paldies
/pɑldies/
paldies is the Latvian word for thanks.
paldies is used to express appreciation or gratitude.
Meaning: used to express appreciation or gratitude (intj)
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to thank someone for a specific thing, use the preposition par followed by the accusative case, such as in paldies par palīdzību (thanks for the help).
How do you pronounce it?
/pɑldies/
When do people say it?
A common response to paldies is nav par ko, which literally means 'there is nothing to [thank] for'.
Did you know?
- The word paldies has a deeply religious origin, as it is a shortened version of the phrase palīdz dievs, meaning 'may God help you'.
- In some traditional Latvian contexts, saying paldies can be accompanied by a slight nod of the head to show sincerity.
- The Latvian language has a specific noun for the act of thanking, pateicība, which shares a root with the word for 'telling' or 'saying'.
Examples in context
- Paldies, ka to atguvāt.Thanks for getting it back.This sentence shows how to use paldies when someone returns something.Tatoeba #12159233 by GemMonkey, translation #12159234 by GemMonkey
- Nē, paldies, es nedzeru.No thanks, I don't drink.This sentence demonstrates how to use paldies to politely decline an offer.Tatoeba #11531067 by GemMonkey, translation #6330103 by astru
- Paldies par ātro atbildi.Thanks for the fast response.This sentence illustrates how to use paldies to show appreciation for a quick response.Tatoeba #13675195 by GemMonkey, translation #8565362 by CK
- Paldies par rītdienas tikšanos!Thanks for tomorrow's meeting!
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Māris hands Zane a cup of coffee.
- ZanePaldies, Māri!Thanks, Māris!
- MārisLūdzu, Zane!You're welcome, Zane!
- ZaneKā tas smaržko!How it smells!
- MārisTev patiks.You will like it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thanks” translations and entries paldies, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries paldies, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
