | |
| yes | ja | Audio file "Da-ja.ogg" not found | |
| no | nej | Audio file "Da-nej.ogg" not found | |
| may I take your (sg) picture? | Må jeg tage et billede af dig? | Audio file "Da-billede-sg.ogg" not found | |
| may I take your (pl) picture? | Må jeg tage et billede af jer? | Audio file "Da-billede-pl.ogg" not found | |
| where is the bathroom? | Hvor er toilettet? | Audio file "Da-hvor-er-toilettet.ogg" not found | IPA: /toiˈlet/ |
| where do you come from? | Hvor kommer du fra? | Audio file "Da-kommer-fra.ogg" not found | |
| do you speak English? | Taler du engelsk? | Audio file "Da-taler-du-engelsk.ogg" not found | |
| generic toast | skål | Audio file "Da-skål.ogg" not found | |
| I don’t understand | Jeg forstår ikke | ||
| sorry | Undskyld | Audio file "Da-undskyld.ogg" not found | |
| excuse me | Undskyld mig | Audio file "Da-undskyld-mig.ogg" not found |
- No word directly corresponds to the word “please”. Danish and Finnish express the concept of politeness in a request in various ways. One way is to smile while asking for something, another is to add tak (thank you) to the end of the question: “kan jeg få noget mere at drikke, tak”, although this is more of an anglicised form of Danish.
Dutch ( Germanic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch | Nederlands | /'neːdərlɑns/ | (NAY-der-lahnds) |
| hello | hallo | /hɑ'loː/ | (hah-LO) |
| Good morning | goedemorgen | /'ɣudəˌmɔrɣɛn/ | |
| Good afternoon | goedemiddag | /ˈɣudəˌmɪdɑx/ | |
| Good evening | goedenavond | /ˈɣudənˌɑʋɔnt/ | |
| good-bye | tot ziens | /tɔt 'ziːns/ | (tott-ZEENS) |
| please | alstublieft | /ɑlsty'blift/ | (AHL-stu-BLEEFT) |
| thank you | dank u wel | /dɑŋky'ʋɛl/ | (DAHNK-u-WELL) |
| I'm sorry | het spijt me | ||
| I don’t understand | ik begrijp het niet | /ɪk bə'ɣrɛip ət nit/ | (Ick beyGRAYP hett neat) |
| that one | die | /diː/ | (dee) |
| how much? | hoeveel? | /huː'veːl/ | (who-VEIL) |
| English | Engels | /'ɛŋəls/ | (ENGels) |
| do you speak English? | spreek je Engels? | /sprek jə 'ɛŋəls/ | (Spray-k ya ENGels) |
| yes | ja | /jaː/ | (ya) |
| no | nee | /neː/ | (nei) |
| I don’t know | ik weet het niet | /ɪk ʋet ət nit/ | (Ick WAY-T hett neat) |
| Where is the bathroom? | waar is het toilet? | ||
| I don't feel well | ik voel me niet lekker | ||
| That's okay | dat is goed | ||
| generic toast | proost | /proːst/ | (proh-st) |
Old English ( Germanic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Englisc | /'ɛŋglɪʃ/ | |
| hello | wes hāl wesaþ hāl |
/wɛz haːl/ /'wɛzaθ haːl/; |
to one person to more than one |
| good-bye | God þē mid sīe | /gɔd ðeː mɪd 'siə/ | Literal: God be with you |
| please | iċ bidde | /ɪʧ 'bɪdːə/ | or understood; see usage note. |
| thank you | iċ þancie þē | /ɪʧ 'θaŋkiə ðeː/ | |
| that one | geon | /jɔn/ | |
| how much? | hū fela? | /huː 'fela/ | |
| yes | gēse | /'jeːsə/ | |
| no | nō | /noː/ | |
| Where is the bathroom? | Hwǣr is þæt gangsetl? | /ʍær ɪz ðæt 'gaŋsetl/ | |
| where do you come from? | Hwanon cymst þu? (?) | /'ʍanon cymst ðuː/ | |
| do you speak English? | Spricst þu Englisce? | /sprɪʧəst ðuː 'ɛŋglɪʃə/ | |
| I don’t understand | Iċ ne understande | /ɪʧ ne ʊndɛr'standə/ |
- No word directly corresponds to the word “please”. Old English expressed the concept of politeness in a request in various ways.
Esperanto ( international auxiliary language)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| hello | saluton | /sa'luton/ | (I give you) a greeting |
| good-bye | ĝis revido | /ʤis re'vido/ | until an again-seeing |
| please | bonvolu | /bon 'volu/ | be well willing |
| thank you | dankon | /'dankon/ | (I give you) thanks |
| you are welcome | nedankinde | /nedan 'kinde/ | not-worth-thanking-ly |
| that one | tiu | /'tiu/ | |
| how much? | kiom | /'kiom/ | |
| English | angla | /'angla/ | |
| yes | jes | /jes/ | |
| no | ne | /ne/ | |
| I am sorry | mi bedaŭras | I regret | |
| I do not understand | mi ne komprenas | /mi ne kom'prenas/ | |
| Where is the toilet? | kie estas la necesejo? | /'kie 'estas la neʦe'sejo/ | where is the necessity-place? |
| generic toast | Je via sano | /je 'via 'sano/ | to your health |
| Do you speak English? | Ĉu vi parolas la anglan? | /ʧu vi pa'rolas la 'anglan/ | do you speak the English (language)? |
| Excuse me, I do not speak Esperanto well | Pardonu min, mi ne bone parolas Esperanton | /par'donu min mi ne 'bone pa'rolas espe'ranton/ | |
| I do not know | Mi ne scias | /mi ne 'sʦias/ |
Estonian ( Finno-Ugric)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonian | eesti keel | [ˈe:s.ti ke:l] | |
| hello | tere | [ˈte.re] | |
| good-bye | head aega | [heɑd.ˈɑe.gɑ] | literally "(have a) good time" |
| please | palun | [ˈpɑ.lun] | literally "I beg" |
| thank you | aitäh tänan |
[ɑi.ˈtæh] [ˈtæ.nɑn] |
(a more formal expression, it literally means “I thank (you)”.) |
| you're welcome | palun pole tänu väärt võta heaks |
[ˈpɑ.lun] [ˈpo.le tæ.nu ˈvæ:rt] [ˈvɤ.tɑ heɑks] |
literally "not worthy of a thanks" |
| this | see | [se:] | |
| that one | too see |
[to:] [se:] | |
| how much? | kui palju? | [kui ˈpɑl.ju] | |
| English | inglise keel | [ˈing.li.se ke:l] | |
| yes | jah | [jɑh] | |
| no | ei | [ei] | |
| sorry | vabandage vabandust |
[ˈvɑ.bɑn.dɑ.ge] [ˈvɑ.bɑn.dust] | |
| I don’t understand | Ma ei saa aru | [mɑ ei sɑ: ˈɑ.ru] | |
| generic toast | terviseks | [ˈter.vi.seks] | literally "to/for health" |
| Do you speak English? | Kas te räägite inglise keelt? | [kɑs te ˈræ:.gi.te ˈing.li.se ke:lt] | |
| Where is the bathroom/toilet? | Kus on tualett/WC? | [kus on ˈtuɑ.lett/ve:tse:] | |
| Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! | Häid jõule ja õnnelikku uut aastat! | [hæid ˈjɤu.le ja ˈɤn.ne.lik.ku u:t ɑ:s.tɑt] |
Finnish ( Finno-Ugric)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finnish | suomi | /'suomi/ | (SUE-o-mi) | ( listen) |
| hello | hyvää päivää | /'hyvæː 'pæiʋæː/ | (hoo-vah pay-vaah) | ( listen) |
| päivää | /'pæiʋæː/ | (pay-vaah) | ( listen) | |
| good-bye | näkemiin | /'nækemiːn/ | (NACK-eh-MEAN) | ( listen) |
| please | ole hyvä | /'ole 'hyʋæ/ | (ole hoo-vah) | ( listen) |
| kiitos | /'kiːtos/ | (key-tose) | ( listen) | |
| thank you | kiitos | /'kiːtos/ | (key-tose) | ( listen) |
| that one | tuo | /'tuo/ | (to-oh) | ( listen) |
| how much? | kuinka paljon | /'kuiŋka 'paljon/ | (queen-ka pal-yone) | ( listen) |
| English | englanti | /'eŋlanti/ | (ENG-lan-TEH) | ( listen) |
| yes | kyllä | /'kylːæ/ | (kul-lah) | ( listen) |
| joo (informal) | /'joː/ | (yo) | ( listen) | |
| no | ei | /ei/ | (ey) | ( listen) |
| sorry | anteeksi | /'anteːksi/ | (on-take-see) | ( listen) |
| I don’t understand | en ymmärrä | /en 'ymːærːæ/ | (en oom-mar-ra) | ( listen) |
| where is the toilet? | missä on vessa? | /'misːæ on 'ʋesːa/ | (MIS-sah own VEHS-sah) | ( listen) |
| generic toast | kippis | /'kipːis/ | (KIP-pis) | ( listen) |
| Do you speak English? | puhutteko englantia? | /'puhutːeko 'eŋlantia/ | (poo-hoot-teh-koh eng-lawn-ti-a) | ( listen) |
| I don’t speak Finnish. | en puhu suomea | /'en pu-hu suo-mea/ | (EN POO-hoo SUO-me-a) | ( listen) |
| I don’t know | en tiedä | /en 'tiedæ/ | (en tee-eh-dah) | ( listen) |
French ( Romance)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French | français | /frɑ̃sɛ/ | (“fraw(n)-SAY”) | |
| hello | bonjour | /bɔ̃ʒuʁ/ | (“boh(n)-ZHURE”) | good day |
| good-bye | au revoir | /o ʁəvwaʁ/ | (“oh-reh-VWAR”) | to the seeing-again |
| please | s'il vous plaît | /sil vu plɛ/ | (“seal voo PLAY”) | if it pleases you |
| thank you | merci | /mɛʁsi/ | (“mare-SEE”) | |
| you're welcome | je vous en prie, de rien | /ʒə vu zɑ̃ pʁi/ | (“zhe voo zah(n) pree”, “de ree ah(n)”) | I beg you of it, (It's) nothing |
| that one | cela | /səla/ | (“suh-LAH”) | |
| this one | ceci | /səsi/ | (“suh-SEE”) | |
| how much? | combien | /kɔ̃bjɛ̃/ | (“ko(n)m-BYEN”) | |
| English | anglais | /ɑ̃glɛ/ | (“ah(n)-GLAY”) | |
| yes | oui | /wi/ | (“wee”) | |
| no | non | /nɔ̃/ | (“noh(n)”) | |
| sorry | pardon excusez-moi |
/paʁdɔ̃/ /ɛkskyze mwa/ |
(“pahr-DO(n)”) (“ex-ku-zay-MWA”) | |
| I don’t understand | Je ne comprends pas | /ʒə nə kõpʁɑ̃ pa/ | (“zhe ne co(n) m-pro(n) PAH”) | |
| where's the toilet? | Où sont les toilettes ? | /u sɔ̃ le twalɛt/ | (“ooh so(n) lay twa-LET”)8 | Where are the toilets? |
| generic toast | Santé ! Tchin ! (familiar) |
/sɑ̃te/ /ʧin/ |
(“sah(n)-TAY”) (“cheen”) |
Santé ! = Health! |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? | /paʁle vu ɑ̃glɛ/ | (“par-lay voo ah(n) -GLAY”) | |
| Excuse me, I don’t speak French very well. | Pardonnez-moi, mais je ne parle pas très bien français | /paʁdɔne mwa mɛ ʒə nə paʁlə pa trɛ bjɛ̃ frɑ̃sɛ/ | (par-dohn-ay MWAH may zheu neuh parl pah tray byen frah(n)-SAY) | Pardon me, but I do not speak very well French. |
Frisian ( Germanic)
The translations provided following W: are in West Frisian, those following N: are in North Frisian (Mooring dialect).
