salut, prietene
The English phrase "hello friend" is translated into Romanian as salut, prietene.
The phrase salut, prietene is a casual way to greet a friend. You can also use the informal greeting Salut to say "Hi" or "Hello", or the friendly and casual Hei to say "Hello". These greetings are followed by the informal question Ce faci?, which means "How are you?"
Did you know?
- Using the word prietene to greet a stranger might come across as overly intimate or even suspicious in some Romanian social contexts.
- The word salut is a doublet of săruta, which means 'to kiss'. Both words share a common root in the Latin word for health and safety.
- In Romanian, the word prietene is in the vocative case, a grammatical form used specifically when addressing someone directly.
Example conversation
Elena meets Alexandru at a cafe.
- ElenaSalut, prietene! Ce mai zici?Hello friend! What's up?
- AlexandruSalut, Elena! Totul e bine.Hello, Elena! Everything is fine.
- ElenaVrei să bei o cafea cu mine?Do you want to have a coffee with me?
- AlexandruSigur, cu mare plăcere!Sure, with great pleasure!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
