labas, gražuole
labas, gražuole is the Lithuanian way to say hello beautiful.
This phrase is an informal greeting used to address a woman to compliment her appearance.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of labas (hello) and gražuole, which is the vocative case of gražuolė (beautiful woman/beauty).
How does it change in a sentence?
Using the nominative gražuolė instead of the vocative gražuole sounds less natural in a direct greeting.
Did you know?
- Lithuanian is one of the few surviving Indo-European languages that still uses a distinct vocative case for addressing people directly, as seen in the change from gražuolė to gražuole.
- In Lithuania, using a compliment like gražuole with a stranger can be perceived as overly forward or 'flirting' rather than a polite greeting.
- Adding a diminutive suffix to gražuole can change the tone from a romantic compliment to a sweet or playful term used for children.
Examples in context
- Labas, gražuole, šiandien labai spindi.Hello beautiful, you are glowing today.
Example conversation
Mantas greets Gabrielė when they meet at a cafe.
- MantasLabas, gražuole, kaip laikaisi?Hello beautiful, how are you doing?
- GabrielėLabai gerai, ačiū, Mantai.Very well, thank you, Mantas.
- MantasTu šiandien atroki nuostabiai.You look wonderful today.
- GabrielėAčiū už komplementą!Thank you for the compliment!