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frisian | W: Frysk N: Friisk |
/fri.sk/ /fri:sk/ |
(freask) (freask) |
| hello | W: a goeie N: moin |
/ɑ gujə/ /mOIn/ |
(ah gooye) (moin) |
| good-bye | W: oant sjen N: adjiis |
/ɔnt ʃɛn/ /Adji:s/ |
(ont shen) (a-jease) |
| please | W: asjeblyft N: weesegödj |
/ɑʃəbli.ft/ /ve:z&gödj/ |
(ashebleaft) (veisegud-y) |
| thank you | W: tige tank N: foole tunk |
/'tiːɣə tɑnk/ /fo:l&tunk/ |
(teaghe tank) (foughle toonk) |
| that one | W: dy N: di |
/di/ /dI/ |
(dea) (dih) |
| how much? | W: hoefolle? N: hüfoole? |
/hufolə/ /h^fo:l&/ |
(who folle) (huh foughle) |
| English | W: Ingelsk N: Aingelsch |
/iŋəlsk/ /&j:ñ&lS/ |
(ingelsk) (ayngelsh) |
| yes | W: ja N: joo |
/ja/ /jo:/ |
(yaah) (yo) |
| no | W: nee N: nåån |
/ne/ /nO:n/ |
(nay) (nawn) |
| where's the bathroom? | W: Wêr is hjir it húske? N: Weer as heer et hüüschen? |
/Wɛːr ɪs jɪrət hy.skə/ /wI:R &s hI:r &t hy. S&n/ |
(where is yirret hewske) (vere is heret hewshen) |
| generic toast | W: tsjoch N: sünhäid |
/ʧoX/ /sönhEId/ |
(chokh) (sun-heyd) |
| Do you speak English? | W: Kinne jo Ingelsk? N: Koost dü Aingelsch? |
/kɪnə jo. ɪŋəlsk/ /ko:stö &jñ@lS/ |
(kinne yo ingelsk?) (coastuh ayngelsh) |
| I don’t understand | W: Ik begryp it net N: Ik begrip et ai |
/ɪk bəgri.pət nɛt/ /Ik b&grIp&t&j/ |
(ick begreapet net) (ick begripet ay) |
| Sorry | W: Pardon N: Fertrüt me |
/pədɔn/ /ftr^t me/ |
(p'donn) (f-trut meh) |
Friulian ( Romance)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friulian | furlan | ||
| hello | mandi | ||
| good-bye | a riviodisi | ||
| please | par plasê | ||
| thank you | graziis | ||
| that one | chel (masculine) chê (feminine) | ||
| how much? trop? | |||
| English | inglês | ||
| yes | sì | /si/ | (see) |
| no | no | /no/ | (no) |
| sorry | scuse pardon | ||
| I don’t understand | no ai capît no capissi | ||
| I don’t speak Friulian | jo no feveli il furlan | ||
| where's the bathroom? | Dulà isal il bagn? | ||
| generic toast | vive cincin prosit |
Galician ( Romance)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Galician: | Galego | |
| hello: | Ola | |
| good-bye: | adeus | |
| please: | prégolle, por favor | |
| thank you: | graciñas; grazas | |
| sorry: | síntoo | |
| that one: | aquel (m.); aquela (f.) | |
| how much?: | ¿Canto custa?; ¿Canto é? | |
| yes: | si | /ˈsɪ/ |
| no: | non | |
| I don’t understand: | Non o entendo | |
| Where's the bathroom?: | ¿Onde está/queda o baño?; ¿Onde está/queda o lavado? | |
| generic toast: | ¡Saúde! | |
| Do you speak English?: | ¿Fala vostede inglés? (formal), ¿Falas inglés? (informal) | |
| Do you speak Galician?: | ¿Fala vostede galego? (formal), ¿Falas galego? (informal) |
Georgian ( Caucasian)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgian | ქართული | /kartʊli/ | (Kartuli) | |
| Hello! | გამარჯობა! | /gamarʤoba/ | (Gamarjoba!) | “victory” |
| How are you? | როგორა ხარ? | /rɔgɔra xar/ | (Rogora khar?) | |
| Good, you? | კარგად, შენ? | /k'argad ʃɛn/ | (K'argad, shen?) | |
| Excuse me! | ბოდიში! | /bɔdɪʃɪ/ | (Bodishi!) | |
| Please | თუ შეიძლება | /tʊ ʃɛɪʣlɛba/ | (Tu Sheidzleba) | “if possible” |
| Welcome | კეთილი იყოს თქვენი მობრძანება! | /k'ɛtɪlɪ ɪqʼɔs tkvɛnɪ mɔbrʣanɛba/ | (Ke'tili iq'os tkveni mobrdzaneba!) | |
| Thank you | გმადლობთ! | /gmadlɔbt/ | (Gmadlobt) | |
| You are welcome | არაფრის | /araprɪs/ | (Arapris) | “for nothing” |
| English | ინგლისური | /ɪnglɪsʊrɪ/ | (Inglisuri) | |
| Do you speak English? | ინგლისური იცით? | /ɪnglɪsʊrɪ ɪʦɪt/ | (Inglisuri itsit?) | |
| I don’t speak Georgian | ქართული არ ვიცი | /kartʊli ar vɪʦɪ/ | (Kartuli ar vitsi) | |
| Yes | დიახ | /dɪax/ | (Diakh) | |
| No | არა | /ara/ | (Ara) | |
| Georgia | საქართველო | /sakartvɛlɔ/ | (Sakartvelo) |
German ( Germanic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| German | Deutsch | /dɔɪ̯ʧ/ | (doytsh) | ( listen) |
| hello | Hallo | /ˈhaloː/ | (HAH-loh) | ( listen) |
| good-bye | auf Wiedersehen | /aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐzeːn/ | (owf VEE-der-zayn) | ( listen) |
| please | bitte | /ˈbɪtə/ | (BIT-tuh) | ( listen) |
| you’re welcome | bitte schön | /ˈbɪtə ʃøːn/ | (BIT-tuh shurn) | |
| thank you | danke | /ˈdaŋkə/ | (DAHNG-kuh) | ( listen) |
| that one | das da | /das da/ | (duss dah) | ( listen) |
| how much? | wie viel? | /vi fiːl/ | (vee feel) | ( listen) |
| English | Englisch | /ˈʔɛŋlɪʃ/ | (ANG-lish) | ( listen) |
| yes | ja | /jaː/ | (yah) | ( listen) |
| no | nein | /naɪ̯n/ | (nine) | ( listen) |
| I need help | Ich brauche Hilfe | /ʔiç ˈbʁaʊ̯χə ˈhɪlfə/ | (ish BROW-khuh HEEL-fuh) | |
| excuse me | Entschuldigen Sie | /ʔɛntˈʃʊldɪgən ziː/ | (ent-SHOOL-dee-gen zee) | |
| pardon me | verzeihen Sie | /fɐˈʦaɪ̯ən ziː/ | (fair-TSEYE-en zee) | |
| I am sick | ich bin krank | /ʔɪç bɪn kʁaŋk/ | (ish bin krunk) | |
| where’s the bathroom? | Wo ist die Toilette? | /voː ʔɪst diː toːˈlɛtə/ | (vo ist dee toe-LET-tuh) | ( listen) |
| generic toast | prosit prost |
/ˈpʁoziːt/ /pʁoːst/ |
(PRO-zeet) (proast) |
(
listen) ( listen) |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? | /ˈʃpʁɛçən ziː ˈʔɛŋlɪʃ/ | (SHPRE-shen zee ANG-lish) | ( listen) |
| I don’t speak German | Ich spreche kein Deutsch | /ʔɪç ˈʃprɛçə kaɪ̯n dɔɪ̯ʧ/ | (ish SHPRE-shuh kine doytsh) | |
| I don’t understand | Ich verstehe nicht. | /ʔɪç fɐˈʃteːə nɪçt/ | (ish fair-SHTAY-uh nisht) | ( listen) |
| Sorry | Entschuldigung | /ʔɛntˈʃʊldɪgʊŋ/ | (ent-SHOOL-dee-gung) | ( listen) |
| I don’t know | Ich weiß nicht | /ʔɪç vaɪ̯s nɪçt/ | (ish vice nisht) | |
| Happy birthday | Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag | /ˈhɛɐ̯ʦlɪçən ˈglʏkvʊnʃ ʦʊm gəˈbʊɐ̯ʦtaːk/ | (HAIRTS-lee-shen GLUKE-voonsh tsoom ge-BOORTS-tahk) |
Greek ( Greek)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek | ελληνικά | /ɛlini'ka/ | eh-lee-nee-KAH |
| hello | γειά σας γειά σου |
/ja sas/ /ja su/ |
YA suss (formal/plural) YA soo (informal/singular) |
| please | παρακαλώ | /paraka'lɔ/ | pah-rah-kah-LOH |
| thank you | ευχαριστώ | /ɛfxari'stɔ/ | ef-khah-ree-SSTOH |
| that one | εκείνο | /e'kinɔ/ | eh-KEE-noh |
| how much? | πόσο κάνει; | /'pɔsɔ 'kani/ | POH-soh KAH-nee |
| English | αγγλικά | /aŋgli'ka/ | ung-glee-KAH |
| yes | ναι | /nɛ/ | neh (this is a faux ami for many speakers of other European languages) |
| no | όχι | /'ɔçi/ | OH-hee |
| sorry | συγ(γ)νώμη | /sig'nɔmi/ | sigg-NOH-mee |
| I don’t understand | δεν καταλαβαίνω | /'ðɛŋ katala'vɛnɔ/ | dheng kah-tah-lah-VEH-noh |
| where's the bathroom? | πού είναι οι τουαλέτες; | /'pu 'inɛ i tua'lɛtɛs/ | poo EE-neh ee too-ah-LEH-tess |
| generic toast | γειά μας | /'ja mas/ | YAH muss |
| Do you speak English? | μιλάτε αγγλικά; | /mi'latɛ aŋgli'ka/ | mee-LAH-teh ung-glee-KAH |
Gujarati ( Indo-Iranian)
| Translation | Phrase (pronunciation) |
|---|---|
| Gujarati | Gujarati |
| hello | Kem chho (lit. How are you?) |
| good-bye | Aavjo (lit. Come again) |
| yes | haa |
| no | naa |
| How much money? | Ketla paisa? |
| Where is your restroom? | Tamaru bathroom kya che? |
| Where are you? | Tame kya cho? |
| I would like to drink some water | Mane' pani piwu che |
| I am thirsty | Mane' taras lagi che |
| I am hungry | Mane' bhookh lagi che |
| What is your name? | Tamaru naam su che? |
| My name is _____. | Maru naam _____ che. |
Haitian Creole ( Romance)
| Translation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Haitian | Ayisyen |
| hello | bonjou |
| good-bye | orevwa |
| please | souple, tanpri |
| thank you | mèsi |
| yes | wi |
| no | non |
| how much? | Konbyen? |
| Where is the restroom (toilet, lavatory, WC)? | Kote twalèt la? |
| where are you? | Kote e la |
Hawaiian ( Malayo-Polynesian)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian | Hawaiʻi | /oːlelo hawaiʔi/ | (ha va ee) |
| hello | aloha | /aloha/ | (a low ha) |
| good-bye | A hui hou | /ahuihou/ | (a hoo-ee hoe) |
| please | e ʻolu ʻolu ʻoe | /eʔoluʔoluʔoe/ | (ey owe-loo owe-loo owe-ay) |
| thank you | mahalo | /mahalo/ | (ma ha low) |
| yes | ʻae | /ʔae/ | (ah ay) |
| no | ʻaʻole | /ʔaʔole/ | (uh-oh lay) |
| how much? | ʻehia? | /ʔehia/ | (ay hee uh) |
| Where is the restroom? | Aia i hea ka lumi hoʻopaupilikia? | /aiaiheakalumihoʔopaupilikia/ | (ah ee ah ee ka loo mee hoe owe pow pee lee kee uh) |
| generic toast | Ola | /ola/ | (Oh la) |
Hebrew ( Semitic)
| Translation | Phrase | Transliteration | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hebrew | עברית | ivrit | /iv'ʁit/ |
| hello/peace | שלום | shalom | /ʃa'lom/ |
| good-bye | להתראות | lehitra’ot | /lehitʁa'ot/ |
| nice to meet you | נעים מאוד | na’im me’od | /na'im me'od/ |
| please/you're welcome | בבקשה | bevakasha | /bevaka'ʃa/ |
| thank you | תודה | toda | /to'da/ |
| thank you very much | תודה רבה | toda raba | |
| excuse me/sorry | סליחה | slicha | |
| that one | את זה | et zeh | /et ze/ |
| how much? | כמה? | kama | /'kama/ |
| how much does it cost? | כמה זה עולה? | kama zeh oleh? | |
| English | אנגלית | anglit | /an'glit/ |
| yes | כן | ken | /ken/ |
| no/not | לא | lo | /lo/ |
| generic toast (literally, “to life”) | לחיים | le-chaim | /le'χaim/ |
| good morning | בוקר טוב | boker tov | |
| good evening | ערב טוב | erev tov | |
| good night | לילה טוב | laíla tov | |
| what's happening? | מה קורה? | ma koreh? | |
| what's happened? | מה קרה? | ma karah? | |
| one moment! | רגע | rega! | |
| what's up? | מה נשמע? | ma nishma? | |
| what's up?/what's interesting? | מה העניינים? | ma ha'inyanim? | |
| good | טוב | tov | |
| where is the restroom? | איפה השירותים? | eifo ha-sherutim? | |
| I don’t understand (masculine form) | אני לא מבין | ani lo mevin | |
| I don’t understand (feminine form) | אני לא מבינה | ani lo mevina | |
| bon appetit | בתיאבון | bete'avon | |
| Do you speak English (masculine form) | אתה מדבר אנגלית? | atah medaber anglit? | |
| Do you speak English (feminine form) | את מדברת אנגלית? | at medaberet anglit? |
Hindi ( Indo-Iranian)
| Translation | Phrase | Transliteration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hindi | हिन्दी | hindī | |
| hello/goodbye (Hindu, north) | नमस्ते | namaste | |
| hello/goodbye (Hindu, south) | नमस्कार | namaskār | |
| hello/goodbye (Sikh) | सत श्री अकाल | sat śrī akāl | |
| hello (Muslim) | अस्सलाम अलैकुम | assalām alaikum | |
| hello (Muslim reply) | वालैकुम अस्सलाम | vālaikum assalām | |
| goodbye (Muslim) | ख़ुदा हाफ़िज़ | khuda hāfiz | |
| please* (Urdu) | मेहरबानी करके | mehrbānī karke | |
| please* | कृपया | kṛipaya | |
| thank you* (Sanskrit origin) | धन्यवाद | dhanyavād | |
| thank you* (Arabic origin) | शुक्रिया | śukriyā | |
| thank you very much | बहुत बहुत ... | bahut bahut ... | |
| you're welcome (don’t mention it) | कोई बात नहीं | koī bāt nahīn | |
| excuse me, sorry, please forgive me | माफ़ कीजिये | māf kījiye | |
| excuse me (lit. please listen) | ज़रा सुनिये | zarā suniye | |
| yes | जी हाँ | jī hān | |
| no/not | जी नहीं | jī nahīn | |
| good!/awesome!/oh.../really?!/well! | अच्छा! | acchā! | |
| (all-purpose adj./interj.) | |||
| How are you? | आप कैसे/कैसी हैं? | āp kaise/kaisī hai? | |
| (male/female respondent) | |||
| OK! | ठीक है! | ṭhīk hai! | |
| one minute! (“just a sec”; interj.) | एक मिनट | ek minaṭ | |
| I don’t understand | मैं नहीं समझा/समझी | main nahīn samjha/samjhī (m/f) | |
| I don’t know | मैं नहीं जानता/जानती हूँ | main nahīn jāntā/jāntī hun (m/f) | |
| English | अंग्रेज़ी | angrezī | |
| what is your name? | आप का नाम क्या है? | āp ka nām kya hai? | |
| my name is ... | मेरा नाम ... है | mera nām ... hai | |
| It was nice to meet you | आप से मिलकर बहुत ख़ुशी हुई | āp se milkar bahut khuśī huī | |
| It was nice to meet you too (lit. to me also) | मुझे भी | mujhe bhī | |
| How much does this cost? | इसका दाम क्या है? | iska dām kya hai? | |
| Do you speak English? | क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते/बोलती है? | kya āp angrezī bolte/boltī (m/f) hain? |
- *These are not used nearly as casually in Hindi and Urdu as they are in western languages. कृपया especially is used only in cases of true importance or urgency, and using it otherwise would sound incredibly stilted and formal. Instead, politeness is achieved by proper address and verb forms and body language/tone of voice.
