Esperanto greetings are short, but their grammar carries useful patterns. Saluton! works across most situations, time-of-day greetings use Bonan + accusative time noun, and many farewells begin with Ĝis + a future point or reunion. Choosing naturally depends less on status than in many languages and more on time, medium, familiarity, and whether another meeting is expected.
The safest neutral pair is Saluton! on arrival and Ĝis revido! or Ĝis! on departure. The rest of the system lets you be more specific.
Saluton: The General-Purpose Greeting
Saluton! means “Hello!” or “Greetings!” and is neutral across face-to-face conversation, group meetings, and ordinary messages. Its -n is conventional: the phrase historically behaves like an abbreviated wish or offering of a greeting. Do not remove the accusative ending in the fixed formula.
— Saluton, mi estas Amir. — Saluton, Amir, mi estas Klara.
— Hello, I’m Amir. — Hello, Amir, I’m Klara.
Saluton al ĉiuj! Ĉu ni povas komenci la kunvenon?
Hello everyone! Can we start the meeting?
Saluton, ĉu ĉi tiu seĝo estas libera?
Hello, is this seat free?
The fixed core is salut-o-n. A following addressee is normally expressed with al: Saluton al ĉiuj, not by turning the people greeted into the direct object of the formula. A person’s name can simply follow as direct address: Saluton, Marta! See vocatives and direct address for the punctuation and case pattern.
Bonan Matenon, Tagon, And Vesperon
Time-of-day greetings follow a productive but fixed frame:
Bonan + [matenon / tagon / vesperon]
Both the adjective and noun carry accusative -n because the expression abbreviates a good wish. The forms are not ordinary sentence subjects.
| Greeting | Typical use | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Bonan matenon! | on meeting someone in the morning | neutral |
| Bonan tagon! | during the day; somewhat more deliberate than Saluton | neutral/polite |
| Bonan vesperon! | on meeting someone in the evening | neutral |
| Bonan nokton! | when parting for the night or going to sleep | neutral/intimate by context |
Bonan matenon! Ĉu vi bone dormis en la nova ĉambro?
Good morning! Did you sleep well in the new room?
Bonan vesperon, sinjorino Petrova. Bonvenon al nia hotelo.
Good evening, Ms. Petrova. Welcome to our hotel.
Bonan nokton, infanoj. Ĝis morgaŭ matene.
Good night, children. See you tomorrow morning.
The important minimal contrast is Bonan vesperon! when contact begins in the evening versus Bonan nokton! when the interaction ends or someone goes to bed. Saying Bonan nokton as an ordinary arrival greeting can sound as if you are already leaving.
— Bonan vesperon! Mi venis por la koncerto. — Bonvenon; ĝi komenciĝos post dek minutoj.
— Good evening! I’ve come for the concert. — Welcome; it will begin in ten minutes.
Bonvenon Is Welcome, Not Merely Hello
Bonvenon! welcomes someone into a place, event, group, or new situation. Like Saluton, it conventionally ends in -n. It is not the default greeting for every encounter.
Bonvenon al nia urbo! Ni esperas, ke vi ĝuos vian restadon.
Welcome to our city! We hope you enjoy your stay.
Bonvenon en la teamon, Sofia.
Welcome to the team, Sofia.
The following preposition depends on the relation. Bonvenon al nia urbo/evento presents the destination or occasion; bonvenon en la teamon highlights entry into a group. These are variable slots after a fixed formula, not invitations to translate English prepositions mechanically.
Mi diris saluton al la najbaro, sed bonvenon al la novaj gastoj.
I said hello to the neighbor, but welcome to the new guests.
Asking How Someone Is
After a greeting, Kiel vi fartas? asks how someone is doing or feeling. Kiel vi estas? is understandable but often asks more generally what someone is like or mirrors English How are you? too literally. Farti is the conventional health-and-well-being verb.
— Saluton! Kiel vi fartas? — Bone, dankon. Kaj vi?
— Hello! How are you? — Well, thank you. And you?
Mi estas iom laca post la vojaĝo, sed alie mi fartas bone.
I am somewhat tired after the trip, but otherwise I am well.
In many Esperanto-speaking encounters, the question can invite a real answer rather than functioning as a completely empty greeting. A brief Bone, dankon is always acceptable, but close friends may answer more fully. This is pragmatic variation, not a separate grammar rule.
Farewells With Ĝis
Ĝis marks an endpoint. In farewells, the variable slot names the next meeting or a future point:
- Ĝis revido! — until seeing again; goodbye;
- Ĝis baldaŭ! — see you soon;
- Ĝis morgaŭ! — see you tomorrow;
- Ĝis lundo! — see you Monday;
- Ĝis poste! — see you later;
- Ĝis! — bye (informal).
Mi devas iri nun. Ĝis revido!
I have to go now. Goodbye!
Ni finos la raporton morgaŭ. Ĝis tiam!
We will finish the report tomorrow. Until then!
— Ĉu vi venos al la kurso lunde? — Jes, ĝis lundo!
— Are you coming to the course on Monday? — Yes, see you Monday!
