Common English Phrases Translated into Other Languages

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Learn to say hello, good bye, thank you, and other useful words and phrases in a variety of foreign languages, from German to Basque. This table is a useful tool for English-speaking business and leisure travelers alike. Don't forget to say please!

The language
name itself 		hello good bye please thank you English yes no traditional toast
("cheers!")
German Deutsch hallo auf Wiedersehen bitte danke Englisch ja nein prosit
Dutch Nederlands hallo tot ziens alstublieft dankjewel engels ja nee proost
Danish dansk hej farvel (1) tak engelsk ja nej skål
Swedish svenska hej hejdå tack tack engelska ja nej skål
French français bonjour au revoir s'il vous plaît merci anglais oui non santé
Spanish español hola adiós por favor gracias inglés sí no salud
Italian italiano ciao arrivederci per favore grazie inglese si no salute
Hebrew ivrit shalom lehitraot bevakasha toda anglit ken lo le-chaim
Irish Gaeilge fáilte slán le do thoil go raibh maith agat Béarla sea2 ní ha3 slainte
Swahili Kiswahili (4) kwa heri tafadhali asante Kingereza ndiyo siyo —
Basque Euskara kaixo agur mesedez Eskerrik asko ingelesa bai ez —
Japanese nihongo konnichiwa sayonara kudasai arigatou eigo hai iie kanpai
Esperanto Esperanto saluton gis la revido mi petas dankon la angla jes ne je via sano
Finnish suomi päivää näkemiin ole hyvä kiitos englanti kyllä ei kippis
Indonesian bahasa Indonesia selamat pagi selamat tinggal5 tolong terima kasih bahasa
Inggris 		ya tidak —
Tok Pisin Tok Pisin gut de gut bai plis tenkyu Inglis yes nogat —
Portuguese Português olá adeus Por favor obrigado Inglês sim não saúde

1. There is no single word or expression that directly corresponds to “please.” Polite requests are made in different ways.
2. Literally, “it is.” This can only be used in answering a question with the verb “to be.” In Irish there is no word for “yes” or “no.” Instead, the speaker repeats the verb from the question in the affirmative or the negative: Did you sleep well? I did. Are you coming? I am not.
3. Literally, “it is not.” See above.
4. There is no single word for “hello.” Which greeting is used will depend on the relative ages, number (singular or plural), and/or race of the speakers. For example, “hujambo,” reply “sijambo,” would be used by two people of similar age and race, whereas “jambo,” reply “jambo,” would be used by a white person and a black person.
5. Said by the person leaving; “selamat jalan” is said by the person staying.

See also

Writing & Language
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