Hungarian ( Finno-Ugric)
Note: gy (ɟ) is pronounced like in would you; ny (ɲ) like in can you; ö and ő (ø) like in fur; a (ɒ) like in hot; s (ʃ) like in ship; sz (s) like in sun; j (j) like in yes; cs (ʧ) like in chip; é (e) like in eight. The stress is always on the first syllable of the word, although secondary stressing is possible in compound words
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungarian | magyar | /ˈmɒɟɒr/ | ('MA-dyar) | |
| hello | Jó napot kívánok | /ˈjoː nɒpot ˈkivaːnok/ | ('JOH nup-ot 'KEEH-vaa-nock) | literally "I wish you a good day" |
| szia | /ˈsiɒ/ | ('SEE-ya) | common amongst friends (not deriving from the English “Seeya”) | |
| good-bye | viszontlátásra | /ˈvisontˌlaːtaːʃrɒ/ | ('VE-sont-LAAH-taash-ro) | literally "to see you again" |
| please | legyen szíves | /ˈlɛɟɛn ˈsivɛʃ/ | ('LEH-dyen 'SEE-vesh) | literally “Be hearty” |
| thank you | köszönöm | /ˈkøsønøm/ | ('KEHR-ser-nerm) | |
| that one | az | /ɒz/ | (OZ) | |
| how much? | mennyi? | /ˈmɛɲːi/ | ('ME-nyi) | |
| I’d like... | kérek... | /ˈkeːrɛk/ | (KAY-reck) | |
| yes | igen | /ˈigɛn/ | ('EE-ghen) | |
| no | nem | /nɛm/ | (NEM) | |
| sorry | bocsánat | /ˈboʧaːnɒt/ | ('BOH-chaa-not) | |
| I don’t understand | nem értem | /ˈnɛm eːr'tɛm/ | (NEM ayr-tem) | |
| I don’t remember | nem emlékszem | (NEM EM-lake-sem) | ||
| where's the bathroom? | Hol van a mosdó? | /ˈhol vɒn ɒ 'moʃdoː/ | ('HOLE von o MOSH-doh) | |
| generic toast | egészségedre | /ˈɛgeːʃːeːgɛdrɛ/ | ('EH-gay-shay-ged-re) | literally “to your health” |
| Do you speak English? | Beszél angolul? | /ˈbɛseːl ˈɒŋgolul/ | ('BEH-sayl 'ON-goh-lool) |
Icelandic ( Germanic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icelandic | íslenska | [ˈislenska | (EES-len-skah) |
| hello | góðan dag(inn) | [ˈkou̯ːð̠an daːɣ (dai̯ɪn)] | (GOH-than dahg) |
| good-bye | bless | [blɛsː] | |
| please | gjörðu svo vel | [ˈcœrð̠ʏ sɔ vɛːl] | (GYUHR-thuh so vel) |
| thank you | takk (fyrir)/þakka þér fyrir | [taʰk ˈfɪːrɪr]/[ˈθ̠aʰka ð̠jɛr ˈfɪːrɪr] | (tahk FEER-eer) |
| you're welcome | verði þér að góðu | [ˈvɛrð̠ɪ ð̠jɛr að̠ ˈkou̯ːð̠ʏ] | |
| that one | þetta | [ˈθ̠ɛʰta] | (THET-ta) |
| how much? | hversu mikið | [ˈkʰvɛrsʏ ˈmɪːcɪð̠ | (KVAIR-suh MI-kith) |
| English | enska | [ˈenska] | (EN-skah) |
| yes | já | [jau̯ː] | (yow) |
| no | nei | [neɪ̯] | (nay) |
| generic toast | skál! | [skau̯ːl] | (scowl) |
| I love you | ég elska þig | [jɛɣ ˈɛlska θ̠ɪɣ] | |
| where is this? | hvar er þetta? | [ˈkʰvar ɛr θ̠ɛʰta] | |
| I don't speak Icelandic | ég tala ekki íslensku | [jɛɣ ˈtʰala ˈɛʰcɪ ˈislɛnskʏ] | |
| car | bíll | [pitl̥] | |
| I need a lift/ride | mig vantar far | [mɪɣ ˈvan̥tar far] | |
| I'm lost | ég er villtur(male)/villt(female) | [jɛɣ ɛr ˈvɪl̥tʏr/ˈvɪl̥t]] | |
| I need help | ég þarf hjálp | [jɛɣ θ̠arf ˈçau̯l̥p] | |
| airport | flugvöllur | [ˈflʏɣvœtl̥ʏr] | |
| happy birthday | til hamingju með afmælið | [tɪl ˈhamiŋcʏ mɛð̠ ˈamaɪ̯lɪð̠] | |
| where's the bathroom? | hvar er salernið? | [kʰvar ɛr ˈsalɛrtnɪð̠] | |
| My name is___ | ég heiti___ | [jɛɣ ˈheɪ̯tɪ ___] |
Indonesian ( Malayo-Polynesian)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesian | bahasa Indonesia | /bahasa indoˈnesia/ | bah-HAH-sah in-doh-NEH-syah |
| hello | halo (casual and on telephone) | /ˈhalo/ | HAH-loh |
| welcome | selamat datang | /səˈlamat ˈdatang/ | suh-LAH-maht DAH-tongue |
| good morning | selamat pagi | /səˈlamat ˈpagi/ | suh-LAH-maht PAH-gee |
| good afternoon | selamat siang (from 12 o'clock in the afternoon) | /səˈlamat ˈsiaŋ/ | suh-LAH-maht SI-ang |
| good evening | selamat sore (from 3 p.m.) | /səˈlamat ˈsore/ | suh-LAH-maht SOH-reh |
| good night | selamat malam (from 6 p.m.) | /səˈlamat ˈmalam/ | suh-LAH-maht MAH-lahm |
| good-bye | dadah (usual, informal) | /ˈdadah/ | DAH-dahh |
| good-bye | selamat tinggal (said by person leaving) | /səˈlamat ˈtiŋgal/ | suh-LAH-maht TING-gahl |
| good-bye | selamat jalan (said by person staying) | /səˈlamat ˈʥalan/ | suh-LAH-maht JAH-lahn |
| please | tolong | /ˈtoloŋ/ | TOH-long |
| thank you | terima kasih | /təˈrima ˈkasih/ | tuh-REE-mah KAH-see |
| you're welcome | terima kasih kembali | /təˈrima ˈkasih kəmˈbali/ | tuh-REE-mah KAH-see kuhm-BAH-lee |
| this one | ini | /ˈini/ | EE-nee |
| that one | itu | /ˈitu/ | EE-too |
| How much? | Berapa? | /bəˈrapa/ | buh-RAH-pah? |
| yes | ya | /ja/ | yah |
| no | tidak | /ˈtidaʔ/ | TEE-dah' |
| generic toast | selamat minum | /səˈlamat ˈminum/ | suh-LAH-maht MEE-num |
| Sorry | maaf | /maˈʔaf/ | mah-AHF |
| I don't understand. | Saya tidak mengerti. | /ˈsaja ˈtidaʔ məŋərˈti/ | SAH-yah TEE-dah' muh-nger-TEE. |
| I don't know. | Saya tidak tahu. | /ˈsaja ˈtidaʔ ˈtahu/ | SAH-yah TEE-dah' TAH-hoo. |
| English | bahasa Inggris | /baˈhasa ˈiŋgris/ | bah-HAH-sah ing-GRIS |
| Do you speak English? | Bisa bahasa Inggris? | /ˈbisa baˈhasa ˈiŋgris/ | BEE-sah bah-HAH-sah ing-GRIS? |
| I cannot speak Indonesian. | Saya tidak bisa berbicara bahasa Indonesia. | /ˈsaja ˈtidaʔ ˈbisa bərbiˈʨara baˈhasa indoˈnesia/ | SAH-yah TEE-dah' BEE-sah ber-bee-CHAH-rah bah-HAH-sah in-doh-NEH-syah. |
| I want to go to... | Saya mau pergi ke... | /ˈsaja mau̯ pərˈgi kə/ | SAH-yah mao per-GEE keh... |
| Where is the restroom? | Di mana toilet? | /di ˈmana ˈtoilet/ | dee MAH-nah TOY-let? |
| Happy birthday! | Selamat ulang tahun! | /səˈlamat ˈulaŋ ˈtahun/ | suh-LAH-maht OO-lahng TAH-hoon! |
Irish ( Celtic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish | Gaeilge | /geləgɛ/ | (GAY-lih-geh) |
| hello | Dia duit | ||
| welcome | fáilte | /faːltʲə/ | (FALL-cha) |
| among | i measc | ||
| good-bye | slán | /slaːn/ | (slahn) |
| please | le do thoil | /lɛ dɔ hul/ | (leh duh hool) |
| thank you | go raibh maith agat | /gə rɛv mah agət/ | (guh rev MAH a-gut) |
| sorry | tá brón orm | (taw brohn urm) | |
| that one | an ceann sin | (An kyown shin) | |
| how much? | cé mhéad | /keː veːd/ | (kay-vade) |
| English | Béarla | /beːr lə/ | (BARE-lah) |
| yes | Sea | (shah) as an answer to 'Is it that?' Otherwise the correct verb form is necessary. Example: “An bhfuil tú tí Mháirtín?” (Are you at Martin's house?), would be replied to by “Tá” /ta:w/ taw. If the conjugation of the verb is unknown, 'Sea' (shah)will be understood. | |
| no | Ní hea | (Nee ha) as an answer to 'Is it that?' . Otherwise the correct verb form is necessary. Example: “An bhfuil tú ag tí Mháirtín?” (Are you at Martin's house?), would be replied to by “Níl” (Am not) /n'i:l/ (kneel). If the conjugation of the verb is unknown, 'Ní hea ' (Nee ha) will be understood. | |
| I don’t understand | ní thuigim | /niː higim/ | |
| Where's the bathroom? | cá bhfuil an leithreas? | (kaw will un lehras) | |
| generic toast | sláinte | /slaːntʲə/ | (SLAHN-tyeh) |
Italian ( Romance)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | italiano | /i.ta.ˈlja.no/ | (ee-tah-lee-AN-oh) | ( listen) |
| hello | ciao | /ˈʧa.o/ | (chah-oh) | ( listen) |
| good-bye | arrivederci | /a.rːi.ve.ˈder.ʧi/ | (a-ree-veh-DARE-chee) | ( listen) |
| please | per favore | /per fa.ˈvo.re/ | (pehr fa-VOAR-ay) | ( listen) |
| thank you | grazie | /ˈgra.tsje/ | (GRATS-yeh) | ( listen) |
| that one | quello | /ˈkwe.lːo/ | (KWEL-low) (masculine) | ( listen) |
| quella | /ˈkwe.lːa/ | (KWEL-lah) (feminine) | ( listen) | |
| how much? | quanto | /ˈkwan.to/ | (KWAN-tow) | ( listen) |
| English | inglese | /iŋ.ˈglɛ.ze/ | (in-GLEH-zeh) | ( listen) |
| yes | sì | /si/ | (see) | ( listen) |
| no | no | /no/ | (no) | ( listen) |
| sorry | scusa | /ˈsku.za/ | (SKOO-za) | ( listen) |
| scusi | /ˈsku.zi/ | (SKOO-zee) (polite treatment) | ( listen) | |
| I don’t understand | non capisco | /noŋ ka.ˈpis.ko/ | (non kah pee skoh) | ( listen) |
| where's the bathroom? | dov'è il bagno? | /do.ˈvɛ il ˈba.ɲːo/ | (doe VEH eel bah nyoh) | ( listen) |
| generic toast | salute | /sa.ˈlu.te/ | (sall-OO-teh) | ( listen) |
| cincin | /ʧin.ˈʧin/ | (cheen cheen) | ( listen) | |
| Do you speak English? | Parla inglese? (formal) | /'par.la iŋ.glɛ.ze/ | (Par-lah een-gleh-zeh) | ( listen) |
Japanese
| Translation | Kanji or Kana | Rōmaji | IPA | Approximate pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese (language) | 日本語 | nihongo | ni↑ho.ɴ.ɣo | nee hon go |
| Good afternoon! | こんにちは | konnichi wa | ko↑ɴ.ni.cɕi.ɰa | kon nee chee wah |
| Good evening! | こんばんは | konban wa | ko↑ɴ.ba.ɴ.ɰa | kom ban wah |
| Good morning! | おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu (casually shortened to ohayō) | o↑ha.joː↓ɣo↑za.i.ma↓sɯ̥ | ohio... go zah-ee mahss |
| Hello? (on the telephone) | もしもし | moshi moshi | mo↓ɕi̥.mo.ɕi↗ | moh-she moh-she |
| Good bye! (farewell) | さようなら | sayōnara | sa↑joːna.ɺa | sigh yoh... nah rah |
| Good bye! (I’ll be back.) | 行って来ます | ittekimasu | i↑Q.te.ki.ma↓sɯ̥ | eat-teh key-mahss |
| Good bye! (Come back soon.) | 行ってらっしゃい | itterasshai | i↑Q.te.ɺa. Q.ɕa.i | eat-teh rah shiah-i |
| See you later | またね | mata ne | mah-tah neh | |
| Please give me [...] / Please do [...] | ...下さい | kudasai | ku↑da.sa↓i | koo-dah-sigh |
| Please. (Go ahead. / Be my guest.) | どうぞ | dōzo | do↓ːzo | doh-zoh |
| Please [...] (request) | お願いします | onegai shimasu (often shortened to "onegai") | o↑ne.ɣa.i.ɕi.ma↓sɯ̥ | oh ne-guy she-mahss |
| Thank you. | ありがとう | arigatō | a↑ɺi↓ɣa.toː | ah-ree-gah-toh... |
| Excuse me. | すみません | sumimasen | su↑mi.ma.se.ɴ↓ | sue-me-mah-sen |
| Sorry. (informal) | ごめん | gomen | go↑me.ɴ | go-men |
| I’m sorry. (formal) | ごめんなさい | gomen nasai | go↑me.ɴ.na.sa.i↓ | go-men nah-sigh |
| That one. (near you) | それ | sore | so↑ɺe | so-reh |
| That one. (over there) | あれ | are | a↑ɺe | ah-reh |
| How much? (price) | いくらですか | ikura desu ka | i↓ku.ɺa.de.sɯ̥.ka↗ | ee-koo-rah dess kah |
| English (language) | 英語 | eigo | e↑ːɣo | ay-go |
| Do you speak English? | 英語を話せますか | eigo o hanasemasu ka | e↑ːɣo.ɣa↓ha↑na.se.ma↓sɯ̥.ka↗ | ay-go woh hah-nah-seh-mahss kah |
| Yes. | はい | hai | ha↓i | high |
| No. | いいえ | iie | i↓i.e | ee-eh |
| Bon appétit! (corresponds to the humble form of “I receive” in Japanese) | いただきます | itadakimasu | i↑ta.da.ki.ma↓sɯ̥ | ee-tah-dah-key-mahss |
