halló
[ˈhal(ː)ou]
In Icelandic, hello can be said as halló or hæ.
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Icelandic | IPA |
|---|---|
| halló | [ˈhal(ː)ou] (narrow) |
| hæ | [ˈhaiː] (narrow) |
Which one should you use?
hæ is more informal than halló and is equivalent to the English 'hi', whereas halló is a neutral greeting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Halló is a neutral greeting suitable for most situations, including answering the phone. For a more informal approach, you can use hæ. If you need a formal way to say hello, you can use Góðan daginn or Góðan dag (Good day). Additionally, Sæll is an informal greeting used to say 'Hi' to a male, while Sæl is used to say 'Hi' to a female.
Did you know?
- The greeting Sæll comes from a word meaning 'happy' or 'blessed', meaning that when you say hello to a man, you are essentially wishing him a state of bliss.
- While halló is a standard greeting, the word hæ is an 'import' from English that only entered the Icelandic language after 1970.
- While halló is a common greeting, it is also used to express disbelief or shock, similar to how an English speaker might say 'Hello?' when someone says something absurd.
Examples in context
- Halló. Get ég fengið að tala við Tom?Hello. May I speak to Tom, please?This sentence shows how to use halló when asking to speak with someone.Tatoeba #4025636 by Bergthor, translation #4013716 by CK
- Halló.Hello!This sentence shows a simple use of halló.Tatoeba #509884 by arnarsmata, translation #373330 by CK
- Að teikna þríhyrning er yfirleitt útgáfan af „Halló, Heimur!“ fyrir forritun skjákorta.Drawing a triangle is usually the "Hello, World!" equivalent when programming for a graphics card.This sentence uses the phrase halló in the context of the programming expression 'Hello, World!'Tatoeba #10677135 by nipbud, translation #10677136 by nipbud
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kristín and Sigurður meet on the street.
- KristínHalló, Sigurður!Hello, Sigurður!
- SigurðurHalló, Kristín! Hvað segir þú?Hello, Kristín! How are you?
- KristínÉg hef það vel, takk.I am doing well, thanks.
- SigurðurGaman að sjá þig.Good to see you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries halló, hæ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries halló, hæ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
