Ways to say it
| Latvian | IPA |
|---|---|
| atā | |
| sveiks | [svɛ̀jks] (narrow) |
| uz redzēšanos |
Atā is a short way to say 'Bye' or 'Farewell'. Uz redzēšanos is used to say 'Goodbye' and carries the sense of 'Until we see each other again'. If you are parting ways in the evening or before bed, you may use Labu nakti, which means 'Good night'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase uz redzēšanos literally translates to 'until seeing each other'.
Which one should you use?
Uz redzēšanos is the standard way to say goodbye. Note that sveiks is primarily a greeting meaning 'hello' or 'hi', though it may occasionally be used in contexts that appear as a parting salutation to English speakers.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Atā is an informal, colloquial expression similar to 'bye' or 'see ya' in English. In contrast, uz redzēšanos is the appropriate choice for formal situations.
How does it change in a sentence?
The greeting sveiks is the masculine form, whereas the feminine form sveika is used when addressing a woman.
Did you know?
- The word sveiks shares a distant ancestral root with the English word 'weave' through the Proto-Indo-European root for bending or turning.
- The greeting sveiks is a relatively recent addition to the language. It only started being used as a common way to say 'hello' in the late 19th century, whereas earlier it was a word used mostly near the Lithuanian border.
Examples in context
- Atā!Bye!This example shows how to use the informal atā.Tatoeba #11420836 by GemMonkey, translation #647456 by Hans07
- Uz redzēšanos, paldies par tikšanos!Goodbye, thank you for the meeting!
- Atā, rīt tiksimies skolā!Bye, see you at school tomorrow!
- Nu, atā, visiem!Well, bye, everyone!
Example conversation
Artūrs and linearly are finishing a quick chat on the street.
- ArtūrsLielāku palīgs, linearly!Thanks for the help, linearly!
- linearlyNav par ko, Artūr!You're welcome, Artūrs!
- ArtūrsTiekam, atā!See ya, bye!
- linearlyAtā!Bye!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bye” translations and entries atā, sveiks, uz redzēšanos, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sveiks, uz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