| Thank you for the meal. | ごちそうさまでした | gochisōsama deshita | go↑cɕi̥.soːsa.ma.de.ɕi̥.ta | go-chee-soh-sah-mah desh-ta |
| Where's the bathroom? | トイレはどこですか | toire wa doko desu ka? | to↓i.ɺe.ɰa↑do↓ko.de.sɯ̥.ka↗ | toy-reh wah doh-koh dess kah |
| Cheers! (toast) | 乾杯 | kanpai | ↑ka.ɴ.pa.i | kahm-pie |
| foreigner | 外国人 | gaikokujin (often shortened to gaijin) | ga↑i.ko.ku↓ʑi.ɴ | guy-koh-koo-jin |
Kannada ( Dravidian)
| Translation | Phrase | ITRANS transliteration | Pronunciation | Literal meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kannada | ಕನ್ನಡ | kannaDa | (kanna Dah (‘D’ is with retroflex)) | ||
| Hello | ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ | namaskAra | (namas kārā) | Salutations | |
| Hello (informal) | ಏನು ಸಮಾಚಾರ | Enu samAchAra | (eh nu sa maah chaah rah) | What's up? | |
| Good bye (when leaving) | ಹೋಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತೇನೆ | hOgi baruttEne | (hoe gee barut tey ney ('T' is retroflex)) | see you later | |
| Good bye (when being left) | ಹೋಗಿ ಬನ್ನಿ | hOgi banni | (hoe gee bun knee ('T' is retroflex) | see you later | |
| How are you? | ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರ? | nIvu hEgiddIra? | (nee voo hey gay id dee rah) | ||
| What is your name? | ನಿನ್ನ ಹೆಸರೇನು? | ninna hesarEnu? | (ni nna he sa rE nu?) | ||
| Please | ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು | dayaviTTu | (da yah viTTu ('T' is retroflex)) | With mercy | |
| Thank you | ಧನ್ಯವಾದ | dhanyavAda | (dhan yah vaada | Many thanks | |
| Sorry, Excuse Me, Forgive Me | ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ | kshamisi | (ksha mi si | sorry | |
| That one | ಅದು | adu | (ah du) | ||
| How much? | ಎಷ್ಟು? | eshTu? | (esh Tu ('T' is retroflex) | ||
| English | ಆಂಗ್ಲ | aangla | (ahng lah) | ||
| Yes | ಹೌದು | houdu | (how doo) | ||
| No | ಇಲ್ಲ | illa | (ill ah) |
Khmer
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khmer | ខ្មែរ | khmer | ||
| hello | សួស្ដី | soursdey | ||
| good-bye | លាហើយ | lea hey | ||
| sorry | សូមទោស | som tos | ||
| no problem | គ្មានបញ្ហា | kmean panh-ha | ||
| happy new year | សួស្ដីឆ្នាំថ្មី | soursdey chnamm tmei | ||
| I love Khmer | ខ្ញុំស្រលាញ់ខ្មែរ | knhom sro-lanh khmer | ||
| Thank you | អរគុណ | Or kun | ||
| How much | ថ្លៃប៉ុន្មាន | Tlai punman | ||
| yes | បាទ ចាស៎ |
bart jah |
(male) (female) | |
| no | ទេ | teh | ||
| I don’t understand | ខ្ញុំមិនយល់ទេ | kngom men yol teh | ||
| where's the toilet? | តើបន្ទប់ទឹកនៅទីណា? | ter bantub tek nov ti na? | ||
| Do you speak English? | តើអ្នកនិយាយ អង់គ្លេស ទេ? | ter nak niyay Anglais teh? |
Korean
Note: Hangul Revised Romanization of Korean See also: Names of Korea
| Translation | Phrase | RR | IPA | Pronunciation | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean | 한국어 | hangugeo | [haːngugʌ] | hahn goo guh | ||
| Hello |
안녕하세요 안녕 |
annyeonghaseyo annyeong |
[anːjʌŋɦasejo] [anːjʌŋ] |
ahn nyuhng ha say yo ahn nyuhng |
formal informal; for friends or someone younger | |
| good-bye |
안녕히 계세요 안녕히 가세요 안녕 |
annyeonghi gyeseyo annyeonghi gaseyo annyeong |
[anːjʌŋɦigesejo] [anːjʌŋɦigasejo] [anːjʌŋ] |
ahn nyuhng hee geh say yo ahn nyuhng hee ga say yo ahn nyuhng |
formal; when leaving (person addressed to is staying) formal; when person addressed to is leaving informal; for friends or someone younger | |
| please may I have | 주세요 | juseyo | [ʨusejo] | ju say yo | to be used after the object; e.g., 김밥 주세요. (Kimbap juseyo. = Sushi roll, please.) | |
| thank you | 고맙습니다 | gomapseumnida | [koːmaps͈ɯmnida] | go mahp s'm nee dah | ||
| thanks | 고마워 | gomawo | [koːmawʌ] | go mah wuh | informal; to friends or someone younger | |
| that one | 저것 | jeogeot | [ʨʌgʌt] | juh gut | ||
| how much? | 얼마예요? | eolmayeyo | [ʌlmajejo] | uhl ma yay yo | ||
| yes |
네 예 응 |
ne ye eung |
[ne] [jeː] [ɯŋ] |
neh yeh ung |
informal |
|
| no |
아니오 아뇨 아니 |
anio anyo ani |
[anio] [anjo] [aniː] |
ah-nee-oh ah-nyoh ah-nee |
informal |
|
| sorry | 미안합니다 | mianhamnida | [mianɦamnida] | mee ahn hahm nee dah | ||
| I don’t understand |
모르겠습니다 몰라 |
moreugetsseumnida molla |
[moːɾɯgets͈ɯmnida] [moːla] |
morru get s'm nee dah mollah |
informal | |
| where's the toilet? | 화장실이 어디예요? | hwajangsiri eodiyeyo | [hwaʥaŋɕiɾi ʌdijejo] | hwah jahng shee ree uh dee yay yo | ||
| generic toast |
건배! 위하여! |
geonbae wihayeo |
[kʌnbɛ] [wihajʌ] |
gun beh wee hah yuh | ||
| Do you speak English? | 영어 할 줄 아세요? | yeongeo hal jul aseyo | [jʌŋʌ halʨ͈ul asejo] | young uh hahl jool ah say yo |
Kriol (Belizean) Creole, English based, Atlantic, Western
- Kriol:
- My name is... I naym... (or) Mee naym...
- What is your name? Weh yu naym?
- What's up? Hello (informal) Weh di go aan?
- Good morning. Good maanin.
- How are you? Wassup wid yu?
- Fine, thank you. I Aarait mein.
- How much does this cost? Humoch dis kaas?
- What time is it? Weh taim now?
- I’ve had a wonderful time. I mi have wahn good taim.
- It doesn’t matter. Ih noh mata.
- Is that so? Fu chroo?
- good-bye: “Lata”
- please: “”
- thank you: “”
- that one: “Da one deh”
- yes: “yeah”
- no: “”
- I don’t know: “Me nuh know”
- Sorry: “”
- I don’t understand: “I nuh understand”
- See you tomorrow: “We wah link up tomorrow”
- What is it?: “Weh dis”
- Where am I?: “Weh I deh”
Kurdish ( Indo-Iranian)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kurdish | Kurdî | (Kur-di) | |
| good morning | beyanî baş | (ba-ya-nî-bash) | |
| good day | Roj Baş | (rozh-bash) | |
| good-bye | serçawan | (sar-cha-wan) | |
| welcome | be xêr hatî | (ba-xer-ha-ti) | |
| please | tikaye | (t-ka-ya) | |
| thank you | spas | (spas) | |
| sorry | bibûre | (b-bu-ra) | |
| that one | howe, | (ho-wa) | |
| how much? | çende | (chan-da) | |
| yes | belê | (ba-le) | |
| no | na | (na) | |
| I don’t understand | tê nagem | (te-na-gam) | |
| where's the bathroom? | awdes le kwêye? | (aw-das-la-kue-ya) | |
| Do you speak English? | Tu inglîsî dezanî? | (tu-in-gli-si-da-za-ni) |
Latin ( Italic)
Pronunciations are first given in the Ecclesiastical Pronunciation (Based on Italian, and used in some ceremonies by the Catholic church, and usually heard in recordings of classical music). These pronunciations are followed by the classical pronunciation (a reconstruction of how scholars believe the Romans pronounced these expressions)
For example — “of light” lucis /'luʧis/ (LOO-cheess) /'luːkis/ (LOO-kiss), with (LOO-cheess) being the ecclesiastical pronunciation, and (LOO-kiss) how the Romans said lucis.
| Translation | Latin | IPA (Ecclesastical) | Pseudo-English | IPA (Classical) | Pseudo-English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Latin | lingua Latina | /'lingwa la'tina/ | (lah-TEE-nah) | /'lingwa la'tiːna/ | (lah-TEE-nah) |
| hello | ave! | /'ave/ | (Ah-vay) | /'aweː/ | (Ah-way) |
| welcome | salve! | /salve/ | (Sal-vay) | /salveː/ | (Sal-way) |
| goodbye | vale! | /'vale/ | (vah-lay) | /'waleː/ | (wah-lay) |
| please | si placet | /si 'plaʧet/ | (see PLAH-chet) | /siː 'plakɛt/ | (see PLAH-ket) |
| thank you | gratias tibi ago | /'gratsias 'tibi 'ago/ | (GRAH-tsee-as TI-bee AH-goh) | /'graːtiaːs 'tibi 'agoː/ | (GRAH-tee-as Ti-bee AH-goh) |
| that one | ille/ illa/ illud | /'ilːe, 'ilːa, 'ilːud/ | (ILL-lay, ILL-lah, ILL-lood) | /'ilːɛ, 'ilːa, 'ilːud/ | (ill-leh, ill-lah, ill-lood) |
| how much? | quot? | /kwot/ | (quote) | /kwot/ | (quote) |
| yes | certe, ita vero | /'ʧerte/ | (CHAIR-tay) | /'kɛrteː/ | (ker-tay) |
| no | non, nullo modo | /'non, 'nulːo 'modo/ | (noan, NUL-loh MO-doh) | /'noːn, 'nuːlːo 'mɔdoː/ | (known, NUL-oh MO-doh) |
| sorry | ignosce mihi | /i'ɲoʃe 'mihi/ | (een-YOH-shay MEE-hee) | /i'ŋnoːskɛ 'mihi/ | (ing-know-skeh Mi-hee) |
| I don’t understand | non comprehendo | /noŋ kompre'hendo/ | (noan com-pray-HEN-doh) | /noːŋ komprɛ'hɛndoː/ | (known com-pray-HEN-doh) |
| where's the bathroom? | ubi sunt latrinae? | /'ubi sunt la'trine/ | (OO-bee soont lah-TREE-nay) | /'ubi sunt la'triːnai/ | (OO-bee soont lah-tri-neye) (neye rhyming with eye) |
| generic toast | salutem! | /sa'lutem/ | (sah-LOO-taym) | /sa'luːtɛ̃/ | (sah-LOO-tehm) |
| Do you speak English? | loquerisne anglice? | /lokwe'risne 'aŋgliʧe/ | (loh-quay-RISS-nay AHNG-glee-chay?) | /lɔkwɛ'risnɛ 'aŋglikeː/ | (loh-queh-riss-neh ahngli-kay?) |
Latgalian ( Baltic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| I don’t understand | es nasaprūtu nasaprūtu |
[ˈæsʲ ˈnasapruːtu] [ˈnasapruːtu] | |
| Do you speak English? | Ci jius runojat angliskai? Tu runoj angliskai? |
[cʲi jius ˈrunojat ˈanʲgʲlʲiskai] [tu ˈrunoj ˈanʲgʲlʲiskai] |
informal |
| Where is the toilet? | Kur ite tualets? | [ˈkur itʲæ ˈtualʲeʧ]) |
Latvian ( Baltic)
- Latvian: Latviešu
- Hello (informal): Sveiki!
- Hello (formal): Sveicināti!
- Good day (formal): Labdien!
- Good evening: Labvakar!
- Good morning: Labrīt!
- Goodbye: Uz redzēšanos!
- Glad to meet you: Prieks iepazīties!
- Please: Lūdzu!
- Thank you: Paldies!
- Yes: Jā
- No: Nē
- Sorry: Atvainojiet!
- I don’t understand: Es nesaprotu
- General toast: Priekā!
- How are you? (formal): Kā jums klājas?
- How are you? (informal): Kā tev iet?
- Where's the bathroom?: Kur ir tualete?
- Do you speak English? (formal): Vai Jūs runājat angliski?
- Do you speak English? (informal): Vai tu runā angliski?
- I love you: Es tevi mīlu
- See you tomorrow: Tiksimies rīt!
- What is it?: Kas tas ir?
- Where am I?: Kur es esmu?
- Where is the closest train station?: Kur atrodas tuvākā vilciena stacija?
- What time is it?: Cik ir pulkstenis?
- Happy Birthday: Daudz laimes dzimšanas dienā!
- Happy New Year: Laimīgu jauno gadu!
Lithuanian ( Baltic)
- Lithuanian: Lietuviškai (“lietu'vishkai”)
- hello: labas (“lA-bas”)
- goodbye: sudie! (“sudiE'“)
- please: prašau(“prashau”)
- thank you: ačiū (“Ahchjooh”)
- that one: tas(masculine), ta(feminine)
- how much?: kiek? (“kjEk”)
- yes: taip (“taIp”)
- no: ne (“ne'“)
- sorry: atsiprašau (“atsiprashau”)
- what?: ką?
- I don’t understand: nesuprantu
- Cheers! (toast): į sveikatą! (“EE sveikAtA!”)
- Do you speak English?: kalbi angliškai? (informal); ar kalbate angliškai? (formal)
- I love you: Aš tave myliu
- Where is (the center) ? Kur yra (centras)?
- You are a good friend. Tu - geras draugas.
