| | The language
itself | hello | good bye | please | thank you | English | yes | no | traditional
toast |
|---|
| German | Deutsch | hallo | auf Wiedersehen | bitte | danke | Englisch | ja | nein | prosit |
| Dutch | Nederlands | hallo | tot ziens | alstublieft | dankjewel | engels | ja | nee | proost |
| Danish | dansk | hej | farvel | (1) | tak | engelsk | ja | nej | skål |
| Swedish | svenska | hej | hejdå | tack | tack | engelska | ja | nej | skål |
| French | français | bonjour | au revoir | s'il vous plaît | merci | anglais | oui | non | santé |
| Spanish | español | hola | adiós | por favor | gracias | inglés | sí | no | salud |
| Italian | italiano | ciao | arrivederci | per favore | grazie | inglese | si | no | salute |
| Hebrew | ivrit | shalom | lehitraot | bevakasha | toda | anglit | ken | lo | le-chaim |
| Irish | Gaeilge | fáilte | slán | le do thoil | go raibh maith agat | Béarla | sea2 | ní ha3 | slainte |
| Swahili | Kiswahili | (4) | kwa heri | tafadhali | asante | Kingereza | ndiyo | siyo | — |
| Basque | Euskara | kaixo | agur | mesedez | Eskerrik asko | ingelesa | bai | ez | — |
| Japanese | nihongo | konnichiwa | sayonara | kudasai | arigatou | eigo | hai | iie | kanpai |
| Esperanto | Esperanto | saluton | gis la revido | mi petas | dankon | la angla | jes | ne | je via sano |
| Finnish | suomi | päivää | näkemiin | ole hyvä | kiitos | englanti | kyllä | ei | kippis |
| Indonesian | bahasa Indonesia | selamat pagi | selamat tinggal5 | tolong | terima kasih | bahasa
Inggris | ya | tidak | — |
| Tok Pisin | Tok Pisin | gut de | gut bai | plis | tenkyu | Inglis | yes | nogat | — |
| Portuguese | Português | olá | adeus | Por favor | obrigado | Inglês | sim | não | saúde |
1. There is no single word or expression that directly corresponds to “please.” Polite requests are made in different ways.
2. Literally, “it is.” This can only be used in answering a question with the verb “to be.” In Irish there is no word for “yes” or “no.” Instead, the speaker repeats the verb from the question in the affirmative or the negative: Did you sleep well? I did. Are you coming? I am not.
3. Literally, “it is not.” See above.
4. There is no single word for “hello.” Which greeting is used will depend on the relative ages, number (singular or plural), and/or race of the speakers. For example, “hujambo,” reply “sijambo,” would be used by two people of similar age and race, whereas “jambo,” reply “jambo,” would be used by a white person and a black person.
5. Said by the person leaving; “selamat jalan” is said by the person staying.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
