salut, frate
The English phrase "hello brother" is translated into Romanian as salut, frate.
salut, frate is an informal greeting used when speaking to a male friend or a brother. In certain urban youth subcultures, the word frate is used similarly to the English "bro" or "dude" to address friends.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of the greeting salut and the vocative form of frate (brother).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
salut, frate is highly informal and is used among close male friends or actual siblings. Other informal variations include Salut, frate! and the friendly, informal greeting Hei, fratele meu!
Did you know?
- The word frate has an unexpected relative in the Romanian word brat, which means 'upper arm'.
- The Romanian language uses a special grammatical case called the vocative to turn frate into a direct address, which is a feature lost in most other Romance languages.
- Using frate to address a stranger in a formal setting can be interpreted as aggressive or presumptuous rather than friendly.
Examples in context
- Salut, frate, ce mai faci?Hello brother, how are you?
- Salut, frate, ne vedem mai târziu.Hello brother, see you later.
- Salut, frate, bine ai venit!Hello brother, welcome!
Example conversation
Andreea meets her brother Andrei in the living room.
- AndreeaSalut, frate! Unde ai fost?Hello brother! Where have you been?
- AndreiSalut! Am fost la magazin.Hello! I was at the store.
- AndreeaAi cumpărat ceva de mîncare?Did you buy some food?
- AndreiDa, am luat câteva fructe.Yes, I got some fruit.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries frate, salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