Low German ( Germanic)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation | IPA | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low German | Plattdüütsch | PLUTdyuhtch | /ˈplatdyːʧ/ | Literally: Flat German |
| Platt | PLUT | /plat/ | Literally: Flat | |
| Nedderdüütsch | NEDdudyuhtch | /ˈnɛdɝdyːʧ/ | Literally: Nether-German | |
| Neddersassisch | NEDduhzassish | /ˈnɛdɝˌzasɪʃ/ | Literally: Nether-Saxon | |
| English | Ingelsch | INGelsh | /ˈɪˑŋl̩̩̩ʃ/ | |
| Hello! | Moin! | MOYN | /'mɔˑɪn/ | Shortened from Moi(e)n Dag! = 'Pleasant day!' |
| Good-bye! | Adschüüß! | aTCHYUHS | /aˈʧyːs/ | From French Adieu! |
| Tschüüß! | TCHYUHS | /ˈʧyːs/ | Introduced into German as Tschüß! | |
| Please | Wees so good | VEHS zo goat | /ˈveːs zo ˌgeʊt/ | Literally: Be so good |
| Thank you! | Velen Dank! | fehln DUHNK | /feːlnˈdaˑŋk/ | Literally: Much thank |
| (Wees) bedankt! | (vehs) buhDUHNKT | /ˈ(veːs) beˈdaˑŋkt/ | Literally: (Be) thanked | |
| You are welcome | Nich daarför | nikh DOAHfur | /nɪç ˈdɔʌfɶʌ/ | Literally: Not for that |
| that one | dat daar | DUHT doah | /ˈdat dɔʌ/ | |
| How much? | Wo veel? | voe FEHL | /veʊ ˈfeːl/ | |
| yes | ja, jo | YAW, JAW, YOH | /jɒː/, /ʥɒː/, /joː/ | |
| no | nee | NEH | /neː/ | |
| Sorry! | Nix för ungood | nix fur OONgoat | /nɪks fɶʌ ˈʊˑŋgeʊt/ | Literally: Nothing for un-good (No offence) |
| Deit mi leed | dite mee LAYT | /daˑɪt mi ˈlɛˑɪt/ | Literally: Causes me regret | |
| I don’t understand | Ik verstah nich | ick fuhSTAW nikh | /ɪk fɝˈstɒː nɪç/ | |
| Where's the bathroom? | Woneem is hier de Tante Meyer? | voeNEHM is heer de tuhntuh MY-uh | /veʊˈneːm ɪs hiʌ de ˌtaˑnte ˈmaˑɪɝ/ | Literally: Where is the Auntie Myer here? |
| generic toast | Proost! | PROHST | /proːst/ | |
| Nich lang snacken! Kopp in'n Nacken! | nikh lang(k) SNUCKng, COP in nuckng | /nɪç laˑŋ(k) ˈsnakŋ̍ kɔp ɪˈnakŋ/ | Literally: No long talking! Head back! | |
| Do you speak English? | Snackst ingelsch? | snucks(t) INGelsh | /snaks(t) ˈɪˑŋl̩̩̩ʃ/ |
Macedonian ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Macedonian | македонски | makedonski |
| hello | здраво | zdravo |
| how are you? | како си? | kako si? |
| good day | добар ден | dobar den |
| good morning | добро утро | dobro utro |
| goodbye | пријатно | prijatno |
| please | молам | molam |
| thank you | благодарам | blagodaram |
| sorry | извини | izvini |
| that one | тоа | toa |
| how much? | колку? | kolku? |
| yes | да | da |
| no | не | ne |
| I don’t understand | не разбирам | ne razbiram |
| Where is the toilet? | каде е тоалетот? | kade e toaletot? |
| generic toast | на здравје! | na zdravje! |
| Do you speak English? | Зборувате ли англиски? | Zboruvate li angliski? |
| English | англиски | angliski |
Maltese ( Semitic)
- Maltese language: Il-lingwa maltija /il lingwa ma:lti:ja/
- how are you?: kif inti?
- hello: merħba /merX\ba/
- good day: bonġu /bondZu:/
- bye: ċaw /tSaw/, saħħa /saX\X\a/
- please: jekk jogħġbok /jekk jo:dZbok/
- thank you: grazzi /grattsi/
- that one: dak /da:k/
- how much?: kemm? /kemm/
- yes: iva /i:va/
- no: le /le/
- sorry: jiddispjaċini /jiddispjatSi:ni/
- I don’t understand: ma nifhimx /ma: nifimS/
- where is the toilet?: fejn hi l-latrina? /fejn ee la-trina/
- generic toast: saħħa! /saX\X\a/
- do you speak English?: titkellem bl-ingliż? /titkellem bliNli:s/
- Malta is a beautiful island: Malta hija gżira sabiħa /ma:lta i:ja gzi:ra sabi:X\a/
Malay ( Malayo-Polynesian)
- Malay language: bahasa Melayu /ba-ha-sa me-la-yu/ or /ba-ha-sə .../
- hello:
- selamat pagi /sə-la-mat pa-gi/ (morning)
- selamat tengah hari /... təŋah ha-ri/ (around midday and in the early afternoon)
- selamat petang /... pə-taŋ/ (late afternoon)
- selamat malam /... ma-lam/ (after dark)
- good-bye:
- selamat tinggal /... tiŋ-gal/ (said by person leaving) (lit., safe living [tinggal has connotations of residence, stay])
- selamat jalan /... ʤa-lan/ (said by person staying) (lit., safe travelling)
- please: tolong /tɔ-lɔŋ/
- thank you: terima kasih /tə-ri-ma ka-sih/ or /tə-ri-mə .../
- you're welcome: sama-sama /sa-ma sa-ma/ or /sa-mə sa-mə/
- that one: itu /i-tʊ/
- how much?: berapa /bə-ra-pa/
- English language: Bahasa Inggeris /ba-ha-sa iŋ-gəris/
- yes: ya /ja/
- no: tidak /ti-dak/
- excuse me, sorry: maaf /ma-af/
- I don’t understand: saya tidak faham /sa-ja ti-dak fa-ham/
- Can you speak English?: Bolehkah kamu berbahasa Inggeris? /bo-leh-kah ka-.../
- Where is the toilet?: Di manakah tandas? /di mana-kah tan-das/
Maori ( Malayo-Polynesian)
- Maori: Māori /maːoɾi/
- hello: tēnā koe /teːnaː koe/ (to one person), tēnā kōrua /teːnaː koːɾua/ (to two people), tēnā koutou /teːnaː koutou/
- good-bye (to those who are staying): e noho rā /e noho ɾaː/
- good-bye (to those who are leaving): haere rā /haeɾe ɾaː/
- please: koa /koa/
- thank you (or “good day” — literally “be well”): kia ora /kia oɾa/
- how much?: pēhea? /peːhea/
- yes: ae /ae/
- no: kaore /kaoɾe/
Malayalam ( Dravidian languages)
| Translation | Phrase | ISO 15919 Transliteration | IPA | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malayalam | മലയാളം | malayāḷam | [ˈmaləjaːɭəm] | |
| hello | നമസ്കാരം | namaskāram | [ˈn̪aməsˌkaːɾəm] | This is a much more formal word than in English and there is no actual direct translation of the word "hello". |
| good-bye | പോയിട്ടു വരട്ടെ | pōyiṭṭu varaṭṭe | [ˈpoːjiʈːu(.)ˌʋəɾəʈːe] | |
| please | ദയവായി | dayavāyi | [ˈd̪əjəʋaːji] | This is slightly more formal than in English and not used as often. |
| thank you | നന്ദി | nandi | [ˈn̪an̪ːi] | It is written as if it were pronounced [ˈn̪an̪d̪i] (which is how it is pronounced when referring to the bull of Shiva) |
| How much is that? | അതിന്റെ വില എന്താണു | atiṉṯe vila entāṇu | [ˈat̪ˌinte(.)ˌʋilə(.)ˌen̪t̪aːɳŭ] | |
| yes | അതെ / ശരി | ate / śari | [ˌat̪e] / [ɕəɾi] | അതെ is used to say something is true, but ശരി is used when one is agreeing that one will do something. |
| no | ഇല്ല / അല്ല | illa / alla | [ˈilːə] / [ˈalːə] | Use ഇല്ല when talking about an action, the presence of someone/something and also used to say someone/something does not have something) and അല്ല when talking about the nature of someone/something. |
| sorry | ക്ഷമിക്കണം / പൊറുക്കണം | kṣamikkaṇam / poṟukkaṇam | [ˈkʂəmikʲːəɳəm] / [ˈporukːəɳəm] | These words both mean "forgive" in the imperative mood ("me" is implied and is not normally used in this context), and can be made more polite by saying "please" first. |
| English | ഇംഗ്ളീഷ് | iṅgḷīṣ | [ˈiŋgɭiːʂ] | |
| I don't understand | എനിക്കു് മനസിലാകുന്നില്ല | enikkŭ manasilākunnilla | [ˌenikʲɨ̆manəsilaːkun̪ːilːə] | |
| Do you speak English? | താങ്കള്ക് ഇംഗ്ളീഷ് അറിയാമൊ | tāṅkaḷkk iṅgḷīṣ aṟiyāmo | [ˈt̪aːŋkəɭkːˌiŋgɭiːʂarijaːˌmo] | |
| I don't speak Malayalam | എനിക്കു മലയാളം അറിയത്തില്ല | enikku malayāḷam aṟiyattilla | [ˌenikʲɨ̆maləjaːɭəmarijət̪ˌːilːə] | |
| Where's the bathroom? | കുളിമുറി എവിടെയാണു | kuḷimuṟi eviṭeyāṇu | [ˈkuɭiˌmuri(.)ˌeʋiʈeˌjaːɳŭ] | This is literally asking for the location of a room where one can bathe. If you mean the toilet, it would be best to use the English word followed by എവിടെയാണു (eviṭeyāṇu). |
Mandinka(Mande) (Congo-Niger)
- How are you: I be nyaadi
- See you later: N be nyoo jee la
- please: Dukare
- thank you: Abaraka
- that one: Woo
- this one: Nying
- how much?: Jelum?
- Do you speak English: I ye English kang moy le
- yes: Haa/Haaday
- no: Haani
Marathi ( Indo-Iranian)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Marathi | मराठी | Marāṭhī |
| hello | नमस्कार | namaskār |
| good-bye | अच्छा | achhā |
| please | कृपया | kripayā |
| thank you | आभार | ābhār, dhanyawād |
| how much? | किती? | kitī? |
| yes | हो | ho, hoya |
| no | नाही | nāhī |
| forgive me | maaf karā | |
| Where is _____? | _____ kuthe āhe? | |
| English | इंग्रजी | iṅgrajī |
Miskito ( Native-American language used in Central America)
- Miskito: Miskito/Miskitu
- Hello: Naku/Naksa
- How are you?: Nah Ki Sma?
- Goodbye: Aisabe
- Thank You: Dangki/Dangki Poli
- Yes: Au
- No: Apu (In answer to something)/Apia (In the context of a sentence)
- English: Inglis
- Spanish: Ispil
- Do you speak [English]?: Inglis aisisma?
- My name is...: Yang nini...
- What is your name?: Man nini?
- For numbers, just use the standard english.
Nahuatl ( Uto-Aztecan)
- Nahuatl: Nawatlahtoli
- hello: niltse
- good-bye: nimitsittas
- thank you: tlasohkamati
- that one: inon
- yes: kema (ordinary), kemakatsin (reverential)
- no: ahmo (ordinary), ahmotsin (reverential)
- English: Inglestlahtoli
- Do you speak [English]?: Nitetlahtoa [Inglestlahtoli]?
- What is your name?: Tlen mo tokatsin?
Nepal Bhasa ( Tibeto-Burman)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hello | ज्वजलपा | // | jwajalapaa | ||
| Whats up? | छु दु? | // | chhu du? | ||
| yes | ख: | // | kha | ||
| no | मखु | // | makhu | ||
| I do not understand | जिं मथु | // | jin mathu | ||
| I do not know Nepal Bhasa | जित नेपाल भाय मव | // | jita nepaala bhaaya mawa | ||
| Do you know Nepal Bhasa? | छित नेपाल भाय व:? | // | chhita nepaala bhaaya wa? | ||
| Happy New Year | न्हुगु दंया भिन्तुना | // | nhugu dan yaa bhintunaa | ||
| Where is the bathroom? | चबी गन दु थें? | // | chabee gana du then? | ||
| Thank you | सुभाय् | // | subhaay | ||
| Welcome | लसकुस | // | lasakusa | ||
| Help | ग्वाली | // | gwaalee | ||
| Good Morning | भीं सुथ | // | bheen sutha | ||
| Good Night | भीं बहनी | // | bheen bahanee |
Nigerian Pidgin English (English-based pidgin)
- Nigerian pidgin:
- hello: How now
- good-bye: A go dey see yu now
- please: A beg
- thank you: Thank yu
- that one:
- how much?:
- English: Oyinbo
- yes: Yes
- no: No
- generic toast:
- What: wetin
- Where is the toilet? : Na where toilet de?
- He/She has left: He don kummot
- Do you know...?: Yu sabe...?
Norwegian ( Germanic) — Bokmål
- Citizen: statsborger
- Foreigner: utlending
- Norwegian: norsk ['nɔʃc] (norsk)
- Hello: hallo [hɑ'luː
- Hi: hei [hæɪ̯
- Good-bye: farvel (formal and slightly old-fashioned) [fɑɾ'ʋɛl] (farewell); [hɑːdə.bɾɑ] Ha det bra (a bit less formal); ha det (informal)
- Please: vær så snill ['ʋæːʃɔ.'snɪl
- Thank you: takk [tʰɑk] (tak)
- That one: den [dɛn] (den) or det [deː] (deh)
- How much?: hvor mye? [ʋuɾ myːə
- English: engelsk ['ɛɲl̩sc
- Yes: ja [jɑː] (yah)
- No: nei [næɪ̯] (nay)
- Can I take your picture?: kan jeg ta bilde av deg?
- Where is the bathroom?: hvor er badet/toalettet?
- Where do you come from?: hvor kommer du fra?
- Do you speak English?: snakker du engelsk?
- Generic toast: skål [skɒːɫ
- Where can I find a restaurant?: hvor kan jeg finne en restaurant? [ˌʋuɾ.kʰɑnjæˈfɪnːɛnˌɾɛstʉˈɾɑŋ
- Where is the nearest hospital?: hvor er det nærmeste sykehuset?
Norwegian ( Germanic) — Nynorsk
- Norwegian: norsk /'nɔʃk/ (norsk)
- Hello: hallo /hɑ'luː/
- Hi: hei /hæi/
- Good-bye: Ha det bra (formal); ha det (informal)
- Please: ver så snill /'wæːr so snil/
- Thank you: takk /tɑk/ (takh)
- That one: han/ho/den /den/ (den) or det /deː/ (deh)
- How much?: kor mykje?
- English: engelsk /'eŋelsk/ or /'əŋəlsk/
- Yes: jau /jɑː/ (yah) or ja
- No: nei /næj/ (nay)
- Can I take your picture?: kan eg ta bilete av deg?
- Where is the bathroom?: kor/kvar er toalettet?
- Where do you come from?: kor/kvar kjem du frå?
- Do you speak English?: talar du engelsk?
- Generic toast: skål /skoːl/
- Where can I find a restaurant?: kor/kvar kan eg finne ein restaurant?
- Where is the nearest hospital?: kor/kvar er det nærmaste sjukehuset?
O'odham ( Uto-Aztecan)
- O'odham: O'odham ñiok /ɔʔɔtˀm ˈɲiɔk/
- English: Milga:n ñiok /miɮˈgaːn ˈɲiɔk/ ('Milga:n' is O'odham for Spanish 'americano')
- hello: Ṣap kaic /ʃap ˈkaiʧ/ (lit. what did you say?)