Ordinary ĝis is a preposition and does not license an accusative after it merely because the phrase expresses movement through time. Say ĝis morgaŭ, ĝis lundo, not ĝis morgaŭon or ĝis lundon.
Ni ne atendu monaton ĝis la revido; ni renkontiĝu jam venontsemajne.
Let’s not wait a month until we see each other again; let’s meet as early as next week.
Adiaŭ: Stronger Or More Final
Adiaŭ! is a real Esperanto farewell, but it often suggests a long separation, an emotionally marked departure, or no expectation of meeting again. It can also be theatrical or literary (literary/solemn). For an ordinary departure after coffee, Ĝis!, Ĝis baldaŭ!, or Ĝis revido! is usually more natural.
Mi ne diras adiaŭ—nur ĝis baldaŭ.
I’m not saying farewell—only see you soon.
La familio adiaŭis la vilaĝon antaŭ ol elmigri.
The family bade farewell to the village before emigrating.
The verb adiaŭi takes an object: adiaŭi amikon, “bid a friend farewell.” The interjection Adiaŭ! stands alone. Do not let the English word goodbye force adiaŭ into every casual context.
Informal Greetings And Telephone Use
Hej! is a casual attention-getting greeting (informal). Tone matters: friendly among peers, abrupt in a formal setting. Halo! is conventional when answering or checking a telephone connection; it is not the universal face-to-face equivalent of English hello.
Hej, ĉu vi volas manĝi kune post la leciono?
Hey, do you want to eat together after class?
Halo, ĉu mi parolas kun la hotela akceptejo?
Hello, am I speaking with the hotel reception desk?
❌ Halo, profesoro, mi ĝojas renkonti vin en la koridoro.
Marked and unnatural as a neutral face-to-face greeting; halo is associated especially with telephone contact.
✅ Saluton, profesoro, mi ĝojas renkonti vin.
Hello, Professor, I am glad to meet you.
Written Openings And Closings
Messages often begin with Saluton, [name]! or simply Saluton! (neutral/informal). Formal correspondence commonly uses Estimata sinjorino/sinjoro [name], or Estimata [title],. The closing must match the relationship:
- Amike, — best wishes/friendly regards (informal);
- Kore, or Kun koraj salutoj, — warmly/with warm regards (neutral to warm);
- Kun respekto, — respectfully (formal).
Saluton, Lejla! Dankon pro via rapida respondo. Kore, Marko
Hello, Lejla! Thank you for your quick reply. Warmly, Marko
Estimata sinjorino Petrova, mi petas informojn pri la kurso. Kun respekto, Daniel Kim
Dear Ms. Petrova, I am requesting information about the course. Respectfully, Daniel Kim
English Dear should not be copied as Kara in every formal letter. Kara expresses personal warmth; Estimata signals respectful formal address. Among actual friends, Kara Ana is entirely natural (personal/warm).
Common Mistakes
Dropping The Accusative In Fixed Wishes
❌ Bona mateno!
Incorrect standard greeting — both words take accusative -n in the fixed wish.
✅ Bonan matenon!
Good morning!
Adding Accusative After Ĝis
❌ Ĝis morgaŭon!
Incorrect — ordinary ĝis is a preposition, so its complement does not take accusative -n.
✅ Ĝis morgaŭ!
See you tomorrow!
Translating “How Are You?” Word For Word
❌ Kiel vi estas? — Bone, dankon.
Awkward English calque for well-being; use farti in the conventional question.
✅ Kiel vi fartas? — Bone, dankon.
How are you? — Well, thank you.
Using Adiaŭ For Every Casual Departure
❌ Adiaŭ! Ni revidos nin post dek minutoj.
Pragmatically mismatched — adiaŭ is too final or marked for a ten-minute separation.
✅ Ĝis poste! Ni revidos nin post dek minutoj.
See you later! We will see each other again in ten minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Saluton! is the safest general greeting; its final -n is fixed.
- Time greetings use Bonan + accusative noun; Bonan nokton is normally a parting or bedtime wish.
- Bonvenon welcomes someone into a place, event, or group; it is not merely “hello.”
- Ĝis + revido/time is the productive everyday farewell frame, with no accusative after ĝis.
- Adiaŭ, Hej, Halo, and written formulas have marked contexts and should be labeled by register and medium.
Related Topics
- Introducing YourselfA2 — Build a natural Esperanto self-introduction with clear frames for your name, origin, residence, work, languages, and interests.
- Conversation Management PhrasesB2 — Open, hold, repair, redirect, and close an Esperanto conversation with pragmatic frames suited to different levels of formality.
- Informal ConversationB2 — Use natural spoken Esperanto through short planning units, discourse particles, repair, ellipsis, and shared context without importing English slang.
- Formal CorrespondenceC1 — Structure clear formal Esperanto letters and email with appropriate salutations, requests, references, closings, and institutional tone.
- Politeness without T-V PronounsA2 — Use neutral vi with every addressee and express respect through wording, titles, mitigation, reasons, and conversational sequencing.