tere
/ˈtere/
In Estonian, hello is said as tere. Wiktionary also lists tervist and hei.
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Estonian | IPA |
|---|---|
| tere | /ˈtere/ |
| tervist | |
| hei | |
| tsau | /ˈtʃɑu̯/ /ˈts(ʲ)ɑu̯/ |
The primary way to say hello is tere, which functions as a standard greeting.
Which one should you use?
While tere is the standard greeting, hei is used as a casual 'hi' or 'hey'. For an even more informal or slangy approach, you can use tsau, which is borrowed from the Italian 'ciao'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Tere is a neutral and versatile term suitable for almost any situation. For more formal settings, you can use tervist to mean 'Greetings' or the phrase tere õhtust to say 'Good evening'. In contrast, hei is an informal way to say 'hi' or 'hey' and tsau is a slangy, very informal greeting.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtere/
Did you know?
- Despite the influence of Russian and German throughout history, the most common Estonian greeting tere has remained firmly rooted in its ancient Proto-Finnic origin.
- The greeting tervist is a partitive form of 'health'. Using it as a greeting is like saying 'I wish you some health' to the person you meet.
- The word tere is a linguistic relative of the Northern Sami word dearvvaš, which also relates to being healthy.
Examples in context
- Ma ei öelnud tere.I didn't say hello.This sentence shows the negative usage of the form tere.Tatoeba #2801358 by Maasikas, translation #2271758 by CK
- Tere, kuidas sul läheb?Hello, how are you?This sentence shows how to use tere in a common greeting.Tatoeba #2710664 by Maasikas, translation #138868 by CK
- Tere, John! Kuidas sul läheb?Hello, John! How are you?This sentence shows how to use tere when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #2710683 by Maasikas, translation #30307 by CN
- Tervist, daamid ja härrad. Tänan teid kohaletuleku eest.Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming.
- Tere hommikust, proua Kask. Loodan, et teil on meeldiv päev olnud.Good morning, Mrs. Kask. I hope you've had a pleasant day.
- Tere õhtust, härra Mägi. Kas teil on hetk aega minuga rääkida?Good evening, Mr. Mägi. Do you have a moment to talk?
- Tere, Mari! Kuidas su päev on möödunud?Hello, Mari! How has your day been?
- Hei, Martin! Millal lähme järgmisel korral surfama?Hey, Martin! When are we going surfing next time?
- Hommikust!Good morning!
- Tere-tere!Hi there!
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Toomas meets Mari at a local cafe.
- ToomasTere, Mari!Hello, Mari!
- MariTere, Toomas.Hello, Toomas.
- ToomasKuidas sul läheb?How are you doing?
- MariHästi, aitäh.Good, thanks.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries tere, tsau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tere, tsau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