- good-bye: Do va ep em ñei /dɔ va ˈəp əm ɲəi/
- that one: hegai /həgaɪ/
- yes: ha'u /haʔʊ/
- no: pi'a /piʔa/
Okinawan ( Japonic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| English | inciriguci | ? |
| hello | haisai (women can also say haitai) | ? |
| good-bye | cu: wuganabira | ? |
| please | unige: sabira (things), -kwimi so:re: (actions) | ? |
| thank you | iqpe: nihwe: de:biru | ? |
| I’m sorry | gubiri: sabira (being impolite), waqsaibi:ndo: (accidents, mistakes) | ? |
| how much? | caqsa nato:ibi:ga | ? |
| what's this? | kure: nu:ndi bi:ga | ? |
| yes | wu: | ? |
| no | wu: wu: | ? |
| I don’t understand | wakayabiran | ? |
| Where's the bathroom? | hwu:ruya ma: yaibi:ga | ? |
| generic toast | kari: | ? |
| Do you speak English? | inciriguciya naibi:miga | ? |
Pennsylvania German, Pennsylvania Deutsch ( Germanic)
(dialects may vary)
- Pennsylvania Deutsch: Pennsilfaani(sch)-Deitsch
- hello: hiya
- good-bye: bis schpeeder (bis shpayder) Until later
- please: please
- thank you: danka schane (dan-key shay-n)
- that one: da do (da daw)
- how much: Wie viel (wee feel)
- English: Englisch
- yes: Ya
- no: nee (nay)
- Can I take your picture?: Kann ich dei Pikder nemme? (can ich (Germanic 'ch' sounds like the H in huge) dye pic-der nay-me)
- Where is the washroom?: Wu is die Baadschtupp?
- Sorry I don’t understand you.: Sorry, Ich verschteh dich net.
Persian ( Indo-Iranian)
| English | Persian in orthography |
Persian in Romanization |
Persian in IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello! | !ﺴﻼﻢ | Salâm | [sæˈlɒm] |
| Good-bye! | !خداحافظ ? |
Khodâ hâfez Besalamat |
[xoˈdɒ hɒˈfez] [besælæmæt] |
| See you tomorrow. | .تا فردا | Tâ fardâ. | [tɒ færˈdɒ] |
| Thank you. | .متشكرم | Motashakkeram. | [motæʃækːeˈɾæm] |
| please | لطفاً | lotfan | [lotˈfæn] |
| Good morning! | !صبح بخير | Sobh bekheyr! | [sobh beˈxejɾ] |
| Good afternoon! | !روز بخير | Ruz bekheyr! | [ɾuz beˈxejɾ] |
| Good evening! | !شب بخير | Shab bekheyr! | [ʃæb beˈxejɾ] |
| yes | بله آره |
bale (formal) âre (informal) |
[bæˈle] [ɒˈɾe] |
| no | نه | na | [næ] |
| How are you? | حالت چطوره؟ حال شما چطور است؟ |
Hâlet che-toure? (informal) Hâle shomâ che-tour ast? (formal) |
[hɒˈlet ʧetou̯ˈɾe] [hɒˈle ʃoˈmɒ ʧeˈtou̯ɾ æst] |
| how much | چقدر چند |
che-ghadr chand |
[ʧeˈɣædɾ] [ʧænd] |
| How much does it cost? | قيمتاش چند است؟ | Ghimatash chand ast? | [ɣimæˈtæʃ ʧænd æst] |
| this one | اين | in | [in] |
| that one | آن | ân | [ɒn] |
| What is this? | اين چى است؟ | In chi ast? | [in ʧi æst] |
| I don't understand. | .ﻧﻤﻔﻬﻤﺪﻢ | Nemifahmedam. | [nemifæhmeˈdæm] |
| I don't understand Persian. | .فارسی ﻧﻤﻔﻬﻤﺪﻢ | Fârsi nemifahmedam. | [fɒrˈsi nemifæhmeˈdæm] |
| I don't speak English. | Engelisi harf nimizanam. | ||
| Do you speak English? | Engelisi harf mizanid? | ||
| Where is the bathroom? | Twalet kojâst? Hamam kojâst? |
tvɒlet kodʒɒst | |
| I'm sick. | Marizam. Nâkhosham. |
mærizæm. nɒxoʃæm. | |
| Please repeat that for me. | Lotfan tekrar konid. | ||
| What does ___ mean in Persian? | Be-Fârsi ___ yani che? | befɒrsi ___ jæni tʃe | |
| What does ___ mean in English? | Be-Engelisi ___ yani che? | ||
| good | khub | xub | |
| bad | bad | bæd | |
| Please enter. | Befar moid tu. | ||
| Bon appetit! | Nusheh jân! |
Polish ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polish language | język polski, polszczyzna |
['jɛ̃z [pɔl'ʃʧ |
listen listen |
|
| hello | cześć | ['ʧɛɕtɕ] | listen | informal, used both for greeting and good-bye, lit. “honour” |
| good morning, good afternoon | dzień dobry | ['dʑɛɲ ,dɔbr |
listen | lit. “good day” |
| good-bye | do widzenia | [dɔvi'ʣɛɲa] | listen | lit. “until seeing” |
| good night | dobranoc | [dɔ'branɔʦ] | listen | |
| please | proszę | ['prɔʃɛ̃] | listen | |
| you're welcome | proszę bardzo | [ˌprɔʃɛ̃'barʣɔ] | listen | |
| don’t mention it | nie ma za co | [ˌɲɛma'zaʦɔ] | listen | lit. “(there's) nothing for it” |
| thank you | dziękuję | [dʑɛ̃'kujɛ̃] | listen | |
| this one |
m: ten f: ta n: to |
[tɛn] [ta] [tɔ] |
listen | |
| that one |
m: tamten f: tamta n: tamto |
['tamtɛn] ['tamta] ['tamtɔ] |
listen | |
| how much? | ile? | ['ilɛ] | listen | |
| English language | język angielski | ['jɛ̃z |
||
| yes | tak | [tak] | listen | |
| no | nie | [ɲɛ] | listen | |
| I don’t understand | Nie rozumiem | [ɲɛrɔ'zumiɛm] | listen | |
| where's the bathroom? | Gdzie jest łazienka? | [ˌgdʑɛjɛst wa'ʑeŋka] | listen | |
| generic toast: | Na zdrowie! | [na zdrɔv'ɛ] | listen | lit. “to health” |
| do you speak English? | Czy mówi Pan po angielsku? Czy mówi Pani po angielsku? Czy mówisz po angielsku? |
[ʧ [ʧ [ʧ |
listen listen listen |
Pan — sir, Mr.; Pani — Mrs.; the third form is both impersonal and informal |
| what is it? | Co to jest? | [ʦɔtɔ'jɛst] | listen | |
| Welcome to Poland! | Witamy w Polsce! | [vi'tam |
listen | |
| I love you | Kocham cię | ['kɔxamtɕɛ̃] |
Portuguese ( Romance)
| translation | phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Português |
PT. /purtu'geʃ/ BR. /portu'gejs/ |
poor-too-GAYZH por-too-GAYS |
| hello | Olá (PT.) Oi (BR.) |
/ɔ'la/ /oi/ (?) |
oh-LAA OH-ee |
| good-bye | Adeus | ? | |
| please: | Por favor |
PT. /puɾ fɐ'voɾ/ BR. /poɾ fa'vo:/ |
POOR fah-VOHR POHR fah-VOH |
| excuse me | com licença / | ? | CON lee-CEN-sah |
| thank you | obrigado (male speaker); |
PT. /obɾi'gaðu/ BR. /obɾi'gado/ |
oh-bree-GAH-dhoo oh-bree-GAH-doh |
| obrigada (female speaker) |
PT. /obɾi'gaðɐ/ BR. /obɾi'gada/ |
oh-bree-GAH-dhah oh-bree-GAH-dah | |
| you're welcome | De nada | ? | BR. JEE NA-dah PT. DEE NA-thah |
| sorry | desculpe-me (formal) | ? | BR. dis-COO-pee ME PT. dis-COOL-pee ME |
| desculpa (informal) | ? | BR. dis-COO-pa PT. dis-COOL-pa | |
| help | ajuda | ? | |
| how much does it cost? | Quanto custa? | ? | KWAN-too CUHS-tah |
| Yes: | Sim | /sĩ/ | SEEN |
| No: | Não | /nãw̃/ | NA-o |
| I didn’t understand | Eu não entendi | ? | EO NA-o ehn-TEN-ji |
| Where’s the bathroom? | Brazil: Onde fica o banheiro? | [õdʒi fika u baɲɛjɾu] | OHN-jee FEE-ka OO ban-YEH-roo |
| Portugal, others: Onde fica a casa de banho | [õdɨ fikɐ a caza dɨ baɲu] | OHN-dih FEE-ka AH KAH-zah dee BAN-yoo | |
| Generic toast | Saúde |
PT. /sɐuðɨ/ BR. /saudʒi/ |
sa-OO-dhih sa-OO-jee |
| English | inglês | ? | eeng-LES |
| Do you speak English? |
BR. Você fala inglês? PT. Você fala inglês? (formal) Falas inglês? (informal) |
? | vo-CEH FAH-lah eeng-LES FAH-lahs eeng-LES |
| I don't speak Portuguese! | Eu não falo português! | ? | EO NA-o FAH-loo por-too-GAYZH EO NA-o FAH-loo por-too-GAYS |
| Happy birthday! | Feliz aniversário! | ? | fe-LIZ aa-ni-ver-SA-rioo |
| Happy new year! | Feliz ano novo! | ? | fe-LIZ AA-noo NOO-voo |
| I need help! | Eu preciso de ajuda! | ? | EO pree-SI-zoo DEE aa-JOO-daa |
| Excuse me, I don't speak Portuguese very well. | Desculpe-me, eu não falo português muito bem. | ? | deez-KUW-pee MEE, EO NA-o FAA-loo por-too-GAYS MUY-too BENH |
| Could I use the phone? | Eu poderia usar o telefone? | ? | EO po-dee-RI-aa uu-ZAAR OO tee-lee-FO-nee |
Romanian ( Romance)
| English | Romanian | IPA pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Romanian (language) | (limba) română | /('lim.ba) ro'mɨ.nə/ |
| Hello! | Bună ziua! | /bu.nə'zi.ǔa/ |
| Good bye! | La revedere! | /la.re.ve'de.re/ |
| Please. | Vă rog | /və'rog/ |
| Thank you. | Mulţumesc | /mul.ʦu'mesk/ |
| How much? | Cât? | /kɨt↘/ |
| English | (limba) engleză | /('lim.ba) eŋ'gle.zə/ |
| Do you speak English? | Vorbiţi engleza | /vor'biʦʲ.eŋ'gle.za↗/ |
| Yes. | Da. | /da/ |
| No. | Nu. | /nu/ |
| I don’t understand. | Nu înţeleg. | /'nu.ɨn.ʦe.leg↘/ |
| Cheers! | Noroc! | /no'rok/ |
| Where is the bathroom? | Unde e toaleta? | /'un.de.ǐe.to.a.le.ta↘/ |
Russian ( Slavic)
| Translation | Phrase | Transcription | Literal translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russian | русский | /ˈruskʲɪj/ ( listen) | |
| hello | здравствуйте | /ˈzdrastvujtʲɪ/ ( listen) | be healthy ( imperative 2nd person plural/singular polite) |
| good-bye | до свидания | /də svʲɪˈdanjə/ ( listen) | until seeing |
| please | пожалуйста | /paˈʐalustə/ ( listen) | |
| thank you | спасибо | /spʌˈsʲibə/ ( listen) | |
| that one | тот | /tot/ ( listen) | |
| how much? | сколько? | /ˈskolʲkə/ ( listen) | |
| English | английский | /anˈglʲijskʲɪj/ ( listen) | |
| yes | да | /da/ ( listen) | |
| no | нет | /nʲɛt/ ( listen) | “there isn’t” (short for не есть) |
| sorry | извините | /ɪzvʲɪˈnitʲɪ/ | |
| I don’t understand | я не понимаю | /ja nʲɪ pənɪˈmaju/ | |
| I don’t speak Russian | я не говорю по‑русски | /ja nʲɪ gəvʌˈrʲu pa.ˈruskʲɪ/ | |
| generic toast | за здоровье | /zə zdʌˈrovjɪ/ ( listen) | for health |
| Do you speak English? | Вы говорите по‑английски? | /vɨ gəvʌˈrʲitʲɪ pa.anˈglʲijskʲɪ/ ( listen) | |
| where’s the bathroom? | где здесь туалет? | /gdʲɛ zdʲesʲ tuaˈlʲɛt/ | where here (is) (the) toilet? |
| I love you | я тебя люблю | /ja tʲɪˈbʲa lʲuˈblʲu/ |
Sanskrit ( Indo-Iranian)
| Translation | Phrase | transliteration | Literal meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanskrit | संस्कृतम् | saṁskṛtam | ||
| Hello | नमो नमः, नमस्कारः | namo namaḥ, namaskāraḥ | Salutations | |
| Good-bye | पुनर्दर्शनाय | punardarśanāya | To meet again | |
| Please | कृपया | kṛpayā | With mercy | |
| Thank you | अनुगृहितोऽस्मि (for men) अनुगृहितास्मि (for women) |
anugṛhito'smi (for men) anugṛhitāsmi (for women) |
I am blessed | |
| That one | अयमेव | ayameva | ||
| How much? | कियत् | kiyat | ||
| English | आंग्लभाषा | āṁglabhāṣā | ||
| Yes | आम् , एवम् | ām , evam | ||
| No | न , नास्ति , नैवम् | na, nāsti, naivam | No, Does not exist, Not that | |
| Generic toast | शुभमस्तु | shubhamastu | Let good happen |
Sardinian ( Romance)
- Sardinian: sardu /'sarDu/ “sar-doo”
- hello: bona die “bon-a dee-a”
- good-bye: adiosu /a'Djosu/ “ah-dhyohsoo”
- bye-bye: a nois bider /anois'biDer/ “a-nohss-BI-dere”
- please: pro pragher /'pro pra'ger/ “pro praw-gare”
- thank you: gràtzias /'gratsias/ “GRAHSS-yahss”
- that one: cussu /'kusu/ “KU-hssoo”
- how much?: cantu /'kantu/ “KAHN-too”
- English: Ingresu /in'gresu/ “in-GRAY-soo”
- yes: eia /'eja/
- no: no /'no/
- sorry: mi dispraghidu
- I don’t understand: Non cumprenno
- I don’t speak Sardinian: Non faeddo su sardu
- where’s the bathroom?:
- hello, and generic toast: saludos /sa'luDe/ “saw-LOODHE”
Scots ( Germanic)
Scots survives in a number of dialects. The North east Central (Fife) pronunciation is marked NeC, North East Scots ( Doric) is marked as NE. C ans S for central and southern pronunciatons. The unmarked pronunciations are generally used in most areas. A /t/ between vowels and final is glottalised. This may also occur with a final /d/.
- Scots: Scots [skots, skOts]
- hello: awricht [A'rIxt, a'rIxt], NE: whit like [fIt l@ik]
- good-bye: see ye [si: ji:]
- thank you: ta [ta:]
- that one: that ane C and S Dat jIn, NeC Dat en, at en, NE at in]
- no: nae [ne:, nQ NE na]
- yes: ay [AI]
- sorry: sairy [se:rI]
- I don’t understand: A dinna unnerstaund [a dIn@ Vn@rstA:n(d), a dIne Vn@rstA:n(d), a dIna Vn@rstA:n(d)]
- where’s the bathroom?: whaur’s the cludgie? [WA:rz D@ klVdZI,]. NE: whaur’s the chantie [fArz i 'tSVntI]
- generic toast: cheers! [tSi:rz]
- Do you speak English?: Dae ye speak English? [de: ji spIk INlIS, NE di: ji spIk INlIS]
Scottish Gaelic ( Celtic)
- Gaelic: Gàidhlig (GAH-lick)
- welcome: fàilte (FAL-tyuh)
- good-bye: mar sin leibh (mar SHIN laif)
- please: mas e do thoil e (mah SHEH daw HOL eh)
- thank you: tapadh leibh (TAH-pah ley)
- sorry: tha mi duilich (hah mee DOO-leekh)
- that one: am fear sin (am fer SHIN)
- how much?: cia mheud (kah VIUT)
- English: Beurla (BYER-luh)
- yes: 2tha (hah)
- no: 3chan eil (chan YIL)
- I don’t understand: chan eil mi a' tuigsinn (khan YIL mee uh TOOK-shin)
- Where’s the bathroom?: càit a bheil an taigh beag? (KATCH-uh vil an TUH-eeh bik)
- generic toast: slàinte (SLAN-tyuh)
Serbian ( Slavic)
Ekavian Speech
- Serbian: српски srpski /srp-skee/ (srpskee)
- hello: здраво zdravo /zdrA-vO/ (z like in zebra) Literal translation: healthy
- good morning: добро јутро dobro jutro
- good afternoon: добар дан dobar dan
- good evening: добро вече dobro veče
- good-bye: довиђења doviđenja /dOvidʲɛnʲɑ/ Literal translation: until we see again
- please: молим molim /mO-lim/ (moleam)
- thank you: хвала hvala /hvA-la/ Literal translation: praise
- that one: то to (not as English to)
- how much?: колико? koliko? /ko-lɛ-ko/ (coleeco, co-, -co => cup)
- English: енглески engleski /ɛn-glɛ-ski/ (-skee)
- yes: да da /dA/
- no: не ne /nɛ/
- generic toast: живели! živeli! /ʒi-vɛ-li/ (zhiveli) Literal translation: live!
- sorry: извините izvinite /ezveeneete/ (formal)
- I don’t understand: не разумем ne razumem /na rAzUmem/
- Where is [the bathroom (toilet)]?: Где је тоалет? Gde je toalet? /gdɛ jɛ toAlEt/
- Do you speak English?: Да ли говорите енглески? Da li govorite engleski?
Sicilian ( Romance)
| English | Sicilian |
|---|---|
| Yes | Sì |
| No | No |
| Thank you | Grazzî |
| Please | Pi fauri |
| What is your name? | Comu ti chiami? |
| What time is it? | Chi ura sunnu? |
| I don’t know | Nun lu sacciu |
| Goodbye | Nni videmu |
Slovak ( Slavic)
NOTE: adjectives are in masculine singular nominative, if there are two ways of saying something (formal/informal), the formal one is used. Stress is always on the first syllable of the word.
- Slovak (adjective): slovenský (SLOvenskeee) /slovɛnskiː/
- Slovak (adverb): po slovensky (POslovenskee) /po slovɛnski/
- hello: dobrý deň (DObreee dyen) /dobriː ɟɛɲ/ Literal translation: good day
- good-bye: dovidenia (DOveedyeniya) /doviɟɛɲi̯a/
- please: prosím (Vás) (PROseeem vaas) /prosiːm vaːs/
- thank you: ďakujem (Vám) (DYAkooyem vaam) /ɟakujɛm vaːm/
- that one: tamten (TAMten) /tamtɛn/
- how much?: koľko (KOlko) /koʎko/
- English (adjective): anglický (ANglytskeee) /aŋgliʦkiː/
- English (adverb): po anglicky (POanglytskee) /po aŋgliʦki/
- yes: áno (AANO) /aːno/
- no: nie (niye) /ɲi̯ɛ/
- generic toast: Na zdravie (NAzdravye) /na zdravi̯ɛ/
- sorry: Prepáčte (PREpaachtye) /prɛpaːʧcɛ/
- I don’t understand: Nerozumiem /NYerozoomyem/ (ɲɛrozumi̯ɛm/)
- Where is [the bathroom (toilet)]?: Kde je [záchod]? (KDYE YE ZAA-khod) /gɟɛ jɛ zaːxot/
- Do you speak [English]?: Hovoríte [po anglicky]? (HOvoreeetye POanglytskee) /hovoriːcɛ po aŋgliʦki/
Slovene ( Slavic)
- Slovene: slovensko /slɒ'vinskɒ/
- hello: zdravo /'zdrɑvɒ/ Literal translation: healthy
- hello: živijo /'ʒɪʊjɒ/
- good-bye: nasvidenje (also na svidenje) /na'svɪdɛnjɛ/
- please: prosim /'prɔsim/
- thank you: hvala /'hvɑla/
- that one: tisti /'tɪstɪ/ (ti-, -ti => Tibet)
- how much?: koliko? /'kɔlɪkɒ/ (co-, -co => cup)
- English: angleško /ɑn'gleʃkɒ/
- yes: da /dʌ/ (official), ja (colloquial)
- no: ne /nɛ/
- generic toast: na zdravje /nɑ zdrɑʊjɛ/ Literal translation: to (our) health
Spanish ( Romance)
NOTE: For words ending in a vowel or the letters n or s, stress is on the penultimate (next to last) syllable. Words ending in other consonants, especially verbs, are stressed on the last syllable. Exceptions require a written accent. The th [θ] pronunciation is typical of European Spanish as spoken in most of Spain, and is replaced by the s pronunciation in Latin America and some regions of Spain, such as the Canary Islands.
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | castellano español |
/kasteˈʎano/ /kasteˈʝano/ /espaˈɲol/ |
|||
| let's go | vámonos | /'bamonos/ | |||
| hello | hola | /ˈola/ | listen | ||
| good morning | buenos días | /bwenosˈð̞iːas/ | listen | lit. good days | |
| goodbye | adiós | /aˈð̞jos/ | listen | from a Dios to God | |
| see you (soon) | hasta luego | /ˈastaˈlweɰo/ | listen | lit. until (we see) later | |
| please | por favor | /por faˈβ̞or/ | listen | lit. by favour | |
| thank you | gracias | /ˈgraθjas/ /ˈgrasjas/ |
listen | ||
| you’re welcome don’t mention it |
de nada | /deˈnað̞a/ | listen | lit. (it was) of nothing | |
| sorry | perdón | /perˈð̞on/ | listen | lit. (I beg your) pardon | |
| pardon me | perdóneme | /pɛɾˈð̞o.ne.me/ | |||
| I’m sorry | lo siento | /loˈsjɛn.to/ | listen | lit. I feel (bad) for it | |
| forgive me | discúlpame disculpe (formal) |
/disˈkul.pa.me/ | |||
| this one | éste (masculine) ésta (feminine) |
/ˈeste/ /ˈesta/ |
listen listen |
||
| that one | ése (masculine) ésa (feminine) |
/ˈese/ /ˈesa/ |
|||
| that yonder | aquél (masculine) aquella (feminine) |
/aˈkel/ /aˈkeʎa/ /aˈkeʝa/ |
|||
| how much? | ¿cuánto? | /ˈkwanto/ | |||
| English | inglés | [iŋˈgles] | |||
| yes | sí | /ˈsi/ | |||
| no | no | /ˈno/ | |||
| I don’t understand | no comprendo no entiendo |
/nokomˈprendo/ /noenˈtjendo/ |
|||
| I don’t know | no sé | /noˈse/ | |||
| where is the bathroom? | ¿Dónde está el baño? | /dondesˈtaelˈβ̞aɲo/ | |||
| generic toast | salud | /saˈluð̞/ | lit. health | ||
| Do you speak English? (direct polite) | ¿Habla inglés? | /ˈaβ̞laiŋˈgles/ | ( listen) | polite question | |
| What is your name? | ¿Cómo se llama? | polite question | |||
| I hope (to wish, to hope) | Ojalá | /oxaˈla/ |
Swahili ( Bantu)
Usage Note: Greetings in Swahili are a crucial aspect of Swahili culture; it is not uncommon for a conversation to last five minutes before it actually moves beyond saying “Hello”.[ citation needed] There is no generic word for “Hello” in the language, rather there are numerous options depending on the relative ages and/or race of the people involved, as well as singular and plural forms. A non-comprehensive list would include “hujambo” (reply “sijambo”) for two people of similar age and race, “jambo” (reply “jambo”) for between white and black people, “Shikamoo” (reply “Marahaba”) for a young person to an elderly person, “Hodi” (reply “Karibu”) when in the doorway of a house. There are additionally numerous informal greetings such as “Mambo”, “Safi”, and many more. Farewells are abrupt or even non-existent.
- Swahili: Kiswahili /ki swa hi li/ (kee-swa-HEE-lee)
- hello: Jambo (ja m boh) or (ya m boh)
- good-bye: kwa heri /kwa he ri/ (kwa HAY-ree)
- please: tafadhali /ta fa ða li/ (tah-fah-tha-lee)
- thank you: asante /a san te/ (ah-SAHN-tey)
- that one: yule /ju le/ (YOO-lay)
- how much?: ngapi /ŋga pi/ (ng-AH-pee)
- where?: wapi /wa pi/ (WA-pee)
- English: Kiingereza /ki iŋge re za/ (kee-ing-reza)
- yes: ndiyo /n di jo/ (nn-DEE-yoh)
- no: hapana /ha pa na/
- generic toast: //
- no worries: hakuna matata /ha ku na ma ta ta/ (ha-KOO-na ma-TA-ta)
Swedish ( Germanic)
- Swedish: svenska /'svɛnska/
- hello: hej /hɛj/ (hey)
- good-bye: hej då /hɛj doː/ (HEY-doh)
- please: tack /tak/ (tahck) as in “yes, please” or snälla /'snɛla/ (snella) as in “please, show me to the station” or “var så god” /vaʂɔ'guːd/ (vahr saw gohd) as in “please come in and make yourself at home”
- excuse me: ursäkta mig /'ʉːʂɛkta mɛj/ or /ʉ'ʂɛkta mɛj/ (uor-SECKTAH may)
- sorry: förlåt / (ferlawht)
- thank you: tack /tak/ (tahck)
- that one: den där /dɛn dæːɾ/ (den dehr)
- how much?: hur mycket? /hʉːɾ 'mʏkːɛ/ (huwr MICK-eh)
- English: engelska /'ɛŋːɛlska/ (ENG-el-skah)
- yes: ja /jɑː/ or /ja/ (yah)
- no: nej /nɛj/ (neiy)
- generic toast: skål /skoːl/ (skal or skol)
- banana: banan /ba'nɑːn/ (buh-NAAN)
- what time is it?: vad är klockan? /vɑː æ 'klɔkːan/ (vaad air KLAWCK-an)
- Where's the bathroom?: var är toaletten? /vɑːɾ æ tʊa'lɛtːɛn/ (vahr eyr twah-LET-en)
- I don’t understand: jag förstår inte /ja fœ'ʂtoːɾ 'ɪntɛ/ (yah fur-SHTOHR in-teh)
- Do you speak English?: Talar du engelska? /'tɑːlaɾ dʉ 'ɛŋːɛlska/ (TAH-lahr doo ENG-elska) [with NG as in 'siNGer', not as in 'fiNGer']
Tagalog/ Filipino ( Malayo-Polynesian)
Note: The polite forms of some phrases — those which make use of the word pô — should generally be used when speaking to persons of authority and seniority, or to show reverence to the person to whom spoken. With friends and in casual situations, pô is not used. Also, in modern written Filipino/Tagalog, diacritical marks are omitted.
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tagalog | Tagalog | /tɐ"galog/ | (ta-GA-log) |
| Filipino | Pilipino | /%pili"pino/ | (pi-li-PI-no) |
| Hello/How are you? | Kumustá/Kumustá ka? | /kumus"ta (ka)/ | (ku-mus-TAH (KA?)) |
| I’m fine, and you? | Mabuti namán, ikáw? | /mɐ"butɛ nɐ"man, ʔi"kaʊ̯/ | (ma-BU-ti na-MAN, iKAW?) |
| Good-bye | Paalam (pô) | /pɐ"ʔalam (poʔ)/ | (pa-AH-lam (PO)) |
| Please | pakí-(verb) (pô) | /pɐ"ki (poʔ)/ | (pah-KI (PO)) |
| Thank you | Salamat (pô) | /sɐ"lamat (poʔ)/ | (sa-LAH-mat (PO)) |
| You're welcome | Waláng anumán (pô) (literally, “No problem”) | /ʊɐ"laŋ ʔɐnu"man (poʔ)/ | (wa-LANG a-nu-MAN (PO)) |
| That one (object far from person spoken to) | Iyon (pô) [demonstrative] Ayun (pô) [reflective] | /ʔi"jon (poʔ)/ | (i-YON (PO), a-YUN (PO)) |
| That one (object near to/held by person spoken to) | Iyan (pô) [demonstrative] Ayan (pô)" [reflective] /ʔi"jan (poʔ)/ | (i-YAN (PO)) | |
| How much? | Magkano (pô)? | /mɐg"kano (poʔ)/ | (mag-KAH-no (PO)?) |
| English | Ingglés | /ʔɪŋ"glɛs/ | (ing-GLES) |
| Yes | Oo / Opò (polite form) | /"oʔo/, /"opoʔ/ | (O-o) / (O-po) (all o's pronounced neutral) |
| No | Hindî | /hɪn"diʔ/, /hɪn"dɛʔ/ | (hin-DI) or (hin-DE) |
| No (polite form) | Hindí pô | /hɪn"di (poʔ)/ | (hin-DI PO) |
| Where's the bathroom? | Nasaán ang banyo? | /%nasɐʔan ʔaŋ "banjo/ | (NA-sa-AN ang BAN-yoh?) |
| What is your name? (casual) | Anó ang pangalan mo? | /ʔɐ"no ʔaŋ pɐ"ŋalan mo/ | (ah-NOH ang pa-NGA-lan MOH?) |
| What is your name? (formal) | Anó pô ang inyóng pangalan? | /ʔɐ"no poʔ ʔaŋ ʔɪn"joŋ pɐ"ŋalan/ | (ah-NOH PO ang in-YONG pah-NGA-lan?) |
| Sorry | Paumanhín (pô) | /pɐʔuman"hin (poʔ)/ | (pa-u-man-HIN (PO)) |
| I don’t know | Hindí ko (pô) alám | /hɪn"di ko (po) ʔa"lam/ | (hin-DI ko (PO) a-LAM) |
| I don’t understand | Hindí ko (pô) naíintindihan | /hɪn"di ko (po) na"iɪntindihan/ | (hin-DI ko (PO) na-I-in-tin-di-han) |
| I don’t remember | Hindí ko (pô) natátandaan | /hɪn"di ko (po) na"tatandɐʔan/ | (hin-DI ko (PO) na-TA-tan-da-an) |
| Welcome/Generic toast | Mabuhay! (literally, “Long live!”) | /mɐ"buhaɪ/ | (ma-BU-hai) |
| I am sick | Masamâ (po) ang pakiramdám ko (literally, “I’m not feeling well”) | /masɐ"maʔ (po) ʔaŋ pɐkiɾɐm"dam ko/ | (ma-sa-MAH po ang pa-ki-ram-DAM ko) |
| Do you speak English? | Marunong ka bang magsalitâ ng Ingglés? | /mɐ"runɔŋ ka baŋ mɐgsali"ta naŋ ʔɪŋ"glɛs/ | (ma-ROO-nong ka BANG mag-sa-li-TA nang ing-GLES?) |
Tamil ( Dravidian)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation | IPA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tamil | தமிழ் | t̪ɐmɨɹ | |
| hello | வணக்கம் | Vanakkam | vanakːam |
| good-bye | சென்று வருகிறேன் | sentru varukireen | sentu varukireen |
| please | தயவு செய்து | thayavu seithu | tajavu seiθu |
| thank you | நன்றி | nandri | nantʕi |
| sorry | மன்னிக்கவும் | mannikkavum | |
| that one | அது | adhu | a tʰu |
| how much? | எவ்வளவு | evvalavu | evːalavu |
| yes | ஆம் | aam | aːm |
| no | இல்லை | illai | ilːaj |
| I don’t understand | எனக்குப் புரியவில்லை | ennaku puriyavillai | |
| Where's the bathroom? | குளியலறை எங்கே உள்ளது? | kuliyalarai engai ullathu? | |
| generic toast (not used in formal occasions and to elders): Hey! | டேய்! | dei | de:i |
| English | ஆங்கிலம் | aangilam | aːŋilam |
| Do you speak English? | நீங்கள் ஆங்கிலம் பேசுவீர்களா? | neengal aanglilam paysuveerkala? |
Please note that spoken Tamil is very different from formal written Tamil. The above phrases are in written Tamil and thus sound very awkward and stilted when used in everyday speech.
Tatar ( Turkic)
- äye — yes
- yuq — no
- isänme(sez)/sawmı(sız) — hello
- sälâm — hi
- saw bul(ığız)/xuş(ığız) — goodbye
- zínhar öçen — please
- min — I
- sin — you
- ul — he / she / it
- bez — we
- sez — you
- alar — they
- millät — nation
- İngliz(çä) — English
Telugu ( Dravidian)
- Telugu: Andhra Bhasha /andʰra bʰaʃa/
- hello: namaskaaram /namaskaːram/
- good-bye: Selavu /selavu/
- please: Daya chesi /daja ʧesi/
- thank you: Dhanyavadamulu /dʰanjavadamulu/
- that one: adi /adi/
- how much?: Enta /enta/
- English: Aanglam /aːŋlam/
- yes: Avunu /avunu/
- no: Kaadu /kaːdu/
- I don’t understand: Naaku artham kaledhu
- Where is the bathroom ?: bathroom ekkada ?
- How are you?: ela Vunnaru ?
- Language: Basha
- Where are we going ?: ekkadiki veluthunam ?
- What, where, why, when, who, how, : enti, ekkada, endhuku, eppudu, evaru, ela
Thai ( Tai-Kadai)
| Translation | Transliteration | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| hello/goodbye | สวัสดี | sawàtdii | |
| goodbye | ลาก่อน | lææ-kɔ̀ɔn | |
| thank you | ขอบคุณ | khɔ̀ɔp khun | |
| you're welcome | ไม่เป็นไร | mâi pen rai | |
| yes | ใช่ | châi | |
| no | ไม่ใช่ | mâi châi | |
| excuse me, sorry | ขอโทษ | khɔ̌ɔ thôot | |
| How are you? | สบายดีไหม | sàbaay dii mǎay? | |
| I am fine | สบายดี | sàbaay dii | |
| what is your name? | คุณชื่ออะไร | khun chɯ̂ɯ àrai? | |
| my name is ... | ผม/ดิฉันชื่อ... | phǒm/dìchǎn chɯ̂ɯ... | |
| nice to know you | ยินดีที่ได้รู้จัก | yindii thîi dâi rúucàk | |
| nice to know you too | เช่นกัน | chen gun | |
| How much does this cost? | ราคาเท่าไร | ra ka thao rai? |
Polite language in Thai requires that a politeness marker be at the end of every phrase. The markers differ according to the gender of the speaker:
| Gender of speaker | Marker | Transliteration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| male | ครับ | khráp | |
| female (question) | คะ | khá | |
| female (statement) | ค่ะ | khâ |
Tok Pisin (Neo-Melanesian English creole)
- Pidgin: Tok Pisin
- hello: gut de
- good-bye: gut bai
- please: plis
- thank you: tenkyu
- that one: em
- how much?: haumas
- English: Inglis
- yes: yes
- no: nogat
- nevermind, it doesn’t matter: maski
- I don’t know: mi no save (save is two syllables sa-ve)
Turkish ( Turkic)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| hello | merhaba | meɾhaba |
| welcome | hoş geldiniz | hoʃ gʲeldiniz |
| good morning | günaydιn | gʲynajdɯn |
| good afternoon | iyi günler | iː gʲynleɾ |
| good evening | iyi akşamlar | iː akʃamlaɾ |
| good night | iyi geceler | iː gʲedʒeleɾ |
| good bye | hoşçakal/hoşçakalιn | hoʃtʃakal/hoʃtʃakalɯn |
| please | lütfen | lytfen |
| thank you | teşekkür ederim | teʃekʲyɾ edeɾim |
| how much | ne kader | ne kadeɾ |
| English | İngilizce | iŋgilizdʒe |
| Turkish | Türkçe | tyɾktʃe |
| yes | evet | evet |
| no | hayιr | hajɯɾ |
Ukrainian ( Slavic)
Note: adjectives have different forms when describing feminine, masculine or neuter nouns.
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | pronunciation | Literally |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainian | українська, f. український, m. |
/uˌkraˈjinˌsjka/ /uˌkraˈjinˌsjkɪj/ |
ooh-kra-YEEN-ska ooh-kra-YEEN-skiy |
|
| hello | привіт | /prɪˈvit/ | pri-VEET | “greetings” |
| good-bye | до побачення | /do poˈbaˌtʃenˌnja/ | doh po-BAH-chen-nyah | “until seeing” |
| please | будь ласка | /budj ˈlaˌska/ | bood LA-ska | “be kind” |
| thank you | дякую | /ˈdjakuju/ | DYA -koo-yoo |
Urdu ( Indo-Iranian)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Transliteration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urdu | اردو | urd̪uː | ordu | ||
| hello (Urdu) | اسلام و عليکم | əsəlɑːm wɑːleːkum | As-Salam-Wa-Alaikum | ||
| hello (Urdu, Reply to Hello) | و عليکم السلام | wɑːleːkum əsəlɑːm | Wa-Alaikum-As-Salam | ||
| goodbye (Urdu) | خداحافظ | xud̪ə hɑːfiz | Khuda Hafiz | ||
| please* (Urdu) | مہربانی فرماکے | meːhrbɑiː fərɑːkeː | mehrbānī farmake | ||
| thank you* (Urdu) | شکريہ | ʃukrijə | śhukriyā | ||
| thank you very much | بہت بہت شکريہ | bəhut̪ bəhut̪ ʃukrijə | bahut bahut śhukriyā | ||
| welcome | خوش آمديد | xuʃ əmd̪eːd̪ | Khush Amdaidn | ||
| excuse me | معاف کيجۓ | mɑːf kiːdʒiːjeː | māf kījiye | ||
| don’t mention it | کوئ بات نہيں | koiː bɑːt̪ nəhiː | koī bāt nahī | ||
| yes | جی ہاں | dʒiː hɑ̃ː | jī hān | ||
| no/not | جی نہيں | dʒiː nəhĩː | jī nahīn | ||
| good/right | اچھا | ətʃʰə̃ | acchan | ||
| (all-purpose adj./interj.) | |||||
| How are you? | آپ کيسے ہيں/کیسی ہيں؟ | ɑːp keːseː hẽː/keːsiː hẽː | āp kaise hai/kaisī hai? (m/f) | ||
| OK! | ٹھيک ہے | ʈʰiːk hẽː | ṭhīk hai! | ||
| one minute! (“just a sec”; interj.) | ايک منٹ | eːk minəʈ | ek minaṭ | ||
| I don’t understand | ميں نہين سمجھا | mẽː nəhĩː səmdʒʰə/səmdʒʰiː | main nahīn samjha/samjhī (m/f) | ||
| I don’t know | مجھے نہين پتہ | mudʒʰeː nəhĩː pət̪ə | mujhey nahi pata (m/f) | ||
| English | انگريزی | əŋgreːziː | angrezī | ||
| what is your name? | آپ کا کیا نام ہے؟ | ɑːp kə kjɑː nɑːm hẽː | āp ka kya nām hai? | ||
| my name is ... | میرا نام ... ہے | meːrə nɑː ... hẽː | mera nām ... hai | ||
| It was nice to meet you | آپ سے مل کر بہت خوشی ہوئ | ɑːp seː milkər bəhut̪ xuʃiː huiː | āp se milkar bahut khuśī huī | It was nice to meet you | |
| It was nice to meet you too (lit. to me also) | مجھے بھیez | mudʒʰeː bʰiː | mujhe bhī | ||
| How much does this cost? | اس کی کیا قيمت ہے؟ | iskiː kjɑː qiːmət̪ hẽː | iski kya qeemat hai? | ||
| Do you speak English? | کيا آپ انگريزی بولتے/بولتی ہيں؟ | kjɑː ɑːp əŋgreːziː boːlt̪eː/boːlt̪iː hẽː | kya āp angrezī bolte/boltī (m/f) hain? |
- *These are not used nearly as casually in Urdu as they are in western languages.
Vietnamese ( Viet-Muong)
| Translation | Phrase | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnamese | tiếng Việt | tyeng vyet |
| Hello | xin chào | sin tsao |
| Good bye | tạm biệt | tahm byet |
| Yes | có | koh |
| No | không | khong |
| Thank you | cảm ơn | kahm uhn |
| You're welcome | không có chi | khong koh tsee |
| Sorry | xin lỗi | toy sin loy |
| English | tiếng Anh | tyeng ahn |
| Do you speak English? | Bạn có biết nói tiếng Anh không? | bahn koh byet noy tyeng ahn khong? |
| Please | làm ơn | lahm uhn |
| Who? | ai? | aye? |
| What? | cái gì? | kie zee? / kie yee? |
| When? | khi nào? | khee now? |
| Where? | ở đâu? | uh doh? |
| Why? | tại sao? | tie sao? |
| How? | như thế nào? | nyue theh now? |
Võro ( Finno-Ugric)
| Translation | Phrase | IPA | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Võro | võro kiil | [ˈvɤro kɪ:l] | |
| hello | tereq | [ˈtereʔ] | |
| good-bye | hääd aigo | [hæ:d ˈaiko] | literally "(have a) good time" |
| please | pallõsi | [ˈpal:əsiʔ] | literally "I would beg" |
| thank you | aiteh tennäsi |
[aiˈtex] [ˈten:æsiʔ] |
(a more formal expression, it literally means “I would thank (you)”.) |
| you're welcome | pallõsi | [ˈpal:əsiʔ] | |
| this | seo taa |
[sʲo:] [ta:] | |
| that one | tuu | [tu:] | |
| how much? | ku pall'o? | [ku ˈpalʲlʲo] | |
| English | inglüse kiil | [ˈiŋ:klyse kɪ:l] | |
| yes | jah | [jax] | |
| no | ei | [eiʔ] | |
| sorry | andkõ andis | [ˈantkəʔ 'anʲdʲis] | |
| I don’t understand | Saa-ai arvo | ['sa:ai ˈarvo] | |
| generic toast | tervüses | [ˈtervyses] | literally "to/for health" |
| Do you speak English? | Kas ti kõnõlõt inglüse kiilt? | [kas ti ˈkɨnələt ˈiŋklyse kɪ:lt] | |
| Where is the bathroom/toilet? | Kon om peldik / WC? | [kon: om: ˈpeltik / 've:'ʦe:] | |
| Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! | Hüvvä joulu ja õnnõlikku vahtsõt aastakka! | [hyv:ä ˈjoulu ja ˈɨn:əlik:u 'vahtsət a:stak:a] |
Welsh (Celtic)
- Welsh: Cymraeg (kum-RAig)
- English: Saesneg (SAY-sneg)
- Good morning!: Bore da! (bo-re da)
- Good afternoon!: P'nawn da! (p'nown da)
- Welcome!: Croeso! (KROY-so)
- Goodbye!: Da boch chi! (da BO-khi)
- Cheerio!: Hwyl fawr! (hooil vowR)
- Good night!: Nos da! (noss da)
- Please: Os gwelwch chi'n dda (oss GWEL-oo-khin dha)
- Thank you: Diolch (DEE-olkh)
- Thank you very much: Diolch yn fawr (DEE-olkh'n vowR)
- You're welcome: Da chi (dah khee)
- No thank you: Dim diolch (dim dee-olkh)
- Yes: Ie (EE-eh), Do (doh), Oes (oyss), Ydy (UD-ee) etc.
There are at least 20 words for “yes”.
To answer “yes” you must agree with the question.
“Oes...?” (Is there...?) is answered with “Oes” (Yes there is).
“Ydy...?” (Is he/she...?) is answered with “Ydy” (Yes he/she is).
“Ydw...?” (Am I...?) would however be answered appropriately with “Ydych” (Yes you are) and vice versa.
“Ie” (Yes) is only used when a proper question hasn’t been asked, or in reply to “Ai...?” (Is it...?).
“Do” (Yes I did, Yes you did, etc.) is used in reply to questions in the past tense.
- No: Na (nah)
To contradict someone or to give a more definite “no” you can however precede the words for “yes” with “na” or “nag”, e.g. “Nag oes!” (No there isn’t!) (The opposite of Do is Naddo.)
- (I’m) sorry!: Mae'n flin gen i! (mye'n vleen Gen ee)
- Isn’t it? Wouldn’t it? Aren’t they? Won’t we? etc.: Ynte? (un-teh)
- Cheers! Good health!: Iechyd da! (YEKH-id dah)
Yoruba (Benue-Congo)
- hello: Ba wo ni
- good-bye: O da bo
- please: E jo
- thank you: O se/E se
- that one: Iyen
- how much?: E lo?
- English: Oyinbo
- yes: Be ni
- no: Be ko
See also